<p>I'm going to be a high school senior and I want to get an idea of my chances of getting in USC. Currently my 9-11 unweighted gpa is 3.51, I took a total of 7 ap exams, got the scholar distinction award, but last semester I got 2 C+'s. Academically, my sophmore year was the best but my junior year was the worst. My extracurricular activities are pretty filled and consistent. My SAT score was 2150 cumulative in one sitting. Both my parents went to USC for grad school so I have legacy. I'm most worried about the 2 C's. What are my chances of getting in?</p>
<p>It’s a high reach. Your test scores are good, but your GPA is likely going to land you in the bottom %10 of the applicant pool.</p>
<p>USC is very hard to get into nowadays.</p>
<p>My brother’s kid got into Cornell, but got rejected at USC</p>
<p>My friend’s kid got into Washington University, but got rejected at USC</p>
<p>How much do they count for SAT 2 scores? I got 800 for Math 2, 700 for Physics, and 770 for US History. Do they count them at all? I know they don’t require them.</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>The above link paints an uphill battle. Plus there are two things making matters a bit worse. The above data is from two freshman classes ago - this year’s stats aren’t out yet, though rumor has it that statistically the current freshman class is slightly stronger than the 2010 class. Second, USC is going to the CommonAp for the first time this year. Historically schools see a jump in applications when they switch to the CA (e.g., Michigan switched last year and saw a 25% increase in applications). If SC has a 20% jump in apps then the projected admit rate would drop to <= 20%. </p>
<p>Your SATs are almost exactly at the mid-point for admits, your GPA is markedly below with a tough junior year. What is your UW GPA without the two C+s? (I’m guessing around 3.7). If that the case you’d be an average candidate at an increasingly tough school to get into.</p>
<ol>
<li>Definitely submit the SAT2s. They’re not required but they’re strong, so they can’t hurt. </li>
<li>Ace senior year, all of it. Get a first semester 4.0 but don’t let up. You’d hate to slack off and get into SC only to have Admissions tell you it’s predicated on continued strong performance.</li>
<li>Emphasize that those two C+s were an aberration.</li>
</ol>
<p>I think that USC is a reach for you. Your legacy status may get you into the Spring Admit pool but it’s important to nail everything perfectly from here on out.</p>
<p>Will they see the senior fall semester grades before making the admission decision? I have relatively easy AP’s senior year so I’m pretty sure I can ace it.</p>
<p>And also where in the application would I tell them that the 2 C’s were mistakes?</p>