Got rejected from Roski. 34 ACT / 1470 SAT / 3.4 GPA. I think the GPA definitely screwed me over quite a bit, along wtih other factors. I’m not too upset – it was definitely a reach school for me. Congrats to everyone who got in! I’ll be nearby at LMU!
I thought it was kind of funny, btw, when I logged into the portal the page title (what the tab says) literally read “Denied Freshman”. Way to spoil the surprise 
@blueskies2day I have to concur with feeling USC is safe. I am from New Orleans which has a far higher violent crime per capita rate than Los Angeles. We drove there and visited and while different in some ways than my city, staying safe is easy with simple common sense. Know where you are at what time with who. There are areas that you should never go. There are areas that you should never go outside of being with a group. There are areas you should never go at night. There are areas you should stay on the “beaten path”. If you decide to drink, make sure you have a designated THINKER as well as a designated driver to watch out that you stay safe.
@rivers333 you’re welcome
@chrys1 Indeed. I would have to echo the posts from @blueskies2day and @johngaltiii above.
If you are thinking about attending USC or sending a loved one there, I suggest limiting your gained insights from alumni or those attending now or those with family members attending there now or your personal experience while visiting. For example, I personally attended Johns Hopkins. At that time, there were significant crime and safety issues surrounding the Homewood Campus in Baltimore. But I cannot speak to how it is today. Hopefully things are much better now. I do though have two daughters attending USC currently and have visited there many times. While I of course advise caution, especially at night, and urge them to use Campus Cruisers or the free Lyft rides in the area surrounding campus at night, I have zero safety concerns. If I had such… neither would be attending there currently.
And based on numerous student and alumni accounts here on CC and the student/alumni reviews at Niche, safety concerns at or around USC are generally overstated. It is rated a B for safety… matching or bettering all but one of the 18 schools rated higher than USC on the Niche College Rankings. Only Bowdoin was judged to be safer. Many elite colleges and universities are judged to be less safe than USC… and by their own students and alumni.
My daughters especially found the Niche college rankings & surveys helpful, as they included the student & alumni surveys and went into a much broader spectrum of topics of interest to them as potential students other than just comparative academic prowess… like dorms, student life, party scene, athletics team support, etc.
Overall, USC gets an A+ and is currently ranked 19 overall among national universities. Its scores were… Academics A+, Value A+, Diversity A+, Campus A, Athletics A+, Party Scene A+, Professors A+, Location B+, Dorms B+, Campus Food A-, Student Life A+, Safety B. There are also a list of rankings on many topics too numerous to mention.
On this specific topic of safety or campus location, the location score of B+ and safety score of B do show that there is some reason for concern… or a justification for students, faculty and others to be cautious and aware of their surroundings. But… USC is still ranked as the #1 big college in America (out of 126) and # 10 out of 1501 colleges in America in terms of the best student life.
For the 18 colleges ranked better overall than USC, here are all their scores related to location and safety… basically to serve as a comparison to USC and its scores of Location B+, Safety B & to also show that there are reasons to be cautious at most of America’s elite colleges…
So… in general, as a parent, I clearly recommend prudence and caution in and around every college campus, but the impression of USC (especially spread on websites like CC) as having a dangerous environment for students is clearly being overstated. In the Niche list of the top 19 colleges in America, only one college had a better score for safety than USC. Six had the exact same score for safety as USC. And ten had a worse score related to safety than USC. And these grades are largely driven by the students at each of these colleges and their alumni.
My advice to applicants… choose wisely, selecting the best overall college experience for you. And if you have USC in your sights and manage to gain admission, do not let some faulty speculation from without persuade you to look elsewhere. Good Luck…
The wait is finally over! Although my portal still hasn’t updated, I emailed the admission officer of my region and he was glad to let me know that I did get the scholarship that I interviewed for (Presidential). I honestly still can’t believe this is real and I’m beyond excited to attend USC next year (I’m still not 100% sure if I am going there or not but USC’s been my #1 choice from the beginning so it seems like Im gonna be a Trojan next year). I would like to encourage everyone who’s thinking about applying next year to apply early. When I applied to USC not even in my wildest dreams did I think I would get accepted, let alone get a half tuition scholarship. Shoot your shot and best of luck to everyone!! Fight on :’)
Accepted Viterbi Engineering. Still waiting to hear from Olin Engineering (my top pick) USC second. Either way, looking good! Everyone will find their place…it’s frustrating but worth the wait. Good luck.
Be patient…all it takes is one good acceptance. I was rejected by a safety and accepted by a reach. Not uncommon at all.
@CADREAMIN Yeah I told my mom about it and how I could go to Paris and she was like USC is blowing me off and making me go to Paris instead. But im going to take the cal state path where I can go to SJSU for Bus Admin and then maybe transfer. Can you pls send me the link for the ttp chat?
rejected from USC along with basically all my schools besides safeties. Good to know having a 1580 SAT score, 96.5 gpa, taking 10 AP classes, and being a camp counselor, cancer lab intern, first chair cello, president of Tri-M and Full Orchestra, vice president of Orchestra, , lead dancer in school musicals, dancer in school club, member of Spanish club, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society, AP Scholar w Distinction, Science Honor Society, cello tutoring, Area All-State orchestra and more got me nowhere. Seems I could have done way less and gotten the same results. Sorry this is terrible/sorta rude but I am absolutely devastated at this point.
Rejected from Film Production. Love the “Denied Freshman” tab that pops up before you even see your decision letter lol.
@candylover132 If you are referring to the TTP thread…
@WWWard, @blueskies2day, I will respectfully disagree with the notion that in order to offer an opinion on safety at USC or any area of Los Angeles to potential students at USC, that one must either be alumnus or parent with current kids or family with kids attending now. Or to phrase it the other way, students can gain insights about USC safety from many sources and people, not just alumni or parents with kids in attendance. And it is ok that various people may have different opinions or views on the subject.
First, just to be clear, I am not of the opinion that USC is unsafe. However, I am a realist and the area surrounding USC is marginal. It’s great that USC has increased security, has free LYFT or UBER rides available to students, and the new University Village is very nice and has lots of security. That does not change the reality that a couple miles in the direction past the colosseum is very different from the immediate mile or two around campus. There is a reason for all the security. That is not to say that there are not many, if not the majority, fine law abiding citizens surrounding USC, but one should be informed of legitimate issues that may exist.
Are my views not valid because I do not have a current student there or not an alum? First, I have nieces, cousins, siblings, and friends who either have attended USC in the past, and/or whose kids attend USC now and others who graduated quite recently. Secondly, I am friends with some professors there and I have lived in Los Angeles and regularly travel to Los Angeles on business. One does not have to be an alum or have current kids attend USC to know quite a lot about USC, L.A. and the area.
@chrys1 That being said, I have a son who was recently admitted to USC and would not hesitate to send him there if that is his final decision. I would not suggest that students worry or be fearful as somebody posted, nor should they be misled that just because celebrities and famous people attend, that there are not security issues to be cognizant of. Meanwhile, if S does matriculate, he will not be sugar coated about what the potential safety issues are to consider and be aware of at USC, and ways in which to be vigilant in the surrounding area, whether it be by foot, car, bike, skate board, car, or public transportation. By the way, we don’t live in a “suburban bubble” either, but in a large city in the U.S. And yes, it is true that there is crime in the area of UCLA. I have a friend whose neighbor was recently robbed walking home from the Metrolink in West L.A. In some sense, in any large city, one needs to be vigilant especially at night and in many places in daylight. USC is in a marginal part of Los Angeles. That is not an outdated stereotype, but reality of the situation.
Rejected from engineering with 36 act, 1570 sat, 4.0 uw, and 4.9 w. Mildly amused since I got into MIT, Caltech, and UCBerkeley earlier.
Regardless, as others have been saying, if you got rejected don’t take it too harshly; all schools have their individual merits and I’m sure you’ll find your place somewhere great! For those who were accepted: congrats!!! Best wishes to everyone as they make their college decisions.
Accepted to Iovine and Young Academy
From MD
@cbjs44 Almost in the same boat as you, wide and varied EC’s, 1400 SAT and 3.95 UW gpa, leader of many clubs throughout the years, yet still the rejection. Probably cause of the Comp Sci major, another probably cause I submitted my app two days before it was due, but yeah. I’ve been in the rejection zone since getting accepted to UCLA so though I’m glad one school appreciates me, getting two rejections in one week stings lots 
I have quite a few PMs and I see a lot of questions - and @WWWard is jumping in as always with his great insightful posts. I was pretty much plastered to my office chair the last 2-3 days on cc and I have to get some things done around house with company coming! But will get back on here later today and tonight and will answer anything I was asked. Just go celebrate the victory for those that were accepted, there’s is nothing you have to do this second. Let it soak in.
And for those that were not accepted - please do not let this take you to a dark place for more than an afternoon or couple/few days. It is devastating, I know, we went through this a couple years ago. It was brutal. This is one of the biggest “life isn’t fair” moments you have ever had to get through. I am sorry anyone has to deal with this feeling of rejection after years of giving all you had through high school. You are asking yourself why you worked so hard, and why you gave up fun and other things during high school if it wasn’t going to pay off. Great questions, but you did it because that is who you are. You strive for things and work hard. That same person will rise again in whichever college you attend and it will pay off throughout your life. It will.
Your stats are crazy good and you are exceptional people, do not let being denied from any school tell you differently - only you can let someone or something make you feel bad for a long time (totally normally to feel super sad or disappointed initially). It is USC’s loss that they can’t take so many of you, but you will go on to be great somewhere else. You will make friends there, maybe a lifelong best friend, maybe meet your future spouse/partner there, decide who you really want to be, and go on to do wonderful things - everything happens for a reason. You just don’t know those reasons yet. But in time they will become apparent.
There are many many great schools out there where your dreams can come true. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Up to you to make it a good one. Do not let a rejection from USC or any school define you. So many apply and go to college these days, there just isn’t enough room at every school. Be appreciative to live in a society where college is an option. I know this all sounds cliche, but ya gotta think deep here and not let this event hold you down.
Hugs to all.
When is the portal update?
^^^^ Sorry, I can only laugh at that one.
But to answer your question, it has happened, go look.
(@WWWard CHUG!)
Would anybody be willing to share what their portal looks like? There is no decision letter but it says denied freshman on the tab of the website???
I cant say I’m not upset bc that would be lying, but I was still kind of hoping that my expectations would be wrong. Congrats to all who got accepted!
@CADREAMIN my son was accepted - first choice and he is so happy. Is there a Facebook or Group me etc for him to start connecting with his future classmates?