USC Class of 2023 Decisions/Stats Only Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
41

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 12/1 (tbh last minute the day before)

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/22 (package in the mail)

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife

Scholarships: N/A (fingers crossed)

SAT I: 1520 (770/750)
SAT II: USH (760), LIT (750), Chinese (800), Bio (690)
GPA: 3.89, W 4.24
APs: Bio (4), Human Geography (5), USH (5), LANG (5), Environmental Science (4), Psych (5), Chinese (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP LIT, AP US GOV, AP Art History, Orch 3, TA (4 APs)

Major Awards:
Presidential Volunteer Service Award - Gold
History Bowl Nationals 1st place (Middle Bracket)
Ocean Sciences Bowl Regionals 2nd place
Destination Imagination Regionals 3rd place
CM Violin Level 10
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Posse Scholarship Semi-Finalist
NHS, Tri-M Music Honors Society
Plus some typical academic awards (AP Scholar with Distinction, etc.)

ECs:
Local hospital volunteer - Student Leader
Philosophy Club - VP
Roller Kids’ Club - President/Founder
Destination Imagination - Secretary/Team Captain
Sociology CLub - VP/Founder
History Bowl - Varsity competing member
Ocean Sciences Bowl
Constitution Team
Orchestra Council
Pasadena Humane Society - Camp Counselor
Senior Men & Women
First Violinist in a couple of local orchestras - Section Leader/Publicity Director

Work Experience: Paid Violin Tutor
Community Service: 300+ hours
Summer Activities: International Relations Summer Program @USC

Essays:
-Common App: 6/10. Panicked last minute and accidentally submitted wrong version (rough draft) - prob devastated my other private decisions
-Why USC: 9/10. Really emphasized my legacy and summer program - demonstrated interest! (literally my first sentence was “I was born a trojan.”)
-1st USC Prompt (What is essential to understanding you): 7/10. Reworded UC essay last minute. Bad.

Teacher Recs (haven’t read any):
-AP Lang: 8/10. Teacher “liked” me, but probably didn’t like my work ethic - as you can tell, I do things v last minute :’(
-APUSH: 10/10. Favorite teacher! Also my history bowl advisor and World History teacher
-USC Summer Program Professor: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10

No Interview

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Large public in affluent community
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection
Strengths: ECs, demonstrated interest, recs (?)
Weaknesses: Stats, essays
Why you think you were accepted: LeGaCy, above-average student, unique Why USC essay, really showed how the summer program influenced my future major

Other Decisions:
Accepted: SDSU (Honors), UCM, UCR (Regents), UCI, UCSD, UCSB (Chancellor’s)
Waitlisted: JHU, UCLA
Rejected: N/A
Still waiting on a few Ivies + top-tier schools.

General Comments: Love USC for its super holistic process! Demonstrated interest helps, but unfortunately most if not all of my summer program class got rejected from USC. Legacy super helped - both of my parents got master degrees from there. Guess all that USC merch growing up will come to use…
FIGHT ON!! :))

42

Stoked to make one of these because I remember scouring these threads as a prospective applicant.

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 1/14/2019

Date decision postmarked/received: 3/24/2019

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/ Philosophy, Politics, and Law

Scholarships: None

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (770 E, 750 M in one sitting)
ACT (breakdown):33, don’t remember breakdown but didn’t send
SAT II: didn’t take any… yikes
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92 (I think)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (3), APUSH (5), world history (4), human geo (3), macroeconomics (4), micro (4), and a couple others I can’t remember, i took AP english junior and senior years but no exam, I also didn’t send any of these AP scores
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: german 5 as independent study, AP stats, AP english, AP US gov, and some art classes cuz i needed art credits to graduate lol
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
All league and all state in football

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Football (captain as senior): 4 year varsity, 2 year starter on O and D (WR and CB), First team all conference at WR and got all state honors… Obviously not good enough to play at USC tho
Basketball but wasn’t very good
Mentoring program for underprivileged kids
Principal chose me to help keep kids our school, a lot of 8th graders (mainly athletes) were thinking of leaving for high school and my job was to talk to them and explain the benefits of our school.
Created 2 clubs, I’m not even sure if I put this on my common app
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: probably around 150 hours but didn’t submit
Summer Activities: literally nothing
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app (7/10)-- I wrote about my struggle with depression (which was not advised) but I feel like I wrote from a unusual and more positive angle. It wasn’t very eloquent tho…
I also used the additional info section on the common app to write another essay about finding my place, I’d give this an 8/10; I pretty proud of it… My only concern is that although it was genuine it may have sounded a little contrived.
Usc essay 1: 8.5/10. I put a lot of work into this one. I researched my top 2 major choices heavily.
Usc essay 2: 8-9/10 I typed this one w/ about a day left and rushed it but it turned out great.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Couldn’t see them but 9/10 from my US gov and human geo teacher; she told me it was good

Teacher Rec #2: 7/10 from my stats and economics teacher… I loved him but probably could’ve been a better student at times.

Counselor Rec: I think it was pretty good. I met with her a lot, she knows me pretty well, and there are only about 100 students in my class. She told me she’d address all my concerns in her letter
Additional Rec:
Interview: no

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes but didn’t get any
Intended Major and College: undecided
State (if domestic applicant): OR
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: pretty competitive; much harder to get good grades than any other school in our region of OR.
Ethnicity: white but I believe I left this blank
Gender: M
Income Bracket: My dad is confidential w/ money so he would never tell me… he basically said “high enough that we’ll have to pay full tuition, but not low enough that it won’t hurt us” so unless we appeal our original financial aid grant of 0 dollars, I probably can’t go.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nah

Reflection

Strengths: Essay, SAT (my composite wasn’t super great but I don’t think very many applicants get a 770 on the verbal.
Weaknesses: ECs… Although I tried, I haven’t yet found something yet that I’m super passionate about

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Definitely my essays. My numbers were above their averages but didn’t set me apart, and I believe my ECs were too, so it was definitely my essays that made the difference.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: USD (accepted) Uchicago (rejected ed2), George Washington (w/ 24k a year merit), Boston College (accepted), Northeastern (accepted), Emory (waitlisted), Claremont McKenna (rejected)

General Comments : I’m really stoked to get in. This was my last decision and my last chance of getting into an elite/ top 25 school. The more I read about USC and the LA area, the more I want to go here.

43

Decision: Son offered Trojan Transfer Plan as a sophomore, which is sort of a conditional “guarantee,” depending on grades and courses taken.

Applied: Before December 1.

Test scores: 34 ACT, 1480 SAT

GPA: 3.6 UW

Total of 7 AP/IB classes. 4 on AP stats exam.

Good essay, probably not amazing. Must have had pretty good teacher recs. Must have had a decent GC rec, and I know the GC addressed his learning disabilities.

Assortment of ECs, including team sports, but nothing exciting. Lots of job experience.

Hook: both grandparents attended USC and my dad still donates a small amount. I don’t doubt this is why my son was offered TTP and not outright rejected or waitlisted. But, they don’t offer TTP to everyone, so I guess they thought he was worth at least giving a try.

Other colleges: Penn State, Acc.; Indiana U, Acc. w nice scholarship; U Denver, Acc. w nice scholarship; U Michigan, Defeered/Denied; U Binghamton, Attending. Syracuse, Acc. With no money, so forget it.

44

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** November 29, 2018

Date decision postmarked/received: Letter dated 3/21/19

Which school/major at USC: Business Admin, Marshall

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1390 (660 Read/Writ, 730 Math) - I did not send in my SAT score
ACT (breakdown): 32 (35 Math, 30 Reading, 31 English, 33 Science)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (2), Calc AB (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Journalism, College Art, College Humanities, College Abnormal Psychology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Illinois State Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 4-year Cheerleader (3 years on Varsity, Varsity captain for two years), National Honor Society (President), Outdoor Adventure Club (2-year President), Yearbook, Student Bank Board, Freshman Mentor Program, Class Board
Job/Work Experience: Sales Associate at Aeropostale since June 2018
Volunteer/Community Service: 2-year NHS Member, 50+ hours
Summer Activities: Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: I discussed a cheer-related dilemma I faced as captain where I had to go against the majority opinion (7.5/10) and I talked about the time I found my voice when facing a small problem in chemistry class (7/10). I definitely think my “Why USC” essay is what got me in; I was sure to do my research beforehand and I found a way to make my essay seem more like a story than a formal essay. I truly believe making your essays interesting and story-like will set you apart greatly when applying to USC.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: My trigonometry teacher wrote me a glowing letter of recommendation, she talked about my strengths in the classroom as well as my strengths she’s witnessed in other environments. (10/10)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I really lucked out because my counselor is also the NHS and Outdoor Adventure Club advisor and I hold leadership positions in both organizations. She also talked about my strengths in many different environments. (9.5/10)
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I also asked my psychology professor at my local community college to write a recommendation for me. She talked about my motivation in her college class and how I was a top student even though I took her class as a junior in high school. (8/10)
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Rural Illinois
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100k - $150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): From a small town in central Illinois

Reflection
Strengths: “Why USC”? essay, letters of recommendation
Weaknesses: GPA, lack of AP courses, ACT score
Why you think you were accepted: I think I add to USC’s diversity pretty well because I live in a small farm town
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UCLA (rejected), UCSB (accepted), UCSD (accepted), SDSU (accepted), Illinois State (accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Fight On! :wink:

45

Decision: Rejected

**Date applied: ** Jan 15, 2019

Date decision postmarked/received: March 23, 2019 via the portal

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Economics

Scholarships: None

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 English, 35 Math, 33 Reading, 32 Science)
SAT II: Math 740 Physics 800
Weighted GPA: 4.08 Unweighted GPA 3.77
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH 4, AP Lang 4, AP Physics 1 5, AP Physics 2 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Gov/Econ, AP Lit, Spanish 3, Computer Game Design,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Acting in school plays as well as in various summer productions out side of school for all 4 years, Playing Piano for more than 10 years, various school clubs
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service:
Volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club junior and senior summer about 50 hours all together,
Part of a club that surfs with underprivileged kids, but only had about 10 hours
Joined Key Club senior year.
Volunteered to help my piano teacher teach younger kids.
Summer Activities:
As I mentioned, Boys and Girls Club volunteering
I did theater camps and acted in their productions
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d say 8, but Idk for sure. I wrote one really good essay about how I grew up having Autism. I talked about how this made it hard to make friends and made me struggle in school. The other were decent but not great. I wrote one about how much I enjoyed acting and volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club.

Supplemental Review or LOR submission: No

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $100,000-$150,000
First Generation: No

Reflection

Strengths: ACT for sure, Weighted GPA
Weaknesses: Unweighted GPA, rigor of classes (my school offers like 25 AP classes and I only took 8-9)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Their acceptance rate is super low.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: SDSU, UC Riverside, CSU Chico, Santa Clara University, CU Boulder, University of Oregon, UCI, Boston University

Waitlisted: UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly SLO, UCSD, UC Davis

Rejected: UCSB, UCLA, UCB, Pitzer College, USC

General Comments: I was’t really sure what to expect. The average GPA at USC is about the same as my unweighted, and their average ACT is lower than mine, but their acceptance rate is only like 15%. Oh well, at least I have UC Irvine and BU.

46

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: ** 12/1

Which school/major at USC: College of Letters, Arts, and Science (Majoring in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention)

Scholarships: N/A

Objective:
SAT: Didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 30
English: 35
Mathematics: 26
Reading: 32
Science: 28

Uwneighted GPA: Weighted GPA is 4.53 (if my school didn’t weight them it would probably be around 3.7 or 3.8)
Rank: 57 out of 580
AP: 3 Human Geography, 3 World History, 3 English Language & Composition, 5 U.S History
IB :None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Psychology, Dual Enrollment English, Dual Enrollment Government, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, Sociology & Comparative Regions,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): HOSA (vice president), Red Cross Club, Latin Honor Society/Latin Club, National Technical Honor Society, National Honor Society, Beta Club
Job/Work Experience: Unpaid S.T.E.M Teaching intern
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+
Summer Activities: University of Delaware Health Science Summer camp, Volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Maybe like an 8 - I wrote about how shy I was growing up and my experience as a military dependent (I made it very personal)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read them
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read them
Interview: N/A

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: Highly interested in health care and research.
Weaknesses: I wish I could express my feelings more through my writing.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was accepted because my essay was different from most and I had a specific focus, which was health care/research.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: William & Mary (accepted), Virginia Tech (accepted), JMU (accepted), UC Irvine (Accepted), Tuskegee University (Accepted), UCLA (waitlisted), Pomona College (Waitlisted) Duke University (Denied)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m very excited to start this new journey. Fight on!

47

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: Late November 2018

Date decision postmarked/received:Via Portal - March 23 and White Box March 25
Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/Philosophy, Politics and Law

Scholarships: Dean’s (1/4 tuition) and University ($2,000) Was not invited to interview for a scholarship, but learned scholarships awarded a few days after acceptance. Never give up hope!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (790 Math and 720 English)
ACT (did not take):
SAT II (did not take and probably should have):
Unweighted GPA (4.0):
Rank (top 8 percent of 300 students):
AP US History (5) Language (5) Chemistry (5) Government (5)
IB (n/a):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, Calc BC, AP Literature, AP Psych
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Freshman High School English Award and Sophomore High School Social Studies Awards (given to only one student out of 300)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars Recreational soccer, school rugby club; social justice clubs; chess club (co-president):
Job/Work Experience:After-school/camp care and gelato store
Volunteer/Community Service: Eagle Scout, 100s of volunteer hours (many required by school)
Summer Activities: Camp, volunteer, gelato store scooper
Essays (9, wrote about a very personal situation when I was mugged)::
Teacher Recommendations (9’s, chemistry and English teachers. I don’t think many people ask the chem teacher so maybe he was not as swamped as others)::
Counselor Rec (9, but hard to say)::
Additional Rec::
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, but FAFSA result said parents could pay $70,000+ (most likely due to high home equity – bought fixer upper house 26 years ago in distressed area which is now hot neighborhood in DC).
State (DC):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Catholic (honors track (competitive process) and highest merit scholarship received).
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):NONE

Reflection
Strengths: Well-rounded and candid in essay even though it was a hard topic to tackle.

Weaknesses: SAT writing score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Who knows? Strong academics and test scores. Well-rounded. Mother talked to Admissions Director at accepted students’ event. He said that they are not interested in kids that only do one thing. “Not interested in a kid that has only built a rocket in their garage and done nothing else.”
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Stanford (rejected ED), Pomona (WL), Vanderbilt (WL), UNC (EA WL),Northeastern (WL), UMich EA (accepted), Villanova (accepted), Marquette (accepted), PITT (accepted), Wake Forest (accepted). Took name off WLs after USC acceptance!
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: USC should send out white box on a Wednesday (not Thursday) to allow three days for the USPS Priority Mail to arrive on east coast and remote areas before the decisions are available via portal. Would have been much better to receive box before finding out the decision on-line.