Chances of Admission and Scholarship

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
1

<p>University of Minnesota Twin Cities is ranked 68th in the country by US News but 28th in the world by ARWU. Why is there such a difference? Secondly, is University of Minnesota good for undergrad physics? Finally, what are my chances of getting in and then getting a merit scholarship of 5K/year or more? If you live in Minnesota during the summer and don't live with your parents at all, are you still considered out-of-state in your second year? </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Pakistani American </p>

<p>Age: 17</p>

<p>Schools:
Large Public in IN (9)
Small Private in TN (10-11)
Medium Public in TN (12)</p>

<p>Family: Doctor-MD (Dad), Master's (Mom), 2 younger siblings</p>

<p>Recs (Potential): I hope to always be at the top of my class and do much better than my previous record, so I hope they'll be good. </p>

<p>Essays (Potential) : One on being a Pakistani American Ahmadi Muslim (a minority group) Democrat in Tennessee, One on how I found a passion for learning (which had previously felt forced), especially math and science, that drove me to study all of them for many hours and partake in competitions.</p>

<p>Intended Major: Physics or Chemistry</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>Grades (9-11): Semester 1 (9): 7A/1B, Semester 2 (9): 1A/4B/1C, Semester 1 (10): 5A/1B, Semester 2 (10): 5A/1B, Semester 1 (11): 2A/4B, Semester 2 (11): 4B/2C in All Honors Classes and 2 AP Classes: AP Chemistry (Semester 1: B, Semester 2: C+) and AP Calculus BC (Semester 1: A-, Semester 2: B)</p>

<p>Senior Course Load and Grades (Potential): All A's (98% or better) in AP/Honors Physics, European History, English Literature, Statistics, US Government, Economics, Personal Finance</p>

<p>Class Rank (Potential): 4.10 at private school and ranked in the top 15% at the end of junior year, and 3.85 (Weighted) Ranked in Top 25% in 300 Students after first semester of senior year (Potential)</p>

<p>SAT: 2400 ACT: 36 SAT Chemistry: 800, SAT Math II: 800, SAT Physics: 800, SAT Biology M: 800, SAT US History: 800, SAT World History: 800</p>

<p>AP Exam Scores: NONE</p>

<p>Extra-Cirricular Activities:</p>

<p>Speech and Debate (10-12): State 2nd Place (10), 350 Tournament Points</p>

<p>Piano (9, 11-12): Gold Star Rating in Region (9), Do Well in Regional Festival (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Mock Trial (11): Lawyer- 2nd Place in Region</p>

<p>Young Democrats (10-11): VP (11)</p>

<p>NHS and Mu Alpha Theta Member (10-12)</p>

<p>Community Service (10-12): 100 Hours in Mosque and Science Center; Local Library (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Employment (12-Potential): Work at Kumon as Math Tutor for 5 months </p>

<p>Math Club (9, 12): President (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Student Newspaper Member (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Research (12-Potential): Independent "Research" done in Science- mainly with a home telescope and in some higher math</p>

<p>Other Awards/Distinctions: Regional Math Test Top 5 (9, 10), National Merit Commended Scholar (12), State Math Problem Solving Test Top 10 (12-Potential)</p>

<p>Awards to be sent after initial submission of application (all potential): </p>

<p>Intel STS Semi-Finalist in Math (Sent in Late January)</p>

<p>USA Physics Olympiad Semi-Finalist and AMC 12 Top 1% (Mid-February)</p>

<p>USA Chemistry Olympiad Top in Region and USA Biology Olympiad Semi-Finalist (Early March)</p>

2

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<p>I have a ** really ** hard time believing this. In the case that you’re truthful, you already know that you’re going to get in. </p>

<p>And yes the physics department is one of the strongest.</p>

3

<p>That 4.10 will change to 3.97 weighted and 3.54 weighted when it is converted to the scale of my final high school.</p>

4

<p>do you really have those test scores? not saying you don’t but as the other poster said, this seems a bit fishy. but good luck, if you’re being truthful, you’re in. I also believe there is no essay component required for u of m.</p>

5

<p>You’re dreaming big; that’s great. But you can go ahead and remove those “Potential” credentials from the list. Sorry, I just kind of doubt that you’ll ace six AP courses while winning some of the nation’s most competitive competitions and adding several new extracurricular activities. Go ahead, prove me wrong.</p>

<p>To answer your questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>ARWU and USNews have different methodologies. If you care about either one, do your due diligence and understand what they are ranking.
[How</a> U.S. News Calculates the College Rankings - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/09/12/how-us-news-calculates-the-college-rankings-2012]How”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/09/12/how-us-news-calculates-the-college-rankings-2012)
[|Methodology</a> of ARWU 2010](<a href=“http://www.arwu.org/ARWUMethodology2010.jsp]|Methodology”>http://www.arwu.org/ARWUMethodology2010.jsp)</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, the physics department is very good. So are chemistry and mathematics.</p></li>
<li><p>Your grades are kind of an issue - the C’s will not help you - but assuming those test scores aren’t just “potential” too I think you should get into CSE. Scholarship is tough to predict, if you are NMF you can probably expect a very nice package.</p></li>
<li><p>You may find this [residency</a> information](<a href=“http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/PDFs/ResidencyReciprocity.pdf]residency”>http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/PDFs/ResidencyReciprocity.pdf) helpful. Bottom line: you will not be considered a resident unless you live in MN for a year prior to attending.</p></li>
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6

<p>You have big dreams, that’s all I can say.</p>