USC Class of 2023 Decisions/Stats Only Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

Reposted from last years stats thread. Just preparing for the boxes to come this week… post your stats along with your outcome!:

REMEMBER - STATS ONLY - NO DISCUSSION.

All credit for format goes to @co4usc2016

All questions and discussions should go here: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/2113793-usc-class-of-2023-applicants-thread.html#latest

THANKS!

Here are instructions and a template you can use to help future generations of USC applicants!:

-Copy/paste all the text below from === to === into a new post (Do NOT include the ===)
-Delete the line that does not apply, i.e. Accepted or Rejected.
-Add your specifics.
-PREVIEW POST to see how it looks before you submit. Instead of clicking “Post Comment,” choose “Preview” so you can make adjustments before you post.

IMPORTANT: Remove spaces inside brackets before posting!!

THANKS FOR CONTRIBUTING!

=====================

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied: **

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:**

[ b]Which school/major at USC:**

[ b]Scholarships:**

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

===============

2

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 23/Jan 24

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Biological Sciences

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I : 1540 - 790 R, 750 M
ACT : 34
SAT II : Didin’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank :Top 5%
AP : Eng Lang (5), US Hist (4)
IB : N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit, AP Eur Hist, AP Gov, Econ, Biology Honors, Spanish 4,th year of Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): School band (section leader-1yr, student director-2yrs), Senior Leadership Team (Secretary), Student Advisory Council-3yrs
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Nothing notable
Summer Activities: None
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: probably 10, but not sure
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::idk
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::10
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State: California
School Type: Public Charter, attended K-12
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation, Scion - one sister class 2016, one sister class of 2020

Reflection
Strengths: Strong academics, teacher recs, advanced math at community college, knowledge of USC
Weaknesses: Shy, laking more community involvement
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong academics
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA, UCSB, UCD (still waiting), Miami University (Full tuition plus stipend), University of Kentucky (Full tuition + stipend), University of Texas at Dallas (Full tuition + stipend)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

3

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 23

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/East Asian Studies

Scholarships: Trustees Finalist

Objective:
ACT : 35
SAT II : Math 2- 730 & Chinese- 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank: Top 2%
AP : Lang (5), USH (5), Calc BC (4), Euro (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Statistics, AP Government, AP Chemistry, Honors English IV, Economics, Honors Orchestra, Theology

4

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 23

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Math

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT : 1540
SAT II : Math 2- 800 & Chemistry - 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Weighted GPA: 4.39
Rank: Top 10%
AP : Chem (4), Bio (4), Calc BC (5), Eng Lang (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Statistics, AP Government, AP Eng Lit, Honors Orchestra

5

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 23/Jan 24

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi/Mechanical

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I : didn’t take
ACT : 35
SAT II : math II:720 bio:710 Lit:700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank : my school doesn’t release rank
AP : Euro (3), Calc AB (4), Eng Lang (4), US Hist (4), Bio (4)
IB : N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit, AP Gov, Econ, Spanish 4, AP Computer Science Principles, Honors Physics, AP Calc BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Academic Decathlon (captain), varsity tennis (captian), club founder (treasurer)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at local hospital for past three years; member of National Charity League with 4 100 hour awards and 1 50 hour award
Summer Activities: Intern at The Boeing Company; led summer training for tennis team
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::10; i got a letter from my boss at Boeing
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State: California
School type: Private all girls
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Scion - one sister class of 2020; grandfather graduated from SC

Reflection
Strengths: Strong academics, strong test scores, connection to USC, good community involvement
Weaknesses: Lack of clear emphasis on engineering in my course selections
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong academics
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, Berkeley, UCI, Tulane (deferred), Santa Clara University (accepted with scholarship), Notre Dame (accepted), Dartmouth, and Stanford
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

6

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 23/24

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi/Astronautical

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590 - 800M 790R
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): MathII (800), Physics (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): Physics 1 (5), Physics 2 (5), Physics C Mech (5), Physics C EM (5), Calc BC (5), Lang (5), Stats (5), Spanish (4), CompSci A (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, AP Econ, AP Gov, AP Lit, Multivariable Calc

7

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 11/28

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/23/1/25

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, Computational Neuroscience

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (760CR/790M/21 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800), Biology M (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): European History (3) (didn’t submit), US History (4), English Language (4), Calculus BC (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Differential Equations, AP US Government, AP Psychology, AP English Literature, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science A, Multivariable Calculus, Introduction to Film Studies
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): (not really major but…) Williams College Book Award, AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Commended Scholar, Presidential Service Award: Bronze x2, Jefferson’s Award for Community Service, Golden Gate Ceremony for Service Winner, Prudential Spirit of Community

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Pre Med Society Club (Founder & President), Science Olympiad (VP), CSF (Treasurer), NHS, GSA, Yearbook, Stanford Splash
Job/Work Experience: Cashier at Pizzeria
Volunteer/Community Service: Hospitality/patient advocacy program at local hospital (Founder & Lead Volunteer)
Summer Activities: Stanford High School Summer College, UCLA Summer Sessions, Stanford Cognitive Neuroscience Immersion Internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: personal statement: 9, USC: 8
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: from Stanford professor I interned with, idk
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: stats and personal statement, took hella community college classes and summer classes at Stanford and UCLA, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: AP scores, lack of national titles
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: how can you really know??
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Northeastern (accepted w/merit), Columbia (rejected), UCLA, UC Berkeley, Boston University, George Washington, NYU, Harvard, Stanford, Upenn, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Barnard, Carnegie Mellon

8

Date applied: Nov 30

Date decision postmarked/received: Jan 23

Which school/major at USC: WBB/Marshall

Scholarships: – Finalist for Presidential Scholarship

[Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 36
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Total 9 and all good
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Very challenging
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): NMF, AP honors, etc.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Started a successful online retail business to benefit battered women, started entrepreneurship club at the school, a bunch of leadership roles in school and outside organizations
Job/Work Experience: business owner, babysitter for a family, summer jobs, etc.
Volunteer/Community Service: excellent volunteer and ci=ommunity service both in and outside of school and organized many fundraisers to collect up to 80k for various charities
Summer Activities: completely loaded with internships, jobs, dance, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10 – everyone loved it, and my true passion was expressed in sincere language
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: must be good as they love me
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: he is my biggest well-wisher.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: it was done online, and it kept kicking me out. Overall v=felt good after the recording.

[Other[
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Test scores, business ownership, fundraisers, all rounded achievements, good recos and my relationship with peers and teachers helped a lot.
Weaknesses: None specifically. Had a couple of B+ in the transcript. Maybe that?!!
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my application spoke for who I am truly and all my activities were tied together with my passion for business and entrepreneurship. My leadership skills were highlighted all through my application. Test scores helped as well.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Deferred from Wharton, Accepted UT Mccombs, accepted in Texas A&M (Brown scholar) and UTD with full ride/stipend. Applied to Vandy, Northwestern, Cornell, Georgetown, NYU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: WBB is my dream come true.

9

Decision: Accepted!!

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/26/19
Which school/major at USC: Keck/Global Health

Scholarships: Finalist for Presidential

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school doesn’t calculate, but probably 3.8uw 4.3w
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): 9 total, English Lang (5), Chem (3), World History (5), US History (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Bio, AP Psych, AP French, AP AB Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Chemistry Olympiad top 10 in state, AP Honors, French honor society, National French Exam silver medalist, Tri M music honor society (really not that great)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): GSA (co leader), affinity group for African-American girl students at my school (leader), Acapella group, Student Diversity Leadership conference, other diversity conferences, volleyball, softball, science bowl competition team, set design, etc
Job/Work Experience: camp counselor
Volunteer/Community Service: tutoring elementary students, hospital volunteer, Haiti service trip
Summer Activities: more volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common app 9, about living with a single parent, USC #1 What is something about yourself that is essential to understanding you? I wrote about having a hearing aid, USC #2 Why USC? Wrote about why I’m passionate about global health, I was really specific about professors, classes, programs
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I have no idea, one was from my french teacher that I’m really close to, the other was from my bio teacher who I was sort of close to
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Once again, I don’t know
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small, college prep, episcopal
Ethnicity: African-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM in stem

Reflection
Strengths: Global isn’t a popular major at USC, strong grades in a really rigorous school, essays were unique, involved in a lot of different things at school
Weaknesses: two B’s junior year (with a really difficult courseload though), ACT not that strong, honestly I seem pretty average (I guess not!)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was not expecting this at all. I was certain that I wasn’t even going to get into USC, let alone get half tuition off!! But I think my essays were pretty unique and just showed who I’m as a person, they were very personal and real. I was worried about my grades and test scores tho, I had primarily all A’s, but junior year I ended with two B’s. And a 32 really isn’t that good, I guess the holistic approach is a legitimate thing!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UVA (accepted), Northeastern (accepted), Fordham (accepted), Spelman (accepted), UMBC (accepted), Case Western (Accepted), Cornell, WashU, Barnard, NYU, Boston U, Virginia Tech
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I can’t believe I got into my #1 school!! 2.3% accepted rate! I know that my stats and everything else really aren’t that great, but I’m so thankful they were able to see something special in me!

10

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: Found out on portal (out of town)

Which school/major at USC: Roski/BFA

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I : 1440 - 760 R, 680 M
ACT : 33
SAT II : Didin’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank : not sure
AP : Eng Lit (4), CALC AB (PL), Eng Lang (PL)
IB : N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lang, AP Calc, Physics, lots of art classes, band, government.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Local chapter of national political org (chair of political education), Local university student philosophy reading group (Member/officer), Band 3yrs, theater.
Job/Work Experience: Waiter
Volunteer/Community Service: Nothing notable
Summer Activities: None
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Not sure about quality, reflected on philosophy, political work and art.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Good but generic
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::idk
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): Killer, from an art mentor
Interview: Not requested yet

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State: Iowa
School Type: Public, attended K-12
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: Advanced portfolio work, strong essays that show well roundedness as well as clear spikes
Weaknesses: Academic stats
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong portfolio, additional rec, essays.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA, UCSD, UCB, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (accepted with maximum merit scholarship), Carnegie Mellon, Yale, Harvard, California College of the Arts.

Fight on!

11

Decision: Accepted :smiley:

Date applied: 11/30

Date decision postmarked/received: January 26, 2019

Which school/major at USC: SCA/film production

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I : 1550 - 800 R, 750 M (superscore)
ACT : didnt take
SAT II: didnt take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank : 6
AP : French (4), World History (5), US History (5), Enviro (5), English lang (5)
IB : N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Gov, AP Psych, AP Stats, (the rest of my classes are specialized in film/multimedia at a separate school–its something my school district offers)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, National merit semifinalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Model UN (conferences and an officer position), environmental club (officer), mass communications club, french club, various honors societies, film festivals and short films
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: , volunteer counselor at a figure skating camp, produced videos for a nonprofit medical organization, various environmental activities in my community
Summer Activities: none really other than before my freshman year, though I did move to California from another state this past summer, before my senior year
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10, I worked really hard and was happy with the outcome
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9. i think mostly pretty strong. I asked for them from teachers that I really connected with
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9? im not sure
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): pretty good I think, but again not sure
Interview: -

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State: California
School Type: 9-11 (private school), 12 (public)
Ethnicity: Latina
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: my essays; test scores, grades. I also applied to usc as an rhp student last year (but obv rejected) so that might have helped.
Weaknesses: lack of summer activities
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was really happy with my film submission, it was both serious and meaningful. In general, i was really passionate about USC and tried to show that through my application
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA, UCSD, UCSC, UCD, UCB, UCSB, Pepperdine, Chapman, LMU (accepted).

I’m in shock. I really can’t believe this. Good luck to everyone and dream big!!

12

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Dec 1st

Date decision postmarked/received: January 25, 2019

Which school/major at USC: SCA, Writing for Screen and Television

Scholarships: Trustee Finalist

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 EN, 29 M, 36 R, 35 S)

SAT II (place score in parentheses): World History (770), Literature (730), Spanish (650)

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7/.8

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 20%

AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geo, World History, US History, Art History, Language and Comp, Comp Gov (5 on all)

Senior Year Course Load: Marine Bio Honors, AP Lit, AP US Gov, AP Spanish Lang, AP Euro, Literary Magazine Honors

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, two National Spanish Exam awards, Superior play award at thespians event in sophomore year, Outstanding student at Playwriting (given to me by my playwriting teacher)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Literary Magazine (Editor in Chief for two years, Art Editor sophomore year)
Art Museum (Lead Volunteer)
Creative Writer (have won multiple awards at various levels)
Writer on online magazine (article shares total over 40 thousand)
Black Student Association (was Creative Producer)

Volunteer/Community Service: Lead Volunteer at an art museum, volunteer hours totaled over 320+

Summer Activities: I actually went to USC the summer before junior year and did a 6 week summer program :slight_smile: I did it for film production, though

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
One from my English Lang teacher, I didn’t read it but I heard from my counselor it was really good. I loved her. Like to think she loved me !!! Favourite anecdote of us is that the first essay I wrote in her class, she lost, but chased me down to try and see if I had it because she thought it was perfect. Half of the year, my essays were used as examples. 9/10

One from my Spanish 4 Honors teacher, I loved her too. Didn’t read this either, but again, my counselor gave her stamp of approval. I regretfully slacked off in her class, but we had really good discussions and she recommended me for AP Spanish, which I didn’t think she would!! 8/10

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
I didn’t read it, but my counselor and I had a very tight knit relationship. 9/10

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):
One from my Creative Writing teacher turned Lit Mag Advisor. She’s known me for 4 years, so I felt she would be one of the best to write about who I was as a writer. 9/10

The other from my current AP Lit teacher. Her and I have had awesome discussions about what my passions were as a screenwriter, what I wanted to do in terms of story, character, representation, etc. 9/10

Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM. First-gen American. That’s all, I think.

Reflection
Strengths: I think my USC specific supplements were awesome. Not necessarily my creative works, but the Why USC? and second question. I also tried to make myself known to my admissions counselor (went to Every single USC event local to me, emailed him, etc.)

Weaknesses: My grades, no doubt. I also swore that my common app essay sucked…!! (I almost emailed them a new one and asked them not to consider me for scholarship)

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: They must’ve liked my portfolio?? I still can’t believe this. With regards to my essay, it was a bit of a weird one (I wrote about astrology, haha)

Where else you are applying or have already applied: NYU, Vassar, Colby, Northwestern, Smith, Boston Uni, FSU, UCs [LA, SB, SD, SC], Barnard, FIT, University of Florida (been accepted to Bard, SAIC, Sarah Lawrence, The New School, Arts University at Bournemouth, and Fordham)

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t be afraid to be yourself! Honestly. I swore I wouldn’t get into USC because I felt too weird and janky and out of place, not only within my school but within life. Be forthcoming with who you are, with all your quirks and rough edges, candor is key!

I’m so so delightfully surprised :slight_smile: !! congrats and good luck to everyone!!!

13

Congrats to everyone who has got in so far! I applied for Marshall and am waiting for March oh so patiently :wink:

14

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** Tuesday, November 27th, 2018

Date decision postmarked/received: Saturday, January 26th, 2019

Which school/major at USC: Marshall School of Business: Business Administration

Scholarships: Presidential Scholarship Finalist

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 (790R/W, 680M), 1440 (740R/W, 700M)
ACT (breakdown): self-reported on Common App–did not send officially
SAT II (place score in parentheses): n/a
Weighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 (school doesn’t do unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/~175
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Eng Lang (5), APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: College: Calculus, English, Psychology, Government, Public Speaking, 2 required religion classes, Honors Economics (no AP/college option), Photography, Gym (AP Macro/Micro self-study)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Social justice award from a college, honor roll (lol)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Writing {school newspaper, literary magazine, published novel}, theatre {stage crew}, soccer and basketball {not for school}
Job/Work Experience: Violin lessons
Volunteer/Community Service: Catechist at my church (leadership)
Summer Activities: Working at my father’s office
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, I’m a great writer
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): not sure, didn’t see
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): not sure, didn’t see
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): n/a
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Private parochial
Ethnicity: African-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: prefer not to say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: 1. I wrote a novel, 2. My application was very diverse and showed I was a unique person, and 3. My essays and short takes were pretty fire (if I do say so myself)
Weaknesses: Low number of APs (though school doesn’t offer many), sucky junior year physics grade, lack of business-related ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays/extracurriculars
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Too many to list
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t lose hope if you weren’t selected for scholarship consideration. You still are in the running for other scholarships/need-based aid. Focus on other schools and perfecting your app!

15

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 11/10/2018

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/26/2019 (I still haven’t gotten my white box)

Which school/major at USC: Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences/ Chemistry

Scholarships: Presidential Scholarship Finalist

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1420 (1st try), 1450 (3rd try), 1480 superscore
ACT (breakdown): 32 Composite, 35M, 31E, 31S, 30R
SAT II: 740 Math 2, 710 Chemistry, 710 Biology.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.47
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): #1 (when I applied), #2 (now)
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chemistry (5), AP Biology (5), AP English Language and Composition (4), AP US History (4), AP World History (4), AP Human Geography (4), AP Physics 2 (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, Dual Credit government, Dual Credit english, personal fitness, technical writing, and PLTW Body Systems
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Finalist at an international science fair in brazil.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Research, Varsity Basketball, Technology Student Association, and Piano.
Job/Work Experience: Cancer Research internship.
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital and Airport
Summer Activities:Cancer Research Internship, Volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Strong (9/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): I’d guess (8/10)
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): I’d guess (6/10)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): I’d guess (9/10)
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Prof I conducted cancer research with (10/10)

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yea
Intended Major: Chem (biological sciences)
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Reflections: I worked hard on putting together the best application possible, and I’m happy for the results.
Strengths: Essays, GPA, and ECs
Weaknesses: Scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no clue. My essays were pretty unique!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at UT, Baylor, Case Western.

General Comments (if any): If you weren’t selected for a merit scholarship, keep your chins up!

16

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Date applied:[ b]11/30

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:[ b] Found out from portal 1/26, still no package in maryland lol

[ b]Which school/major at USC:[ b] cog sci / Dornsife

[ b]Scholarships:[ b] presidential finalist

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 700 + 800
ACT (breakdown): 33 but didn’t send
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): my school did not rank but top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Latin 4, AP CS A 4, AP English lang 4, didnt do well on chem and Calc BC so didnt send
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Psych, Latin Lit, AP Microecon, Advanced Calculus and Linear Alg

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • interned at JHU cancer research lab
  • TED translator
    -first violin
  • tutored kids
  • chief editor at school
  • dorm leader etc nothing that impressive but had 10 things on common app
    Job/Work Experience:
  • taught English in China in the summer
    Volunteer/Community Service:
  • Went to Tibet to help design a new school’s English and mental health curriculum with a service fund
    Summer Activities: honestly not much lol
    Essays (rating 1-10, details):: I would say 7/10, ok writing about my passion for languages, bilingual experience as a child and becoming a TED translator (I would say it def felt very real to me though, might not be impressive to others hahah)
    Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
    10/10 from my AP Latin teacher, really tried in that class and connected with her
    9/10 from my AP chem teacher, my only B in high school but i think she knew me well and explained how much I tried i guess haha
    Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 7/10 I don’t really know… but since I go to a small private school I think she probably knows me better than average…I don’t think she’s out to screw with my app so she probably just did an average job

    Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 from my mentor at JHU
    Interview: did not interview for USC

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): MD
School Type: private all girls
Ethnicity: East Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 70,000 - 100,000 (thank god for that scholarship)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): truly nothing.

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:I think my courseload at school was def one of the hardest in my school’s recent history and I had a decent GPA after that. Connection with my teachers who wrote my recs. ECs are just ok but connect to my interests well.
Weaknesses: stats are just borderline ok.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: maybe fit? I really dont know what they saw in me and I am so grateful for this acceptance
Where else you are applying or have already applied:Deferred from Penn’s ED, still waiting to hear back. Some UCs and some other Ivies.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:So happy, so grateful! Kinda wish I tried harder in high school tho hahha and good luck to everyone!

17

Decision: Accepted

** Date applied: ** 12/01/18

** Date decision postmarked/received: ** 01/26/19, (no white box yet :frowning: )

** Which school/major at USC: ** Dornsife/Human Biology

** Scholarships: ** Trustee Finalist

** Objective: **

SAT I (breakdown): 1540 - 790 M, 750 R, Essay (22)
ACT (breakdown): –
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Molecular Bio (790), Chemistry (770), Math 2 (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): –
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (4), Bio (5), Psych (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): 44/45
Senior Year Course Load: Biology HL, Mathematics HL, European History HL, Spanish B, Literature and Chemistry SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): School Topper IGCSE, City topper in Trinity Drama

**Subjective: **

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • Primary stem cell research (paper published)
  • Primary leukemia research
  • authored book on traditional medicine
  • published poem collection on society
  • lead in school plays, directed and wrote plays for school (focused on using drama to spread awareness about mental illness)
    Job/Work Experience: Tutor in Spanish and Literature
    Volunteer/Community Service: Founder of environmental NGO, volunteer at a hospice/rehab centre for stroke patients and the terminally ill. Also, I rescue and foster stray kittens.
    Summer Activities: Yale Young Global Scholars BBS’18
    Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 7/10, wrote about my family history of dementia and research I want to pursue.
    Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Biology teacher, taught me for 3 years (6/10), English teacher, 5 years (8/10)
    Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: (7/10), talked mainly about a waste segregation system I implemented for our school fundraiser (the largest student-run fundraiser in my country)
    Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: none
    Interview: no interview

Other

Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant): –
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: international co-ed
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 50, 000 - 100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: My research experience was definitely a high point, my stats were also pretty high.
Weaknesses: lack of real leadership/engagement with the school community, lower GPA in freshman year
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: research, I think - another girl from my lab was accepted for the same major with a very similar profile, for the trustee scholarship.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Deferred from Yale, other Ivies and the UCs.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: extremely thankful for this! Can’t wait to go to LA in Feb :slight_smile:

===============

18

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: **Nov 30

**Date decision postmarked/received: **Jan 23

**Which school/major at USC: ** Annenberg / Journalism

**Scholarships: ** Finalist for Trustee Scholarship

**Objective: **
SAT I: 1560 (800/370/390/20), took once
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Math II (800), Chem (760), Lit (740)
Unweighted GPA: 3.86
Rank: N/A
AP: Calc AB (5) Lang (5) US (5) Psych (5) Euro (4) World (4)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP French, Journalism, AP US/Comp Gov, AP Lit, AP Biology
Major Awards: NMF, AP honors, etc. Presidential Scholar nomination? AP Scholar, Honor Roll, NHS

**Subjective: **

Extracurriculars:

  1. (Educational Policy Director of a large California NPO), Grades 11-12, I direct two leadership conferences centered around providing student input to State Senate/Assembly Committees on Education and SBE. I also sit on the Legislative Policy Committee of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) as one of three student reps of my NPO.
  2. (Special Education District Board CAC Student Rep), Grades 11-12, I sit on an advisory committee for two different district boards to provide student input on special education policy
  3. Senior Opinion/Sports Editor of school newspaper, Grade 12 (Staff writer junior year, ghost staff writer my sophomore year)
  4. (YASC Director), Grades 10-11, Directed statewide leadership conference centered around social issues and student-run NPOs
  5. Correspondent for LA Times HS Insider: Wrote for their high school offshoot, created sociopolitical opinion column “Thoughts of the Youth”

Job/Work Experience:

  1. Disaster Action Team member, Grade 11, American Red Cross, learned first aid relief/CPR as a DAT in training member

Volunteer/Community Service:

  1. Student Intern for Assemblywoman, Grade 11, assisted in organizing and executing community events, provided student input/research, logged in constituent info for database

Summer Activities:

  1. American Red Cross Intern (Summer 17) Assisted in financial transfers between potential corporate partners and ARC at LA HQ.
  2. Shadow Student Director of Summer Camp(Summer 17) Shadowed adult director of large leadership conference
  3. Intern Law Clerk (Summer 18), Prepared affidavits and other various legal documents, organized and logged client info in databases
  4. Counselor (Summer 18) Counseled at a summer leadership conference

Essays:
[Prompt 3, What is something essential to understanding you?]: 9, very solid essay that allowed me to showcase both how journalism is a part of my life
[Why USC?]: 10, super personal, very individualized to Annenberg specifically, my favorite “why” essay ever written
[Short answer responses]: 9, they were pretty funny and showed humor. Might’ve been a little controversial with some answers, but who knows.

Teacher Recommendation 1: 9, she likes me and i have had her for two years straight, but i talk sometimes in her class
Teacher Recommendation 2: 10, she LOVES me and again, i’ve had her for two years, so we have a close relationship
Counselor Rec: 10, she adores me
Additional Rec: 10, the district superintendent wrote mine and he’s a killer writer
Interview: None to get accepted, and my scholarship interview is coming up!

**Other: **
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Lower-Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

**Reflection: **
Strengths: SAT, Extracurriculars (!), Letters of Rec
Weaknesses: Couple of Bs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my application showed a multifaceted approach to journalism, and gave different aspects of my life, whether that be my professional desires or my style of humor
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Rejected from Penn, Deferred from Chicago, Accepted in BC.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Annenberg is a dream. Definitely should have paid attention to grades, but hey, it worked out!

19

Late, but if it’s helpful then I’m glad :slight_smile:

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** Dec 1

**Date decision postmarked/received: ** Jan 23

**Which school/major at USC: ** Dorsnife, Human Biology (Pre-Med)

**Scholarships: ** Presidential

**Objective: **
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (800 Math, 740 ERW)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 English, 34 Math, 36 Reading, 33 Science)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math 2, 790 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus BC (5), Calculus AB (5), European History (5), Biology (5), US History (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP French, AP Statistics, AP Economics, AP English, Ethics Class, Visual Arts
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, NHS, Dean’s List, Presidential Gold Award

**Subjective: **
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Musical Theatre Actor (15+ Musicals), Biology Club President, Creative Writing Club President, Foreign Language Instructor (French/Hindi), Research @ Private Medical Practice with Physician (Submitted for Publication), Cancer Research with Professor at State University
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Hospital Volunteer, Alzheimer’s Ward Volunteer, Eagle Scout Project, Golf Coach, English Instructor for French Families
Summer Activities: Intensive Hands-On Medical Program, National Golf Leadership Opportunity
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d rate my essays a 9. I didn’t think they were strong when I first submitted them, but looking over them again now, my passions really came through.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I’d rate this a 7. I felt this was the weak part of my application, because I got an A- in AP Biology and asked my teacher for a recommendation (especially because I’m a Human Biology major). I didn’t think that I would be rated as high as some of my other peers, but I had a close relationship with the teacher, so I’d say the content of the letter was strong. I also asked my French teacher, which would have been stellar.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8, don’t know her well but she knows I am a strong student.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview: N/A

**Other: **
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): Northeast
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private (Very Competitive HS)
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

**Reflection: **
Strengths: Essays, Test Scores, Diverse Extracurricular Activities
Weaknesses: Unweighted GPA is on lower side, perhaps teacher recommendations.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was genuine and passionate.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Combined BS/MD programs.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Embrace who you are. Soul search. I’ll give better advice later on, LOL, I’m not nearly finished with this process :)))

20

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 11/15/18

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/23 1/30

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Biochemistry & Pre-law

Scholarships:Presidential Finalist

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1430 (M710/R720)
ACT (breakdown): 33(M29, R36, S33)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): HuG (5), APUSH (5), WH (5), Comp (5), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Lit, AP French, AP Stats,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): created 2 thriving clubs, NHS, Language, Service and History honor societies (President, service coordinator), athlete
Job/Work Experience: Food Service Trainer
Volunteer/Community Service: Presidential Service Gold Award
Summer Activities: Foreign Exchange
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: AA
Gender: Cis-female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, STEM

Reflection
Strengths: leadership, passion, purpose/calling
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: unique passion
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, UPENN, NCAT, Tuskegee, Louisville, Rochester
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

===============