Chance Me? OOS and URM. Will Chance Back!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
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<p>Hey Guys!, im a rising senior in high school, so as you can imagine, Im looking at colleges and getting a little bit nervous. African American Female residing in Maryland - I attend a public school. UVA is a my dream school, and I want to know my chances from others' viewpoints. I am also applying to University of Maryland - College Park, Boston College, Washington University in St. Louis, and Penn State. If you would like for me to chance you back, feel free to leave a link! Let's Get Started...</p>

<p>By the end of my senior year, all of my "special classes" would be <em>G/T - Gifted and Talented- is regarded as a step above honors in my school, to avoid confusion</em>: Honors French 2, US History G/T, English 9 G/T, Biology G/T, Geometry G/T, Chemistry G/T, Algebra 2 G/T, Computer Science 2 G/T, AP American Government, French 3 Honors, English 10 G/T, AP World History, AP Lang, AP Computer Science 3, Phyics G/T, AP Psychology, Latin 1 Honors.</p>

<p>My Senior Year classes - AP English Lang, AP Stats, AP Bio, Latin 2 honors, G/T Intern/Mentor Program</p>

<p>SAT I - 1810, not impressive i know, but I will retake it again whenschool starts up again. I Im taking 2 SAt Subjects tests when school starts again - Biology and U.S. History. </p>

<p>GPA-3.54 (UW) 4.2 (W) - might have those mixed up,idk. Not sure if my senior year GPA for 1st quarter would factor in, but I'm hoping it would boost it a little bit.</p>

<p>Here are my EC's: Im actually actively involved with all of these, not just someone with a list a mile long but only an inch deep.
- National Honor Society
-Treasurer for Young Democrats
-Executive Board Secretary
-Secretary of Black Student Achievement Program
- TOMS Shoes Campus Club
-200+ Volunteer Hours Rebuilding Homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, LA
-200+ Volunteer Hours serving the low-income community of Hurley, VA
-200+ Volunteer Hours helping out in community of Jacksonville, FL
-Mentored Hispanic Children from Low-income families in computers and robotics - PC4KIDS
-Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (M.E.S.A.) - Placed 1st place in cargo plane for regionals, 1st place for bridge in regionals.
-National Art Honor Society
-AP Scholars
-National Technology Honor Society
-L.E.O. - Leading Each Other: helped incoming freshmen cope with the new stress of high school, helped people with other issues,
-National Society of Black Engineers
-Part Time Job as Cashier at Restaurant
-Part time Job as Cashier at Best Buy</p>

<p>In my essays, I will mention that I was diagnosed with PCOS and uveitis at the beginning of my sophmore year - the reason my GPA sorta dropped, but I picked it back up my junior year. I had to take monthly injections in my eyes, weekly blood transfusions, weekly injections of methotrexate, and other medicines that had their side effects.</p>

<p>So please drop your opinions, they are greatly appreciated! If there are other schools that you think would be a match for me, please let me know!</p>

<p>=)</p>

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<p>You will easily get in. But why are you considering UMD? You’ll also easily get into UVA and perhaps some Ivy League schools.</p>

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<p>What is your SAT score out of 1400? Your UW GPA is a little low, but you should be fine since you’ve taken a lot of difficult classes. Your EC’s are great, but unfortunately, UMD is very number driven, so they won’t impact your decision drastically. Also, being an URM who is applying to UMD isn’t really a hook since UMD already has a very diverse set of applicants, unlike some other top, private schools. (BC, Washington Univ.)
Btw, are you from HoCo?</p>

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<p>^ Do you think black students get boosts only because most colleges have a relatively small proportion of black applicants? You’re horribly mistaken.</p>

<p>Black students get boosts mostly because most black students perform horrendously on the SAT. Black students with 1800s on their SATs are incredibly rare, and all of the top colleges are vying for them. </p>

<p>Again, the OP will easily get into UMD.</p>

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<p>I didn’t mean it that way. I was just going by what bulletandpima said in their thread since they seem to be very familiar with the school and admissions. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/978729-faq-2015-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/978729-faq-2015-a.html&lt;/a&gt; See the first topic.</p>

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<p>THE OP will NOT get into Ivy’s easily, and might not get into UVA. Frankly, African American students with 1800’s aren’t <em>that</em> rare. If that SAT was 2000+, and the UGPA could increase to 3.75ish, then we’re really talking.</p>

<p>As for UMD, you should get it pretty easily. Pretty sure honors, but scholars at least.</p>

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<p>@ToyalCollapse - yeah, I do live in hoco, how did you know?</p>

<p>EuroAzn - I’m taking the SAT again againvwhen school starts, and hope to get at least a 1950. And I already explained the reason my gpa fell my sophmore year in the post.</p>

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<p>I’m also from hoco. I don’t know of many other counties that have GT classes and the intern/mentor program. lol.</p>

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<p>akujieze - It would look a lot better on your app if you had great numbers and you could talk about your sophomore year issues as an example of how you triumphed over illness, rather than citing it is an excuse. Just my two cents.</p>

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<p>@TotalCollapse - haha really? I didn’t know that. and i just realized i said i was OSS when i am clearly in state. thats what i get for copy and paste.</p>

<p>@EuroAzn - i had a 2.5, my sophmore year, and worked my butt of to somehow recover, so I DEFINITELY overcame my illness, and I am still dealing with it today. i’m not boasting to have the best gpa in the world, but i don’t know how I was supposed to manage a 4.0 when I spent every other day in hospital… And they do ask for any excuses that might have affected anything so…</p>

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<p>:/ I wish the best of luck to you. I am just saying that your sophmore year, excuse or not, does not make your application stronger.</p>

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<p>. But so many people have told me otherwise, including college admissions officers. it in no way shape or form make me look like i have a 4.0, but it makes me look like a 3.5 w/ potential. But, thanks anyways, i do appreciate your input</p>

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<p>Aim for something higher than a 2000 on your SAT and you’ll be in a much better place. If you get to over 2200 (you can do it if you practice ;D) and you’re a near sure acceptance. Just keep this perspective in mind: about half of all valedectorians get rejected. It’s a tough competition, this college app game.</p>

<p>EDIT: Ooooops! I’m so sorry for the confusion… from TotalColapses post I thought you were applying to Ivies… reviewed your list and I’m happy to say you’ll almost certainly get in ;-)</p>

<p>Sorry 'bout that.</p>

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<p>Don’t use your illness as an excuse or an example of how you triumphed. Try to mention it as little as possible. Instead, maybe get your guidance counselor or teacher to talk about it in their recomendation, and possibly mention it in passing in an essay or short answer. Don’t milk it like that. That makes it seem like you haven’t overcome it.</p>

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<p>@ginab591 - i failed to mention this, but by essays i meant the prelim essays i submit to my counselors, and teachers. not the actual application essays - unless they ask me, which i HIGHLY doubt, lol. im definately not going to whine, as i hope my guidance couselor does it all for me, lol.</p>

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<p>I didn’t even think to mention my own illnesses on my application, but my guidance counselor knew me well and must have mentioned it. So I was surprised when I was at B/K interviews and someone started talking to me about my illness.</p>

<p>Personally I’d say you’re in. Clear 1400 with Math and Reading sections of the SAT and you’ll be in the running for honors and possibly scholarships.</p>

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<p>First off, even though this is a UMDCP thread, I think UVA is a high reach for you. Your stats are just not up there. UVA is the no. 2 Public university in the nation. The competition is very fierce, and even a 2000 SAT would be on the low end.</p>

<p>Next, as an OOS from VA, you are fortunate because not a lot of VA students apply to MD, if they can’t make UVA they traditionally try for Tech.</p>

<p>Your SAT is killing you. Our DS had almost the same gpa (uw & w). Carried the same course load (including latin & French). Had a 2190 on his SAT and was offered scholars.</p>

<p>URM = Under Represented Minority. I highly doubt that being African American would classify you as a URM at UMDCP, so I hope you don’t view this as a hook in any way.</p>

<p>I think you are IN, if you get your SAT up.</p>

<p>UMDCP is like VaTech, it is a stat driven admission program, with your essays being the final factor. You need to get that SAT up. Try taking the ACT because UMDCP will super score, and take the best test scores. They will not blend the SAT and ACT scores, but if your ACT is higher than the SAT they will take your ACT.</p>

<p>Also, for others, one thing when you say your w gpa, understand that every school system has a different scale, and the more info you give the better you can be chanced.</p>

<p>For example:
Is your uwgpa on a 7 pt scale or a 10 pt scale?
AP is that a 5 or 6.0 scale?
Honors is that a 4 or 4.5 scale?
Class rank?</p>

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<p>I was under the impression that the OP was from Howard County and OOS was a typo (or a different thread title).</p>

<p>Also African American’s are still and URM at UMD, (Blacks are something like 15 percent of the population. Averaging one person in a class of about twenty is 5 percent, not fifteen) but it’s not the same as being Hispanic or something else. The only ORM are Asian and Indian.</p>

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<p>@bulletandpima - "African American Female residing in Maryland - I attend a public school. " I have no idea where you got Virginia from. Living In MD I see roughly 70% of my friend applying to CP, and most of the ones that get on have +/- 100 SATs, so when considering UMD, I’m not that concerned with my SAT, nor my GPA very much, I can see what you mean if referring to UVA though. And trust me, seeing 3 classrmes graduate and goboff to college, I have witnessed the face that being a URM - AA - was beneficial to the class of 2008 & 2010, not so much 2009, and that being Asian American is somehow turning into not such a URM at CP, as ginab591 said above</p>

<p>@ginab591 - I am from HoCo, and yes the OOS was a typo lol.</p>

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<p>They stated they volunteered 200 hours in Hurley VA. Maybe they are from Howard, but 200 hrs in Hurley VA plus OOS, and UVA as their dream, made me take the opposite assumption from you and that there was no typo.</p>

<p>I agree that AA is a URM, but like you I don’t think it ranks up to the level that other URM’s do, in other words, don’t use this as a safety net or a hook. </p>

<p>The OP has a strong chance, but that SAT is going to hurt, there is no way around it, but to be blunt and brutal if we want to be honest.</p>

<p>Their health issues can reduce their fears regarding the scores, but it would be in their best interest to re-take the SAT ASAP.</p>

<p>UMDCP is like VA TECH…a numbers driven admissions process. I see them IN, but I don’t see honors. I also don’t see a ton of merit money coming down the pike.</p>

<p>Lastly, none of us know what their intended major is regarding their admission. It is hard to make a decision, if you don’t know. Would you say they have a shot at honors if they were an engineering major? Would you feel differently, if their major was psychology?</p>

<p>This is why I say, before you start a chance thread, you need to give some very pertinent details…such as:
Class rank
Curriculum
GPA scale…7 pt or 10 pt. 4.5/5.0/6.0 for AP</p>

<p>A 4.2 w on a 4.5 scale is strong, on a 5.0 not so much, especially since the uw is 3.5, because that says to me the majority of the grades were B’s…not A’s with some B’s, but basically B’s with some A’s. Do the math, 3.5, means the avg % is @ 87 from an unweighted standpoint. In PW county VA until last yr…that would be considered a very low B, because we were on a 7 pt scale, now on a 10 pt it is a solid B.</p>

<p>The process is a lot of things, the OP is a def match regardless of URM for admittance. It just is important to me, as a parent who has done this 2x, with no application duplicates that we show how every tiny thing plays into the equation.</p>