Chances of Admission and then Full Tuition Scohlarship

[DoctorMagic]

<p>Hello, I’m interested in seeing what my chances are for first getting into University of Southern California and then getting a full tuition scholarship. I’m aware my grades are quite low and I don’t have any spectacular summer activities, but I am trying to make that up with my test scores and also with updated awards in the winter after I submit my application. </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Pakistani American </p>

<p>Age: 17</p>

<p>Schools:
Large Public in IN (9)
Small Private in TN (10-11)
Medium Public in TN (12)</p>

<p>Family: Doctor-MD (Dad), Master’s (Mom), 2 younger siblings</p>

<p>Recs (Potential): I hope to always be at the top of my class and do much better than my previous record, so I hope they’ll be good. </p>

<p>Essays (Potential): One on being a Pakistani American Ahmadi Muslim (a minority group) Democrat in Tennessee, One on how I found a passion for learning purely for itself rather than as a tool to achieve material gains </p>

<p>Intended Major: Physics</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>Grades (9-11): Semester 1 (9): 7A/1B, Semester 2 (9): 1A/4B/1C, Semester 1 (10): 5A/1B, Semester 2 (10): 5A/1B, Semester 1 (11): 2A/4B, Semester 2 (11): 4B/2C in All Honors Classes and 2 AP Classes: AP Chemistry (Semester 1: B, Semester 2: C+) and AP Calculus BC (Semester 1: A-, Semester 2: B)</p>

<p>Senior Course Load and Grades (Potential): All A’s (100%) in AP Physics C, AP Statistics, AP US Government, AP Macroeconomics, Honors English 4, Honors US History, Personal Finance, and Choir </p>

<p>GPA and Class Rank (Potential): Will be about 3.5 UW (9) and 3.97 W (10-11) (Top 20%) when I apply b/c I will only send in previous grades but after first semester of senior year, it will hopefully be 3.94 W and about 3.54 UW and I hope to be ranked in about the top 20-30% of 380 students in a school where 98.4% graduate and 88% go to college. </p>

<p>SAT: 2400 ACT: 36 SAT Chemistry: 800, SAT Math II: 800, SAT Physics: 800, SAT Biology M: 800, SAT US History: 800</p>

<p>AP Exam Scores: AP Calculus BC 4 or 5 </p>

<p>Extra-Cirricular Activities:</p>

<p>Speech and Debate (10-12): State 2nd Place (10), 350 Tournament Points</p>

<p>Piano (9, 11): Gold Star Rating in Region (9), Participate in Recital (9-11)</p>

<p>Mock Trial (11): Lawyer- 2nd Place in Region</p>

<p>Young Democrats (10-11): VP (11)</p>

<p>NHS and Mu Alpha Theta Member (10-12)</p>

<p>Community Service (10-12): 100 Hours in Mosque and Science Center; Local Library (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Employment (12-Potential): Work at Kumon as Math Tutor for 5 months </p>

<p>Math Club (9, 12): President (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Student Newspaper Member (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Research (12-Potential): Independent “Research” done in Science- mainly with a home telescope and in some higher math</p>

<p>Other Awards/Distinctions: Regional Math Test Top 5 (9, 10), National Merit Commended Scholar (12), State Math Problem Solving Test Top 10 (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Awards to be sent after initial submission of application (all potential): </p>

<p>Intel STS Semi-Finalist in Math (Sent in Late January)</p>

<p>USA Physics Olympiad Semi-Finalist and AMC 12 Top 1% (Mid-February)</p>

<p>USA Chemistry Olympiad Top in Region and USA Biology Olympiad Semi-Finalist (Early March)</p>

[tocollege]

<p>Your post history contains conflicting information. To clarify, please provide a listing of your SAT/ACT results including dates and results achieved at each sitting.</p>

[Georgia_Girl]

<p>Are these scores you have achieved? Have you taken those exams? If so, your grades do not appear to match with the test scores.</p>

<p>The awards you describe are highly competitive.</p>

[DoctorMagic]

<p>@tocollege, um these are the ones that I’ve already taken. So, just answer my original question. @Georgia Girl, these are actual scores and yes I realize my grades don’t match my scores. I am well aware of the awards’ competitiveness.</p>

[madbean]

<p>DM, if you are familiar with chance threads at the ivies, you know that they say admission to those most highly selective schools is a reach for everyone. It is exactly the same for the top merit scholarships at USC. Perfect scores are no guarantee. In fact, with schools that use holistic evaluation for admission, you get a boost for great scores, but then get a ding for having mismatched GPA. They look closely and wonder why the student did not perform well in class. I think your essay on how you love to learn for the sake of learning is great. I also think your background brings diversity. Those may help in your admission (where your scores are very good, of course, but your GPA is well below the 3.8 UW average posted 2 cycles ago for admitted students at USC). </p>

<p>Did you score high on the PSAT as well?</p>

[AMX]

<p>This guy is a huge ■■■■■, his past posts are highly conflicting. His stats change repeatedly and half of these stats are “projected”.</p>

[tocollege]

<p>

@DoctorMagic

@tocollege, um these are the ones that I’ve already taken. So, just answer my original question

As these are scores from tests you have already taken, it should be no problem to tell us what date(s) you took the test(s). If you have forgotten the date(s), simply look at your most recent score report and provide the date(s) you took the test(s) and which test(s) you took on the respective dates. What reason would you have to refuse to provide that information?</p>

[DoctorMagic]

<p>SAT: October 2011</p>

<p>ACT: Septermber 2011</p>

<p>SAT US History, SAT Math II, SAT Chemistry: November 2011</p>

<p>SAT Bio M, SAT Physics: December 2011</p>

<p>No ■■■■■. Please post.</p>

[choatecolate]

<p>with USC’s standards on the rise, nothing is garunteed. A person from my boarding school had like a 3.9 2350 but was a nerd and did few meaningful ECS to SC and got rejected. Other people with phenomenal ECS such as representing the USA at international athletic competitions and winning high school national championships got in with 3.3s and 1900s.</p>

[tocollege]

<p>Important note to DoctorMagic: You have stated the name of your high school and confirmed your full name in a visitor message, and at least one of your classmates appear to have identified you. I suggest you go to those posts, click “Report problem post” and ask that the moderators edit your posts to remove the name of your high school and the visitor message where you confirm your full name.</p>

<p>Thank you for the information. It is unfortunate that you have discounted your actual accomplishments (likely NM Commended Scholar, SAT scores or practice scores of 650 CR and 750 W) with the unrealistic claims you have made. Based on your PSAT and your post concerning your CR and W scores, your actual or predicted SAT is probably about 2000-2100 (these are very good scores), which combined with an UW GPA of 3.44 will gain you admission to many colleges and universities and if you are willing to look beyond the top 50 or so, you may qualify for merit at some of them.</p>

<p>As for USC, admission would be a reach, but not unheard of for a ~2100 and 3.4. Excellent grades your first semester and any of the prestigious awards you are hoping for would help for admission. Unfortunately, your fall semester grades and the 2013 awards you are hoping for will not be in time for scholarship consideration at USC - full and half-tuition candidates are selected by mid-January and invited for interviews by late January.</p>

<hr>

<p>To substantiate my conclusions (and because I sprained my ankle and am trapped at my computer…), I have included some highlights from DoctorMagic’s post history to illustrate my doubts about the validity of the claims of perfect SAT/ACT and 6 SAT IIs:</p>

<p>The dates you list do not match up with the timeline you established with your post history, nor is the number of SAT II tests consistent. For example:</p>

<p>on 4/23 you posted:

Let’s say I have perfect SAT/ACT/SAT II scores, 5’s on AP Chem, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP US History, AP World History, AP English Language, and AP Computer Science A

suggesting that the SAT, ACT SAT IIs and 7 AP test scores were all potential rather than actual. On 4/25 you posted:

SAT: 2400 ACT: 36 SAT Chemistry: 800 SAT Math II: 800</p>

<p>AP Exam Scores (Self-Studying for all besides Chem and Calc BC) (Potential):</p>

<p>5’s in AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C-Mechanics, AP Physics C-Electricity and Magnetism, AP Computer Science A, AP English Language, AP US History, AP World History

suggesting that the SAT, ACT and 2 SAT IIs were actual and now 8 APs were potential.</p>

<p>On 5/11, you add an additional SAT II for a total at that time of three:

SAT: 2400 ACT: 36 SAT Chemistry: 800 SAT Math II: 800 SAT Physics: 800</p>

<p>AP Exam Scores (Self-Studying for all besides Chem and Calc BC) (Potential):</p>

<p>5’s in AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C-Mechanics, AP Physics C-Electricity and Magnetism, AP Computer Science A, AP English Language, AP US History, AP World History

and continue to list potential 5s on 8 AP tests. Posters at that time suggest that you should take an additional SAT II in history to meet the application requirements of some colleges.</p>

<p>On 5/15 you make a significant post asking about the AP Eng Lit test stating:

AP English Language…Common Sense?
If I can consistently score 650 and above on the critical reading portion of the SAT and 750 and above on the writing section, and I learn all the rhetoric vocabulary thoroughly in a couple hours and practice it…

suggesting that you have different SAT scores than listed in your many chance threads.</p>

<p>On 5/17, you ask a question about whether AP scores or SAT II scores are more useful in admissions:

SAT Subject Test in place of AP Exam?
I know that the AP exam probably looks more impressive because it has a free response section in addition to a difficult multiple choice one, but if you take the SAT Subject Tests in subjects Biology, Chemistry, Physics, US History, World History, and Math II and get 800’s in them, would they carry somewhat the same weight on your application as getting a 5 on the AP exam?

and posters tell you that SAT II scores are more useful than APs.</p>

<p>On 5/22 you make the following post:

SAT: 2400 ACT: 36 SAT Chemistry: 800, SAT Math II: 800, SAT Physics: 800, SAT Biology M: 800, SAT US History: 800, SAT World History: 800</p>

<p>AP Exam Scores: NONE

listing 6 scores of 800 on SAT IIs. You post that listing of 6 SAT II scores of 800 in multiple threads on multiple days. The 8 perfect AP scores have disappeared. In addition, you post this statement on 5/26:

perfect test scores (SAT, ACT, and 6 SAT II’s),

</p>

<p>In response to poster questions about your AP scores, you post this on 5/27:

About the AP Scores, I just decided not to score any of them.

and this on 5/28:

AP Scores-took the exams but got in my results for subject tests and cancelled the AP Scores

suggesting that your SAT II scores became available after the time you took the 8 AP tests (early May, 2012). That does not match up with the 2011 dates you say you took your subject tests.</p>

<p>In response to poster questions about the PSAT, you posted the following:

On the PSAT, I got a score that will probably only get me commended scholar in my state, but I went through a few practice books and found some Barron’s books online and aced the SAT/ACT and few subject tests respectively.

suggesting that you took the PSAT and then purchased study materials and took the SAT afterwards. In the timeline you present above, you have the SAT listed as before the PSAT (PSAT for the class of 2013 was mid-October, 2011).</p>

<p>On 6/10, you reduce the number of SAT IIs to 5:

SAT: 2400 ACT: 36 SAT Chemistry: 800, SAT Math II: 800, SAT Physics: 800, SAT Biology M: 800, SAT US History: 800

and you list 5 SAT IIs in your post above. That is inconsistent with your statement that you had 800s on 6 SAT IIs and your many posts reflecting that number.</p>

<hr>

<p>Geez, I have to find something productive to do…</p>

[DoctorMagic]

<p>I took out World History Subject test b/c it seems irrelevant from others I have talked to. My PSAT scores are from last year b/c our school makes us take them. I listed 650 and 750 b/c others have said that is the benchmark you need for a 5. I put got in the results in May b/c I was applying for an internship and placed my subject test scores in place of AP exam scores. FINAL: I worked my butt off for the 2400 and 36 and they are my scores. The 5 subject tests in this post are also my scores. Now please stop trying to refute me and just post my chances on the information I gave in the original post. Yes, find something productive to do like answer the original question in the thread with the given information (which is all valid) instead of trying to refute me. My GPA’s changed a lot b/c I am transferring and my new school kept on making changes to how they would transfer my grades. It will be 3.97 W and 3.54 UW after semester of senior year and yes I hope to achieve all of the 5 major contest results by next winter/early spring as I study many hours for them each day this summer.</p>

[tocollege]

<p>

@DoctorMagic

My PSAT scores are from last year b/c our school makes us take them.

By “last year” you mean 2010 instead of 2011? Then unfortunately you will not receive “Commended Scholar” designation as the class of 2013 uses the October, 2011 PSAT scores and not your 2010 sophomore year scores. You will need to remove the Commended Scholar designation from your chance threads - in the interest of the accuracy you are so committed to. It is unfortunate that you did not take the PSAT in October of 2011 after your spectacular SAT and ACT performance so that you would receive NMSF designation.

@DoctorMagic

Yes, find something productive to do like answer the original question in the thread with the given information (which is all valid) instead of trying to refute me.

I did answer your question, but I will be even more clear at your request - given your UW GPA, class rank and rigor of your program, admission to USC is a high reach for you and you will not be selected for a full or half tuition scholarship regardless of the SAT/ACT scores you achieve. The long list of prestigious awards you plan to win in 2013 will be too late for scholarship consideration at USC.</p>

<p>Strange that direct quotes of your own words from your own posts have upset you so ;)</p>

[4orce]

<p>In addition to ToCollege’s posts, this one on the Harvard board is pretty funny disputing his AMC/AIME/USAMO claims…</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1329562-chances-mediocre-grades.html#post14279639[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1329562-chances-mediocre-grades.html#post14279639&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[squiggles1118]

<p>If you are a national merit semifinalist you will be in the pool for NMF which will give you an automatic Pres Scholarship if you name USC as your first choice. You must have taken the PSAT in Oct of 2011 as stated previously and met the score for your state.</p>

<p>Now regarding the merit scholarships:</p>

<p>USC uses a holistic approach to admissions. That said the great majority (as in almost all) of Pres/Trustee scholars are in the top 10% nationwide of gpa/test scores. You will be evaluated by your admissions rep in the pool of applicants that he/she reads.</p>

<p>The problem with high test scores and average gpa is that the assumption is lack of drive (to be blunt- laziness) which is found in greater than average numbers of high IQ boys in particular. This is a ding unless you can make a good case (as in many school changes). Do you devote an unusual amount of time to an interesting activity? Write about that and work your story about love of learning into that essay. The problem with making “love of learning” a topic is twofold: 1. Looks like an excuse for gpa. 2. A great many high intellect kids in your same situation will write that same essay. You will become just another kid trying to get that message across.</p>

<p>To be up for a pres/trustee interview, you have to show way more than numbers. They need a look into you, the person, and you have to stand out to your admissions officer or anyone else who reads your application. The numbers are only the first hurdle. We did meet kids with test scores in the 2100 range at the interview weekend but did not meet anyone that discussed lower gpa so I can’t answer that one. The 2100 test score kids were all talent based portfolio students as well which tells us that USC is looking for talent in which ever field you plan to major in. All makes sense when you look at that way. So the question to ask yourself is: How can I show who I am and explain my situation best?</p>

[bananafreak2u]

<p>Maybe for admission but almost positively not for full tuition scholarship. I have better stats, attending usc in the fall, and practically no money at all.</p>

[DoctorMagic]

<p>It seems that if I am able to do all I want, I might barely get admissions and USC’s full tuition scholarship is out of the question for me. If all responders could take the time to look at ALL of the top 21-50 private universities in the US News 2012 National University Rankings, please let me know if any of them offer full tuition or full ride scholarships based solely on merit. To my knowledge, Wake Forest, University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, and Case Western Reserve (I think) offer full merit scholarships. Does NYU have purely merit based scholarships? Finally, how competitive is each one and where would I have some chance if I did all the awards I mentioned and had the grades, recs, essays, and winter competition results I hope to get for next year.</p>

[nlaxerre]

<p>First of all, with perfect standardized test scores why wouldn’t you at least qualify for scholarship consideration? If the rest of your application is also strong, all the more so.
Second of all, why shouldn’t you apply even if the chances are not promising? They never are and you never know.
Third of all, if you hear about ANY kind of NYU (private) scholarship do let me know.</p>

[Georgia_Girl]

<p>Doctor,
Use a search on the internet for local scholarship opportunities. These may be from religious groups, civic clubs, political organizations, ethnic groups, service organizations, corporations, fraternal groups or alumni clubs.</p>

[himanshusahay]

<p>How can you get a full score on every SAT and the ACT?</p>