USC Class of 2023 Decisions/Stats Only Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
21

University of Southern California

(written before decision to eliminate bias)

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: ** 12/1/18

Date decision received: 23 March 2019 via portal. 3:38 pm

Which school/major at USC: Marshall/Accounting

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490 (750M 740EBRW), 17 essay (6/4/7)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35E 35R 33SBR 30M)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.907
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/217
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4), Biology (3), US History (5), Environmental Science (4), Calculus AB (4), English Language (4)
Senior Year Course Load: Wind Ensemble, AP English Literature, AP European History, Spanish 2, AP Calculus BC, AP Psychology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction (that’s it)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): band president, 4-year band member, principal clarinet, senior class secretary, NHS, Spanish club
Job/Work Experience: Worked at Subway junior year
Volunteer/Community Service: NHS required hours, math and Spanish tutor
Summer Activities: clerical and carpentering work at the family business
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App essay 8/10 wrote about mail, Why USC? Answers probably 6/10 each, fairly generic but well-written
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Waived FERPA rights so these are estimates. AP Bio/APEnvSci teacher probably an 8/10 (I took AP Bio as a sophomore and she liked me), Spanish teacher probably a 7/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Probably 6/10. I talk to him a lot but he did submit it on the very day I requested it so maybe was fairly generic and/or brief.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Washington
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $115k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Course load maybe?
Weaknesses: GPA, essays, extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: extremely average candidate… I saw nothing special in my application and I knew it was a long shot
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Rejected from Pomona. Direct admit to UW Foster School of Business.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: wherever you end up is where you’re meant to be! Don’t lose sight of that.

22

Rejected
California applicant
Applied to their school of arts and sciences
1450 SAT
720 Lit SAT II
4.2 GPA
3.97 UW
7 APs
Good ECs
Solid Common App essay
In retrospect, I may have rushed the USC essays as I did them the night before the deadline, although I showed them to other people and they said they were solid. Eh, its all speculation anyway.

23

Denied
3.98 UW 4.3 W
1400 SAT
9 Dual Credit Class
12 IB Courses
Top 5%
TONS of ECs in major, started philanthropy associated with major
100’s of volunteer hours through National Charity League and Key Club
Varsity sport all four years
Two Leadership positions
NO ONE FROM MY PUBLIC SCHOOL HAS GOTTEN IN in over 5 years. We have had Standford, UCLA etc admits… but no USC admits.
Should have gone to private school

24

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/25

Which school/major at USC: Marshall, World Bachelor in Business

Scholarships: Presidential Finalist

Objective:

ACT (breakdown): 32 (35 E, 32 M, 30 R, 31 S) (10 Essay)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94 Weighted 4.44
AP (place score in parentheses): AP US History, AP Government, AP Language, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, AP Bio, AP Spanish
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Calculus AB, Contemporary Communications, AP Biology, School Store (Marketing Management), AP Statistics, AP Government, AP Microeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Several; Gold Presidential Community Service Award, AP Scholar, Kohl’s Cares Community Service Regional Scholarship winner

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FBLA (Treasurer), Kay Club, DECA, CFO of School Store, Taekwondo Competitor, Tutoring, NHS, Math NHS, Science NHS, probably more
Job/Work Experience: Taekwondo Instructor (Teaching special needs kids)
Volunteer/Community Service: Lots (800+ hours over 4 years) Started my own non-profit bringing Taekwondo to inner-city orphanages and hospitals, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Chairwoman of the Youth Board of SevenDays Organization, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App: about living with T1D (9-10), USC (7-8)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8 (I have a large school so who knows)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 7 (probably standard counselor rec from large school)
Interview: Interview for Scholarship went extremely well but they asked a few hard hitting questions so you never know.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, but knew I wouldn’t get any need-based aid
State (if domestic applicant): KS
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White/African American
Gender: Female

Reflection
Strengths: Essays and EC’s
Weaknesses: Standardized Testing
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well, I asked the admissions office and they specifically noted my EC’s and unique essays!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to UNC (assured admissions into Kennan-Flagler), UVA, Villanova (DA to Business School and Honors College), Indiana University (DA to Kelly, Wells Scholarship, Full-ride, Honors) Deferred: Georgetown Waiting on Georgetown and NYU (Stern)

PM me if you want to know anything else! I am truly shocked by all of my acceptance and feel like I am living a crazy dream. In a million years I could not have imagined this!

25

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/25

Which school/major at USC: Marshall/WBB

Scholarships: I don’t think any

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geo(5), World History(5), Microeconomics(3), US History(3), English Lang(4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Stats, College Political Science, Conversational Spanish, Band, a couple other random electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholars lol

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate (Senior Captain), Speech, BPA, Philosophy Club(Board member), Band, Pit Orchestra, School Ambassador (Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience: Worked part time job my junior and senior year
Volunteer/Community Service: None
Summer Activities: Worked, nothing else notable
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10, spent long time on them and had a teacher review. The essays highlighted how I would fit into the program.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10-teacher wrote me a USC specific essay, 10- other teacher knew me super well. Didn’t read either of them but just my guess
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10, Counselor was changed my senior year but she knew me fairly well
Interview: Online Interview went fairly well, my experience in speech and debate probably helped me

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, not sure what I got yet
State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, competitive
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:
Strengths: My ACT was strong, good extra-curriculars, my essays were unique
Weaknesses: Took no AP science courses, a B in Calculus (lol), could’ve taken harder class load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I fit well into what the program is. My essays, short bits, etc. fit into someone who is flexible, adaptable, loves traveling, etc.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Northeastern( accepted with $12,000), BU (accepted), Fordham (accepted with 24,500), GWU (accepted with 24,500)
Waiting: NYU and UPenn
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was shocked when I got my package!!! I never thought that I would get accepted because I felt that I was underqualified compared to other students. I am so happy that this worked out for me and I truly think I was meant to be in the program! I looked at a ton of USC college confidential stuff last year and stalked it like crazy. Please remember that whether you did or didnt get in, you are still amazing! Everything will work itself out.

26

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife (Arts & Sciences), Political Science

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1430 (720 R&W/710 M first take)
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 690 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.00
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses): 6 SL Spanish
Senior Year Course Load: IB Lang/Lit HL, AP Calculus BC, IB Biology HL, Theory of Knowledge, IB 20th Century History HL, IB Global Politics SL + 2 electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4 years Leadership, 3 years Student Government (Secretary, Officer), 3 years Freshman Mentoring (Executive Mentor), 3 years School Newsletter (2 years Editor, 1 year Editor-in-Chief), Writing w/ Spoken Word performances, 2 years CrossFit w/ special focus on olympic lifting
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: 2 years with a local voting rights group, 2016 Voter Drive (Chairman), 2018/2019 Food Drive (Chairman)
Summer Activities: None on the application
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10. Definitely added some creative writing and poetic flair to showcase as much as my personality and character as possible.
Supplement: Essays were strong, had fun with my short answers (I said that my favorite snack was myself)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8- Junior history teacher highlighted academic prowess and civic engagement, but likely nothing they didn’t already know, 8- Junior English teacher liked me, didn’t get to read the Lot
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8- Didn’t get to read this and my counselor has all full IB kids but as far as I know she likes me
Interview: Did not interview

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Washington
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, predominantly low income BUT with IB Diploma Programme
Ethnicity: African-American/Southeast Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation college student

Reflection:
Strengths: My GPA, course load and any of the writing aspects were big pluses for me. My CommonApp essay is actually one of my favorite of my own pieces and I was really proud of it, and I think the playfulness in the short answers helped showcase my personality a lot
Weaknesses: TESTING. My SAT and SAT II were pretty weak but these were by my own accord. My parents offered to pay for a SAT prep course but I ultimately chose not to because I wanted to get in on my own merit and not because I paid for it (though there are so MANY other privileges that come with my socio-economic standing that I couldn’t control for and I recognize that and am grateful for them and the advantage that they have given me)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Northeastern (Honors + $16,000 annually), University of Washington (accepted), Carleton College (accepted), Boston U (accepted), George Washington U (Politics and Values program + $24,000 annually)
Waitlisted: Brandeis
Waiting For: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn, Georgetown, Stanford (I am not at all anticipating on getting into any of these)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I am incredibly surprised that I got in considering my objective stats, and as a first generation student I definitely wish I had done some more research beforehand as opposed to shooting blindly in the dark, but they do say that hindsight is 20/20. I would say that I have had innumerable advantages in life that have allowed me to get where I am, and for those I am eternally grateful. Even if you didn’t get in, know that it does not dictate your value as a person or your future and that if you were meant to thrive, you will thrive wherever you go (Though it can be said that it is easy for me to say this since I got in.). I wish you all the best of luck in college and in whatever other schools you are applying for, because somebody out there will be lucky enough to have you.

27

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: October 22, 2018

Date decision received: March 23, 2019

Which school/major: Dornsife for History

Scholarships: Didn’t receive any from USC

Objective
ACT (breakdown): 31 composite, 34 english/reading, 27 science/math
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9, 4.25 Weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I applied with 1/505, but I am now 2/505
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), English Lit (3), Statistics (3), APUSH (4), Psychology (5)
Senior Year Course Load: Our school requires seniors to take a full course load. I am taking 4 APs, 1 non-credit class, a foreign language, and one other non-AP.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place in a state coding competition, 1st place in state at HOSA, 4th place district FBLA – not any extremely distinctive awards.

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FBLA (Secretary), HOSA, Mu Alpha Theta (Secretary), National Honor Society, National French Honor Society, School Mentors, Varsity Bowling (Co-Captain)
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a job for 2 months in junior year
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered often with a blood bank, around 2-3 hours a week for most of high school.
Summer Activities: Toured colleges, mostly! I did not go to any distinctive camps.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I would probably rate mine about an 8. On the short one-word answers, I made sure to stand out and be unique, but in my essays, I made sure to appeal to USC and explain exactly why their curriculum and opportunities would help me!
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10. One of my teachers has an extremely touching connection with me, so I can only imagine it was very descriptive and telling. Others were also great teachers of mine that I’m still in contact with years later.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 7 or 8/10. I do not know my counselor that well, but she has been with me throughout the entire process and knows me personally despite the other 500 people in my senior class!

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes!
State (if domestic applicant): Arkansas
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: In the US tax bracket of $70 to $100k a year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Went to a very at-risk school with tons of diversity and I have two mentally disabled siblings. I wrote about these two subjects a lot in my essays!

Reflection
Strengths: My essays/background, my rank
Weaknesses: Probably my ACT/grades? They’re not insanely high, they just meet the range! I also didn’t volunteer tons.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I had a unique story, and showed them exactly why I wanted to go there (specific opportunities and programs). The whole admissions scandal probably upped the admission rate as well.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted at UCI, UO, SDSU, SJSU, FSU, and a couple of small in-state schools. Waitlisted at UCLA, and I’m waiting on Berkeley, Brown, and Dartmouth!
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: You absolutely will never know the results if you don’t try. Make sure to show them exactly why you want to go there - give specifics, and show them how unique you are! I definitely didn’t think I would make it, but here I am in the Class of 2023 among much more academically sound people. Don’t put too much pressure on your scores or GPA, and just try your best. Fight on Trojans!

28

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 1/10/2019

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/24/2019

Which school/major at USC: Computer Science at Viterbi

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): None
ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite, 36M, 35E, 34S, 30R
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Chemistry, 800 Math 2, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): PR 91
AP (place score in parentheses): None
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: Chinese, English, Mathematics & Calculus, Physics, Chemistry
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Taiwan National Science Fair Honourable Mention

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Jazz Club Chief of Curriculum & Instruction
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Ruifang Junior High School Science Camp
Summer Activities: 2017 London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF), 2018 Stanford CCRMA Workshops
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8.5, discussed with English coach and classmates
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8.5, discussed & translated with English coach and classmates
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8.5, discussed & translated with English coach and classmates
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: None
Interview: No interviews are offered for USC

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): None
Country (if international applicant): Taiwan
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths: Integration of machine learning and music is interesting, and in addition to science fair awards, my stats are also nice
Weaknesses: Awards are not enough significant (a second place would be much better), less achievements on the music side, not much volunteering
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have some achievements and also networked with their admissions committee during their info session in Taiwan
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: UIUC (CS + Music), UWash (Pre-Science)
Waitlisted: GA Tech (CS), UCLA (CS)
Rejected: Caltech (CS), CMU (CS), UC San Diego (ICAM major)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Make sure to ask questions (smart ones) during the info session and send a thank you letter afterwards - make them remember who you are!

29

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 12/1/18

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23/19 at 4:20 PST

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Environmental Science and Health

Scholarships: None that I know of

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (770 Reading/Writing, 740 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 R, 28 M, 35 W, 33 S, 31 STEM)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t give UW, W 4.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5% (? School also doesn’t give)
AP (place score in parentheses): Gov/Politics (3), Human Geo (4), World History (4), Eng Lang (4), US History (4), Calc BC (5, 5 AB Subscore), AP Bio (didn’t take test, college credit program)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP European History, AP Lit, AP Environmental Science, Choir, French 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing super big, All-Colorado Dance Team (based on skill and academics), AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Honor Roll, CHSAA Academic All-State

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4 Years on Varsity Dance Team (Captain junior/senior year), Choir (Top Choir President Senior year, treasurer junior year), Thespian Troupe, French Club, and NHS.
Job/Work Experience: Dance instructing/choreography
Volunteer/Community Service: Secretary on a local food bank’s youth advisory board, School club called Crochet For A Cause (we crochet items to donate to homeless), school club in which I help kids with special needs.
Summer Activities: Not really anything, occasional camps (did a marine bio one a few summers ago)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 7. I wrote the choice one on another area of study I was interested in and talked about journalism. I threw in some information about the changes in my curiosity over the years and tied it back to my major, which I felt was strong. My “Why USC?” one was kinda basic, just talked about the strength of the program I was interested in and how I would approach it with focus and rigor. My common app essay was solid, I don’t think it was anything absolutely mind-blowing, but it was pretty good.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9 (?) I only got to read one and it was really good, the other one was from a Bio teacher that really liked me so I’m guessing it was good as well.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8 (?) I wasn’t able to read it, but I know my counselor really well, so I’m guessing it was pretty good.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy, Single Parent

Reflection
Strengths: I thought my test scores placed me right in the middle for USC, and I have a very wide range of extracurriculars. I also spent a lot of time on and put some fun answers for the little short responses. My first essay was also very strong.
Weaknesses: My “Why USC?” Essay, my honors/awards since I haven’t really had anything past the state level.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my personality came across in my application, which is extremely important, especially for holistic schools like USC.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: CSULB (Accepted), CU Boulder (Accepted w/ Scholarship & Honors), University of Denver (Accepted w/ Scholarship), Cal Poly SLO (Accepted), UW Seattle (Accepted w/ Scholarship), UCSD (Accepted), UCLA (Waitlisted), Stanford (Rejected REA).
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I am so extremely grateful and excited! I have one piece of advice: always have hope! It sounds cheesy, but after re-reading my “Why USC?” essay lately I thought I had no shot whatsoever of getting in, and it really got in my head and stressed me the heck out. In the end, it all worked out, so just stay positive! Good luck to other applicants! Fight on!

30

For DD…

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: ** 11/25/18

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23/19

Which school/major at USC: Dornslife/Biochemistry

Scholarships:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): None
ACT (breakdown): 36, all sections, took once
SAT II: Did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.77
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Chemistry (5), Seminar (5), US Gov (5), APUSH (5).
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Calc 3 (dual enrollment), Diff Equations (dual enrollment), AP Bio, AP Eng Lit, AP Macroeconomics, AP Physics C, AP Research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing crazy. NMF and AP Scholar with Distinction. A couple of regional prizes related to National History Day. Sent update to admissions after being named U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Student Government (Sr Class Officer, rep other years), Key Club (Officer), National History Day (President)
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting 10 hrs/wk (30 hrs/wk in summer)
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital volunteer grades 11 and 12, Key Club per above
Summer Activities: Babysitting, per above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Who knows. Common App essay was narrative/descriptive piece about how her coffee cup collection reflects her life interests and values. Other essays and short answers highlighted her engaging personality and how it would fit in with her academic interests at USC
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Can’t really rate. Both know her well and love her, though. One went on school trip to South Africa with her last summer. Other taught her for two years.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Doesn’t know her as intimately as the teachers but knows she is the top student in her class. Recommended her as class nominee for several selective scholarships
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes (2 others in college, too)
State (if domestic applicant): OH
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: > $250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:
Strengths: Pristine grades and scores. ECs demonstrate well-rounded involvement/leadership
Weaknesses: ECs solid but not jaw dropping in this applicant pool. No national notoriety. No athletics.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Does NMF hurt due to guaranteed 1/2 tuition off?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and U of Miami. Waitlisted at UNC. Waiting on Vanderbilt, Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth

General Comments: This is a temporary but big disappointment for her. She flew to USC to visit on her own and it was her dream school going into applications. Hoping and praying that she takes a deep breath and does not let this shake her faith in her talent, hard work, and fabulous personality. In the end, it’s not where she is, but who she is that matters, and we are immensely proud of her.

Moving on…congrats to all admits!

31

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1/18

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23/19 got the box before the portal update

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Economics

Scholarships: None that I know of

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 (32 across the board)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Unweighted 4.0, Weighted 4.3+
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10ish% school doesn’t actually rank
AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
IB (place score in parentheses): Predicted 6s and 7s across the board
Senior Year Course Load: 4 IB classes, 1 honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Trinity College London for Theater - distinction
UKMT silver - math award
small school awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Honor societies, created a charity committee raised a ton of money, best buddies, pretty generic i’d say
Job/Work Experience: manager at one of the largest retail companies in the country; corporately recognized for high performance
Volunteer/Community Service: 500+ hours of community service
Summer Activities: work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: For the first USC prompt about something essential to understanding me: 7ish/10 i think it was pretty unique, i wrote about mainstream feminism versus being an actual feminist
Why USC: 7/10 I wrote about being in Los Angeles
Very subjective but common app essay was a 9/10 i doubt anyone has ever written about what i wrote about
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Physics Teacher - I never actually read it so I don’t know, but he’s the teacher that knows me the best
Math Teacher - Again, never read it, but it was probably kinda good
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Probably very very very generic, barely knew her, but she kinda knows some stuff about me
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: rather not say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Single Parent, really interesting life story i guess?

Reflection
Strengths: I guess test scores kind of? If their range is 30-33 i guess a 32 is pretty good; gpa; course rigor maybe?
Weaknesses: Definitely extracurriculars, they were pretty generic

Where else you are applying or have already applied:
UCSB (accepted early), Menlo (accepted, safety, like quadruple legacy), NDNU (safety, legacy), UC Berkeley (still waiting), UCLA (rejected), USC (accepted), Occidental (accepted), UC Davis (accepted), UC Irvine (accepted), Santa Clara (accepted, really good fin aid/ scholarship package), Georgetown (waiting), UPenn (probably rejected, but waiting), Duke (again, probably rejected, but still waiting), Stanford (Rejected REA), GMU (accepted with good money)

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
The night before, I was rejected to UCLA which kinda stung. I thought I had no shot at USC. I knew that the day after UCLA was the day that people in my area would start receiving USC acceptance boxes… the mail man was outside the apartment complex right next door, and as he moved his little car thing towards my apartment i lost all hope. As he drove away, I reluctantly opened my door, terrified of what might NOT be there. I found my white box.

Looking back at my common app for USC, honestly you just need to be yourself. For the question about my theme song, I wrote ‘baby shark’, which i thought would either be a hit or a complete miss. If you are yourself, and have some elements of humor in your application, and some elements of pure seriousness/academic stuff, I think you’ll have an amazing chance!

32

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23

Which school/major at USC: Thornton/Music Industry

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 composite, 33 superscore (USC doesn’t superscore but I sent all tests), so 31E 34M 34R 32S
SAT II (place score in parentheses): World History (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.78
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): Euro (3), Lang (3), US History (5) , Music Theory (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Calc AB, APES, AP French, Regular English, Chorys
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
-Graduating Seniors Award from USFSA
-National French Contest

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
-Swim 9-12 (Captain)
-Drama Club 9-12 (President), also in both drama and musical productions
-Model UN 10-12 (Team Leader)
-Track 9-11
-Newspaper 9-11 (Associate Editor)
-Cheer 9-10
-NHS, French Honor Society, Debate Association, Tri-M
Job/Work Experience: summer job going into senior year
Volunteer/Community Service: over 100+ hours
Summer Activities: a bunch of music programs and other one week academic programs
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
-Common App: 7/10. Thought it was amazing when I submitted it, re-read it and was utterly disappointed
-Why USC: 10/10. Did a good job of implying I would go to USC if admitted and what i would do with my major.
-1st USC Prompt (What is essential to understanding you): 9/10. I wrote about having perfect pitch so.
-Statement Of Purpose (for Thornton): 10/10. The absolute best thing I wrote in this admissions cycle. Very detailed, explains my goals, and does a very good job of conveying what I want to do in the music.
-Video essays (for Thornton): 8/10. I kinda cringed watching them before I submitted them, but they did that I intended them to do.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
-AP Lang: 8/10. Haven’t read, probably talks about how I worked really hard in that class despite struggling
-10th grade English: 8/10. Haven’t read, probably talks about how I enjoyed her class and how I worked in the newspaper
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8/10. Haven’t read, I provided her a lot of information.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
-Chorus teacher: 9/10. Did a great job at explaining my skills in music.
-AP Music Theory: 8/10. Haven’t read, probably good.
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small public in affluent community
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Essays, ECs, demonstrated interest,
Weaknesses: GPA, ACT
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was very passionate about the schools in my essays and music supplements and I was able to tie what I wanted to do in my major with my current, non-music EC’s.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCSB (accepted), UMiami (accepted with scholarship to Arts and Sciences), Elon (accepted with scholarship), Binghamton (accepted), UCLA (waitlist), Northeastern (waitlist), UNC (rejected), UVA (rejected), Emory (rejected), also applied to Wake Forest, Dartmouth, and Brown (TBD)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: To future seniors applying to USC, their admissions process is VERY holistic. Your essays matter, and you need to sell yourself to them and do your research. Most importantly, be yourself. USC wants a diverse class, and conveying your personality in your essays helps a lot. Also, it is not all about stats. Personally, I didn’t think I was going to get in with my stats, but now I’m able to go to my dream school! Fight on!!!

33

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** Sometime in october

Date decision postmarked/received: March 23

Which school/major at USC: Marshall, Business Administration

Scholarships:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1440 (700 reading 740 math)
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Didn’t submit any
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/546
AP (place score in parentheses): 3 AP Lang, 3 AP US, 4 World History, 4 APES, 5 AP Calc BC
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: Adv. Band, AP Comp Sci Principles, AP Micro, AP Macro, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP scholar w distinction, National Hispanic Scholar, President’s Volunteer Service Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching Band 4yrs (Band room manager, flute section leader), Symphonic Orchestra 1yr (First chair flute), Pit Orchestra 1yr (First chair flute/alto flute), Varsity Dive 2yrs, Wind Symphony 4yrs, Dance 8yrs
Job/Work Experience: Tutor 1yr
Volunteer/Community Service: National Honor Society 3yrs, SPCA 1yr
Summer Activities: UCLA Architecture camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app essay (8): I wrote about seeing television as an art form and how it has changed how I see myself and the world.
Why USC (7): Mostly a typical why essay but I did start out talking about my papa and him going to USC
Other essay (8): Everyone I showed this essay loved it. I talked about how I started drawing even though I wasn’t good at it and I kept drawing because it made me happy and led me to talk to more people.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): My science teacher (7): She loves me and I TA for her now so I’ve seen it and it was a decent recommendation talking about my leadership during class discussions. My calculus teacher (7): I was pretty quiet in the class but I had one of the highest scores.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): (7) Again another typical recommendation that just expanded on my hard course load and ranking at school.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yep
State (if domestic applicant): California
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Above $200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection
Strengths: I loved my essays for this school and my grades and ranking were high. I have visited and emailed with the counselors a lot regarding questions as well as saying that USC was my first choice.
Weaknesses: I realized in January that my application did not have any business activities or leadership so I was worried about Marshall accepting me. My SAT and ACT were decent but not amazing. I was involved with a lot of extracurriculars but they were not very unique.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think that I was accepted for my high level of interest in the school as well as my ability to do well in challenging courses.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I was already accepted into Northeastern, Fordham, Ithaca, Stony Brook, Columbia College of Chicago, Loyola Marymount, Chapman, and Syracuse. I was waitlisted at UCLA and Northwestern. I was deferred for Stanford REA and I’m waiting to hear back from NYU and Harvard.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If it is your dream school do not be afraid of emailing your admission counselor as well as the department of the school you are applying for. It really shows that you are interested and are more likely to accept an offer of admission !!

34

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23

Which school/major at USC: Marshall/Leventhal, Accounting

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I: 1550 (770R/W, 780M)
SAT II: Math II (800), Literature (770), Math I (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank: 24/430
AP: English Lang (5), Gov (5), WHAP (5), Psych (5), Calc AB Subscore (5), BC (4), APUSH (4), Comp Sci Principles (3), Spanish Lang (3), Physics 1 (2)
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc GT, AP Spanish 5, Journalism GT, AP Lit, AP Econ Macro/Micro, AP Stat, AP Bio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 4th in Nation in Intro to Business Communication for FBLA, one of five national finalists for America to Me scholarship

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FBLA (President, numerous regional and state awards), 4-year varsity tennis, It’s Academic team, NMHS, more unimportant things
Summer Activities: FBLA National conferences
Essays: I don’t think I can rate these objectively but I am supposedly a good writer and I was told they were good but I also rushed them so idk
Teacher Recommendations: Hopefully pretty good but again I can’t be sure, English & Psych teachers
Counselor Rec: I had a very good relationship w/ my counselor so probably very good
Additional Rec: FBLA advisor, also likely to be glowing

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): MD
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks: First-Generation

Reflection:
Strengths: Testing, FBLA awards and leadership, first-gen status, essays
Weaknesses: GPA, lack of work experience/major volunteering
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths above
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: USC, UVA, UMD (Presidential Scholarship & Scholars program), UMiami (Presidential Scholarship & Honors), GW (Presidential Scholarship), SDSU Rejected: Penn ED Waiting: Georgetown, Duke, Cornell, Wake Forest
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I thought this was definitely a reach for me (my GPA is below their 25th percentile for admits), so I’m ecstatic! Even though I didn’t get into my original dream school, I’m proud of you, me. Fight on!

35

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 12/1

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/23

Which school/major at USC: Architecture B Arch

Scholarships: none

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1360 700 math 660 reading
ACT (breakdown): It wasn’t good :frowning:
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93 weighted (my high school doesn’t do unweighted but its probably 3.75)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): 3 Art History, 3 European History, 4 Microeconomics
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government, AP Comparative, AP Macro, AP Art Portfolio, Trigonometry, English, and PE
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

Job/Work Experience: Interned at two different places
Volunteer/Community Service: 209 hours
Summer Activities: Architecture summer program at university
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9 it was good
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: I didn’t read them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I didn’t read it
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150,000 to 200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: sat score.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The only thing that was special was my portfolio and my essays since my Sat score was doodoo and my GPA was average.

Where else you are applying or have already applied: UVA, Notre dame, USC, Washu, Carnegie Melly
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m really happy

36

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: November 25

Date decision postmarked/received: March 23

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife for Economics w/ Pre-law

Scholarships: none

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E, 33M, 34R, 35S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math Level II (780), Chemistry (730)
Weighted GPA (out of 100): 104.12
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): English Lang (5), US Gov (5), Macro (5), Micro (5), US Hist (4), Human Geo (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): Exams May 2019—English Lit HL, Spanish SL, Econ HL, Hist HL, Chem SL, Math SL)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma (courses above)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National & World Champion in a sport, Student Council (Pres, VP, Secretary), Theater (Lead Actor), Mu Alpha Theta (Secretary), NHS, XC, Track/Field.
Job/Work Experience: Student assistant at college preparatory program,
Volunteer/Community Service: Young Men’s Service League (Secretary), Local Community Non-Profit Junior Board
Summer Activities: Travelling for said sport across the country and globe, Economics for Leaders @ Brown
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8—talked about my recent involvement with theater//talked about my love for gov&econ
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 8 (avg.)—didn’t read them, but made sure they liked me haha
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9—I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple of years, probably great rec
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: none
Interview: none

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: public charter
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: $100000 to $125000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection:
Strengths: my unique sport
Weaknesses: my lack of an abundance of test scores (APs, IBs)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my test scores and gpa were very good, and the unique sport probably helped sell me to whichever AOs read my app (I included a 60 second video of said sport)
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted (Southwestern, Elon, Boston College, GW, American, UVA) // Rejected (London School of Economics) // Waiting (Brown, Duke, Harvard, NYU, Princeton, Penn)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: honestly I spent a good deal of time on this app, so making sure everything is exactly how I wanted it to be probably helped. also, while I didn’t have a hook in the traditional sense, having something unique about myself also helped.

37

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Last minute on Nov 30 lol

Date decision postmarked/received: March 23 on portal

Which school/major at USC: Interactive Media in the School of Cinematic Arts

Scholarships: None so far, awaiting SCA decisions

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1390
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4), US History (5), Literature & Comp (5), Studio Art 2-D Design (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Human Geography, Independent Study AP Calculus AB, AP Language & Comp, special skills center program AP DigiPen Video Game Development course w/ AP Computer Science Principles credit :slight_smile:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Selected in many art shows & have a few awards from local art shows; some film awards; AP Scholar w/ Honor, Principal’s Honor Roll, Varsity Athletic Scholars Award, Le Grands Concours Honorable Mention (national French exam)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Book Club (president), National Honor Society (secretary), Film/Photo Club (president), Model United Nations (vice president), volunteering w/ kids Sunday School at local church, Varsity Swim (co-captain), Varsity Track & Field. I have other ECs from past years but those are just my senior ones :slight_smile:
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Key Club, NHS, other stuff through other clubs & my church stuff
Summer Activities: HOBY Leadership program & Ringling Precollege program sophomore summer, CalArts Discover Animation program junior summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App essay was okay, 7/8 because I had a typo :frowning: Why USC? 7/8 because I talked about some specific things & what I brought to the table. Essay #1 was the outside of your interests essay & I talked about theme parks! So 8/9 for interesting topic & I think my passion shone through! My SCA specific essays are all probably 8/9s because I spent super long on them. I wrote for the Animation & Interactive Media majors. Please DM if you want more info lol
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: English teacher, probably 9/10 because she really liked me! Math teacher probably 7/8 because I suck at math but he still liked me! I didn’t read them :stuck_out_tongue: (FERPA)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Probably 6/7 general letter
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: Had an interview with Interactive Media, went pretty decent. I really liked my interviewer and I think that my answers were fairly decent although of course I will never feel 100% or always have the correct response for everything and I forgot a bunch of stuff :slight_smile:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? YES
State (if domestic applicant): Washington
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Not sure
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. Female in science I guess?

Reflection
Strengths: Probably my essays and my PORTFOLIO!!! My interviewer specifically stated that he liked that I had a variety of things in my portfolio and that I actually was creating real games and real animations and such! My essays were very honest and I spent a ton of love & labor on them. I actually got sick from how long I spent on my application lol.
Weaknesses: My stats, but I still fell decently within the average range and everything else was okay.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably my portfolio & my specific, kind of weird variety of interests. I had a lot of fun answering the short questions (I said my fave game was Neopets!) and maybe I just landed my cards right :slight_smile:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Chapman (admitted), Loyola Marymount (waitlisted), Rensselaer (admitted), Champlain (admitted), Seton Hall (admitted), University of Utah (admitted), Ringling (admitted), CalArts (rejected). Awaiting Dartmouth, Princeton, Stanford (my expectations are low)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Just be honest and have fun with your application! Don’t make yourself physically ill over it like I did and DO NOT STRESS ABOUT YOUR STATS!! As you can see, I had very average/below average stats but my portfolio and essays really pulled through for me! Make sure you portray everything that has to pertain to your academic interests, but also show that you are a varied person with a range of hobbies and interests. Also make sure you START EARLY! I waited until the last minute which really sucked. :slight_smile:

If you weren’t admitted or fear rejection, DON’T WORRY. I had literally no expectations and really thought I would be rejected because I didn’t think that my portfolio was that great and I had some average test scores. But my personality must’ve shone through! The fact that you’re even putting yourself out there and exposing your whole life to a bunch of strangers sitting in a room and judging you is already so much and you should be proud of that! It really demands a lot and you’ve done a great deal to get where you are! I am sure that no matter what you will do great things with yourself! You can always try to transfer in or even appeal your rejection! And if you fear applying, just do it!!! The worst thing that could happen is you don’t get in, and I just gave a few options for that :slight_smile: You will do great! <3

38

Oh I forgot to mention that my SAT was 770 English and 620 Math. I forgot my essay score but it was pretty decent :slight_smile: My income bracket is lower middle class I suppose. Haha my bad!

39

Decision: Rejected

Date applied: January 15

Date decision postmarked/received: March 23 via the portal

Which school/major at USC: Viterbi School of Engineering/Civil Engineering (Structural)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1370 (650 English, 720 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 30 (Reading: 32, English: 30, Math: 34, Science: 24)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2: (690) Chemistry: (630)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): around a 3.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 30%
AP (place score in parentheses): Statistics: (4)
Senior Year Course Load: 4 Honors, 1 Art Class, 1 AP (Calc AB)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 3 years in an Environmental Club (Treasurer Senior Year), 1 year in a Math Club, 1 year in a Cultural Club, 1 year in a Political Club, 1 year in a Debate Club
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteering at my school garden and going to beach cleanups
Summer Activities: volunteering at my school garden
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9, my cousin and my aunt helped me revise my essays
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Chemistry Teacher and Statistics Teacher: 9.5, considering that I got good grades in their classes and that they were pleased to have me as a student
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8, considering that my counselor does not know me that well
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $35K-$50K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, child of immigrants, first generation

Reflection:

Strengths: first generation, my grades had an upward trend, heavy involvement in my ECs, good essays, great recommendations, URM, child of immigrants
Weaknesses: horrible grades freshman year, no honors courses until my junior year, only two AP courses, I applied to an extremely competitive major, low standardized tests scores, not in a sport, no work experience, I was not at the top of my class
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I did not have the high academic stats nor the strong work ethic required to be admitted to USC, especially to the prestigious USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Where else you are applying or have already applied:

Acceptances: Cal Poly SLO, Cal Poly Pomona, CSULB, LSU, SDSU, SJSU, University of Arizona, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside

Waitlists: UC Davis, UCSD

Rejections: Colorado School of Mines, Purdue, UCLA

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I honestly never thought I was going to be admitted to USC, it is a prestigious school that accepts the best of the best. With a competitive major like civil engineering, my chances were virtually zero. But despite all that, I still applied to USC as a far reach school to “shoot my shot”. When I was rejected I was not sad at all, as I already knew that my chances were slim to none. I will most likely be attending Cal Poly SLO for civil engineering this fall.

Congratulations to everyone who got into USC!!! :smile: It is an elite university with so much to offer, from a strong academic foundation to important connections that could lead you down the path to success. To everyone who was waitlisted or rejected just remember that the university you go to does not define who you are and that you should never let your university define your self-worth.

40

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/01/18

Date decision postmarked/received: 03/23/19, (no white box yet, portal updated, wrong address on admission letter)

Which school/major at USC: SCA/IMGD

Scholarships: NMF Presidential?

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): not report
ACT (breakdown): – 36 (36/36/36/36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Not taken
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): – 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Literature(5), Statics(5), US Gov (5), Studio(5), World History(4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, Presidential Scholar Candidate, NHS, NAHS, Cum Laude, some regional art and journalism rewards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • Editor in Chief of school magazine 2y
  • Editor and fundraiser of school newspaper 4y
  • Environmental Club raised >$20,000 for Well project in Africa

Job/Work Experience: No
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at a hospital 300+ hours. Volunteer at a cat shelter 300+ hours, Also,volunteer at nursing home
Summer Activities: No
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10, very creative.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Journalism teacher, taught me for 4 years (10/10), Math teacher, 2 years (9/10)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: (8/10), no idea of the content
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: none
Interview: Skype interview by IMGD professor

Other

Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >250K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: My essays, portfolio and stats
Weaknesses: No major national reward. EC is good but not impressive.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays, portfolio and stats
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted by OSU, Utah, Washington, Northeastern, waiting for Brown, CMU, Vanderbilt and Michigan.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: