<p>USC will accept a student for Violin Performance if their GPA is a 3.3 and has a really bad SAT score? I mean 1800?</p>
<p>Also, does USC count senior grades? I messed up my fresh/soph yr for various reasons and that's why I have such a low GPA. Is there any way I can explain to them why I failed and how I've improved since then? I'm taking 2 AP's this yr and I got all A's during junior yr.</p>
<p>Just about every college will want your first semester high school grades. </p>
<p>The essay or additional information section is the place to explain any issues in your application.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to USC specifically but in general, for Performance majors the audition is the big hurdle. That doesn’t mean that having a great audition makes up for a less than stellar academic record, but if you’re serious about performance certain things may be overlooked. </p>
<p>Schools don’t want to admit students who are only using a specific talent/major as a way to “game” the system - e.g., students with poor academic profiles who come in for music performance and then switch to the business school after a semester. It does you no good to go to a school where you can’t keep up in the classroom and it does the school no good to give up a precious spot to someone who is going to struggle.</p>
<p>How do you show you’re serious? - Have you won performance awards? Have you been going to summer camps related to violin? Have you regularly competed either regionally or nationally? Are most of your other ECs music related? </p>
<p>Generally speaking a 3.3/1800 is a likely rejection but if you’re serious about Violin performance and nail the audition then you may still have a chance.</p>
<p>Violin performance is an extremely difficult major to be admitted to–and it will depend on a stellar audition and other awards/resume of performance. If your playing is in that league, then you’ll need to work on your SATs which are low for USC. Why not do some test prep (you can do this on your own with a good study guide) and retake to get at least above a 1900 (it needs to be much higher for regular admissions, but we’ve seen some exceptions when student brings other great gifts.) </p>
<p>Continue your great work in your courses this semester. USC will look at 1st semester senior grades and they appreciate an upward trend.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>As i’ve said in previous forums, my violin teacher is a professor at USC. I’m currently working on my audition and IF I have a good audition, I might have a chance I’m hoping… I’ve been going to test prep called C2 Education for 8 months now…</p>
<p>what are those other “great gifts”? I’m taking 2 AP’s and I’m striving for all A’s this yr. USC is my dream school and I cannot see myself going anywhere else!</p>
<p>Lifeofsolitude, I haven’t read your previous posts to other forums. But if your violin teacher is a USC Thornton prof, I think you might ask him/her to give you an assessment of your chances for admission. </p>
<p>If your teacher thinks you have the ability but is just warning you to make sure your grades/test scores are high enough, you have an excellent chance. Try to get above 1900 in SAT if possible and keep up the good efforts in grades this year.</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>Well, he said I have a chance but I know that I need to work on my SATs…any advice? I keep scoring a 1500 T___T</p>
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<p>Please look at what you’re looking to major at, consider the word “gift” and come back to us.</p>
<p>You should really try to bring up your SAT. It’s really low, and like other people have said, it’s easier to get into an arts-based program with a 1900+; I don’t think I knew any SCA student who had an SAT lower than that.</p>
<p>Uhm, yes, I know what “gifts” are but we usually say talent and gifts but not “other gifts”…so pardon me if I seem “slow”? </p>
<p>Well, I am trying to bring up my SAT but it isn’t as easy as 1,2,3…I’ve been practicing every day and I haven’t seen any improvement.</p>
<p>Thanks Menloparkmom! Do you have any advice for USC in general? I’m hoping my EC’s will shadow my GPA and SATs!</p>
<p>lifeofsolitude, if I recall, you had some compelling reasons for lower grades in your first years of HS. As I advised you before, write about that in your “additional information” section. </p>
<p>I understand the feeling of having USC as a “dream school,” since it was my son’s as well, but there’s really no other advice we can give you. <em>Sometimes</em> in portfolio/audition based majors, talent/audition <em>can</em> make up for lower grades/test scores. “Sometimes” and “can” are the operative words here.</p>
<p>So practice for that audition and try to raise your scores (perhaps a different SAT tutor or course?). There are no other magical tips to give, no matter how much you wish to find them. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>Life, have you tried taking the ACT? Some students do much better on that type of exam, so it could be a good idea to try it. Maybe get some ACT prep books and work on your own a little and go for it. </p>
<p>Also, check out the forums on SAT and ACT prep here on cc for other suggestions on how to study. There is a famous “xiggi” method that many find very useful.</p>
<p>Other than that, you can work hard on your essays to show how passionate you are about your music.</p>
<p>Madbean, I’m taking the ACT this upcoming Saturday…I have to say, I have taken some practice tests yet I don’t feel quite as confident as I do on the SAT. I’ve been working on those via Princeton Review as well. </p>
<p>I’ve been lurking those forums for a while and I’ve read Xiggi’s SAT guide. </p>
<p>I’ve written several essays and I guess it all depends now on my audition. Does USC require recommendation letters now for the common app? Or could I just send some just in case?</p>
<p>Jazz/shreddermom, well my reasons were that I switched teachers during the beginning of my soph yr and that was really hard because I basically had to relearn how to play the violin. I was also diagnosed that yr with anxiety and depression and it was hard trying to balance everything. I don’t know if I should write that in my additional information though because some people have told me it might hurt my case…and my teacher can only fight for me so much T_T</p>
<p>LoS, I was not referring to switching teachers. I would not advise any student to write about that as a compelling reason you started with lower grades. Your audition will be your audition. No “excuses” or “backstory” can make up for anything there. </p>
<p>However, if you can write about anxiety an depression, but frame it as as something you overcame, that made you a better person, etc. that might be worthwhile. It’s a delicate balance not to appear to be making it an excuse, but instead to make it almost an achievement. </p>
<p>If for example, you parlayed that experience into working with a suicide prevention charity… or if it somehow informed the successful person you have ultimately become… that would be the way to do it (and somewhere in there subtly work in the affect it had on your grades UNTIL you overcame it). But I agree, it’s a sensitive subject and has to be handled correctly or it appears whiny and self indulgent, as an excuse not an obstacle you overcame triumphantly.</p>
<p>Other than that, I have offered all the advice I have. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Well for USC’s common app they give you an extra blank document where you can write anything you want. I was hoping I could explain myself but I don’t know if that would hurt/help my case. I’ve already written my essays for USC…I just want to know if it’s a good idea. But thank you!</p>
<p>Um, yes, and I was trying to tell you it could be a good idea or a bad idea, depending on how you present/write it… in your “optional” section. If it’s still not clear to you what might make this effective or ineffective (help you vs. hurt you), it is probably better not to write it.</p>
<p>Beyond that, I’m going to have to give up. And say, once again, best of luck.</p>
<p>Ahhh okay, I’ll try to take your advice and not turn it into an excuse. Thank you so much for your help!</p>
<p>LoS,</p>
<p>Jazz/Shredder has given you some great advice. Your grades are what they are; it appears unlikely that your SATs are going to jump dramatically. Concentrate on what you can affect - your audition, senior year academic performance and your application. As for your medical issues, I wouldn’t avoid it, but I certainly wouldn’t emphasize it either. Address, acknowledge and show how you’re moving forward. End of story.</p>
<p>At this point the answer to your question is the punch line from an old joke: </p>
<p>*Woman stops a taxi and asks, “How do I get to the Thornton School of Music?” </p>
<p>Cabby answers, “Practice, practice, practice.”*</p>
<p>I thought it was how to get to Carnegie Hall? Anyways, thank you for your help. Any advice is always appreciated!</p>
<p>We’ve given all the advice we really can, and you know what you need to do to make your application look better in terms of scores and explaining your past. Maybe have a poster you trust read over your supplemental essay explaining your issues to make sure it sounds appropriate – but I agree you have to work very hard to not make it sound whiny; I think my supplemental essay when I applied to colleges did that, and it’s probably why some schools I was a match for eventually rejected/waitlisted me. </p>
<p>Other than that, there’s not much else to say. You just need to work on a lot of things. Heck, you might even get in just because your teacher is a Thornton professor — but there’s no way for me to know that, so I’m just going off the straight facts you’ve presented in your posts/how you post.</p>