USC Class of 2024 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/2152218-usc-class-of-2024-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: Mid-October (October 10th, I think)

Date decision postmarked/received: 1/25/2020

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife for International Relations!

Scholarships: Yes! But don’t know which ones yet.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1600 composite, took once
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800s on Math II, World History, and Biology-M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): APWH, APUSH, AP Calc BC, AP Lang, AP Chem, and AP Macro—all 5s
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: highest rigor available
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Gold Medal for Humor in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, American Voices Nominee in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Certificate of Superior Writing in the NCTE Achievement Awards, state-level chem award, and 3 gold medals in the National Spanish Exam

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  1. Editor-in-Chief of an international media organization, manage a staff of 30+ people and publish art/writing/films/etc on sociopolitical issues
  2. Co-Editor-in-Chief of school paper; cover world politics, national politics, some student life pieces, and some humor pieces and manage our staff
  3. Co-Founder of a free tutoring service for the SAT/ACT with tutors and students internationally (PS: if you're interested in this, please PM me! We're looking for more tutors right now!)
  4. National Security Language Initiative for Youth (State Department-run free, very selective study abroad program—my chosen language was Turkish! One of the prime reasons I'm heavily considering Middle Eastern Studies as a major.)
  5. Legislative Aide @ State Assemblyman's office (since my sophomore year)
  6. Political campaign work (interned on a congressional campaign, volunteer currently for a Dem candidate in the presidential primaries)
  7. Co-President of a political discussion club
  8. Co-Treasurer of the debate team
  9. Model UN (multiple Best Delegate, Outstanding Delegate, and Honorable Mentions at state + national levels)
  10. Music (violin, singing, and ukulele!)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App was a 7-8/10, I got it reviewed by former AOs—I wrote about writing emails at my job and why it was meaningful to me. Why USC was actually not that good, IMO—I didn’t talk about Why My Major at all. My other USC essay was a 9/10—I wrote about why spelling grey the British way is meaningful to me. Short takes were good! Don’t think they matter much, though.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Both, according to my counselor, were really good. I waived FERPA though.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10/10, definitely. I love my counselor and talk to her a LOT.

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10/10—got it from the assemblyman I work for
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, will probably not receive
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None!

Reflection
Strengths: ECs, test scores/GPA, Common App and second USC essay
Weaknesses: Why USC essay
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No clue!! The process is so random—I got deferred from Yale early LOL
Where else you are applying or have already applied: A TON of schools. So far, I’ve gotten into Oxford(!!!) for PPE, St Andrews for IR, KCL for IR, and UW-Madison for IR besides USC.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t keep rereading your essays. I did that for USC, and I stressed myself out SO MUCH because I was convinced my Why USC essay was bland and mediocre at best.

3

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

[ b]Date applied: december 1st **

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: jan 25 (from portal)**

[ b]Which school/major at USC: world bachelor in business!!**

[ b]Scholarships: don’t know which one**

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): did not take
ACT (breakdown): 36 composite, 35 math, 35 english, 36 reading, 36 science
SAT II (place score in parentheses): did not submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC (4), World (4), Physics 1 (5), Chemistry (5), Lang (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Orchestra, AP com sci A, AP physics 2, AP Psychology, AP Stat, AP Lit, health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-finalist

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Student Body president
Cross country 4 years (JV captain)
Track and field
Boy scouts

Job/Work Experience: 5 months as a busser for a local restaurant
Volunteer/Community Service: Cooked for the ronald mcdonald house families
Summer Activities:
Civic Leadership Institute (Northwestern)
Economics for leaders (WashU)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8 - feel like I really wrote about who I am, but could have been a little better written
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
9/10 - english teacher said I was one of her favorites
8/10 - chem teacher liked me and thought I was funny
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 7/10 - didn’t really know my counselor.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview:
interviewed online for the WBB program. I thought I bombed it.
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: medium sized public
Ethnicity: chinese-american
Gender: male
Income Bracket: $200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: I think I showed the admissions counselors my true personality and dreams and goals. Showed that I knew what I wanted
Weaknesses: could have done more extracurriculars. Also, gpa was not the best. Also interview was garbage
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: hard to tell as so many factors go into college admissions
Where else you are applying or have already applied: deferred from Umich. Accepted by Indiana and SLU. Waiting to hear from Emory, GaTech, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Case Western, Northeastern, Notre Dame.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Be yourself. Most generic piece of advice, but it is the most important thing in my opinion. Make sure you are clear on your goals and how you want to make the world a better place.

This is truly a dream come true. Goodluck to everyone!

4

Decision: Accepted

**Date applied: December 1

**Date decision postmarked/received: January 25

**Which school/major at USC: Marshall School of Business, Business Admin (hoping for BCA)

**Scholarships: not sure yet

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8UW, 4.655W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 50/519
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Psych (5), AP Environmental Science (2), AP Stats (3), AP Lang (4), AP Euro (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, Chem 1 Honors, Precal Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, Junior Marshall, AP Scholar with Honor, 1st Place Videography Award for Southern and State Association of Student Councils

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • Student Council
    • Student Body 2nd Vice President
    • Student Body Asst. Director of Technology
    • Sophomore Class Representative
    • Teacher Pageant Host
      I live at school because of stuco. I’ve done it for three years and am always doing something related to it.
  • SCASC
    • 2019-2020 District 4 Chair
    • Council B Secretary
    • Workshop Presenter
      Apart of our state’s student council; organized and planned a convention for 500+ student leaders from across the state that raised over $10,000; junior counselor at a summer camp.
  • Winter Days Assembly Chair
    Apart of the state’s oldest and largest community service outreach for three years; we raise a ton of stuff but for the past two years we’ve adopted underfunded schools in our state and gifted them with a surprise party, gifts, toys, books, cards, holiday meal baskets, etc. Really eye-opening.
  • Miss Spring Valley Pageant
    • Co-chair
    • Head of A/V
  • Beta Club
  • Usher
  • Rho Kappa
  • National Honors Society
  • Palmetto Boys State Delegate
  • Wrote an entire TV Series
  • Football (former)
  • Track (former)

Job/Work Experience:

  • Country Club Groundskeeper (Summer after 9th grade)
  • Chick-fil-A Team Member (10-11th grade)

Volunteer/Community Service:

  • Winter Days eats up all of my time from October - December, really crazy hours.
  • Interned with my district superintendent for a conference over the summer.

Summer Activities:

  • See above

Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Common App: 7/8. I talked about being a failed entrepreneur and how I have a lot of grit and it was pretty flashy at the end. Falls flat when I read it now.
Prompt 1: 9, I talked about how at camp as a junior counselor I had to have a hard conversation with some of my cabin members about their discriminatory remarks and advocating for minority campers, and building a more inclusive experience for everyone.
Why USC: 9, I went into a ton of detail about the BCA program, but I could only talk about what I wanted to do academically.

Short Answers: 9. Some were funny, some were clever, some were deep.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Honestly don’t even remember.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
No clue.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Not sure if I submitted one.
Interview:
TBD

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? YES
State (if domestic applicant): SC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: I did a TON of research on USC and used to contact them a bunch my freshman year. I knew so much about a really specific program and tried to convey that I knew USC well.
Weaknesses: Not a ton of APs, used to be in a CP magnet, failed an AP exam, subpar ACT.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No. Freaking. Clue. Couldn’t be happier though, this is insane.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: UofSC Honors with pending scholarship, UGA with Classic City Scholarship, UNC-Chapel Hill with pending scholarships.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I know it’s tough but keep the faith. These threads can make you psych yourself out and think you can’t make it in if you aren’t as involved or don’t have as high stats as some other kids. Be yourself, put yourself out there, and leave it all on the page. You never know what could happen.

5

=====================
Decision: Accepted

[Date decision postmarked/received:1/25/2020

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife for Mathematics
Scholarships: not sure yet

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/372
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Lang (4) APUSH (4) AP Spanish Lang (5) Human Geo (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Symphonic Orchestra, Ap Lit, Ap Microecon, AP Gov, AP Spanish Lit, AP Calc AB. AP Bio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

AP Scholar, 2nd place regional speech for Academic Decathlon

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
Academic Decathlon, Orchestra Club (Treasurer), STEM Club, STEP, Orchestra
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service:
Peer Tutor- translate math for non English speakers, public library volunteer
Summer Activities: Young Writer’s Institute

Essays (rating 1-10, details)
Common App: 8? Talked about being a Mexican immigrant and all the violence that I experienced as a young child and how it has shaped my perception of America.

Prompt 1: 9? Talked about being raise catholic and how I distanced myself from the church

Why USC: 6? Talked about how I admired USC’s ability to balance sports and academics.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::

Didn’t see them, but I had none the teachers for a really long time and have a really close relationship with them so 8/9

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::

Considering that my counselor fought for me to be her student again, I would say it was good so 8

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview:TBD

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes lol im poor
State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Heavy emphasis on academics even outside of school. Diver background. Ranking and unweighted GPA
Weaknesses: Why USC essay
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea
Where else you are applying or have already applied: A bunch of schools, so far deffered from UChicago
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Get your common app done first (I got mine done last summer), STATS AREN’T EVERYTHING

6

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: November 27

Date decision postmarked/received: January 25

Which school/major at USC: SCA and Interactive Media

Scholarships: Merit, not sure which one yet.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 (EBRW 740, Math 730)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (Math 29, Science 33, English 35, Reading 36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 (Weighted 4.24)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): DNR
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geography (4), Computer Science Principles (4), World History (3), Computer Science A (5), Statistics (5), U.S. History (3), English Lang and Comp (5), Physics I (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP U.S. Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP English Lit and Comp, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Music Theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, NHRP Scholar, NM Commended Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Choir (Section Leader)
School Newspaper (Staff Editor)
Destination Imagination (Team Leader)
Pop A Cappella Group
Rock Band
Job/Work Experience:
Kids Gymnastics Place (Summer 2019-Now)
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
Common App: Solid 9, maybe even a 10. It was a super experimental essay that talked about my past trauma manifesting in the form of my younger self residing in my heart, and how I’ve learned to change my perspective on life to allow me to heal. Yeah, it was kinda crazy.
Prompt (Outside Intended Focus): A 7 or 8. I talk about just wanting to learn things for the sake of learning, then go into detail about wanting to minor in music.
Why USC: A good 9. I talked about how I didn’t have a dream school before my college search, and while USC drew me in, I wasn’t certain about anything. I go on about how talking to my Pre-Cal teacher really solidified my decision and talk about what I envisioned myself doing at USC. Cheesy, but effective.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: (Rights were waived)
Choral teacher (9): I’ve been his student for the past four years and have taken almost every class he has to offer. I’m even his teacher’s assistant this year! So I’m pretty sure he wrote a good letter.
Pre-Calculus teacher (10): I loved this teacher, and she was super young (Mid 20’s!) After Junior year had ended, she even took me and a friend out to eat at a nice Chinese restaurant. We were really close. Turns out she graduated from USC, so that was a huge plus (A large reason I decided to apply.)

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Not sure. We had just gotten a new counselor this year, but I had to explain basically my life story to her while working through Questbridge, so I think she wrote some pretty deep things, lol.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Human Geo/U.S teacher (10): While I did okay on her tests, I’ve been through a lot with this teacher. She helped me through a lot of stuff Freshmen year and saw how much I had grown when I had her again Junior year. In her own words, “It’s crazy because I remember you being a freshman crying on my floor, and now you’re here.”
Interview: Hoping for the best!

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Oh yeahhh
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Magnet
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: < $20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation. (Hispanic, but this is LA heehee)

Reflection
Strengths: All my writing. Like, seriously. I write for a hobby, and I didn’t shy away for it on anything I submitted. Rec letters, too. I have really good relationships with my teachers.
Weaknesses: My standardized test scores and GPA are definitely not top tier. They fall below the acceptance average, so yeah.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: This is just so crazy. I just didn’t expect to get merit consideration. Compare me to the other people in this thread, and yeah. The number of extracurriculars these people did is crazy! I think it really boils down to my rec letters, my writing, and the game I submitted for SCA (It was an interactive poem, so really far off the traditional project, probably). I had a long list of creative samples because we’re always creating things in classes. My school is also super rigorous; even as a public school, it’s received a lot of national recognition in the past.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: University of Central Florida and University of Texas at Dallas. (Accepted at both)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Be yourself. I don’t think these admission officers want picture-perfect. Don’t fret too much if your score isn’t what you wanted. I’m being offered merit with an SAT below 1500, for crying out loud! They already get so many of those applications. Mine got really ugly in some parts, discussing some serious and heavy stuff. Yet, that’s my background as a person, and it gave the committee a better frame to context my current being in. Don’t be afraid to discuss things that are out there. In my personal statement, I started by defining humanity. Yet, I followed it up a page later with a joke about the physics engine in Unity and calling myself a crybaby because I cry at literally anything.
Give them the entire range of your being because they want a person, and people are complex.

7

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

[ b]Date applied: December 1**

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received: January 25**

[ b]Which school/major at USC:Biology and/or Political Science major at Dornsife**

[ b]Scholarships:Not sure yet but going to Explore USC in February**

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): Never took it
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Never took it
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (based off GPA and ranks from previous years where my school did give out rank I’d say top 15%)
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geography (4)
European History (4)
United States History (4)
English Language and Comp. (5)
Biology (4)
Psychology (4)
Currently taking Environmental Science, Government, Microeconomics, Calc AB, and English Literature
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 2 choir classes, online AP Micro, AP Calc AB, AP Environmental Science, AP Literature, Weights and Conditioning, AP Government/We The People (competition team for constitutional law and government)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Qualified for National Hispanic Scholar (forgot to email back and accept the award lol), National championship titles for dance as a competitive team and soloist, not much else I can think of off the top of my head.

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Competitive dance (status as a senior and being the only male on my team naturally made me stand out as a leader), large choir and audition-based touring choir through school, improv team, dance convention representative/assistant, teacher of a boys hip hop class, government/constitutional law team @ school, ping pong club (lol)
Job/Work Experience: Concessions worker at a local soccer complex freshman and sophomore year, lifeguard during summer break between junior and senior year, currently a carwash employee (September 2019-present day)
Volunteer/Community Service: Numerous volunteering opportunities through NHS at my school, work through a local Protestant Church with special needs kids (babysitting, teaching, occupying and entertaining in general), organizing senior nights and cookouts/tailgates before football and soccer games @ school, assisting opportunities in special needs dance classes.
Summer Activities: Nothing crazy, just worked as a lifeguard and involved myself in general summer shenanigans.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App: 8. I wrote about the inherent sexism and unfair stereotypes that influence men in the dance industry in both competitive and professional realms. This was a really personal essay with an edgy approach to the all-too-familiar topic of sexism from a teenage/Gen Z perspective. I wrote one draft and barely edited it at all because my intentions for the essay in the first place were for it to be a raw, emotionally driven piece, not a scholarly analysis of sexism.

Why USC: 9. Again, a really personal approach to an otherwise stagnant subject. Beyond the obvious “this school is great for my major because ____ and I would involve myself in /_ to further my education” I talked about how I had lived in SoCal during middle school but moved to the midwest and how it influenced my personality. Basically, I checked off all of the necessities for a “Why ___” essay and used up the rest of the word count to talk about how coming back to California was essential to my success.

Describe something outside of your intended academic focus…: 7. I wrote about how I was infatuated with the concept of music as a sort of textbook documenting all of human history rather than just being an art form. This was a really cool idea but I wrote it over Thanksgiving break in the attic of my grandparents’ house which resulted in me writing a sub-par essay that required a lot of editing.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Both 8/9. I had my choir teacher and AP Biology teachers write my recommendations and they’re probably the only two teachers throughout all four years of high school that truly were fun to connect with beyond student-teacher relations. My choir teacher is like a second mom to me and has had me for all four years so her perspective on my growth and maturing throughout high school was definitely a strong factor in her writing that worked in my favor. My AP Bio teacher was the funniest, most deadpan science teacher I’d ever had but also a genius in his field; as a result, his writing was almost definitely super funny and easy to read while also highlighting my academic capabilities flawlessly.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Not sure about this one. While my counselor and I clicked during the first semester of senior year, I rarely talked to her throughout the first three years that we were assigned to one another. Also, she had about 400 other students to worry about. As such, her rec was probably just an average letter that didn’t suck but also didn’t do much for me.

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: None.

Interview: Still haven’t done the Explore USC program so not sure yet. Hopefully really good?

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yeppppp (a sibling going to UChicago costs a lot more than you’d think)
State (if domestic applicant): Kansas
School Type: Medium-Large Public
Ethnicity: Asian, Latino, and White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not really any. Dancing as a male, being a bunch of different ethnicities, or coming from an underrepresented state could be some?

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: See the above hooks. Being a male dancer definitely came in clutch because not many guys who have danced as long as I have go into majors and programs NOT related to dance and are just rare in general. Also, I emailed my regional counselor twice over the span of 6 months leading up to the Dec 1 deadline, visited campus last spring, and went to a USC counselor visit at my school this fall. My ACT score is pretty good especially considering that I only ever took it once ever. While my unweighted GPA isn’t anything special, my grades went from being mixed As and Bs to straight As junior and senior year with almost all AP course loads.
Weaknesses: Unweighted GPA could be higher
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No clue but I’m not complaining.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Deferred at UChicago, accepted at ASU Barrett, U of Arizona, and Loyola Chicago.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t overthink your essays and DO NOT slam your regional counselors with emails too frequently. Most importantly, play to your strengths and make yourself seem unique in every way possible.

8

Damn, you are making me realize that I didn’t go personal enough in my Why Usc! ? congrats though!

9

** Decision: Accepted **

** Date applied: Dec 1 **

** Date decision postmarked/received: Jan. 25th **

** Which school/major at USC: School of Pharmacy/Pharmacology and Drug Development **

** Scholarships: Not sure yet **

** Objective **
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36M/36S/36E/36R)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.71 UW/4.21 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank (but probably top 20-30%)
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calculus AB (5) AP CS (4) AP Literature (4) AP Chemistry (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable and vector calculus (post-AP), Cybersecurity (post-AP), APUSH, AP Lang, AP Latin, Biochemistry research, Microscopy research, Chorus, PE
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, Society of Women Engineers Certificate of Merit with Highest Honors for Science and Mathematics

** Subjective **
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Philosophical Debate Club (co-founder and treasurer), Technovation (coding specialist/mentor), Church Choir, Church youth group leader, Powerlifting
Research Experience: Three years of biochemistry research, CRISPR-Cas9 project leader/developer and lab mentor, one year of microscopy research (trained on SEM)
Job/Work Experience: Worked landscaping during the summer between sophomore and junior year
Volunteer/Community Service: A lot through my church
Summer Activities: Interned full time (40hrs/week) at a Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital cardiology research lab the summer between junior and senior year
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Gosh I’m not sure but I poured my heart and soul into them haha. My common app essay was one of the best I feel like I’ve ever written, and I was very specific about my major interest in the Why USC? essay.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Once again, I have no idea. Waived my rights, but I loved both teachers who wrote mine (AP Calc teacher and AP Lit teacher).
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: No clue once again. Don’t know how people can judge the quality of something they’ve never read!
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: From my summer lab PI. Didn’t read it, so cannot accurately ascribe a numerical value to it.

** Other **
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

** Reflection **
Strengths: Test scores, research experience, essays
Weaknesses: GPA, ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No clue but I am beyond grateful and feeling blessed. :slight_smile:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Alabama (accepted w/ honors+merit), UMass Amherst (accepted w/ honors+merit), U of Utah (accepted w/ honors+merit), Purdue (Accepted w/ merit), Stanford (denied), UNC-CH (denied), Georgia Tech (deferred), UMiami (deferred)… waiting to hear back from WashU, Northeastern, Harvard, Occidental
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Shoot your shot! Miracles can happen :blush:

10

Decision day - Stats only please!

11

ACCEPTED FROM MICHIGAN FILM PRODUCTION!!!

12

Rejected
Major: psychology
OOS (Virginia)
1290 SAT; 27 ACT
Rank: 41/414 (top 10%)
4.12 weighted capped, weighted 4.4, unweighted 3.8 UC GPA
8 AP’s
Female, Asian
EC’s: Summer Exchange program, VP Future Medical Professionals of America (FMPA) Club, VP Red Cross Club, member in all honor societies, essay tutor, equity leader, weekly volunteer at local SPCA, hospital, and Red Cross
Awards: Okinawa Peace scholarship recipient, 1st place in Japanese speech contest, Smith College Book Award, art work displayed in city fair and art walk, and AP Capstone diploma candidate

Accepted: UCI, UCSB, UCSC, UCD, UCSD, UW (scholarship), VCU (scholarship)
Waitlisted: UVA, Reed, UCLA, William and Mary
Rejected: UChicago, Georgetown, USC

13

Decision: Admitted

Merit scholarships awarded (if any):no
Major (and division if applicable) applied to:
Biochemistry

Academic stats:

Calculate your GPAs with https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Unweighted GPA: 3.89
Weighted GPA: 4.44

Comments about course load (including senior year):
SAT (total and sections): did not submit because :confused:
ACT (total and sections): 32C: 34 E 32 M 31 R 30 S
SAT Subject Tests (if any): Math 2: 800 Biology M: 710 Chemistry: 720
AP exams (scores in parentheses): 3 in AP Bio, Lang, and World History, 4 in Chem, 2 in Calc (LOL)
IB exams (score in parentheses): no
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

For the following, indicate level of recognition or award (e.g. local, state, national, international) and/or leadership roles:
Extracurriculars: Section Leader, Varsity Marching Band; Section Leader, Concert Band; Varsity Track & Field; Captain/Founder, Science Olympiad; Ambassador of e-STEM academy program; Science and Engineering Research Project Mentor; United Sound Member (teach special education how to play); Principal Advisory Committee Member (handful of people chosen by principal to discuss how we can make the school a better place);HOSA Member: listed LIFE Health Internship that I planned to do this school year
Job/Work Experience: NONE, cause school itself was my job
Volunteer/Community service: Kaiser Permanente Hospital Volunteering (130+ hours)
Summer Activities: Kaiser Volunteering, Band Camp (which I didn’t talk about), took an English college course, sectional rehearsals, etc.

USC essays (details):
WHY USC: mentioned professors, classes, and clubs and how it would benefit me in reaching my goals in neuroscience studies
Common app essay was pretty much my passion for neuroscience and I related it to the STEM academy and stuff
What’s important to me say was about communication in many aspects of my life

Letters of recommendation/Augmented Review: didn’t receive a request for this?

Demographics

State (if domestic applicant): IN-STATE SOCAL
Country (if international applicant): USA
High school type: Public (near 5000 students)

Gender: Male
Race: African-American

Applied for need-based financial aid?: yes

Highest level of parent education: 2 yr or associate degree (only one of em)
Living with both, one, or no parents?: both

Reflection

Strengths: my essays? Counselors said they were pretty solid. My ECs were also pretty good and I think that both of these combined carried my app
Weaknesses: MY STATS LOL, unweighted and capped were below 25th so them essays and ecs had to be good
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Well-rounded applicant pretty much
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: rejected to Stanford, accepted into every other UC (excluding R, SC, and M which I did not apply to), waiting on USC now

General Comments:
pretty cool, going to UCLA though because money

14

Decision: Admitted

Major
1st choice: Communications
2nd choice: Business Administration

Unweighted GPA: 3.90
Weighted GPA: 4.20

Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Gov, Religion (required by school), Dual Enrollment Psych, Stats, Honors Film, Special Education Student Mentor
SAT (total and sections): 1370 (composite), 750 (R&W), 620 (math), 16 (essay)
ACT (total and sections): 32 (composite), 25 (math), 36 (english), 36 (reading), 30 (science), 10 (writing)
SAT Subject Tests (if any): None
AP exams (scores in parentheses): AP Lang (5), AP World (4)
IB exams (score in parentheses): None
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Girl Scouts Bronze Award, rest are school-level awards

Extracurriculars: Political Science Club (Treasurer), Special-Education Student Mentor, Girl Scouts, National English Honors Society, Drama Tech, G.I.V.E Club, California Scholarship Federation, Club & JV Volleyball (stopped after freshman year)
Job/Work Experience: 1 job for ~1 year, about 20 hrs/wk
Volunteer/Community service: Feeding San Diego, Animal Rescue, etc (not a ton of hours)

USC essays (details):
Why USC: wrote about location and how it’s perfect for communications and other connections, great professors, being part of a diverse, academically strong student body
Prompt Essay (chose the one about diversity): talked about how attending Catholic school as a non-religious person helped me appreciate diversity of people’s beliefs, and taught me respect and understanding for perspective and how it influences people
Common app essay: talked about my transition from public to private school, how it affected me growing up, made me try harder in school academically and socially due to financial discrepancy between me and my peers

State (if domestic applicant): In-state (socal)
High school type: Private

Gender: Female
Race: White

Applied for need-based financial aid?: Yes

Highest level of parent education: 4 yr BA
Living with both, one, or no parents?: Living with one (divorced)

Strengths: Essays maybe? I worked pretty hard on them and I like to write a lot
Weaknesses: SAT score, course load (my score isn’t bad but I know some people got in with a lot higher, also didn’t take a lot of AP’s)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: honestly not sure, most likely my extracurriculars and essays, maybe my ACT score helped also

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected
Accepted: U of San Francisco, U of the Pacific, Santa Clara University, U of Arizona, U of San Diego, now USC :slight_smile:
Waitlisted: UCSB, UCI, Cal Poly SLO
Rejected: UCLA, UCB

General Comments: so so happy I got in, now just hoping to get financial aid so I can afford it! Congrats to everyone who got in…and to anyone who didn’t, USC is missing out! Fight on!!

15

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

[ b]Date applied: **
November 30, 2019

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:**
March 26, 2020

[ b]Which school/major at USC:**
BA Theatre at SDA

[ b]Scholarships:**
N/A

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36M,35S,36R,35W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.68
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 70/750
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 5’s, 4 4’s, 1 3
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Stats, AP Gov, Theatre
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
International Honor Thespian

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Theatre, tons of.
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service: Animal Rescue
Summer Activities: UCLA summer, USC Summer, NYU Tisch Summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8/10, connects academia to theater in personal life; 3 supplemental SDA essays were mildly worse.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10, English teacher’s recommendation has been praised by every admissions counselor I have spoken with.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8/10, solid rec with good description of personal drive, but with such a large class size the more personal relationship is lacking.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: Audition went well, solid interview with Sergio (Asst. Dean of Udgrd. Admissions for SDA)

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): NV
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Top .5%
Hooks (URM, first generation college): Highest grade in the USC Summer Program for MT.

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Strong summer programs, theatre experience, experience with usc, high test scores
Weaknesses: Lower GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Summer Program A, BFA Audition can improve chances at BA
Where else you are applying or have already applied: tons
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

16

Major: Computer Science (Games), Physics

Academic stats:

GPA: 3.81 UW, 4.28 W

Course load: 8 APs total
SAT: 1500
ACT: 35
SAT Subject Tests: Physics (760), Math (710)
AP exams: Bio (5), Physics (5), Drawing (5), Calc AB (5), Calc BC (5), English Lang (3), Chem (tbd), English Lit (tbd)

Extracurriculars:

  • 4 yrs school paper editor and artist. Writing articles, designing pages, and illustrating full-page spreads and images to go with articles.
  • 5 yrs powerlifter. 3 national USPA records, no coach, on a 24hr Fitness membership
    -Self-taught animation and digital art since elementary. Projects for school and personal interests, up to year-long to complete. YT channel has >2 million views, 20k subs

Job/Work Experience: Math tutor for a student for a few months, commissioned to design an ad
Volunteer/Community service: About 80 hours at a food bank and a local art center.

Summer Activities: Personal animation/digital art projects and powerlifting. Mostly stayed home and did my own thing.

Personal Insight essays: Self-made powerlifting journey
Supplementals: Honest about how computer science (games) unifies my love for animation and practicality, expressed my interest in the many animation minors they have.

Letters of rec: Very strong one from my AP art teacher, another good one from my Journalism teacher

State: CA
High school type: Public

Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Asian

Applied for need-based financial aid
Living with one parent, bachelor’s education

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, achievements, EC’s are unique for an Asian female
Weaknesses: Little leadership or work with organizations, most activities I do don’t require social interaction

Also admitted: UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCSC
Rejected: UCLA, UCB
General Comments: This is literally my dream school and my dream major and I could no be happier!

17

Decision: Accepted

Date applied: 11/30

Date decision postmarked/received: 11/30

Which school/major at USC: Thornton School of Music, BM Choral Music

Scholarships: Waiting on tomorrow, Thornton doesn’t have finalists

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (790M, 780 RW) - took once
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/4.15 weighted at end of junior year
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/29
AP (place score in parentheses): Latin (5), Calc BC (4), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Gov/Econ, AP Statistics, AP Lit, American History, AP Chem, Choir, Moral Theology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, Carson Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:

  • Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (6 1/2 years by graduation), including special performances at Hollywood Bowl, Disney Hall, have sung under baton of Gustavo Dudamel, taken masterclasses from conductors and artists such as Anton Armstrong, Theresa Farrell
  • CTK Chant Choir (founder and director): a choir I founded for young children, 5-12 years old, I teach weekly classes on theory through the lens of Gregorian chant and weekly rehearsals learning Gregorian chant pieces. I consider this my WOW factor EC because I have had to develop my own curriculum given the complete dearth of resources for teaching Gregorian chant to children
  • Varsity volleyball for 4 years
  • High School Student Schola 3 years (Student Director senior year; trained cantors; organized small treble schola)
  • Voice lessons 1.5 years
  • Took guitar for 3 years
  • Took piano for 6 years
  • Camp counselor for 2 years
  • Summer weeklong service project (last summer): helped run a free camp for girls in low-income families in the area
  • 4 school plays, 1 school operetta

Job/Work Experience: Private tutor & babysitting
Volunteer/Community Service: Listed above in ECs section
Summer Activities: All music-related. I did the weeklong Sacred Music Symposium in LA 3 times, Church Music Association of America’s annual Colloquium once.

Essays (I refuse to rate; it violates my principles. But I WILL provide details)::

  • Common App: This one originated junior year as my Carson Scholarship essay, and I won that award, so I tweaked it and edited it hardcore over the summer. All my friends who read it said “Wow, that’s really good.” I talked about how I learned 5000 words the summer before my 8th grade year in an attempt to win the National Spelling Bee and then failed at my school finals. I turned it into an opportunity to tutor the person who’d beaten me, finding in the process that I liked teaching more than I liked learning. Had a really nice segue into modern-day me teaching my chant choir and how I love teaching, etc. Yeah, I’m really proud of this one.
  • Why USC: Talked about how the BM in Choral Music is a singular degree really suited to my interests, plus how much I liked Math and really wanted to double major.
  • Something Essential to Understanding You: Lighthearted essay about personality tests and how I like them because they help me understand people a little more.

Teacher Recommendations:: I haven’t seen the recs but the teachers liked me a lot and know me very well. I go to a tiny school and took at least 4 classes from each of them.
Counselor Rec:: My counselor is a sweetheart but I don’t know how well she really knows me. DEFINITELY wanted me to get into USC though.
Interview: Though USC doesn’t have alumni interviews, an interview with Thornton faculty was part of my audition process. And it went super well–even went over time. I felt really good coming out.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? I think so… but I’m not eligible anyway :confused: big family, middle-class income (for LA)
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Private Catholic, extremely small (but we have a history of good luck with USC)
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No hooks

Reflection
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: To be honest, I didn’t anticipate a rejection from USC, but I also didn’t anticipate getting into the music school. I was shocked just to pass the pre-screen. But after my >20 minute “short interview” with the faculty on audition day, I walked out and told my mom, “Hey, I actually think I have a shot at this.” So basically, I think the faculty really liked me. I followed up with an email and got personal handwritten notes from 2 of the profs I talked to.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to all–USC, FSU (full ride), UNT (full ride), Azusa Pacific U (full tuition), U of St Thomas (full tuition), CSUF, U of Kansas (OOS tuition waiver)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Anyone reading this comment may be surprised at the fact that USC is the only “reachy” school on my list. Well, I could care less about the prestige of the school I go to. Fact of the matter is that I grew up around musicians who went to USC and once I decided to do music, there was just no doubt in my mind that I had to go to USC. But it wasn’t me “trying to get into” USC–I just think I and the school meshed really well. I was very myself in the whole process. (for example, my Personal Introductory Video on the Thornton supplementary application was all about how I wanted to start a whistling choir for academic purposes–they brought this up in my interview :P)

18

Decision: Admitted

Which school/major at USC: Dornsife, International Relations

**Academic stats:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 700 World History, 720 US history, 670 Math 1, 680 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Human Geo (5), AP World (5), AP Calc AB (5), APUSH (5), AP Lang (5), AP Psych (5), AP Chem (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc BC, Civcs/Econ MUN, AP Stats, AP Physics 1, AP Enrivo Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold) x3, Girl Scout Gold Award, LA Jewish Federation Grant x3, National Hispanic Scholar Recognition, AP Scholar w Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Manager for international non-profit on genocide education, LA Museum of the Holocaust Teen Advisory Board (Education Committee Leader), started own nonprofit for genocide curriculum in schools, Girl Scouts +12 yrs (Senior scout), Model United Nations 4 yrs, Internship w/ Congresswoman, Research intern with human rights non-profit, Jr. Young Buddhists Association (secretary), Marching Band 4yrs, Wind Symphony 4 yrs, writer for political paper group, school newspaper club (treasurer), NHS
Job/Work Experience: i make acai bowls whats up
Summer Activities: Personal projects at the LA Museum of the Holocaust that were funded w/ a grant from the LA Jewish Federation, summer classes at community college, summer course at Brown Uni., conference at UChicago for Hispanic kidz

Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Why USC essay: wrote about my passion for Holocaust education and how USC has a whole foundation dedicated to survivor testimonies
Something that’s crucial to understanding you essay: wrote about a borderline abusive relationship, bulimia, and how I figured out who I was
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Lang teacher likely 9/10 and MUN teacher likely 9/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: probs a 7 or 8 she was new and i didn’t know her

Demographics

State (if domestic applicant): CA bby
High school type: large public

Gender: female, mexican + korean

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
School Type: large public
Income Bracket: <90k

Reflection

Strengths: I think my extracurriculars carried me and maybe unique passion for genocide?
Weaknesses: Def my standardized test scores and probably even transcripts bc I def got B’s where I shouldn’t have, also essays maybe I know I personally disliked them
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Again unique passion, demonstrated work in human rights/politics area, participated in things that most high schoolers don’t
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: George Washington Uni, Clark Uni, American Uni Honors, Boston University Honors, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Columbia (dual BA)
Waitlisted: UChicago, Barnard, Yale
Rejected: Georgetown, Northwestern, Brown, Harvard

19

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

[color=black]
Date applied: January 14th (lol)

Date decision postmarked/received:
March 26th

**Which school/major at USC: ** USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering with Pre-med)

**Scholarships: ** N/A

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1480 Composite (690 E/790 M)
ACT (breakdown): N/A (didn’t take)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (780), Biology M (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geography (5), World History (5), Biology (4), Chemistry (4), Psychology (5), US History (5), Calc AB (5), English Lang (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government/Macroeconomics, AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC, Mandarin 3, AP English Lit, AP Physics 1, and Chamber Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

Varsity Tennis (Captain)
Science Bowl (Captain)
National Honor Society (Vice President)
Unidos (Community Service Rep)
Asian Club
Model UN
Chamber Orchestra (1st Violin)

Job/Work Experience:
IN-N-OUT Employee (2 Years)

Volunteer/Community Service:
Reading Partners Tutor
Glendale Health Center Volunteer

Summer Activities:
MIT’s Women’s Technology Program (2019)
Tennis camps/private lessons

Essays (rating 1-10, details)::

Common App Essay: (7/8) I rewrote this essay about 5 times, but I was never fully satisfied with it. I tried talking about my love and passion for art as a hobby, and I tried intertwining the arts with STEM. In hindsight, I should have written about something that’s more personal and narrative-like.

The tell me about yourself choice essay (9): I talked about growing up in an immigrant household, and how I grew up not understanding English. I tied it into how this was the driving force to helping others and how I wanted to help tutor others in English.

Why USC (7/8): Introduced how I found my interest in STEM and how USC will facilitate my needs.

How will you use Engineering (7/8): Talked about how I watched a documentary on ALS, and how that inspired me to partake an industry that uses an innovative approach. Talked about how I wanted to change the world of medicine and engineer novel medicines to help those in need.

The Last engineering prompt with the 14 Grand problems (6): I had no idea what to write but I chose to importance of engineering better medicine, and I tied it into my volunteer at Glendale Health Center.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Calculus Teacher (9): I honestly think that my Calculus teacher wrote me in the best light possible. We have an amazing friendship, and he truly understands my aspiration, my weaknesses, and my interests.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Chemistry Teacher (7/8): I heard my chem teacher was pretty bad at writing rec letters, but she has known me for 4 years. I also excelled in her class, and she’s my supervisor for NHS and Science Bowl. So, I believe she knows me very well and can see the potential I have. I hope she was able to portray me in the best possible light.

Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: I can’t remember if I submitted an additional rec to USC or not, but if I did, it was probably from my MIT’s WTP program supplemental.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 120,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LOL none

Reflection
Strengths: SAT scores, GPA
Weaknesses: Essays, and probably extracurriculars, and definitely awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: UCD, UCSB, UCI, UCSD, USC
Waitlisted: MIT, UCLA, UCB, Harvey Mudd, UPenn
Rejected: JHU, Cornell, Harvard, Columbia
Awaiting: Stanford
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, the college process is so rough and emotionally exhausting. There are many times when I began doubting myself and my intelligence. I got waitlisted at so many school that I began to question what I did wrong. At times, I thought that my major affected my application because many less driven people around me were getting into better schools. In the end, I am just extremely grateful that USC was able to see my potential and drive, and they chose to accept me.

20

Decision: ACCEPTED!!! :smiley:

[ b]Date applied: ** november 2019

[ b]Date decision postmarked/received:** 3/26/20

[ b]Which school/major at USC:** Biological Sciences Major with Pre-Med emphasis

[ b]Scholarships:** None

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 1340
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36, 31, 35, 36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800) Bio E (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% of class
AP (place score in parentheses): AP World (5) APUSH (5) AP Lang (4) AP Bio (4) AP Euro (?) AP Lit (?) AP Physics (?) AP Statistics (?)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s + 1 honors + Econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): varisty swimming, nhs, solar panel club
Job/Work Experience: busser at restaurant
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer at yoga studio
Summer Activities: internship at hospital, classes at UCLA
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: common app (9/10) - how my father’s death affected me and shaped me into the student I am, very powerful.
another academic subject at USC: environmentalism, (9/10)
Why USC? Talked about Bio program, (8/10)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: idk hope they were good.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: good?
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white/jewish
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 150k ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none lol

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: essays were amazing lol
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: idk why i got in!!! Super happy tho
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI, UCSC, Pepperdine, USD
Waitlisted: UCLA :frowning:
Rejected: Caltech, Pomona
Awaiting: A rejection from Stanford
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Thank God I got accepted! Also, if your stats aren’t perfect don’t give up! I have a few B’s on my transcript and I still got in! :slight_smile: