USC is my first choice so I was wondering what my chances are to be admitted.
High School: Stuyvesant High School, NY
Race: South Asian
We don’t have class ranks
SAT: 1480 out of 1600
ACT: Predicted to be 34
SAT 2’S (math 2 and physics): Predicted to be higher than 750
GPA: 3.0 
Extracurriculars: Vars football captain(playing for 4 years), vars lacrosse captain(playing for 3 years), Built and planned sets for our annual theater production, part of a organization that helps senior citizens learn about computers and help people build computers, part of an asian-american advocacy program that advocates for better asian-american education in nyc, couple 100 hours of volunteering, tutoring job, also i might take some engineering college courses the summer before my senior year,
Predicted major: Electrical or Mechanical Engineering
thanks guys
Also I will have taken about 4-5 aps anf for football i got multiple team awards and league awards
Sorry, but that gpa for engineering is extremely low, not just for USC in general, but way low for engineering. Also, predicted scores are just that. They turned away over 3000 students with 99% scores in both gpa and testing. Meaning a lot of 4.0 kids with stellar test scores did not get in, there just isn’t enough room. It is very competitive at USC and engineering is one of the toughest majors to get into (like many schools). However, do your best on your upcoming tests, try to have an upward trend on your gpa - that can be very important, and apply broadly. Your ECs are very interesting and show commitment. There are a lot of great schools out there for engineering, be sure to have some options you like and that are a good fit - financially and with your stats. Good luck!
Is your GPA UW or Weighted? Either way, I agree with above poster that your GPA will be a huge issue and the disconnect between GPA and test scores is a red flag. Do you have extenuating circumstances for the low grades?
Also how good would it look if i started really low freshmen year, like a 84, and my grades junior year(only for that year), is like a 94
@11footlax Stuy High! One of the best high schools in the United States. Don’t give up so fast, dear teen. If your grade average freshman year was around 84, like you wrote, with junior year’s being 94, then you’re in better shape than you know. Schools love to see upswings like that.
Now, engineering is very, very tough for anyone to get into. But…what is it about USC that you like so much? If it’s California, at all, then you should know that the UC system doesn’t look at all at freshman year grades. Also, figure out your weighted GPA and get back to us.
@JenJenJenJen: USC is not part of the California UC system, it is a private school which uses 9-11th grades along with Senior Mid-year transcripts.
I know that, @Gumbymom , that’s why I asked if it was California that he liked, because the better UCs are excellent and his freshman year GPA won’t affect his chances there.
Agree, upward trend means a lot for any school you apply to. Will your gpa get up in the 3.5+ range by senior year? @JenJenJenJen brought up good point about UC’s not counting freshman grades, however, personally, we would never pay OOS prices for any public school. JJJJ also asked another good question - what is it about USC you like - the spirit, size, location, etc…cause there are a lot of private schools with engineering. They aren’t the big size and spirit school of USC, but if it is west coast you want…expand on what you are looking for and maybe others can give you some good direction as well. Also, very important - financial constraints or not?
3.0 is way low for USC. Also, 3.0 is low for having a 1480 on your SAT.
If you want to go into engineering, you should try to have straight A’s in all math courses.
I love almost everything about USC, the spirit, sports, location, size, almost everything basically. Maybe I can reach a 3.5 GPA, maybe a lil under. Also finances is kind of important for me, the highest I would pay would be 30,000 to 35,000.
3.5 GPA will not get you merit aid at USC so you should run the Net Price Calculator to see if you eligible for any need-based financial aid.
http://financialaid.usc.edu/undergraduates/prospective/net-price-calculator.html