<p>Hey everyone...
I'm a high school junior who's probably going to apply to the Smith school of business next year, into the finance major.</p>
<p>I'm just wondering, is it even possible to obtain a good scholarship if you have good EC's, good SAT (2300+ at least, but I'm legit aiming for a 2400), but a (relatively) bad GPA... I'm thinking something as low as 3.6 unweighted, 4.4ish weighted :<</p>
<p>If there is a chance, any tips on how to bolster my app? Thanks guys.</p>
<p>Oh sorry, for the DP, but what are my odds for Honors college Entrepreneurship, and and the Business School Accellerated Finance Program… I’m going to have 10+ APs if it matters for Accellerated Finance…</p>
<p>Ha–I’m sure there are a lot of students who would love to have your “bad” 3.6 unweighted GPA. It will make a difference if your non-A grades were your freshman year (always better to trend up). The only problem with an extremely high SAT and not-as-high GPA is that the question is raised of whether you don’t work up to your potential. If you counselor’s rec will be able to address the lower-than-perfect GPA, you’ll have a good chance for Smith and for some scholarships (although B/K is ???). This is all assuming that you are from Maryland. OOS, the competition gets tougher.</p>
<p>First of all, you should be proud of your stats, they look impressive. Congrats.</p>
<p>For the Banneker/Key scholarship, they are looking for kids who have done something extraordinary that sticks out from your typical 4.0 GPA, 2400 SAT score, NHS member student. They want kids who have done big things (research internships at important places, state champ athletes, etc), maintained good grades, and have impressed teachers. In essence, kids who can make an impact on UMD and society in general. </p>
<p>My advice as someone who just went through this whole ordeal: </p>
<p>I don’t know what you meant by “good EC’s” (does that mean a lot of them, impressive ones, or both) but have something you do that really shows that you’re passionate about it. I think it’s often obvious when students join 15 different random clubs just to beef up their applications. Do EC’s because you enjoy them. Being successful in one is more impressive than being an anonymous member in two.</p>
<p>Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. At my Banneker interview, the first thing they mentioned was how they were impressed with my volunteer service. Lo and behold, I got the full.</p>
<p>Be good to your teachers, it will pay off. Teacher recommendations can get you far.</p>
<p>Lastly, just relax. Work hard, but have fun too. It’s easy to get caught up in worrying about college.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>Hey thanks! Yeah, my EC’s are good, and I have I guess a medium amount of them - it’s not like 3 activities a day.</p>
<p>About the volunteering - I’m going to have around 300 hours. Should I be concerned about increasing that? Should I try to do some particularly impressive project (i.e go to [insert imporivished country here] personally and help poor kids learn english] or something else?</p>
<p>DS is a freshman and a full B/K recipient. I would agree that they are looking for students that will give back and make a name for themselves while at UMD. If you make it to interview, you are all going to have similar high stats. Your EC’s and leadership will set you apart from others that have the stats, but not the rest. DS had ZERO volunteer hours pretty much, so I do not believe in the hundreds of hours of volunteering to try for a B/K. He was however a LEADER in everything he was involved in and had awards, letters, and recognition to show for it. He worked every summer with kids teaching them to sail and lifeguarding too. He was NOT an on campus athlete either and DID NOT have any internships. He also interviews very, very, well, which to him played a HUGE part in receiving the B/K. It means he has excellent people skills. </p>
<p>Now, profs know him by name. He was selected to be an Honors Ambassador from a pool of many, he hosts potential B/K’s and others overnight, he’s pledge president of his fraternity, he was written about in the UMD Life Sciences website for spearheading a food drive and winning for the entire freshman class (even had a photo), and this weekend he is being inducted into the National Honor Society for college students. I would say UMD is getting a great return on their investment. He is active on campus and off and is extremely happy!</p>
<p>Good luck on your adventure!</p>