TL;DR: Just answer the question from the title if you don’t want to read my ramblings. Thanks.
I noticed a lack of people swarming to ask their questions about this niche topic. Hopefully it’s a good thing if there isn’t a huge demand for me to compete with, though I think I’m only fooling myself with that reasoning.
Does anyone know the average (and above-average, to be safe) profile for undergraduate freshmen at the University of Maryland at College Park who were accepted into the Honors program and then to the ACES (Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students) living/learning program specifically? It would help me to know what types of classes they took in high school, what their grades were in those classes, their test scores, etc. Do applicants who get accepted into the Honors College in general have pretty good chances for the ACES program, or are the extra factors of math/science grades and cybersecurity experience listed on UMD’s website (http://www.aces.umd.edu/aces1/admission) really so important?
I’m currently a high school senior. I’m fairly confident I can be accepted into UMD College Park, and even into the Scholars program there if I send in my application before the priority deadline. I’d like to know, since I couldn’t find many statistics in this area, if someone like me would also be accepted into the Honors College at UMD, and from there, the ACES program.
I’m ranked 34 in a class of 776 (within the top 5%) and on the SAT I scored 770 in reading, 720 in math, and 750 in writing (though they don’t count writing at Maryland, I hear). My SAT II scores are not amazing. I can elaborate on my course load if you guys tell me it makes a difference. I am applying as a Computer Science major, which I imagine would not make me stand out among other Honors College kids trying to get into ACES. Should I be concerned with having to stand out other than with grades and scores (which are pretty much the best they’re going to be at this point)?
Anyway, any input about typical ACES freshmen, the application process for ACES, the selectivity of the Honors program, or even just my chances for getting in would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thanks a ton!
There have been lots of threads/discussions about honors/scholars admissions. In short, there are no magic numbers/thresholds that determine an invite to one program or other.
Ballpark WITH lots of exceptions (please note this is personal opinion, not official, and NOT set in stone)? 1400+ (CR + M) for honors and LOTS of AP classes in a VARIETY of areas (looking for students that like to challenge themselves academically).
HOWEVER, understand that students with just as high standardized test scores, gpa’s and several AP’s might be invited to scholars instead. My son was one of those. Son also in top 5% in huge school and had 800 Math SAT 2, but Maryland doesn’t consider SAT 2’s for admission, so doesn’t matter. So, why did he get invited to scholars instead of honors? Personal opinion? In hindsight, no breadth in AP classes - all science and math related (and he had incredible leadership in EC’s which is hallmark of scholars). But, then again, he was a direct admission to engineering whereas there were many students invited to honors that did not get admitted to engineering.
There is no application process for honors/scholars…every single student that applies by Nov 1st is considered for an invite to those and other programs (like CIVICUS, Global Communities, etc).
So, if you are looking at honors specifically for the ACES program, then my suggestion is maybe to make note of/allude to that interest somewhere in short answers of your app or in one of your essays…? However, understand that you still have to be invited to honors first… and then you fill out an interest survey for which honors program you want (and you pick a couple as backups). I believe that the honors interest survey is when your answers will really count for deciding if you get into the program.
Thank you for the reply! Yes, I’ve read pretty much everything I could find about Honors, ACES, and Maryland in general. That’s why I like it so much! It’s also why I’ve had a little unrest about there being no clear threshold to get into the Honors program (even the representative who visited my school—I’m out of state, by the way—seemed reluctant to answer that question, but apparently that’s because admittance really does vary so much). By application process for ACES, I just meant what the steps are for getting into ACES once being accepted to Honors (which you answered, thanks). Just a few more questions though, if you don’t mind…
By breadth of AP courses, do you mean only through junior year or including senior year? Mine are all mostly history/government based through junior year (world history, US history, US gov’t/politics, art history, English language), but the prerequisite classes required at my school kept me from taking science and math APs until now (this year my APs are English literature, computer science, calculus BC, and physics C). I’m hoping that if they look more at the classes taken than your grades in them (essentially including the gradeless thus-far senior year courses in the mix) that I’ll have enough breadth at this point.
And as for ACES specifically, is there high enough demand for it within the Honors College that many students seem to be turned down? Or do most/nearly all of those who apply for it after being invited to the Honors College also get invited to ACES?
Thanks again!
And a disclaimer: I always felt like the types of nit-picky questions I’m asking were always annoying and somewhat presumptuous when I used to browse the forums. But I guess when you’re worried about something enough you’ll risk sounding a little pretentious to get an answer.
@terpshell - The ACES program is a pretty new. It started in the Fall of 2013. I’m guessing that most who applied got in, but it is gaining in popularity
Breadth of AP courses includes senior year. They look primarily at grades through junior year for admission purposes for those that apply by Nov 1st (since senior mid-year grades are not available by then) and the type of classes taken through senior year when evaluating if you have “challenged” yourself.
What is challenging yourself? They get a summary of courses available at each school from the guidance departments, so the challenge is considered in relative terms. For those that have schools that only offer 4 AP’s, if a student only has 4, they have challenged themselves more than a student that has taken those same 4 AP’s but whose school offers 15 (over a 4 year period, of course)…make sense?
And no worries, you are not coming across as pretentious, just understandably anxious. Ask away. There’s a bunch of us parents that hang around to help out as best we can…which I think is a really great reflection on how satisfied everyone is with Maryland.
Outside of the ACES program, are you aware that
“MC2 offers undergraduate students several ways to get involved in cybersecurity, including academic studies via ACES (Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students) the new Honors College Program, research opportunities through the summer Cybersecurity Scholars Research Experience for Undergraduates, to competition and teamwork opportunities in the Cybersecurity Club. These activities can be supplemented by undergraduate concentrations in cybersecurity offered by the Computer Science and Computer Engineering departments. Postgraduate opportunities in cybersecurity are also offered at UMD, including a Master and certificate” http://www.cyber.umd.edu/education
