Chances for higher SAT/lower GPA (relatively speaking) URM male ED to USC Marshall [VA resident, 3.6 GPA 1530 SAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Demographics

  • US citizen
  • Virginia
  • Public high school

Cost Constraints / Budget
Full Pay

Intended Major(s)

Business

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • 3.6
  • 4.1 (AP get 1 point bump, honors 0.5 point bump)
  • Class Rank: School does not provide - guessing top third
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1530 one sitting, 1540 super scored

List your HS coursework

  • English: 2 Honors, AP Lang and AP Lit
  • Math: AP Calc BC
  • Science: Honors Bio, Chem, Physics and AP Chem
  • History and social studies: Honors WH, AP WH, APUSH, AP Gov
  • Language other than English: Spanish 4 Honors
  • Visual or performing arts: None
  • Other academic courses: AP Micro/Macro Econ, DE Entreprenuership, AP Stats, AP Psychology

Awards

College Board awards (Top school recognition, AP Scholar with Distinction), Expected NMSF, All Districts in a sport

Extracurriculars
Volunteer activity (4 years with same org), Varsity athlete 4 years, part time jobs related to sports during winter and summer, enrichment camps related to business

Essays/LORs/Other
Solid but not exceptional

Schools
Considering ED to USC Marshall

2

Give it a try but you’re unlikely to get into USC in my opinion. But I’m not an adcom and you have a fine record.

Just a note on USC and NM - I know you are full pay but if you’re choosing it related to NM scholarships, they changed this past year. If you make NMF, you could get $20K.

Have you visited? Make sure to visit if ED.

Good luck

3

Thanks for the feedback. That was my thought as well but I wanted to get a second opinion in case I was off. Good info on the scholarship - thanks for sharing!

4

Of course, if you’re NMSF or NMF, you can go for free to very good b schools - and save $400K.

It wouldn’t shock me if you got into SC - but even for perfect kids, the odds are slim and maybe less so Marshall. So it’s not a knock on your record.

Your SAT will help.

In the end, if it’s truly your #1 (and to me that means you should have visited as USC is in a polarizing area)….but to me if it’s your #1, you can proudly go for it. The worst is that they say - no. You’ll have plenty of other options if they do say no.

If you decide, my family would rather bank the $400K, then discuss that with your folks. Tulsa would be free and Bama Culverhouse would be 5 years tuition, 4 years housing and $4K per year. Others, like UTD, would be very aggressive and then some have free tuition.

But if you’re all in on USC, I think it’s worth a shot.

If you’d like a similar school as back up, Whitman at Syracuse might be a good target and Daniels at Denver a safety or American/Elon to be closer to home. Well, you’d have lots of safeties but they’d sort of match with USC.

Best of luck to you.

5

https://admission.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/first-year-student-profile.pdf is USC frosh profile. See the gray box for the applicant, admit, and enroll ranges for unweighted HS GPA, SAT, and ACT for USC as a whole (all divisions, not just business).