The University of Southern California is a top-tier research university that is not in the California state school system. Rather, it is a large private university and comes with serious chops. Undergraduate students can study nearly anything at USC and receive an exceptional education in a stunning and exciting setting. There are 21,000 undergraduates, and nearly 50,000 students overall. The acceptance rate is just under 10%.
USC offers Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision paths to admission. Submitting SAT and ACT test scores with your application is optional, so you can decide whether you want to send them or not. The most important guide when deciding whether to submit scores is the best score you have. If your score will not strengthen your application, you should not submit it. For USC, the threshold for a high score can be hard to figure out, though. So few students submit scores, only 46% of accepted and enrolled students recently, that the data pool isn’t as large as we’d like it to be. For that reason, we place the bar high. We tell our students to aim to submit an SAT of 1520+ or an ACT of 34+.
After your grades and scores, the most important piece of your application to USC is what you write. The stories that you tell, the experiences you highlight, and the interests you focus in on will be the difference between an elated acceptance and frustrated disappointment. In this post, that is what we’ll be focusing in on. It’s all about the supplement, and how to stand out in the best possible way.
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The USC supplement is exceptionally long. Even by long supplement standards, it is very long. This can be overwhelming, but we guide our students to see the length of the supplement as an opportunity. You get to say so much in this supplement, so take advantage of it and absolutely do not repeat yourself. Now, let’s get into it.
THE SUPPLEMENT
Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections. (Approximately 250 words)
This supplement is very clear and direct. In 250 words, they need to know what you want to study and how you intend to do it at USC. We also work with our students to include their ‘why’. Why do you want to study what you want to study, and what was the spark that took an interest and turned it into a passion?
Before you write, it’s time to pull together what you will include. That means finding the official name of your first choice major, a professor within the major that you hope to study under (and why), a class you are excited for within the major, and a program (like research, field work, etc.) that you would love to be part of.
Then you need to find a stripped down version of this for your second choice major. Find the major name, a class, and a program.
Once you have all that information in hand, it’s time to match a story from your academic life so far to the future experience you are imagining for yourself. This could be a story from within the classroom, from an internship, from independent work, or simply living life. For example, if you want to study engineering the story could be from a moment working with your robotics team to solve a problem at a competition. This story would bring together collaboration, resilience, ingenuity, and experience. It positions the student as someone who is not only a strong student, but also an amazing team member. This same story strategy can be applied to any major, simply adjusting for your interests, from getting the school paper to print to putting together a community event.
Start the supplement with this story, then transition to envisioning yourself at USC digging deeper into what you love. This is where your research comes in. Wrap up the supplement with a two or three-sentence conclusion that loops back to the themes you started with and further underlines how you can already see yourself at USC.
Starting with the beginning of high school/secondary school, if you have had a gap where you were not enrolled in school during a fall or spring term, please address this gap in your educational history. You do not need to address a summer break. (250 words)
Most of the time we say that optional supplements are not optional. You have to do them if you want to get in. This supplement is not that kind of optional supplement — it is actually optional. If you have not had a gap in school, do not write a response to this prompt.
If you have experienced a gap, though, this is where you can tell that story. Most of the time, students who have something to say here were out of school due to extreme medical or personal reasons. A response to this prompt should not, however, be a dramatic pity play. Put yourself in the driver’s seat. Write about how you have bounced back, not how you were knocked down.
Describe yourself in three words.
This supplement is literally just three words. They give you three spots to put one word each, so there aren’t really ‘clever plays’ that work with this one to make it be more than it is. It’s only three words. The question is, which ones? We advise our students to ask a few close friends and maybe siblings for earnest ideas — not parents. Your parents may have feedback on the words you come up with, but they generally aren’t the best place to start. They love you, and that is awesome, but it also means that they have some blind spots.
SINGLE-SENTENCE ANSWERS (~18 words)
If you are applying to USC, you are objectively impressive. Your grades, scores, college essay, and the longer supplement will show this. What these single-sentence responses offer is different: they are the place to show that you would be a good addition to their community. So, have fun with it and show off your personality.
What is your favorite snack?
Seriously, what is it. Lean into specificity and quirks. Don’t say ‘chips’ — give the brand, flavor, and favorite dip. Is there a bowl you always use for a snack? Work that into the sentence.
Best movie of all time:
Again, this is all about authenticity. If you keep returning to the original High School Musical when you feel down, share that.
Dream job:
The challenge here is defining when the dream job should be for. Is this a job out of college, or one today? Do you automatically have all of the skills necessary to succeed in the job? Really, it’s up to you, but don’t write “The boss of all things in the universe.” That doesn’t go over well.
If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
This is an interesting ask, because it’s not a favorite song, it’s a theme song. Don’t pick a song for a single lyric, especially if there is something less complimentary buried in the track. Focus on something motivational for you. Something that makes your head bob. All genres are open!
Dream trip:
Play to your passion here, but link it to your prospective course of study. That doesn’t mean that you need to be studying the ocean in Bali if you are going to study biology at USC, but writing about the vibrancy of the ocean does make sense.
What TV show will you binge watch next?
“Next” is interesting because it implies that you haven’t seen it yet. We actually like picking a show to rewatch for this one, or a new season of something you love, as it can say something about who you are, what you value, and where you find entertainment.
Which well-known person or fictional character would be your ideal roommate?
Well, this is fun! We like to pick someone for this who is fictional, ideally from a book. Remember to squeeze in a reason along with your selection. And remember that this person is a reflection of you.
Favorite book:
First, do not pick something for this that was assigned in school. Go beyond that, but it doesn’t need to be dense literature. It can be a fun read!
If you could teach a class on any topic, what would it be?
Another fun one — you’ll notice a theme here for these sentence-long answers. Write the response as the course title, with a super short description if you can fit it in.
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC ESSAYS
USC DORNSIFE
Many of us have at least one issue or passion that we care deeply about – a topic on which we would love to share our opinions and insights in hopes of sparking intense interest and continued conversation. If you had ten minutes and the attention of a million people, what would your talk be about? (250 words)
This question is specifically for students applying to Dornsife, and we love it. Write your response as a scene. Put yourself into the moment of speaking to a million people. Is it a video-broadcast talk or are you on the radio? Is it an article on the front page of a paper, or on the stage in front of a massive public gathering? Set up the scenario before sharing what you would say — literally. Do not describe what you want to talk about. Instead, say it.
USC VITERBI
The student body at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is a diverse group of unique engineers and computer scientists who work together to engineer a better world for all humanity. Describe how your contributions to the USC Viterbi student body may be distinct from others. Please feel free to touch on any part of your background, traits, skills, experiences, challenges, and/or personality in helping us better understand you. (250 words)
This is one of two questions specifically for students applying to Viterbi, and we encourage our students to write about an example of leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. Solo projects and endeavors don’t make a positive impact for this prompt because that isn’t what they are looking for. They want to see how you will be as part of a community, not as an individual working solo. So, you’ll tell the story of one experience that illustrates multiple skills and traits.
For example, maybe you’ve been racing cars since you were a tiny kid. You started with soapbox derby, then to go-karts, and now you’re building a racecar to try on the track. Each step of the way you’ve relied on others as mentors, teachers, coaches, and teammates, and you’ve been the same to others, too. Just as you rely on mentors, you mentor younger racers. A story like this would allow you to show leadership, resilience, learning, growth, and a team mentality — even if you are the one behind the wheel. Apply the same storytelling approach to your own life to pick a story that connects with readers.
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and their 14 Grand Challenges go hand-in-hand with our vision to engineer a better world for all humanity. Engineers and computer scientists are challenged to solve these problems in order to improve life on the planet. Learn more about the NAE Grand Challenges and tell us which challenge is most important to you, and why. (250 words)
There is not one of the NAE Grand Challenges that you are ‘supposed’ to pick for this supplement. The point is to pick the one that works best for you, so go with your gut. Don’t just pick then describe, though. Like with every supplement, there needs to be a story to it that keeps the reader interested and engaged. So, tell them why you picked the challenge that you did through a personal narrative story that conveys why it is important to you.
For example, if you selected “secure cyberspace,” you could tell the story of your parents having their identities stolen and watching them try to do triage on an extremely difficult situation. How did it impact your life, and your dreams for the future as a STEM-minded kid? What did it teach you about the duality of technology — the fragile balance between opportunities and dangers.
The USC supplement isn’t something you can rush through, but it’s also an awesome opportunity to be seen and heard for who you are. So, take advantage of it. Tell your story, show your personality, and make a strong positive impression on the application readers.
If you are overwhelmed, get in touch. We're pros at this..