To convince the legislature it shouldn’t make such a move, USC is blasting a message to the general public that the university accepts any in-state student with a 3.0 GPA and a 1,000 score on the SAT.
USC’s vice president for communications happily posted the message on Twitter.
President Harris Pastides recently used the message as a key talking point in a speech.
If it convinces the legislature there are plenty of in-state students getting an education from the flagship university — the University for South Carolina, as officials often said in a choreographed, frilly pitch to the General Assembly — it could gain leverage against a cap.
But think about what you’re saying, USC officials.
Out of one side of your mouth, you’re bragging about USC’s academic prestige. You’re promoting USC as a premier research institution. You’re praising the college for its top-notch educational opportunities. If you’re a campus reporter, you’ve heard this time and time again.
And then you’re happily telling people you’ll take a student with a very low SAT score and an average GPA.
Does that motivate high school students to achieve higher? Nope.
Does it make your university look like the prestigious one you’d like for others to see? Nope. It’s average. That’s all.
Does it pander to the legislature? Yep.
Accepting any student with these credentials is controversial at best. Making such statements widely known to the general public? Probably not very smart.
