[Lady Cliche]

I really want to go to USC and major in journalism. am i on the right track when it comes to grades? my first semester of sophmore year just ended by the way.

freshmen-

1st semester-
English-A
Geometry advanced-A
Physics-A
PE-A
Choir-A
Library practice-A
spanish 5-6-B

2nd semester-
English-B
Geometry Advanced-A
Physics-A
Pe-A
Choir-A
Library practice-A
Spanish 5-6-A

Sophmore-

1st semester:
English Advanced Cluster-A
Algebra 2 Advanced-A
Honors Chemistry(weighted)-B+(bombed my final)
AP world history-dont know. hopefully A- but most likely B+
Pe-A(i think)
Womens ensemble(choir)-B:[[[[[[
Journalism-A

Classes i plan to take for junior year:
Ap english. but most likely i would like to take honors instead(weighted)
Honors pre cal(weighted)
AP Bio
AP U.S. History
Choir(have to)
french 1(even though i already took spanish 5-6 in freshman year)
journalism again to show my love for journalism:]

[DaAzNkIgGa627]

You are definitely on a good path towards USC. You have to remember USC is one of the most selective schools in the country (admissions rate of like 27-30 percent)

You have a good blend of A's and B's. Make sure (obviously) to get more A's than B's. Keep up the academic rigor in your schedule, more than good grades, you need a good solid schedule. But do not overload yourself, do not take as many AP's as you can just for the AP's. If you really do think it'll be too much, take a honors course intead.

It is great you found a path/major you want to pursue. Obviously taking journalism in high school will give you good exposure, also being on the school paper will be too. For schools like USC however, it is not enough to just be a part of journalism. There are plenty of candidates who are in journalism; what makes you stand out? What can you bring to their journalism program?

For example being editor in chief of your paper, being a business manager for your paper, being a layout editor for your paper shows that you have the discipline, maturity, leadership ability, and drive to succeed when given a leadership position.

However, there are many of the above. Maybe you can try getting an internship over the summer at a local newspaper, that definitely will help set you apart.... AND it will give you GREAT connections for your future. This is especially important in journalism as... journalism (in its traditional sense) is struggling. Maybe instead of interning for a newspaper, how about interning for a local online newspaper company?

Make sure you nail your ACT's/SAT's/SAT II's etc. But remember that a 4 hour test cannot undo 4 years of hard work. You will need a good score to get into USC no doubt. A 30 on the ACT, 1950 on the SAT should probably be a good goal to hit. Obviously the better you higher you get, the better.

Finally, enjoy what you are doing. If you find that journalism isn't your path, it's never too late too change. I wish you the best of luck to getting to USC

[josebiwasabi]

Actually USC's admission rate has steadily been declining over the past 5 years or so. When I applied (I'm currently a junior) it was at 28%, however it's currently hovering around the 20% mark. This is due to a combination of both more applicants and also USC accepting a smaller number each year because a couple years ago too many people decided to enroll and we almost ran out of housing lol.

Also, 1950 would put you on the bottom of the scale at USC. For this year's freshmen class the average was around 2100.

But anyway, you look ok for now. How are your extracurriculars? USC takes a holistic approach to admissions.

Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have further questions.

[DaAzNkIgGa627]

Haha thanks Joewasabi... I was speaking out of no authority of USC obviously because I don't go there =P

But really it's that low? I always thought it was historically like 29-31 percent and it dropped to about 26 in the last few years... wow...

[kuku]

More AP's is good. And I think there should be one or two more extracurriculars. Where are the community service hours/volunteering?

And why do people still weigh their GPA's? Whenever you see their stats, they say something like, "average GPA of all incoming freshman 3.56" or something like that out of 4.00. Weighing your GPA is too much of a confidence booster and bragging rights. Maybe your school weighs the GPA, but when USC gets your transcript they see it plainly out of 4.00.

A representative from USC visited my school and said something like this: "Someone once asked me if it's better to take a regular class and get an A or take the AP and get a B. The answer is neither. We want to see the A."

"Many colleges will see and consider both your weighted and unweighted GPAs -- the former of which uses a 5.0 scale for honors and AP classes as opposed to the standard 4.0 scale. Most high schools will report both on your transcript. However, while a university may use your weighted GPA in considering your relative course rigor, they are typically more interested in your unweighted GPA when comparing you to other candidates. In other words, despite the common belief that an honors B equals a non-honors A, many colleges understand that an honors B is still a B even though it was earned in a harder class." - acceptedtocollege.com