<p>Yeah I think that’s what I’ll do. And obsessionchick, this is such a sucky feeling 
Now I’m worried that all my recs were ineffective (I used the same recs for all my schools) and my activity sheet not expressed correctly.</p>
<p>Same here…surprised did not get B/K interview. Great GPA, ACT and EC. Not sure if OOS has any bearing on the decision. Nothing you can do but move on. Fortunately I have received really good scholarship offers from other schools. You may get the President’s scholarship that can be up to $12,000…</p>
<p>Wow. So I called the financial aid office instead of undergraduate admissions, and missed getting a live person in the admissions office by ONE minute. They close at 4:30.
Sooooo frustrated :/</p>
<p>At the risk of sounding stupid and/or lazy, who exactly do we call to see if we are b/k finalists?
Anyways, I’m assuming the worst at this point, so obsessionchick and bandgeek24601, I feel your pain. Best of luck wherever you choose, even if you didn’t get to have it your way. To those that did make b/k, good luck for the interview and remember to remain cool and un-charbroiled. :)</p>
<p>But what makes you guys special? I’m not saying you don’t deserve it, you beat my stats and it’s definitely more competitive in certain places and certain years. It always seems like they’re not looking for the people who did well by standard definitions. They’re looking for people a) did the best they could with what they had (when what they had isn’t typical of a Maryland applicant) or b) Is someone unique that has unique achievements to show for it and can bring a perspective to the University that isn’t typical of the honors applicant.
Those SATs and GPAs, like stated before, the numbers matter less the higher you go. Sure if someone was identical to you in every way but had the higher SAT they’d get it over you, but with B/K it doesn’t come down to that because everyone is way more than two numbers.</p>
<p>To be honest, at this point it’s not so much that I think I deserve it but I can’t stand being disappointed every time I’d check the mail. At this point, I want my suspicions confirmed. Not getting it is definitely going to affect my decision to attend Maryland, because without the B/K it is a far better idea for me to go to my state school, which is something that I regret but is not an awful option. I’m sure I will end up meeting many of you anyway when I go visit my sister, who is almost definitely attending Maryland next year. I’m not going to appeal or fight the decision–I’ve been fortunate enough to receive one wonderful scholarship from another school already–but I just want verification. It concerns me that my resume doesn’t stand out enough though, because honestly I’ve applied to a lot of really competitive schools, and while I don’t think I’d even be able to attend those schools due to financial obligations, it would definitely put a value on all the weekend nights I stayed in studying and the hours I’ve put into my schoolwork and activities.</p>
<p>@ bandgeek - I am sorry you didn’t get a B/K invite. Your stats and ec’s are VERY impressive. My son did not get an invite last year and I remember how disappointing it was for him (and me!) since I saw how hard he worked. I can’t help but think some - certainly not all - of what they consider is whether or not you are a minority. Regardless, there probably isn’t anything you can do. When the dust begins to settle though, the bottom line is where do you REALLY think you should be? My son decided to go to Maryland anyway, and so far it has been a GREAT experience. As far as the B/K improving your opportunities for internships, he hasn’t found to be the case. He has officially accepted a GREAT paid internship for the summer - even though people kept telling him freshmen don’t get them. Also, other scholarship opportunities are available after your freshman year. I realize they don’t carry the prestige of the B/K, but money is money.My point is that with or without B/K Maryland is an excellent school with WONDERFUL opportunities. Best of luck to you and congratulations on your impressive accomplishments!</p>
<p>Gina591…Cant speak for other but what makes me so special is I am a great person, who has taken a boat load of APs and gotten all A’s, destroyed the ACT exam, has tons of EC, varsity sports for 4 years, have worked with the disabled for the last 5 years and have great letters of rec. That is why I was disappointed I did not get a B/K interview. I am not saying other people did not deserve it but other schools have recognized my accomplishments, dedication and hard work and I was just surprised that the University of Maryland did not. I get what you are saying about it not being just “numbers”, but if you are going to award such an awesome scholarship you need to make sure it is given to students who have demonstrated they know what hard work is and they are able to succeed academically.</p>
<p>What I’m saying is that it for the most part is “given to students who have demonstrated they know what hard work is and they are able to succeed academically”. They can only offer a certain number every year (around 400), and many students fit the criteria of knowing what hard work is and being able to succeed academically. </p>
<p>It is said that Harvard admissions will say that if they threw out an entire accepted class for one year they could refill the application with an equal number of just as worthy people. I believe a similar thing happens here.</p>
<p>But I do think you misunderstood what I said, a lot of people have what you just described, maybe they volunteered somewhere else or did something to replace the sport. That is standard for honors. You need the little something to push it over the edge. Usually it comes through in the essay or the recs. It might be something tangible, or it might be something that just clicks with the scholarship office and makes them say, “We want that kid here, not anywhere else.”
But like I said, plenty of people who deserve it don’t get it. </p>
<p>Bandgeek- Just out of curiosity did your sister get the invite? (Because I can actually kind of see her getting it affecting your chances, which is definitely unfair)</p>
<p>Got a Maryland letter today!..except it was an acceptance and introduction letter to the Clark School of Engineering…</p>
<p>another problem…they sent two copies. (two envelopes)</p>
<p>can i hope that this was a mix up? and maybe one was actually supposed to be b/k?</p>
<p>Sorry…got the same letter the other day…not a mix-up</p>
<p>But they sent it twice to me ._.</p>
<p>My son called today. As per the lady If he does not get a letter by 17th then he is not in.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update! I’m keeping my fingers crossed…</p>
<p>I got two letters, the same as novad</p>
<p>Gina- my sister didn’t get one either. However, and I sort of hesitate to post this because my identity can be pretty easily tracked through this information, she was offered a large (half tuition for four years) scholarship to Maryland through an outside organization that uses Maryland facilities quite extensively. I’m surprised that she didn’t get it, because her stats are somewhat below mine, but her ECs are far better. </p>
<p>Now I’m so nervous about my other schools though. I have a great scholarship at school that’s similar in far as educational offerings, even though I really prefer Maryland in every single way and their Honors program is way better, but I would hate to be rejected from every super-competitive school that I applied to and apparently my extracurriculars are pretty weak if I didn’t get a B/K.</p>
<p>Did anybody get letters from the second wave? Nothing here today.</p>
<p>My son got a personalized hand written letter from UMD in December describing his application as impressive. He thought it meant some scholarship. Did anybody who got that kind of letter also got Banneker/Key invitation?</p>
<p>@Banker. In December I also got a personalized handwritten letter from the College of Computing, Math and Natural Sciences saying how awesome I was. But… I haven’t received a B/K nomination which is making me worried since I’m top 5% in my graduating class.</p>
<p>Got same letter but no B/K for me…hope for some merit money</p>
<p>Same. My son got a similar letter. no words on B/K so far… He is top 1% in his class.</p>