FAQ for USC Admissions - Page 14

madbean · 09-21-2009, 06:07 PM

jazz--USC will re-calculate all applicants' GPA based on 4.0 UW scale for academic subjects only. They do not count PE or any non-academic electives in GPA, but they will look at those grades on the transcript, so low grades will be noted, of course. They do not use plus or minus.

If your s's school regularly sends grads to USC, they will no doubt be aware of the school's academic reputation. In any event, many schools offer limited or even no APs and the student is not harmed by that.

In general, USC asks for a GC letter in which the GC marks the level of rigor of courses taken by the student. If the GC marks "most rigorous offered," they are doing great. USC will also take a good look at class rank, if your school ranks.

Best of luck.

jazz/shreddermom · 09-21-2009, 06:09 PM

thanks, madbean. Although I bet you can guess whether a school that has eliminated AP courses would rank it's students?

jazz/shreddermom · 09-21-2009, 06:13 PM

madbean, are you sure? I just received a call back from USC admissions. The gentleman on the phone said they do calculate plusses and minuses! I'm hoping you are right, however, and that he is wrong.

I know that the UC's and CSU's do not use plusses and minuses - perhaps that's what you were thinking of?

madbean · 09-21-2009, 06:18 PM

Heh! No, my s goes to USC and that is what I was told on the phone from the admissions office. USC uses Freshman grades too, which the UCs don't. Can't explain why you got diff info on the plusses and minuses. I got that answer twice before, so perhaps you want to try again. LOL. I'd love to know what you hear because I have another S who will be applying next year.

jazz/shreddermom · 09-21-2009, 06:20 PM

madbean, I think they recognize my voice already! Why don't you call? I spoke to Scott, btw. Standing by....

Nester · 09-21-2009, 09:13 PM

Jazz mom -- Is your S going to be auditioning for Thornton? If so, like other students who enter arts majors by audition/portfolio/work samples, he's in a slightly different situation than students who apply based primarily on the typical LAC/university criteria. As I understand it, if a music program selects him based upon his audition and other info relevant to his musical abilities, his grades and scores will have to be within an acceptable range for USC, but the music will be the primary factor. Hence pluses and minuses (unless he is very borderline academically -- and it certainly doesn't sound as if that's the case) should not be so relevant.

Also, my sense is that USC is very aware that all high school courses and grades are not equivalent. We were told explicitly that they consider transcripts in the context of the school. And especially if several students from your S's high school apply to USC each year, the admissions rep assigned to your region knows the high school. Your hs will provide USC (and all other colleges) with a written explanation of its courses, grading system, etc. Hopefully, this material will be detailed enough to explain how many A's, A-'s, B +'s etc are given in each class overall. If this written description doesn't make it crystal clear that there are no AP's to be had, the GC can phone the USC admissions rep assigned to the school and tell him during the same call that supports your s's application.

Finally, with the lack of formal ranking, if your s's high school is one where way more than the top 10% of the students attend top universities, not providing colleges with the students' ranking allows universities to accept many of those kids without cringing at the notion that now they have to reveal that a bunch of their incoming freshmen weren't in the top 10% of their hs class. If it's pretty clear to you that your S is in the top 10% or one of the very top few kids, you can always feel out your GC to see if she is willing to somehow telegraph this fact to colleges in her evaluation letter.

jazz/shreddermom · 09-21-2009, 09:26 PM

Thanks, Nester. Yes, my son is auditioning for Thornton, and I have heard that it is different for music students. But I thought it would be nice to know the academic standards as well. I don't know that he'd be quite strong enough as a general applicant, but he's a top notch musician, and the Thornton faculty is already aware of him from the past two summers he has spent with them. So that's good. Fingers crossed that his grades and test scores are good enough. I'm just curious what good enough is. We know students at Thornton with lower stats than my S's, so I'm hopeful.

Nester · 09-21-2009, 09:39 PM

It sounds as if your s's stats are such that they wouldn't guarantee admission to USC, but wouldn't cause his GC to snicker if he told her he was applying as an undeclared major either. The thing is, if your s is coming from an excellent private hs with a tough grading system, looking at the average GPA of accepted USC students might be misleading. Does the hs keep good records of its students' application and acceptance histories? Can you take a look at a chart that will show you how many students from your hs with GPA's in your son's range (correcting for whatever boost AP's might have given students at your hs in past years) applied to USC last year and how many were accepted? If his grades are within a range from which USC accepted a decent percentage of the applicants last year, or over the past few years, I don't think you have to worry that his numbers will keep him out in the face of a solid audition.

jazz/shreddermom · 09-21-2009, 10:11 PM

Thanks, Nester. No snickering from the GC!

Alex7592 · 09-22-2009, 01:04 AM

Does USC use the highest SAT/ACT score in Admissions?

cc411 · 09-22-2009, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Does USC use the highest SAT/ACT score in Admissions?

USC "superscores" only the SAT, not the ACT.

FAQs- USC Undergraduate Admission:
"What is USC's policy on the "new" SAT?
...USC will continue to consider each applicant's best SAT sub-scores, even if from different sittings..."
FAQs - USC Undergraduate Admission

Alex7592 · 09-22-2009, 09:17 AM

Quote:

USC "superscores" only the SAT, not the ACT.

FAQs- USC Undergraduate Admission:
"What is USC's policy on the "new" SAT?
...USC will continue to consider each applicant's best SAT sub-scores, even if from different sittings..."
FAQs - USC Undergraduate Admission

If you score a 36 on the ACT but only a 2200 on the SAT will USC use the ACT score?

Eiffel · 09-22-2009, 10:17 AM

^You can submit both, if I'm not mistaken. You obviously want to submit your ACT, but your SAT score is great too, so you should submit both.

tocollege · 09-22-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

only a 2200 on the SAT

ALEX! I don't wanna see "only" and "2200" in the same sentence from you again! Agree with Eiffel - submit both. And apply before Dec 1. I looked at your chance thread. Apply before Dec. 1.

madbean · 09-22-2009, 02:37 PM

jazz--I was up for the challenge and called back. Spoke with "Suzie" who said USC does count plusses and minuses. So you did get the straight scoop. Sorry to confuse the issue.

I agree with Nester in thinking your S's chances at Thornton will not be adversely affected by GPA. Talent is very important to USC and each of the creative majors/Schools make selections with that in mind, while the general admissions office must assure that each admitted student will thrive in USC's academic environment.

A good audition, therefore, is the first step, but solid (yet not necessarily tippy top) stats will seal the deal.