<p>I know that’s a little on the low side for USC but what do you think? Should I try again? I want to go to USC for the Annenberg school for Broadcast Journalism. Here are some of my stats…</p>
<p>3.87 GPA
Ranked 12/500 in class
2040 on SAT (taking ACTs in June)
Only 4 AP Classes, rest honors
Proficient in Spanish
Half African American, Half Indian, Female
Dedicated to community service
Public Relations Officer of Key Club
Apart of the News Network for our school’s announcements
NHS
Spanish Club
Dance Club
Drama Club
No sports, might do tennis next year though depending on where I stand</p>
<p>Where do I stand? USC is my dream school, so your opinions will really benefit me.</p>
<p>seems like you have great extracurriculars and a solid GPA. If I were you I would just take it again and try to improve as much as you can. I think you should shoot for at least a 2100+</p>
<p>I would wait until you have the ACT results to try again. D had excellent SAT scores, but her ACT scores are better. We did not submit her SAT scores, just the ACT (well, she did mention National Merit Commended on the list of Awards). For some students one test is significantly better than the other…</p>
<p>Based on last year’s results, your UW GPA is slightly above average but your SAT puts you around the 25th%-tile. Rumor has it that the numbers have gone up this year. Unless your get a 32 ACT, with an 18% admit rate, a policy of super-scoring SATs, I think retaking the test is a very low risk-high reward option.</p>
<p>jhaque–there is little risk in retaking the SAT. If your entire score (each section) goes down, you do not have to send that sitting result to colleges. If your score improves even on only one section, it improves your overall superscore results, which only adds the best scores in each section. </p>
<p>I agree with posters who recommend taking the ACT and seeing how it goes. But there is really no downside to a retake of the SAT–other than sitting through that beastly test one more time. I’d advise students to do the retake in October. With 6 more months of school and maturity, many naturally see a rise. If you feel motivated to do a couple of practice tests beforehand, (and check any areas of weakness) all the better.</p>
<p>I think you should be fine, but it doesn’t hurt to take it again. Don’t stress too much about SAT scores. I got in this year with an 1800. Focus more on your essay and you should be on your way to your dream school.</p>
<p>xPreppy, congratulations but it is often best to prepare for the hardest times, not hope for the easy ones. Many students think it is writing a good essay that puts them into the admissions column–but what they may not realize is, it’s what life experiences they have been through that makes the essay compelling. Students whose SATs fall into the lower end of the admitted student spectrum almost always have some other hook that grabs USC’s attention and makes them look like a great addition. That might be special talents, overcoming hardships, geographical region, URM, or some outstanding achievement or special family circumstance.</p>
<p>It is certainly possible to be admitted with a 2040, but there are many cases when students with that score and higher did not receive admission. So when in doubt, it can’t hurt to try to improve all your qualifications.</p>
<p>jhaque - I will give you the advice I gave my s a year ago. Strive for a score that meets the mid range or higher of the average accepted students. This pertains to both gpa and test scores. The math and writing portions of the SAT are the easiest to increase and can definitely be done. The college board has a $70 online program that is filled with practice tests. The program actually grades your essays. This is the only thing that my s used and his writing score increased considerably. You can easily get above a 2100 with some study and practice tests. If you need to work on the CR portion, go for the ACT (you should take it anyway just to see!) CR is difficult to increase considerably due to time constraints which usually cause the lower score.
Scores are no guarantee of admission but it is one less thing that admission counselors have to worry about - they already know you can do the work based on scores. You just have to convince them with the rest of the app.</p>
<p>The race is not always to the swift nor the fight to the strong, but that’s the way to bet. --Damon Runyon</p>
<p>I prefer a strategy that makes it hard for the admissions office to say no. Like it or not, in the case of standardized test scores more is invariably better than less.</p>
<p>Do people get accepted with 2040 SAT’s, obviously yes. Does a 25th%-tile score disqualify you from USC? No. Does it give the admissions office an excuse to reject you if other parts of the application are less than stellar? Your lower end (not low) SATs are the only potential “hole” I see in your summary profile. Increase them to 2140 and it gets very hard for USC not to take you.</p>
<p>Hmm, for our D, the ACT math was a better fit. The CR/English portion scores were similar on both tests. The math was wildly different. Just take both once, see which test is better for you, and then pursue a higher score on that test.</p>
<p>you will be fine. Due to your ethnic make up you are a shoe in, but take the SAT again just to make sure. I got into this year in the fall with lower SAT scores than you. I did spend a month on my essay though, and had a good story to tell. They did have an 18 percent acceptance rate this year, but if you don’t get over a 2040 don’t stress it, I am almost 100 percent sure you will get in(make sure your essays are good).</p>
<p>Your profile is extremely similar to mine (GPA, SAT, Public Relations Officer, etc.). I got in with a 2040 SAT, but my ACT score was comparatively higher, at a 32 composite. Try the ACT, and you may surprise yourself! Tip: Just because I got in with a 2040, don’t quit yet because as you know, the selection process is holistic. In my opinion, you need to make yourself look more involved/passionate, to balance your image. Good luck!</p>
<p>They said at an event a few weeks ago that the average ACT of admitted students was a 32 and the average SAT was a 2150. If I were you, and USC was my top choice, I would be shooting for these scores at MINIMUM. Factor in the athletes and the URMs and legacies, and you should actually be shooting for a 2250.
Not to mention, a 2040 is rather low for ANY top 25 school. If you decide you want to apply elsewhere and be competitive, a higher SAT will be very important.</p>
<p>I got in with an even 2000 (first and only try), but my acceptance was more audition-based, so it might be a good idea for you to take it again.</p>
<p>^ Don’t think it’s necessarily that, simply that the acceptance process depends on what school you’re in. SCA, Thornton, Roski, Architecture don’t care too much about your high school grades, it’s your portfolio/audition that gets you in.</p>
<p>That said, I’d retake with anything lower than a 2150 - USC is getting more and more selective each year, and you definitely want to aim to be in the top quarter of applying students in term of SAT scores.</p>
<p>A 2150 was the average this year…
Factor in athletes (big at USC), legacies (1/5 of the class), URMs, etc. and you should be aiming for a 2250 to be average as an unhooked applicant. Top quarter of unhooked? Maybe 2350. The harsh and true report.
Unhooked kids get in with 1900s on occasion, but usually you will find they meet one of the categories I listed above. If you don’t, you better aim as high as possible. Nothing is guaranteed at top 25s, or top 40 for that matter.</p>
<p>I agree that ‘more is better’ when it comes to GPA points and test scores. Yet if you scan the threads of this section you’ll find plenty of angry legacies complaining that their 3.6+/2000+ child was denied admission. But my biggest pet peeve is the idea that athletes inordinately skew the averages.</p>
<p>Major Div 1 college sports programs tend to have between 800 - 1000 student athletes (e.g., Ohio State 1,000; Stanford 800; Michigan 850). I don’t know the number at USC but the two biggest teams by roster are football (~150) and track & field (~125). You’ll be hard pressed to get to find another 700 athletes. Furthermore, not all of those athletes are recruited or getting special consideration. Since coaches like to build programs on balanced rosters you can assume that those 1,000 athletes are approximately evenly distributed over the four years of school (red-shirts only help my math). So in all likelihood USC admits about 250 athletes per year to any incoming class.</p>
<p>250/8566 = 2.91% of the admitted class. (approx. 8.5% of the enrollees) </p>
<p>NCAA minimums for Div 1 athletes are UW GPA 2.0/1010 (Math & Verbal Only)</p>
<p>Assuming all of the athletes had 1010s then the remaining admits average Verbal + Math SAT would “jump” from 1415 to 1427. There are certainly some athletes would are at the low end of the score spectrum, but the idea that athletes, legacies and URMs are all mouth-breathing oafs excessively dragging down the averages is statistically unlikely not to mention insulting.</p>
