So I have a question. I applied to USC for fall 2015 with a 3.3 gpa and this is my first year in a cc. I applied with 2 AP test credits and 11 credits done for the fall semester and this semester I took 18 units. I am going pretty strong with a 3.4/3.6 gpa. But… I forgot to drop my sociology so I was stuck with it after the deadline past and I might be at risk of getting either a D or an F. Other than that pre req, I have completed everything else. Do you guys think USC could deny me just because of that?
Plese help me I’m desperate haha. I called the school and they said they only base it on the info I put on the application but I’m scared if I get a SGR that they’ll deny me because of that one class…
^^^
To add to my comment: I’m a broadcast journalism major and I had a very strong letter of rec from my personal growth professor which happens to be a counselor as well. I had several EC’s on there and stated I had two jobs along with the fact that I’m a first generation hispanic college student. And my essays were strong too.
@TonyStark93 Unfortunately, they do not go away. USC counts them in your GPA.
“USC does not honor other colleges’
academic “renewal” or “forgiveness”
programs that permit students to improve
a substandard grade. If you repeat a
transferable course for which you earned
a grade of D+ or lower, both grades will be
included in your transfer GPA. If the grade
on the first course was a C- or higher, only
the first grade is included.”
@TonyStark93 They will see that you retook the courses, but let’s be real, they are not going to ignore the W’s you received–they will question why you got the W’s. If you want a good answer, call your admissions counselor. They are the best people to talk to with situations like this. Do not be afraid.
@TonyStark93 I got this quote from the USC undergraduate admission blog: “We prefer students to not have W’s on their transcript. We do take the time to understand each situation but our most competitive transfer students generally do not have W’s”
That should answer your question. I think one or two (it’s pushing it) W’s are okay. I have one W and I still received a SGR for Marshall.
Perhaps me explaining my Ws on my common app helped me get accepted. One was chem and I was taking 17 units before dropping. I explained my schedule was too much, and with chem being a major course for my major, I was not adequately dedicating enough time to do well in all my classes. Ended up getting a 4.0 that semester, with the one W. The second, a prereq for UCs not applicable for usc, I explained a family medical emergency caused me to miss a test that could not be made up, and I otherwise would have failed the class.
Perhaps they understood my reasons and felt it was justified. As long as the rest of your application is solid, and you didn’t drop for no reason, don’t worry so much.
USC probably treats every W differently. I would definitely explain any W’s in the common app, and anything that goes unexplained or for poor reason is probably regarded pretty badly. I’m not sure about W’s, but I’ve heard of students doing very poorly their first stint at college, take time off and re-organize their lives, come back to college and do very well and then get admitted into USC.
USC is very holistic in their approach from what I understand.
So I am a Junior at a private 5 year institution (out of state) with a 3.85 GPA, good recs, and loads of extra-circulars. However I still have not heard anything from USC and am starting to get a bit worried. No SGR–nothing. My spring grades are out and I got a 3.82 so I just sent them to USC and hope I hear back soon…:(…what is taking so long???
I feel submitting a letter of rec would be in your best interest if you want to get accepted.
USC is competitive, so why would you not submit one and make yourself stand out less compared to other applicants?
So just a little update after my earlier posts, haha… I am a sophomore Annenburg applicant with a 3.4 gpa and i got my SGR today!! I happened to be randomly checking my web portal and saw that they requested another transcript for me. I also tried logging into OASIS and it worked (not sure if that’s good or not) but my CC ends on Thursday so I’ll be turning in my grades sometime next week with an unofficial transcript for now.
Good luck to everyone else and hopefully we can all heard back from them soon!
I just got an email from USC asking for specific tax documents (I’ve already submitted my W2 and my parents tax return over a month ago). Is this a good sign? Did anyone else get this email?
I forgot to drop my sociology so I was stuck with it after the deadline past and I might be at risk of getting either a D or an F. Other than that pre req, I have completed everything else. Do you guys think USC could deny me just because of that?