<p>I’m a home schooled student. I finish my high school education this summer and will begin the stressful, yet prudent application process in october. My top choice schools are NYU and USC. Their pretty much a tie. I want to major in film and minor in english and I’m told that these 2 schools are and the perfect places to study those subjects. My fear is that although these schools say they accept home schooled students, I feel that my chances are brought down to a minimum because of that. On top of that I recently took the SAT I in April and recieved above mid percent, but I do not have time to take it again and the next one is in october! I know that NYU and USC are very demanding, do I have a good chance of getting in with the OKAY SAT score and a very good GPA?</p>
<p>I’m sort of in the same boat as you. I’m homeschooled too. I will finish up High School at the end of this summer, then apply to colleges in the fall. What SAT score exactly did you get? If it is less than spectacular, then you could be seriously hurt by it. Because you are a homeschooled student, Adcoms are not sure how to evaluate the rigor of your program. Therefore, most colleges usually weigh the SAT or ACT scores of homeschooled kids pretty heavily. Have you considered taking the ACT? There is a test in September that you could potentially take if your SAT scores aren’t up to par. To be honest, I did TERRIBLE on the SAT but did very very well on the ACT. It is a matter of which test fits you better (for me, it was the ACT). </p>
<p>Another thing, your GPA will probably count for next to nothing. The Adcoms don’t know if you just puts As straight down your transcript or if actually had to “work” to earn your grades. (You would be suprised how many homeschoolers put As down their “transcripts,” if you can even call them a transcript.) What kind of homeschooling exactly did you do? (Did you have a corospondence or virtual academy you did your school through? Or did you do it through different curricula?) If you have something that can validate your high GPA, such as a corospondence program, then you might be in alright shape. Otherwise, it will be a hard won battle to get in to NYU or USC (which are hard enough schools to get into already).</p>
<p>I really do wish you the best of luck! Sorry if I’ve dashed your dreams. Life is hard out there for a home schooler. If you need any assistance of any kind (putting together a transcript, advice, or whatever), email or PM me. Good luck!</p>
<p>Tori is right - you need competitive SAT and ACT scores since you’re homeschooled. Your parents’ assessment of your GPA doesn’t hold much weight. Your essays will also be extremely important. (By the way, you meant “they’re,” not “their.”)</p>
<p>Since you want to major in film, I think a film project would be a really good idea for you. Whether it’s an analysis of a major film or writing and producing your own (keep it to under 20 minutes, I think), that kind of supplemental material will hold a lot of weight.</p>