How big of a reach?

Colleges & Universities University of Southern California
1

<p>I’m going to be a senior this fall, how big of a reach is it for me to apply to USC?</p>

<p>Here are my stats: </p>

<p>I live in Michigan
GPA: 2.802
ACT: 25
SAT: 560 on CR, 560 on M, 610 on W</p>

<p>4 year of lacrosse, I will play if I get in, but it’s only club so it wouldn’t help in admissions.</p>

<p>3 years of IM basketball.</p>

<p>3 years of drumline/band.</p>

<p>Hopefully getting a job soon, I’ve been managing 3 different properties and landscaping them for my parents this summer.</p>

<p>I’ve done some volunteer work, not a ton.</p>

<p>My counselor told me I should send a letter to all the colleges I apply to explaining part of the reason my GPA is low, which is that I had really bad ADHD and anxiety disorder that weren’t really diagnosed well until my sophomore, which really sucked. I don’t know how much this will help, but my counselor seemed to think it was worth it to write the letter.</p>

<p>I’m going to retake the ACT in either September or October, maybe both, and I’m expecting to have a 27-28 when it’s all said and done.</p>

<p>If I end up applying to USC, I plan on applying regular decision, because I plan on doing well first semester of my senior year, to show them that my GPA could and should be higher.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your help.</p>

2

<p>Honestly, USC is a huge reach for you and your chances of getting in are extremely slim. An ACT of 28 would probably put you in about the 25th percentile which isn’t terrible, but your GPA is significantly below average (average is around 3.8 in past years). It’s your choice whether or not you should apply, but you should definitely look into some other schools as matches.</p>

3

<p>adcom will overlook you application as soon as he or she she sees your gpa…</p>

4

<p>hey man I graduated in 07 from high school and I got into USC easy…</p>

<ul>
<li>I went in for an optional interview (only like 100 were conducted)</li>
<li>my essay was real and not one of those generic ones you read in those college application books…it was about underground hip hop music and how it’s affected me</li>
<li>GPA unweighted - 3.63 weighted - 4.17</li>
<li>SAT was under 1700</li>
<li>played football…am considering a walk-on at SC</li>
<li>Volunteered a lot</li>
</ul>

<p>BUT you really need to get that GPA up to at least a 3.5
take AP/Honors courses</p>

<p>…i’m starting at USC in Spring 08…move in day is Jan 10</p>

<p>if you have any questions or need help with something just send me a message</p>