<p>USC is my top choice right now.
My gpa is ~ 3.6 UW 3.8 W, but if you discount freshmen year, it's a 3.79UW 4.1W
SAT: 2130</p>
<p>My extracurrics are decent.</p>
<p>I know my gpa is low. But I'm really hoping I can still get in. Am I being naive?</p>
<p>SAT should make up for GPA. Do u you live in Cali because that would help your chances?</p>
<p>USC is a private school. Living in “Cali” (God I hate that term) is irrelevant.</p>
<p>I’ve seen information that shows 75 percent of students are California residents. It is relevant.</p>
<p>Where are you getting your facts, sethhg? About 50% of last year’s freshman were from other states or countries! My son is a freshman this year and we are from NC. Three from his high school headed to USC. His two roommates are also from out of CA.</p>
<p>You are probably thinking of another school. Where a student lives really has no bearing on admissions decisions. Most of my friends were not from “Cali.” (Also, we don’t call it “Cali,” so please don’t call it that either.)</p>
<p>OP — What are your ECs? Those can make or break your application, to be honest. Strong ECs will take some of the heat off of your GPA and SAT.</p>
<p>If you can retake the SAT, I really recommend doing so. A higher score (2180+) will increase your chances of not being overlooked; right now, you’re smack in the middle 50% of admitted students. Because your GPA is on the lower end, you will need to have a higher SAT score.</p>
<p>What AP classes have you taken? Have you done the SAT IIs? What major are you looking at? Need a bit more info from you to really give you a better sense of your application strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>Also, this should go without saying – you really need to write a killer essay. A weak essay won’t make you stand out.</p>
<p>I may be thinking of UCLA. And sorry lol, I didn’t realize how offensive the term “Cali” is.</p>
<p>^ 75% of all USC alumni live in California.</p>
<p>That’s probably what it was. Thanks for the correction.</p>
<p>“cali” is not offensive at all. it’s just that it’s not in common use. it’s more british. some may feel touchy about hearing an uncommon moniker.</p>
<p>USC will use the common appllication for the class entering in 2012. The university has not released the freshmen profile for the class which entering in August 2011. If the trend continued I expect SAT scores to have risen again for enrolled freshmen students.</p>
<p>The 2010 profile indicated 53% of freshmen came from California. There were 1,397 high schools represented in the class. The admitted student SAT middle composite was 2020-2230. </p>
<p>On the main USC website have been short articles featuring individual members of the new SC class. Read those and it will give you some idea of the accomplishments of admitted freshmen.</p>
<p>Last year, my friend’s son, a California resident, got rejected at USC, despite having a 740 on his math sat, and despite having attended a fancy private high school in San Francisco. So it is not easy to get into.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf</a></p>
<p>Based on 2010 - 2011 statistics your GPA is below average for admits and enrollees, your SAT is right around the mid-point. In normal years I’d say you were in a match/slight reach situation, with the switch to the CommonApp I think things are only going to get tougher. Michigan used the CA for the first time this past admissions cycle and saw an ~25% increase in applications. Assuming a similar change at USC and you’re looking at a sub-20% admissions rate.</p>
<p>As GeorgiaGirl says, the numbers for 2011 enrollees aren’t out yet but the trend has been going up. The switch to the ComonApp won’t necessarily change the range of students applying, but it will give Admissions more students in each category to choose from. That means it will be even more important to find ways to make yourself stand-out from the crowd. Great recommendations and a killer essay talking about what you will contribute to the USC community are a must.</p>
<p>The reason so many people who live in Cali go to USC is b/c they know how awesome the state is… well SoCal at least.</p>
<p>I got a 780 on ush and 650 on lit (retaking). will retake sats too. ap scores-all 5’s( ap euro, apush, ap eng, ap psych) in-state.</p>
<p>If you have the time to prepare you might want to try the ACT. Some students do better on this examination. It is only necessary to submit your best score from either exam.</p>