Moderator’s Note:
Please keep posts focused on USC, not other schools.
Thanks
Things are certainly challenging in many states. In North Carolina admission to UNC is not surprisingly very difficult, particularly from the more populous areas around Charlotte and Raleigh. I can with certainty that no student at my son’s school is told to consider UNC a safety option … maybe for a handful of the highest ranking/testing students it may be considered a “match” option but no one is hanging their hat on that … As a result - NC State, Appalachian State, UNC Wilmington and Charlotte - are all becoming increasingly difficult as the large number of talented students who can’t get into UNC consider other options.
I think what is most worrying is the seeming randomness to the process across the board. Compared to all admitted applicants my son should be a “match” at UNC. Coming from Charlotte and a very competitive high school it is really a “reach”. But even his “match” schools (including USC which he liked quite a bit) feel like more of a challenge requiring application to at least a few of them to insure you get into at least one. Same kid, same GPA, same course load, same high school profile, same test scores and at least with the common app the same essay (at least one essay). You can look at Naviance, etc… and get a reasonable idea but there are always stories of someone who should have been a solid admit not getting in… The conventional wisdom is they are “building a class” and while I am sure there is some truth to that the difficult part as the applicant is knowing you have no idea what that means as it applies to you in any particular year…
agreed
@VirginiaBelle same here in Virginia. UVA and VA Tech are definitely not safety for most and JMU is getting harder to get into as well
Understandable- When we have something other than date of acceptance and whether a Hack works or not we can focus on that . Until then comments can go off on tangents.
As to transparency - at UNC the approach is you’ll hear when we let you know which will be at the end of the “by” time frame - and we will review the whole application. One could argue that is more favorable if actually true - since no one stat torpedoes your chances. But it also lends a good bit of mystery and ambiguity to the process…
No free lunch.
We live in NOVA and I think the kids here are pushing down into the schools like UNC, UofSC and UGA, etc. and are making the averages higher. My friend’s daughter’s high school had a ceremony for 78 out of 500 seniors that are AP scholars already as of jr. year and about half of the jrs and seniors are in NHS. They are the number 16 school in the state (my daughter’s school is #2 so I can’t even imagine their stats). They aren’t all going to get in UVA and VA Tech because the schools don’t want to be a continuation of Fairfax County.
I have friends that went to UGA that say there is no way they would get in now.
2 (long) days left!!
afbratmama, I agree.
Now that the email seemed to explain their process, does anyone have any faith in the hack we saw posted a few days ago?
Ohio State’s OOS population is much lower than Uof SC, but your friend’s daughter is not exactly a rarity. This year, 24.5% of OSU freshman are from OOS, and another 8.8% are international.
This table generator on the University of South Carolina website has been a fun diversion while we wait on EA answers. You can generate reports that show a variety of things, including mean test score by state: https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/institutional_research_assessment_and_analytics/oiraa_data_warehouse/table_generator/index.php
That’s really interesting, @2suns02 , thanks!
I have many friends both in state and out of state (NC, NJ, NY, and CT) that go there and they absolutely love it! I have only heard good things from them and loved it when I visited my friends this semester.
I was wondering about the hack also.
H
Thank you for the insight. Just feeling desperate and worried. This is my son’s first choice school. If not accepted he will remain home for tech college, hopefully to transfer. It reads reclaim account. Is there any other way?
Tomorrow’s the day! Do we think it will be after 5pm? Any insights?
@2suns02 That’s an interesting tool. I’m just wondering how the kids in South Carolina have 4.03 GPAs, but only 23 average ACTs and 1085 average SATs.
Those numbers don’t seem to align, do they? All metrics are probably flawed to some degree, but it seems to me that gpa and class rank tell you the least since every high school and student body are different. Curriculum, level of grade inflation, peer competition, etc. all vary. At least with the standardized tests they are all judged on the same material. If SC students really average over a 4.0 gpa and only a 23 on the ACT, don’t you have to question the significance of gpa?
Even standardized tests are slightly biased - more and more children have extra time on these tests.
Wondering too. It didn’t seem that it failed for many any? On this thread. Probably works for all applicants.