i am only a rising high school sophomore but i plan on graduating a year early. i live in georgia but want to go to college in southern california like usc or pepperdine and im scared about gettin in from out of state and being able to pay for it. my gpa from freshmen year is a 4.14 and i took ap human geography. i also have been in accelerated math since 7th grade so i am way ahead on math (i will be learning 12th grade math as a sophomore). also i will get a varsity letter for a jacket because of my gpa. i plan on taking the act this fall because i will have to do duel enrollment my junior year in order to graduate a year early (duel enrollment is where you go to an actual college near you and take college classes that give you high school and college credit and you get the ap curve for your gpa). you have to apply for duel enrollment and have a certain sat or act score to get in so thats why i have to take it this fall. i took a practice act and it was my first one so i made a 28 but hopefully that will improve with more practice and tutoring. i also have been a competative cheerleader for 7 years now and was on my middle school team both years and my high school team (jv) freshmen year and am on it again this year and plan on trying out again next year. also i was “invited” to join the national society of high school scholars (nshss) but im bot sure if i am going to join because i have never even heard of it and i dont know if its worth it. im going to california this summer with my family for vacation and we will being doing tours of colleges and i can ask questions there too but does anyone have any input about my chances of getting into like usc or pepperdine?
It’s too early to say what your chances are. A lot can change in a couple of years and until we have test scores we can’t say. Graduating early may work against you- definitely ask that question when you visit campuses.
The atmospheres at USC vs. Pepperdine couldn’t be more different. USC is a large very urban campus with a high Greek presence. Pepperdine is a small very conservative campus in a beautiful but isolated location. If you are interested in the atmosphere at Pepperdine you might look at the Univ. of San Diego- it is a beautiful campus but with more things to do off campus.
You should understand that the two colleges you mention are Private so the concept of instate vs out of state does not apply like it would to a state college. There are no differences in tuition for in or out. It is expensive for everyone and many people cannot afford a private college. However USC does claim to meet ‘need’. Run the Net Price Calculator on their websites to see an estimate of what your family might have to pay.
People here know what DE is 28 is a competitive 90 percentile score so I don’t know why you wouldn’t be accepted for DE based on that. Higher for college admissions would be nice.
NSHSS will have zero impact on your admissions. Having advanced math will be a huge positive. Are you sure Pepperdine has enough advanced math for you for college? Are you Church of Christ or understand the chapel requirements? USC has a program for Jr entry. You might want to take a look at it.
Pepperdine cares more about the person behind the statistics, your essays really matter for admission. they accept/decline a wide range of students. I got Spring admission to Pepperdine with a 3.6 but lots of church/volunteer/clubs involvement and I know people who were not accepted who had a 4.0 but very few activities. You will get in if you embody the school mission statement: purpose, service, leadership.