<p>Hello fellow CC users!
This is my first time using this site and my first thread. I am going to be a senior in high school and I am beginning my application process. Even before I discovered screenwriting was my dream job I discovered USC was my dream school. Even though i am on the other side of the country I am in love with this school and I will stop at nothing to go here. My only problem is that I do not have the best academic standings and my SAT's/GPA do not exactly match their standards. When I apply to the screenwriting program will the emphasis be placed more on my high school records or my screenwriting talent. I don't mean to sound arrogant but I love my ability to tell a story through screen. Currently I am working with my drama teacher to write a script for our schools up coming play. I have also been in contact with an angency interested in reading my scripts. I'm just not sure if I have what it takes to stand out from the thousands of applicants for the 26 or so positions in the program. Will my underdog story be enough to impress admissions at USC? This school is literally my dream and I've been working do hard to be able to get in. Ay information on admissions would be greatly appreciated especially from those who have been in the program or know people who have.</p>
<p>I'll appreciate honestly but try not to shatter my dream. Thanks!</p>
<p>To get into SCA you need to be accepted into both the program and into the larger University- two separate but related entities. There may be a bit of wiggle room for a very talented person whose statistics are not at the top of the pack. However in addition to classwork in Screenwriting you will be taking a variety of general education classes and the school wants to be sure you are up to the level they expect of their students. You don’t have to be at the top, but you need to be strong enough to impress the ADCOM that you will thrive at USC. If you are super talented at screenwriting and have an impressive resume of accomplishments, that can only help your chances. But that alone will not be enough for admission unless you have a very good reason WHY you have underperformed in high school (if you have: you dont’ tell us your stats, just that you think they are not good enough) and then you need to tell them why you think it would be different in college.</p>
<p>Having said that, you never know unless you apply: so even if you think you might not be strong enough academically, it doesn’t hurt to put together the best possible application with the best references you can. If you are a great writer you should try to produce the best thing you have every written for the essay for the common app and the strongest essays and writing samples you can for the SCA portion to make yourself stand out as much as you can.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that many very talented students apply here, and even those with stellar academics and impressive resumes get denied admission. There are not enough spots for all the talented individuals who would thrive in the program. So an acceptance is great, but a rejection might just be that there was not enough room for everyone- and not be related to the “stats” a person presents.</p>
<p>Admissions for the screenwriting major are definitely weighted towards your portfolio. Your grades and standardized test scores are less important; this is true for most SCA majors.</p>
<p>However, having below average grades/scores is not exactly an ‘underdog story,’ and if you didn’t get great scores on the reading/writing sections of your tests, or great grades in your humanities classes, it won’t exactly help your case.</p>
<p>Well I got a 1850 on my sats but I’m pretty sure I can get up to 1900. I haven’t checked my gpa in a while but it’s around 3.5 UW. And when I said underdog story I was wondering if that could be something I could write about. To show my determination to overcome my regrets in high school and how I am an unlikely candidate for the school yet still be great for the program. And what kind of reasons would be good enough for them to understand why I have lower grades?</p>
<p>Do not write your college essay about how you have low grades and test scores.</p>
<p>It is not impossible that you would be admitted with those grades if you are an exceptional writer. Retake the SAT and try to do better.</p>
<p>Idreamofscreen when you write your personal statement for colleges never write something negative about yourself. While you can use your personal statement to explain why you might not have the best grade never make your personal statement a pity party. You might want to use your personal statement to emphasize your talent as a screen writer.</p>