Kinda late to the party, but I thought I’d jump in in case someone finds my data useful. 
This…is way longer than I hoped it would be. Oh well. I’m a writer, not an editor. 
My apologies for the long post.
I was accepted into Writing for Screen and Television for regular decision. (!!!) I can’t remember if I said which was my second choice, but I also applied to Film Production and did not get in. I did not get the veritax email, but I did get an SCA faculty interview a few months ago.
MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF ADVICE
Start your portfolio EARLY. You’re not going to have something ready to simply upload. I started a month before the application was due, and it just about killed me. Get as much of a head start on this as possible.
Tell a story. You didn’t just “appear” in twelfth grade as your current self. You had a path, you had events in your life. One thing led to another - connect the dots for your application. You’ll be memorable and understandable, and that’s what you want from admissions. I did this by introducing the committee to characters that I had created during key points in my life, and how they represented what I was feeling and where I was in my journey.
Statistics:
White, female, Massachusetts (w/ some ex-patriot experience)
GPA - UW: 3.9, W: 5.05
SAT: 1460 (730 in each category)
2 SAT Subject Tests: Chinese Language w/ Listening (690), Literature (760)
APs: 10, have completed 6
Track: Honors classes and AP classes, with six courses every year
High School: private Christian school, 40 students in my class
No legacy, no connection to USC.
Extracurriculars:
Three musicals (actor, costume designer, and videographer), founder & editor of the ongoing writing club, internships on indie film sets, launched and managed my school’s first film festival, NHS Officer (two years), created a short film that was part of the selection for the November Independent Shorts Awards in LA, three rounds of competitive theater, a sport every year (that is, a different sport every year, as I move with the grace of a confused ostrich), and writing online for the past few years.
Rec Letters:
I go to a small school, and have been taking Latin as a lone student with the same teacher since freshman year. She got to know me very well and wrote one for me. I have also been mentored over the past few years by a film producer (not a USC grad), and he wrote a letter for me as well. Those were probably the best ones, if I had to guess. I didn’t get to see them.
Why USC: The long and short of it is that I really value how film is a viable career path at USC. I mentioned how the other schools I visited were more focused on film being an art form than a storytelling medium, and I also mentioned their Business in Cinematic Arts program specifically to show that I had done research into the school.
Any other things I did?
- I visited campus the spring of my sophomore year, and went through both the info session and tour of the whole campus as well as the SCA info session and tour.
- I went to a local event here in Boston, where I connected with my admissions officer, told her a little about my school (as it is new and small and different from other Christian schools - e.g. no building, no resources, currently renting space in a Jewish synagogue), and left my resume with her.
- I also updated her later on with additional information about what I was doing, and asked her a questions when I had them.
If anyone is interested in the materials I wrote for the application, I would be more than happy to send you the documents. 
I really hope this helps!
Anybody else in WST??? Can we start a Discord server or something? I’d love to get to know you guys!