Some questions :)

Colleges & Universities University of Southern California
1

<p>Thank you for clicking what could potentially seem really stupid.</p>

<p>I’ve been researching some programs and universities, and USC became my first choice not only because of its location (living in Toronto, ON, Canada, I have a right to get sick of crappy weather), but also because of some really interesting programs.</p>

<p>However, I’ve been worried about admission. I’m a current high school junior attending a public school in Canada. My GPA is around 3.8 - 3.9 (93 - 94), and SAT II Math level 2 was 740. I think they’re not much of a problem, but SAT Reasoning wasn’t too great (superscore): CR 640, M 790, W 690, 2120. (Q1: I’ve been debating if I should take my reasoning again. Is 2120 high enough, or should I study and take it again for a better score?)</p>

<p>Also, since my school offers no AP or IB courses, I’ll have to leave everything blank for these on the application… and the thought of it terrifies me. I took a philosophy course through U of Oklahoma distance learning, but I don’t think it qualifies as AP. (Q2: Am I going to be in a disadvantage / considered inferior because of this?)</p>

<p>Apart from academics… I was never really a sports person, so I’ve only been doing sports outside of school - and it’s women’s ice hockey… so it’s not even that great. But I’ve been a yearbook photographer since grade 9 and I’m the head of photography for junior and senior year; I’m a founding member and the editor of the newspaper committee, and I’ve been in jazz band since grade 9. (Q3: Would not being a school athlete hurt my chances? Or is it good enough that I’ve committed myself to those three?)</p>

<p>Moving on… I plan to major in sociology (focus on deviance/criminology), and if possible, double major in sociology and psychology (behavioral sciences). (Q4: is it possible to double major in sociology and psychology? And… is it possible to add a music minor to that?)</p>

<p>And, well, okay. This is a question that I’ve been refraining myself from asking this question because it seemed really ridiculous… but here’s my Q5: I’m Asian (Korean)-Canadian… can I still join a sorority? And, well, “join” as in join AND fit in without anyone discriminating me. I’m quite self-conscious when it comes to my race because I don’t particularly enjoy being Asian. Can I be myself and still be in sorority?</p>

<p>Thank you so much for reading this longer-than-I-thought rambling (:
(And please help me find out more about USC and admission process - thank you again!)</p>

2

<p>Parent here…my daughter’s sorority has Asian girls in it and we have other Asian friends in other sororities, so not a problem.<br>
As for AP/IB courses, your counselor is supposed to send in a school profile which would show that the school has none, so you’d be covered. And yes, your UO course would count for extra.
You should study for the SAT and take it again (love the math score, by the way)
Does that help?</p>

3

<p>Thank you so much for straight-forward answers!
And haha, I swear the math score “happened” accidentally :stuck_out_tongue: I’m not a math person at all, nor am I a science person (stereotypically speaking, I’m not “Asian” at all!)</p>

<p>Alrightie. Studying for it again over the summer it is. Oh, by the way, do you (or your daughter) have any tips for essay writing? My multiple choice questions are fine, I only got 3 - 4 wrong, but the essay brought it down a lot 'cause I got 8. Being a usual strong essay writer, it really hurts my ego, to be honest. And reading… I just have to practice more :P</p>

4

<p>I agree that you could benefit from a retake. I wouldn’t worry about the writing score so much, but figure out a way to increase the CR and it could help a lot. You might consider taking the ACT as an alternative.</p>

<p>Your lack of AP/IB will not be held against you, but be sure to help your counselor know that it would help if she could say you took the most rigorous curriculum possible at your school. </p>

<p>There are so many Asians at USC that you might have to rethink things: embrace your Korean-ness :slight_smile: Don’t worry about being excluded; I just don’t think that will happen.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Q1. Your GPA and SAT’s are pretty on par with USC’s freshman admits, but since you have the chance to do so, try studying some more for the SAT. A higher score never hurts, of course.</p>

<p>Q2. You won’t be held at a disadvantage just because your school does not offer AP or IB courses. Like kathyc said, make sure your counselor sends them something to verify this.</p>

<p>Q3. Not being an athlete will not have an effect on your admission chances. LOTS of kids are admitted who have never played a sport in high school. Top American colleges instead like to see that you are dedicated to your passions and would like your EC’s to reflect that, so I think you’re doing great in this category. It’s better to go in depth in a few activities than just skimming the surface with a laundry list of EC’s.</p>

<p>Q4. I don’t see why you couldn’t double major + minor. Of course this will be more difficult than just a major, but as long as you’re up for the extra work, go for it. Since these are the fields you’re interested in, do some more research on them on USC’s website. </p>

<p>Q5. I’ve heard that there are a few “Asian-interest” sororities at USC. But if you’re not interested in these, I don’t see why the other sororities would discriminate. I’m only an upcoming freshman, so I have no experience with Greek life at USC, so these are just my presumptions. Also, sorry, but I don’t really understand why you “don’t particularly enjoy being Asian.” USC’s student body is about 1/4 Asian, so you’re gonna find a LOT of Asians around. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Furthermore, I’d be surprised if you were to go and never make any Asian friends, so imo it’d be better for you to start getting comfortable with your ethnicity. (I’m also Asian, btw.)</p>

6

<p>@ FauxNom
I’ve been practicing CR section so much, but it hasn’t been improving much. On my first practice test, I got 580 (shame…) and it only got up to 700 maximum, so yeah :frowning: I guess I’ve been doing things wrong and my fear of this particular section doesn’t help much.</p>

<p>Haha, embracing my Korean-ness would take some work :P</p>

7

<p>i think your scores are fine… i got into marshall with a 2100… and im korean also haha</p>

8

<p>@ FauxNom
Forgot to say thank you :P</p>

<p>@ blissfulting
I’m so glad to hear that my ECs are fine - it seemed like I was inferior because some people do some crazy stuff D:</p>

<p>It’s not that I don’t feel comfortable with being Asian… it’s just that I’m not exactly Asian enough to be Asian… if that made any sense… :P</p>

<p>Thank you for your detailed response and honest opinion :)</p>

9

<p>As for improving on essay-writing…
I found that the essay graders LOVE examples. From anything; literature, personal experience, politics, history, current events, etc. Examples prove that you can back up your claims and further enhances your essay’s uniqueness. If it stands out (in a good way), it’ll score higher. Remember that these readers will be sitting there for hours at a time going through essays written on the EXACT SAME topic. Also, typically the longer an essay is, the higher scoring it is. But make sure it has substance too (this is where the examples come in), not just quantity. Many students write a lot about essentially nothing; they just ramble or rant on the topic - not good. Examples, examples, examples. If you practice at it, you’ll get better writing within the time restraint (if that’s a problem for you - I found it to be :/). A 4-5 paragraph, well-organized essay, with about 2-4 fantastic examples goes a LONG way. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>EDIT: I can understand what you mean. Trust me, up until about sophomore year, I was basically what they call “white-washed.” But somehow I rediscovered my heritage and now take interest in Asian culture. But even if this doesn’t happen for you, I’m sure you’ll still find many Asian students at USC who are the same. But this doesn’t stop them from befriending one another. I have some Asian friends who are very into the culture, and some who barely know who Jackie Chan is (haha, exaggeration, but it’s almost that bad). Oh, and I’m also not “stereotypically” Asian either - I pretty much abhor math and science. English & history all the way baby!</p>

10

<p>@ discussion
It’s cool how I meet quite a few fellow Koreans on the forum :smiley:
Well, I think why people suggest that I retake the test is that my reading and math aren’t exactly balanced. If I got 2100 with 700 in each section, I wouldn’t retake it… but my CR and math have 150 points difference :(</p>

11

<p>@ blissfulting
Thank you for the tip! I’ll have to work on writing faster to fit in all those examples… I usually run out of time and never get to close my essay properly. And I also should get some examples that will fit almost any topic… maybe something like HARRY POTTER :P</p>

12

<p>I think you have a great shot at getting in. Your GPA and test scores are right in the range, just make sure to make it clear your school doesn’t offer AP. USC takes your SAT superscore so even though your scores are good right now, if you retake you can get higher scores on the other two sections and combine those with your math from the first time and have a really good superscore. As far as being Asian, USC has a very large amount of Asians, about 30% i believe, so I can’t see that being a factor. You can look around on [College</a> Search - University of Southern California - USC - At a Glance](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board) for some good info.<br>
Good luck with the application process next year!</p>

13

<p>lolz… well my math was 800 while my CR was 620… so thats actually more than 150 points XD haha i’m sure you’ll get in haha good luck! meb i’ll be seeing you next year :)</p>

14

<p>@ arizona10
Thank you so much for your encouragement! And thank goodness USC takes superscores :P</p>

<p>@ discussion
Thank you for sharing your score and wishing me luck :stuck_out_tongue: And wow. 800 in math was something that I just couldn’t get. Ever. (Yeah, my Korean friends say that it’s a shame :P)</p>