Hi! These results threads helped me quite a bit while I was applying to college, so I hope this will help some of you too! Here they are:
Decision: Accepted
**Date applied: ** 11/28/15
Date decision postmarked/received: postmarked: 1/22/16 received: 1/23/16 (I live in Los Angeles county)
Which school/major at USC: Dornsife/mathematics
Scholarships: Trustees
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): cum: 2330, M: 800, CR: 770, W: 760
ACT (breakdown): overall: 35, E: 34, M: 36, R: 36, S: 34, Writing: 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math Level II (800), Biology E (800), U.S. History (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92, but I took the highest courseload possible at my school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calculus BC (5) [AB subscore: 5], AP U.S. History (5), AP Art History (5), AP Physics C Mechanics (5), AP Physics C E/M (4), AP Computer Science (4), AP English Language (5), AP Biology (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP U.S. Government, AP Spanish Language, AP English Literature, Speech and Debate
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
- History Bowl 9-12
- Math Team 9-12
- We the People Constitution Team 12
- Student Council Historical Commission 10-12
- Speech and Debate Team 10-12
Job/Work Experience: I work as a private tutor
Volunteer/Community Service:
- The Huntington Library 9-12
- my city’s local museum 9-12
- Peer tutoring 7-12
Summer Activities:
- summer after 9th: Columbia University High School Summer Programs, took a course in mathematics
- summer after 10th: Stanford Summer Humanities Institute, took the Age of Jefferson course
- summer after 11th: the individual project at my local museum (see above)
Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
- Common App: 8-ish (wrote it about peer tutoring, but it was very meaningful and passionate, generic as it may be)
- non-academic pursuit: 9-ish (wrote it about SCHC, with my leadership in the organization, and linking it to my volunteering at the museum. pretty unique IMO)
- academic interests: 7 (about my divergent interests in math and history, how they relate, but I’m not quite sure how unique it really could have been)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: didn’t ask for them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Probably a 10. I had a really great relationship with my counselor, and I took the heaviest courseload of ay student, like, ever
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: nope
Interview: nope
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, but I don’t think I’ll end up submitting the forms because we’re upper-middle class
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large, competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk, honestly. Maybe that I’m a girl interested in the STEM field? I had good scores and grades, but nothing extraordinary. If it makes a difference, my mom got her Ph.D from USC and worked there for several years.
Reflection
Strengths: decent scores, decent extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Asian, not exceptional scores or anything else
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess that holistically, my application fit in with what USC was looking for, and I personally think that I was a good fit.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Stanford REA, rejected. waiting on the UC’s, a bunch of Ivies, and Williams
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, just prepare yourself for the worst. Don’t even expect anything good. That way, if you don’t get in, you’re not disappointed, and if you do, you’re thrilled. Also keep in mind that college admissions is basically a crapshoot, and there are no “chances,” despite what you may see on CC.
Best of luck!