The Summer Before Senior Year

WWWard
Thu, 30 May 2019 14:00:24 +0000

The simple answer is yes - your written responses can and likely will make all the difference. USC is not necessarily expecting or demanding just stellar grades or stats. In fact, they routinely now reject 4K+ applicants with 4.0 unweighted GPAs and 99th percentile test scores. And they are also not looking for a laundry list of ECs. They would prefer to see demonstrated passion and/or a strong commitment in one or two areas. So do not give up anything that you are truly passionate about simply in an effort to find other ECs to list. That’s not what they are looking for necessarily.

Any applicant who really wants to go to USC should make that crystal clear via their written submissions when applying, crafting a strong and well-researched Why USC? answer… and also making it clear what USC would be gaining by adding them to the USC community. USC is simply looking to craft a well-rounded and diverse freshman class comprised primarily by passionate individuals who seem to have solid reasoning why USC is the right place for themselves.

Also… as it suggests in the USC Insider’s Guide to Admissions, you can also simply tell them directly if in fact USC is your dream school scenario. But don’t just say it. Have and demonstrate a solid reasoning for such. And then… even after applying… I would restate it at least once again to your assigned admissions counselor. I do not suggest overwhelming them, but one single well-worded email to your specifically assigned admissions’ counselor in late January to early February & CC’d to the specific School admissions’ email making a definitive statement may potentially sway them favorably. I.E. - if you are 100% committed to attending USC if admitted, tell them. Regardless of what they may say… USC is yield conscious. Moreover, they are looking to admit passionate individuals who really want to be at USC.

Here is the link to the Insider’s Guide…

https://news.usc.edu/trojan-family/a-guide-to-uscs-college-admissions-process/

Good Luck