<p>I have always been wondering about USC's low acceptance rate. I have heard that USC accepts a lot of international students and my school is a magnet for USC, accepting 15/150 students (and even most of us apply to the UK..) each year. The people who have been accepted from my school have really low IB scores (ranging from 32-39/45 and some even bordering 30...thats like a 2.9GPA?) for such a prestigious school with such a low acceptance rate, I don't really understand why. I know there are always special cases.</p>
<p>Also, this has nothing to do with USC's low acceptance rate, but would you say that the accepted students level is similar to UCLA and Berkeley? Because I'm sure that the students in my school with those stats wouldn't even have a close shot at UCLA and Berkeley..</p>
<p>You can’t convert GPA into IB results or vice versa. The truth is people who get into US colleges tend not to care at all about their IB results once they’ve decided where they’re going. </p>
<p>You’re right about USC accepting a lot of international students, but at the end of the day, the average acceptance percentage between all three schools end up being in the same ball park, I bet. Remember that UCLA and UCB are state schools meaning that they were established primarily for Californian kids so that they can afford a tertiary education. Whether or not they are maintaining the original goal is debatable. </p>
<p>Btw, 39 is not THAT low. You can get into great UK colleges such as Warwick, King’s and UCL with a 39. Maybe 38 as well.</p>
<p>lol are you really claiming a 39 is low? i hope you realize a 39 is an average of 6s with a combined 3 for the EE/TOK… that would easily put a student in the top quartile of all IB students worldwide. i would say that anything >= 33 is good (average of 5s plus the 3 for the EE/TOK) and anything >=39 is excellent.</p>
<p>and the above poster is right, you cannot compare IB scores to a GPA like that.</p>
<p>I got something like a 32 point IB diploma and I worked my ass off for it. People asking how many 7s they’re going to get just make me shake my head and wonder if they took the same tests that I did.</p>
<p>Anyways, I had a 3.9 unweighted in high school, 32 point diploma, good test scores from the SAT and ACT, and some solid extracurricular activities. </p>
<p>USC has the greatest number of international students out of any university in the United States. The majority of these are from Asia of course, but there are a large number from other countries as well.</p>
<p>And these days, you can’t get into a good school like USC just by having good grades and test scores. Those honestly don’t mean much once you get here. They want to see someone who is passionate about what they do, and shows it through his or her actions. They want to see leadership, giving to the community, and helping others. Anyone can sit at a desk and learn facts and formulas and score high on tests. That doesn’t mean that they will be a good student though, or a good fit for the school.</p>
<p>Also just be aware that university here in the US is very different that in the UK (though I’ve heard this has been changing recently). There is far more work throughout the semester, participation and discussion in class are expected, and you only get a couple of days between the end of classes and final exams, which are taken at the end of each semester and take place within about a week.</p>