From the Director's Chair

"Justin" asked a question about the probability of admission to Carolina if a student has a good overall record but may be missing a required course.   This can be a difficult question to answer, because each case is a little different.  But, here is how we approach a situation like this:

We expect applicants to complete 19 required high school courses as a minimum requirement for admission.  We hope applicants will take a challenging college preparatory curriculum that will prepare them for success at the collegiate level, and therefor students that take a more challenging curriculum are generally more likely to be admitted than those who do not. 

But, we also realize that there are circumstances that arise that may prevent students from completing the required curriculum, and we will take that into account.  So that we can consider such circumstances, we provide in the application for an optional personal statement.  This is the opportunity to explain why one may not have completed the required units in high school, or any other factors that may have impacted a student's academic record or performance.

When a student does not complete a required course, we first ask why that was the case.  Was the course available to the student? (Some high schools may not offer all the courses we require, for example.)   Did the student suffer an illness or injury that required the student to drop the course?  We also consider everything else the student did take, and how successful the student was in his or her other coursework.  Since the primary reason for a college prep curriculum is to help insure preparation for success at the college level, we try to determine if the overall body of work the student has presented suggests the student is prepared for college and competitive with the rest of the applicant pool.  We look for improving grade trends in higher level courses. We look at overall GPA.  We look at test scores.  In a nutshell, we consider the student's overall record in the context of the environment and circumstances in which the student performed.

Now, with that in mind, I will give you two hypothetical situations, and you get to be the director of admissions and make the decision:

Student #1 has good grades and SAT scores. She took French I and struggled a bit, making a C.  So, instead of taking French II, she switched to Spanish and took Spanish I and made an A.   Her high school only requires students to take two years of foreign language, but  they don't have to be in the same language.  According to USC's admission requirements, a student must have two years of the same foreign language.  When asked about French, the student said she really didn't get along with the teacher. The French Teacher at her school has a reputation for being tough, and a lot of students don't like him.  Also, she likes Spanish better in part because Spanish is spoken regularly in her home.    Should we make an exception for this student?

Student #2 has overall good grades and SAT scores as well.   He  is very good at science and wants to be a doctor, so he took all the science and math classes his school had to offer, including AP courses.  Because he took mainly science and math electivies, he did not take any other academic courses that will count as academic electives.  According to USC admission requirements, students must take academic electives in at least three subject areas; he only has electives in two areas.  Not only is the student really good at math and science, he really did not enjoy classes in social studies, art, music, or  foreign language, because they are "not analytical subjects."  Should we make an exception for this student?

If you think about these examples a while, the question can be very complex and there is not always a simple answer.  So Justin, my advice to you is to take the most rigorous and complete college preparatory curriculum you can reasonably tackle.  Take courses you are interested in and have a talent for, but also take things you need to take to be a well-educated and well-rounded person.  And most importantly, check the college prep course requirements early in your high school career and do you best to complete those courses, because exceptions are usually rare, and only granted when every other aspect of the student's record is really strong.  Only a very small number of applicants will not have completed our required high school course curriculum, and very few of those that are missing a required course will actually be admitted as an exception. I recommend contacting the admissions office to speak with an admissions counselor about the specifics of your situation.

Good question, Justin.  Thanks for asking.