Chance IS?

<p>I'm an IS applicant, born in raised in Baltimore.
Expected Stats:
GPA: 3.1 uw 3.7 w
AP: World(3) Govt and Politics(5) Econ (5) , Psych(3)taking APUSH, Calc AB, Eng Lit
SAT: 720(CR) 680(Wr) 760(M)
SATII(Expected): Chem 650 Math II 750
ECs: Marching band drum major for 2 years, Project Lead the Way completer,Tri M music honor society, steering committee: class government, student council treasurer, National Technical Honor Society, First Robotics Club 3 years, FBLA 4 years; state officer, DECA 3 years, Engineering Club, treasurer. I'm also involved in community service, I won't bore you with the details.
Intended Major: Engineering Undecided.
Hook: URM( African American) and female with a documented interest in the STEM fields.
I have a positive relationship with a lot of my teachers and can count on amazing recommendations. </p>

<p>With this knowledge, as well as taking into consideration my IS status, do you think I have a good chance of making it into Maryland?</p>

<p>I think you have a great chance to be accepted. I’m just a little preplexed that someone with your obvious intelligence and motivation hasn’t done better in HS. I just bet there are some extenuating circumstances re: your gpa. If I were on the admissions committee I’d take a chance on you.</p>

<p>Thanks. The short story behind my mediocre 9-12 gpa is that familial and personal issues kept me from completing my freshman year, including taking finals. I transferred schools after that and have put quite an effort into bringing my gpa up and gaining admittance into a respectable engineering program. The full story will be the subject of a diplomatically sculpted supplementary letter addressed to my prospective schools. Hopefully at least a few admissions officers will have your attitude and take a chance.</p>

<p>Don’t worry, you’re going to get accepted to some great colleges with those sats and your life experiences. I wouldn’t worry too much about the gpa, in context, it’s not so crucial. It’s just important to remember that the best prediction of future behavior is past behavior, hence gpa is seen as a predictive measure of future academic success. You’re in at UMCP engineering IMHO. You should also be thinking about other top schools and scholarships. Good Luck!</p>