<p>AP credit depends on the course and college. At JMU, you need mostly a 4 or a 5, a few classes will accept a 3. See General</a> Information: JMU Undergraduate Catalog 2007-08 and scroll down to the Advanced Placement section.</p>
<p>One thing I would stress is senior year grades. This year I would like to think that I was on the edge of possible admission at a few schools. My first semester grades were all A's and B+'s and I am taking 4 AP classes (while I will be the first to admit that they are all manageable). I think thats what might have tipped the balance in my favor. Choosing possible majors should be a selective process as well (and sometimes it must be strategic). I got into vt and another student with literally the exact same stats as me applied for engineering and got waitlisted. I applied to the liberal arts school. Just another thing to think about.</p>
<p>The Washington Post article about Joe Robinson says his GPA is 3.4. The thing we have to consider is that JMU calculates a GPA according to its own methodology. And the way JMU calculates a GPA may have been disadvantegeous to this student. First of all, JMU does not include a non-core class. So if Joe's 3.4 included an "A" in a non-core elective and a "C" in, let's say, Trig, then the 3.4 goes down according to how JMU looks at it. Then also, JMU does not use "minus" and "plus." An "A-" is an "A" and a "C+" is a "C." This can have a pretty big impact on a GPA. My son's GPA goes from a 3.5 to a 3.65 according to how JMU looks at it.</p>
<p>CollegeBoundSoon,</p>
<p>Can I ask where you got this information? And does JMU give a bump for honors or AP in their calculation? Do they give a bump for a tougher grading scale (i.e. 94 and above is an A, 90-93 a B+, etc.)?</p>
<p>I asked a JMU admissions counselor. She explained they simply look at your transcript and extract each A,B,C, D, and F and then plug it into their methodolgy. They ignore "minuses" and "pluses." That is why they say this this on the website and in official admissions information:</p>
<p>Competitive candidates will have mostly As and Bs in the core academic areas (English, math, lab science, social science and foreign language)</p>
<p>They told me, yes, they give a bump for AP but they didn't tell me how much of a bump. And indeed, the reason they just look at A,B,C, D and F is because grading scales vary by school to school. So to even it out they ignore that. </p>
<p>So what this means is that if you got a C+, it hurts you because they call it a C. But if you get an A-, it helps you because they call it an A. For most of us it probably is about the same GPA. But for others it can drag them down or up.</p>
<p>CollegeBoundSoon,
Thanks for the information! After going through the admissions process with my two older sons, I've seen that a lot of schools refigure GPA - and many explain their particular methodology on their websites. Most use only core courses, but that usually has the effect of lowering the GPA, since most (but not all) electives are usually A's. Some colleges give a .5 pt bump for honors and AP, some give a .5 pt bump for honors and a full pt. bump for AP, and some give no bump for honors and either a .5 pt or 1 pt bump for AP. Then there are those that give no bump for anything.</p>
<p>Kind of makes one's head spin...</p>
<p>In any case, I'm glad to know JMU's methodology. I just wish they were more up front about it on their website. Do you happen to know JMU's take on AP's? We've decided that my daughter will take 1 her junior year and 2 her senior year. Any idea if she'll be competitive from FFX county (GPA of ~ 3.7 with a mix of honors/reg/AP classes)?</p>
<p>I think yes, your daughter will be very competitive. We read about and hear the rare cases where strong applications get rejected by JMU. But from everything I gather, those are exceptions and not the rule. A friend of ours from FFX was recently accepted to JMU with a 3.7 in the Honors Program. But we are checking out Christopher Newport just in case. We hear good things about this school despite its repuation from the past.</p>
<p>Don't forget the yield' effect...colleges by and large want to admit applicants they think will attend...with such an SAT gap (2270 v. 1710) the admissions committee may have just concluded the student was not likely to attend. Efficient - probably. Fair - maybe not. </p>
<p>While unfortunate, the student does have options, such as getting great grades at a local CC and then transferring (employers don't care where you started, they look at where you finished), or taking a gap year and applying again.</p>
<p>Just to let you know, the article doesn't mention that the kid misses 40 days of school a year. Friend from Robinson HS told me everyone knew he wouldn't get in.</p>
<p>hey not to rag on JMU but i have heard a few stories also.</p>
<p>One I heard was that JMU has their admissions officers take applications in small groups and chooses the top few out of the entire group, so you could potentially end up in a very competitive group. I have heard that admissions officers tend to act on their gut feeling, usually attributed to the essay. They have a very strong preference for women, trying to maintain their 60:40 ratio. But none of these stories are proven and I have no reason to credit them other than my trust in the sources.</p>
<p>Just my thoughts on the topic, I was rejected from JMU, waitlisted at UVA, rejected at W&M, accepted at VT, accepted at Clemson, accepted honors at U of mary washington, and accepted with substantial scholarship at GMU. Of all the schools I applied to JMU and VT were the most desirable and I felt that JMU was the easier one to get into but it wasnt and it clearly is not. The school is in no way better or more prestigious than VT but it is somewhat like typecasting. Kids at JMU are built fairly similarly and there is no way to promote the exact type of student through stats and what not but from what I know the people who go there are usually alittle liberal, fun, interesting, and sociable. I am jus a VT student who has been to JMU a few times and this is all i can give to try to help you get in there, but jus to end on an opinionated statement: VT has better sports and academics neway so y would u want to go to JMU over VT neway!! haha jk, nice article though :)</p>
<p>I applied to college last year and will be attending JMU this fall. I live in N. VA (Loudoun County) My GPA was a 3.9, had an aver. SAT score, had taken 4 APs and a ton of honors classes. I am also a first generation college student.</p>
<p>I also applied to VT, George Mason, Mary Washington and UVA. I got into every school but UVA. </p>
<p>VT, JMU and Mary Washington have about the same admission requirements (this year they were about a 3.7+ GPA with students involved in and dedicated to their activities/sports and taking AP or IB and honors classes). George Mason's requirements are a bit lower but they have begun to increase.</p>
<p>If it is that competetive to get into the school, what does it take to get into the Honors program? Would an SAT of 2110 and a GPA of 3.93 be enough with 6 AP's... W. History, Calculus, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Macroeconomics?</p>
<p>Here is the criteria for competitive application to the Honors Program from the JMU Honors Program page:</p>
<pre><code>* a combined Math and Critical Reading score of 1300 or higher on the SAT; OR
* a composite ACT score of 30 or higher; OR
* an unweighted GPA of 3.50 or higher; OR
* graduating in the top 10% of your high school class
</code></pre>
<p>These are only guidelines, as the entire application packet is considered as a whole. The essay, letters of recommendation, and extra curricular activities all play a vital role in the decision-making process. </p>
<p>Here is the link to the FAQ page for the Honors program:</p>
<p>JMU</a> - Frequently Asked Questions</p>
<p>Here is a link to a sample completed application: </p>
<p>Thanks KatMT. That is very helpful information. I will look into it further.</p>
<p>I am a student at JMU. I was the valedictorian of my high school with a GPA of 4.8 and I had SATs that were about 2200. I took 2 AP classes my junior year and 4 AP classes my senior year (and got straight A's in all of my classes). You really have to show that you are a well-rounded student. If your child's GPA will suffer from taking more than 2 AP classes, then maybe you should reconsider JMU. AP classes prepare you for college level work, although college classes are require much more. VT is easy to get into (I got in there too). The kid mentioned in the article was not all that impressive, JMU is a competitive school and you can't expect a 3.4 GPA to get you in automatically. I guess what he doesn't realize is that there are people from all over the state with better credentials trying to get the same spot. I must say that if math is not your strong suit, then don't feel pressured to take AP Calc or any other like it. You need to show that you are taking on a challenging work load, but do not bite off more than you can chew.</p>
<p>Just to clear things up, it is not uber difficult to gain admission to JMU. The quote below is a bit misleading:</p>
<p>"JMU spokesman Don Egle said the university's admission process is "very competitive," with 20,000 applications this year for a class of 3,960."</p>
<p>It is well documented that JMU admits about 67% of applicants. Although the above quote makes it sounds more selective, the numbers above refer to the number who applied and the number they wish to have for that year's class. As with many schools, a large percentage of those students admitted opt to attend another school which they feel may be a better fit for them. To compensate for this, the school admits a larger student body than what they expect to actually enroll. In the above case, to fill 3,960 spots, JMU admitted, 13,400 of the 20,000 applicants.</p>
<p>Although this is a good deal more selective than 20 years ago when JMU admitted 100% of applicants, it is still not out of sight of most of today's applicant pool. Another good note: if you have younger kids, the competition for admission to state universities and colleges is expected to ease over the next seven years as the number of high school graduates and so applicants to colleges is expected to decline with the age group which has a smaller population.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>PS. I love JMU. My brother went there and it is a great school, so don't look at this as a put down, but rather a clarification.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the "admission facts" page at JMU.... the stats are for 2006/ 2007 freshmen...</p>
<p>Admissions</a> Quick Facts</p>
<p>do you guys think i will get into jmu? I applied under early action.
weighted gpa: 3.75
sat (reading and math): 1260
AP classes: 6
Honors classes: 7
ecs: lacrosse, president of latin club, business editor of school newspaper, volunteer at library
let me know what you guys think. im really nervous!</p>
<p>I have a friend whose son got into JMU two years ago. He took not a single AP, not a single honors course and even had one period of study hall and thus had a 4.0 GPA and got admitted to JMU two years ago!! I think it is all GPA driven, not necessarily courseload as you can see from our friend.</p>
<p>JMU was my first choice. I applied early decision. I am a male, OOS, 1280/1900 SAT, 3.4 unweighted average, about 7 Ap and Honor classes, plus 2 Syracuse classes. Track and cross country for 3yrs straight, worked every summer, some internships and some community service. What do you think?</p>