A little about myself:
I am a Junior at a small, Catholic high school and I wish to attend UNM, majoring in Psychology.
GPA: 3.89 UW
Class Rank: I’m 6th out of 45 (13.3%) both Unweighted and weighted.
EC: Cross Country (all 3 years), Spanish Club (all 3 years), Student Council Secretary (junior year), Quiz Bowl (junior year), Speech (junior year), and Stage Crew for musical (junior year)
Rigor of coursework: My school only offers dual enrollment and I’ve taken: Statistics, Intro to Psych, and Cultural Anthropology. I’m taking Abnormal Psychology and World Regional Geography next semester.
ACT: 21 (26E, 19M, 18R, 19S)
I’m very insecure about my ACT score. My goal is to achieve a 30 by the fall of my senior year, but I’ve obviously got a lot of work to do. I took the test for the first time my sophomore year and received a 20. Since then, I’ve purchased the ACT Online Prep as well as the Official ACT Prep Book and have done minimal studying (thus the 1 point score improvement).
I realize my EC’s aren’t the greatest, but my school is small and only offers so many. I was rejected from NHS at the start of this year, and that is what really prompted me to join Quiz Bowl, Speech, and Stage Crew.
PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR INSIGHT, THANKS!
You were rejected from NHS with a 3.89? Did they tell you why?
You’ll need to get the ACT up. A 28 or higher gives you a good shot at CLA (for psychology). Your dual enrollment courses are best for gen. eds. rather than your major, unless you are dual enrolled at the UMN. Even so, wait for college before taking more courses in your major.
@JBStillFlying Yup, rejected. They told me I lacked service and leadership, which is fair.
You really think that I should stop taking dual enrollment classes? My school doesn’t offer AP so it’s all I have.
That doesn’t seem right. They should have nominated you, and told you to get some more service and leadership activities. Just my opinion, but you don’t bump a 3.9 off NHS unless they clearly continue to violate the terms of the society or something. Hopefully you can be re-nominated as a senior.
You should take dual enrollment because colleges like seeing students who challenge themselves. However, it’s better to avoid classes in your major (unless pre-req) simply because those courses are probably going to be better at the U (which has an excellent psychology dept, by the way). Especially if taken at a cc or a non-flagship school, they might not be as rigorous or well-taught. You do want to be well prepared for upper-division. Finally, you want to make sure you are fulfilling the college prep. requirements that the U and other schools specify (4 years of English, 4 years of math, preferably calculus - though one of my kids did AP stats and got into CLA last year - three years of lab science, foreign language, fine arts, history and social studies, etc). Hence the advice to avoid getting too much into your chosen major while still in high school.
Cultural anthropology, stats, World Geo. are all good ideas for satisfying the Liberal Ed. requirements. Intro to Psych. is fine if it waives your basic requirements for the major. Abnormal psych you might want to take at the U.
Do you have any hooks - URM, first generation student, etc.? Also, are you in-state or OOS?
@JBStillFlying That’s great to know. I always assumed that colleges would like to see that I’m taking classes that fit my major… Unfortunately, it’s too late to change my schedule for next semester, so I’ll still be taking Abnormal Psychology.
As for next year, my schedule will be consisted of all dual enrollment classes.
First semester I plan to take:
- Composition 1
- College Prep Math
- Intro. to Biology
- Anatomy and Physiology w/ Lab
- Intro. to Lit
Second Semester I plan to take:
- Composition 2
- College Algebra & Trig.
- Developmental Psychology
- A speech class
- Some class related to Political Science
How does my senior year schedule look? I’ll probably take your advice and get rid of Developmental Psych.
I’m taking College Prep Math next semester (as a junior) and it goes on to the first semester of next year. I chose to take this class so that it would better prepare me for College Algebra & Trig because I think I need the extra help. Plus, The class has only two people in it, and I was told that I would get to help determine the layout of the course (I figure I can focus on my weak areas corresponding to the ACT).
As for a hook, I don’t really have one. I mean, I’m a gay student that goes to a Catholic school? That doesn’t give much insight to my character, though. I’d appreciate any ideas on how I can make myself stand out on my application. I’m out of state, but I’m from Iowa so it’s not that far away.
Looking at your info, I’d think you have a fine chance at getting into UMN, especially if you take maybe dual enrollment your senior year… I’ve been accepted to CLA for 2017 and I have a 3.66 GPA UW and was ranked 9 out of 50 with a 27 on my ACT . I am in a lot of EC, but you’re still in a fair amount. I wouldn’t stress! Also, on your application you have to fill out a “diversity statement” since UMN strives to be a diverse campus, I’d simply write about how you go to a small school, etc… and at my school you’re basically in NHS with a 3.6, so that definitely doesn’t seem right.
@avick17 Yeah, the teacher who was in charge of NHS left our school, and so my clueless principal took over… I’ll try again next year and I may make it on.
Congrats on getting accepted! I hope I can pull of what you did 
Thanks for the advice!
@iStudyMan here are the college prep course requirements for UMN so take a look and figure out if you have met the minimum. If you have then your senior year course load looks good. Have you taken something in the visual or performing arts?
https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/admissioninfo/fresh_overview.html
You’ll need to get your ACT up but you know that already.
@avic17’s point about the diversity statement is a good opportunity to talk about how you would contribute to the vibrancy of a diverse university environment. It’s optional, but it’s only going to help to write something. Being gay is probably not a hook. Nor is attending a Catholic school. However, the combination of the two, especially if you approach it from a profound perspective and give them that insight into your character that you mentioned, might make for a very interesting diversity statement.
Looks like I already meet those requirements @JBStillFlying
I could definitely write about how I could contribute to a diverse environment.
That’s what I figured I could write about: a mixture of the two. I could talk for hours on how being gay while growing up in a conservative school has taught me to become a strong minded individual.
@iStudyMan I’d only advise you to steer clear of five-alarm terms. For instance, “Gay” has only a couple of interpretations - it is what it is. However, “conservative” can have many connotations and it’s best not to assume that everyone is going to think or categorize similarly. After all, true “diversity” includes viewpoints that don’t always agree with yours - or mine. With all that philosophical and theological training you received at your school, you might consider something relatively transcendent and introspective. Guessing that adcoms don’t get essays like that too often (although they do get a LOT of the “me vs. them” kind). FWIW.
@JBStillFlying I’m introspective by nature, so I could certainly do that.
But what about if I talked about the empowerment of introverts? My favorite book is “Quiet” by Susan Cain and she wrties about the extrovert idealism that’s prevalent in our society today. I figure I could take a similar route, maybe talk about how extroverts are over-idealized and that introverts, like myself, have much to offer. And I could put an introspective and factual tone on this?
Also, would it be impress the UMN if I went to a summer program for Psychology? Or maybe job shadowing a psychiatrist/psychologist?
Yes and yes. Good luck to you!