USC is currently my first choice; can anyone tell me...

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>...how good my chances are of getting? I know there's no definite way to determine whether or not I'll be accepted, but I feel that hearing from actual USC students would help give me a idea at least. :) </p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.7 (currently but will be raised because I'm taking 3 more AP classes this year)</p>

<p>Currently ranked number 8 in a class of about 550 (I think; I'd need to check) </p>

<p>I've taken all honors (except classes like Spanish where you can't take honors at my school) and by the time I graduate, I will have taken 6 AP classes (including taken AP Senior English [or AP English Literature] in my sophomore year.) I've gotten 5's on all my AP tests so far as well. </p>

<p>Finally, my SAT score was 800 Writing, 740 Critical Reading, and 600 Math (overall, 2140).</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Organizations/Activities:</p>

<p>1.) Affinity Independent Film Company (freshman - senior year)
-Acting (starred in one independent film and a cameo in another)
-Cinematography (two independent films)
-Creative consulting (three independent films)</p>

<p>2.) Animation Appreciation Club (freshman - senior year)</p>

<p>3.) Newspaper Club (freshman year)
-Staff writer for the school newspaper </p>

<p>Community Service:</p>

<p>1.) Drama-coaching middle school students for play productions for two summers</p>

<p>2.) Participated in two episodes of a local television program called "Today's Family" as a guest speaker</p>

<p>3.) I'm either going to begin assisting teachers at an elementary school for this year or volunteer for the Secular Humanist Association's secular humanism Sunday school. [Do you think one is more impressive than the other? I'd like to do both but probably won't have time.]</p>

<p>Unusual Hobbies:</p>

<p>1.) Scriptwriting (created and have been writing scripts for an original television series for the past 6 years)
2.) Playwriting (one play written)
3.) Songwriting (have a small portfolio of lyrics I've written over the past four years)
4.) Poetry (see above)
5.) Singing </p>

<p>Special Events:</p>

<p>1.) Junior Honor Guard (flag duty during last year's graduation)</p>

<p>2.) Won third place in Voice of Democracy competition </p>

<p>3.) Won local poetry competition twice</p>

<p>I think that's about it. I feel I may be forgetting something, but...anyway, I'd really appreciate any feedback about my chances of getting in and any advice you have to offer! Thank you so much for your time. :)</p>

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<p>For USC, chances threads are problematic if we don’t know what major/college you plan to apply to. Are you a rising senior? Are you geographically diverse? Ethnically diverse? Also, it would help to know your GPA on a 4.0 scale, with both unweighted and weighted (admissions officers need to compare many different GPA’s, so they often will compare unweighted grades, then take into account the difficulty of your courses). </p>

<p>You sound like the kind of student USC would like: good grades and test-scores; lopsided in a writing/drama/film kind of way, which fits USC well. So yes, I’d say you have a good chance at getting in, though that chance gets very small (for everyone) if you’re aiming for the SCA. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for your reply. :slight_smile: I’ll try to answer all your questions now!</p>

<p>I am a senior right now, yes. Geographically diverse…no, I live in Southern California, actually. (Not LA, though, for what it’s worth.) Ethnically diverse…probably not. I’m mostly Italian and also French, Irish, and English but of course, that all counts as “Caucasian”. </p>

<p>I think my unweighted GPA right now is 3.8, but I’m not sure. And applying to USC, I’m probably going to be undeclared for my major. I will probably end up trying to get into the Writing for TV and Film major and double major in Animation, minor in Film and TV Production, but I haven’t made up my mind completely yet. Of course, all these majors are in SCA and the Writing major is especially difficult to get into. I do have a lot of experience with screenwriting though, so I’m probably going to apply to it at least. If I don’t get in, I’ll probably major in Animation…possibly double major with Film and TV production and minor in Writing.</p>

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<p>Eiffel, Your background looks strong for admission to USC, but with admission to SCA, it’s impossible to predict because so much will depend on your supplemental application and portfolio for the two majors to which you apply. (If you haven’t already, go onto the SCA website and check out what the different SCA majors require. Some of them request a lot of supplemental materials and it would be good if you started thinking about what you want to write about/include ASAP.) Please note that, at least up through last year, the screenwriting major took four years. This means that if you are accepted to USC as an undeclared major and then try to transfer into the SCA screenwriting major after you’re already a USC student, if accepted, you are looking at four more years from the point of transfer into the major. Also, you might want to check and make sure a double major that includes 2 specialties within SCA is possible.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much for your reply, Nester! :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I am aware that the Screenwriting major requests many supplemental materials, but I didn’t see that the Animation major requested any…The Animation minor requests supplemental materials, though. </p>

<p>My question is: is it possible to be undeclared, get in, and then apply to majors during the summer/fall of the year I’m actually going to be attending? </p>

<p>I’m also a bit confused by what USC says about double majors: “The two majors must be offered by different departments but lead to the same degree, such as a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Music. Double majors consisting of two majors in the same department are not permitted.” Both Writing and Animation would lead to a Bachelor of Arts, so I think it’d be okay to double major?</p>

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<p>Eiffel,
Sorry, but all of the SCA majors require separate applications with lots of supplemental materials. This includes animation. Here’s the website that spells it all out for animation: [USC</a> Cinema - Programs John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts Application Procedures](<a href=“http://cinema.usc.edu/programs/hench-animation/application-procedures-hench.htm]USC”>http://cinema.usc.edu/programs/hench-animation/application-procedures-hench.htm). Please note that you’re also going to need some extra letters of recommendation for SCA majors. These do not have to come from hs teachers, so start thinking about who would be best to write these letters for you.</p>

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<p>The following is from the USC website:</p>

<p>When may I transfer to SCA?
We accept applications from incoming freshmen and transfers. However, consideration for transfers in the Production track is reserved for applicants with 48 transferable semester units (excluding AP & IB, but may include units in progress during the fall or spring semester).</p>

<p>It sounds as if you need the equivalent of a year and a half of college units (48) to transfer into the Production major, but that you can try to transfer into other SCA majors with fewer units. I’d double check this with a phone call to SCA, though, before making any decisions. It sounds as if they’re talking about incoming freshmen who have already been accepted to USC undeclared or in different majors, but it’s not completely clear</p>

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<p>eiffel, I don’t think it’s a good strategy to apply as an undeclared major and hope to get into your true preference later. SCA can select from a great applicant pool among entering freshmen, and the number of slots open for transfers - even from within current USC students - seems to be very limited. According to my son, there are many, many freshmen hoping to later transfer into SCA majors, and the odds are not with them - though some will get in, of course. </p>

<p>So… that’s a long way of saying that you should definitely follow your heart and apply for the writing major if that’s what you love, and maybe animation as a second choice. The applications are very demanding - my son worked hard on one (critical studies), and decided not to try tackling a second one (production) because it was a ton of work. But he got in, and couldn’t be happier. It’s worth putting a lot of energy into the application, and you definitely have the basic credentials that give you a chance of getting in. The SCA likes kids who are both really smart and really creative, so emphasize both!</p>

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<p>Check this out from USC website, it needs 4-year commitment. There maybe not a lot of slack to add another major, not even another SCA major.</p>

<p>[USC</a> Cinema - Programs Writing Undergraduate Requirements](<a href=“http://cinema.usc.edu/programs/writing/undergraduate-requirements.htm]USC”>http://cinema.usc.edu/programs/writing/undergraduate-requirements.htm)</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the replies; I really appreciate it!</p>

<p>Judging from all of your advice, I think I will apply to the Writing major at the same time I apply to USC. It’s just that I’ve heard from alumni of several different colleges that declaring a major when one applies hinders one’s chances of getting into the college at all. Hopefully this isn’t the case, because I definitely want to go to USC – I’d hate to be rejected just because I didn’t get into the major I applied to. Is that at all possible? Or would they still accept me to the college, but just not into that particular major?</p>

<p>My other hesitation is rooted in the fact that I’m not sure whether I should major in Writing, Film, or Animation. Writing is the one I have the most experience in and the most knowledge of, which means that’s the one I’m most likely to get accepted into but also possibly the least one I need to major in. For my careers, I do want to be a screenwriter, but also a show runner, director, producer, et cetera; I’d really love to be involved in it all. I love animation too and I intend for many of my works to be animated. That’s why I wonder if I should major in Film or Animation instead of Writing, because I actually need to learn those skills more than I need to learn screenwriting. :-/ Any advice? </p>

<p>Sorry for all the questions; the college application/admissions process is just very confusing to me sometimes! :P</p>

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<p>My impression is that the regular USC admissions people make their decisions without regard to whether or not the student has been accepted to the major. It can only help you to apply for two SCA majors that interest you when you apply to USC as a freshman. My kid heard from USC well before he heard from SCA.</p>

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<p>Oh, okay! That’s really good to know; thanks! :slight_smile: So, your kid did get into SCA, but heard from USC first?</p>

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<p>Yes, that’s right.</p>

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<p>You can be accepted to USC, but not your major. If this happens to you, you enter USC as an undeclared major.</p>

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<p>when you apply to a certain major, your application gets sent to that school. if you apply as an undecided, central admissions makes the decision to admit. all undecided admits get placed into the college and then must apply later to the schools. with the exception of annenberg, it does not help you to apply as undecided. an internal transfer from the college to cinematic arts is much more difficult than an external transfer admit. you already must know that admission as a freshman to cinematic arts is extremely selective. admission from undecided to cinematic arts is even more selective. think of single digit success rates. you’d be better off going to a JC then applying as a transfer if cinematic arts is your ultimate goal.</p>