How hard is it to get into USC or UCLA?

Would I be able to get into USC/UCLA etc. with these averages as a Canadian?

• So I know many factors go into deciding whether a university will accept a prospective student or not, but right now, I'm worried about JUST grades. I go to a acclaimed private high school in Ontario, Canada. I just completed grade 10 this June. Since American universities look at the average of each year of high school (& I have heard they emphasize improvement), do you think I have a chance of getting into UCLA/USC (those kind of schools), with these Grade 9 & 10 overall averages, and if I get a 95 % average in both grades 11 & 12? So these are my averages so far: Grade 9 : 85.5 % Grade 10 : 91.4 % (Received a gold medal for highest Grade 10 average) Grade 11 : Hoping to get over 95 % Grade 12 : Same ^ I am really worried at this point, so any insightful answers would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance! :)

• Answer:

  If you are not a California resident, you should consider looking at private schools as the tuition for out of state students at UC schools has been raised to the same levels charged by many private colleges and universities. And with the budget cuts these schools have be subjected to, classes fill up very fast. Let the California residents have a shot at them. If you are thinking of coming to California from out of state stick with the private schools like USC, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Stanford, Chapman, the Claremont Colleges, etc. ______________________________________… US Schools To go to college or university in the USA, all you have to do is apply as an international student. You be accepted you must meet the same academic standards as an American applicant and to have the means to pay for it. You have to pass the SAT (GRE for grad school) and if your native language is not English, the TOEFL exam. Most schools in other countries can arrange for you to take the SAT. Look at www.collegeboard.com for details. Look up your intended school at www.cappex.com. They put a map of unweighted GPA versus SAT scores on one of the pages. Look your scores up and you can estimate your chances of getting admitted. As for getting your student visa, the school’s international student office takes care of most of the paperwork. And they will guide you through your part if you have been accepted for admission to that school. Because Universities in Europe and other countries have heavy government subsidies, for a European student to consider a US school, they are in for what we call “sticker shock” The cost of attending a US University for an International student in the US is between US$35,000 to US$65,000 per year. As well, you have to prove you have this sort of funding available to you from family, a sponsor or student loans that you got from your home country. You cannot make enough money working in the US while at school there to pay your way either. Your student visa limits you to 20 hours a week of work (40 in the summer). This work must be either an on campus job or an outside job that the school approves as being relevant experience for your degree. For finance, private US schools may give you a partial scholarship but public schools will give you no aid. My Canadian daughter got $9500 a year from her US undergrad school towards the $33,000 a year cost. However, in some cases, like for Canadians going to a US school, you may be able to get aid from your native country. In my daughter’s case, the BC and Canadian governments loaned her a total of $10,000 per year. Beyond the scholarship and loans, her grandmother contributed $4800 Canadian a year and I paid the rest, about US$12,000 a year. Graduate students can get a GA (Graduate Assistantship) after their first semester which will pay their tuition and give them a small living allowance if they have an exceptionally good GPA. My Canadian daughter earned one with her 4.0 GPA and because a US government research institute felt her research is important to the USA. Doctoral students, if they get a decent fellowship during grad school in the USA and if their research is considered important enough can get fully funded PhDs. http://www.cnbc.com/id/40703034