Chance me! Dance Major at USC Columbia (NOT SUPER SMART BUT TERRIFIED!)

I’m stressing so bad. My top college choice is University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. I have a bad feeling I wont get in and it probably the only college I want to go to because they do have one of the best dance programs in SC. A lot of my friends are applying to USC too and i’m going to be so embarrassed when they get in and I don’t. So if you think I have a good chance of getting in, please help calm my nerves :sob:
Demographics

  • US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: South Carolina
  • Type of high school: Small Charter School
  • Other special factors: first generation

Cost Constraints / Budget
15k, will have financial aid

Intended Major(s)
Dance, maybe business???

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.65
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.14 (SC GPA UGP)
  • Class Rank: 11/43
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 980 SAT ( NOT SUBMITTING LMAOO)

List your HS coursework

(My high school sadly does not offer any AP/Honor courses, although I will be taking 2 dual enrollment: Eng 101 and Psy 201 for the second semester of my senior year) :frowning_face:

  • English: 1,2, and then 3 honors
  • Math: Alg 1, Geom, Alg 2, Prob and Stats
  • Science: Biology, Chemistry, Marine Science, and Forensics
  • History and social studies: US History, Gov, Econ
  • Language other than English: oddly I have never done one and my counselor says it isn’t required but im seeing the opposite…
  • Visual or performing arts: Orchestra, Dance, Digital Art and Design
  • Other academic courses: ig pe… idk what else to put

Extracurriculars

  1. Work (Paid) 2 years
  2. Dance 6 years
  3. Orchestra 6 years
  4. Go Kart Racer 2 years
  5. Photography 4 years
  6. Volunteer( Assistant Dance Couch) 4 years

Essays/LORs/Other
I think I have a pretty good essay, my teachers have said they are impressed
and I think I chose the best teacher I could to write my recommendation letter

Schools
University of South Carolina Columbia -EA
College of Charleston -EA
Clemson -(I wanna apply but I don’t think I’ll get in at all so it’d be a waste of money)
Coastal Carolina University -EA
Anderson University -RD
Columbia College -RD
Converse College -RD

I will have scholarships and financial aid FSSS

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability): CCU
  • Extremely Likely: CofC
  • Likely: Anderson, Columbia
  • Toss-up: USC Columbia
  • Lower Probability:
  • Low Probability: Clemson

What does this mean?

Have you done the net price calculators for these colleges? Do they meet your price point?

You have a nicely balanced list.

Does the dance major at USC require an audition? If so, it’s impossible to chance you.

In reading your courses…am I correct that you only have three years of HS English, and no foreign language? That could be an issue at some colleges on your list.

Also, are three of your sciences lab sciences? IIRC, some of these colleges required three lab sciences when my kid applied in 2005.

Yes, it does require an audition. I think I have a good possibility of making it in through the audition.
I already have a few scholarships, and I have done the net price calculators. It falls pretty close.
I do only have 3 English courses, the 4th credit I will be getting next semester. I don’t have any foreign language and when I told my counselor she said they aren’t required so she isn’t letting me take them.
Yes 3 of the sciences are lab sciences

Your acceptance to the dance program will likely be largely based on the strength of your audition. Your audition will be compared to the others doing dance auditions. There is no way to predict the strength of that audition pool for this year. Just do the very best you can.

Your school counselor will be sending a school profile with your application. Are foreign languages offered at your school…but you just didn’t take one…or are they not offered?

I honestly don’t know the FL requirement for your colleges for admissions. Perhaps you can check this.

Foreign language does appear to be a requirement for USC

Freshman Applicants - Office of Undergraduate Admissions | University of South Carolina.

Oh no… Now i’m fr stressing

They are offered and I asked to take them. She said I didn’t need it so now I’m so confused

You asked this all four years, and were told no?

This won’t be an issue at all of your colleges. If there is a reason why you were not permitted to take FL, your school counselor needs to explain that in their counselor letter.

Or would it be possible to take a foreign language at a community college?

This. I am very confused - and concerned - that you say the counselor wouldn’t let you take foreign language. Was there a reason for this? If so, she needs to explain that to colleges in her counselor latter, as thumper1 said.

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I have transferred through 3 different high schools in different states so they only really focused on getting my academic courses done. I asked in my junior and senior year and she never let me

She is making me take these courses called CATE courses and I’m not too sure what they are but she says they are required and is making me take it instead of foreign language, I’m assuming

It sounds like she may just be trying to ensure that you have the required credits to graduate, rather than the ones required for college admissions. Does she know which colleges you plan to apply to? If you are in SC, surely she knows the USC requirements very well. I would ask her again how she believes you will be eligible for USC without the required 2 credits of World Language. Maybe they are flexible on that in some cases - I don’t know. Your counselor should absolutely know. I would talk to her again and make sure she knows your plans.

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I will have to talk to her on Tuesday. The deadline for USC is Oct. 15 for EA so hopefully I can get a solution then and there…

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