Chances of Getting In OOS?

Colleges and Universities A-Z James Madison University
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<p>new jersey resident. 3.56 weighted GPA. all honors classes, two AP courses. mostly A's and B's. </p>

<p>i've been on student council every year in high school, i'm currently the senior class president. i'm on the National Honors Society, Youth Advisory Council, and am a Peer Leader. I'm on the newspaper club and environmental club. i did two years of varsity baseball, two years of golf, and a year of cross country.</p>

<p>i am a male who goes to a private catholic high school in new jersey. </p>

<p>i got a 540 on math, a 530 on critical reading, and a 520 on writing for the SATs. </p>

<p>i already got accepted to Rutgers University (New Brunswick.) </p>

<p>do you think i'll get in to JMU? i applied for Early Action... do you think i'll get accepted?</p>

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<p>JMU’s SAT scores remain above national average but they aren’t a main factor in admissions
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<p>Posted: Monday, October 15, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 3:53 pm, Tue Oct 16, 2012. </p>

<p>Eric Graves | The Breeze | 0 comments </p>

<p>This story was updated on Oct. 16 at 3:51 p.m. to correct the percent of fall 2012 applicants accepted into JMU.</p>

<p>SAT scores might not be as important as your high school guidance counselor told you.</p>

<p>“How we think students will perform in college is the main point of what we aim to find out through the admissions process,” said Michael Walsh, director of admissions at JMU. “The SAT is the worst predictor of that.”</p>

<p>Walsh believes in a linear system for admitting students, one that centers more on how well a student performed in high school and less on activities outside of school.</p>

<p>JMU looks at the students’ high school curricula first, then grades. The last factor to be considered is SAT or ACT scores. If two students are competitive and have similar applications, the admissions department will then review recommendation letters and extracurricular activities, Walsh said. </p>

<p>Jordan Butts, a freshman justice studies major, said many of his advisers in high school talked about how influential his SAT scores would be. </p>

<p>“Teachers and counselors and my parents said they were really important, but I didn’t study for them,” Butts said. “I just took them and did what I could do.”</p>

<p>He said he knew the test was important but he didn’t think it was as important as everyone was saying. He thought those reviewing his application would be looking at his GPA, extra curricular activities and essay. </p>

<p>But Walsh said high school GPAs aren’t taken into account during the admissions process because some courses are weighted, affecting the GPAs and making them inaccurate. </p>

<p>“GPAs mean nothing,” Walsh said. “A 4.0 without weights can actually equal a 2.5, whereas a 3.2 with weights can equal 4.4. It’s inaccurate and a very poor way to deduce a student’s academic achievement. That’s why we rely on individual grades and curriculum.”</p>

<p>High schools are becoming increasingly creative with their grade scales, Walsh explained. He said schools will often change their grading scale to accommodate the students on the border of high grades in order to continue receiving funding from the state. </p>

<p>For the fall 2012 admission process, about 22,000 students applied, and a little more than 4,000 were accepted — that’s about 18 percent. In that applicant pool, 87 percent were competitive, meaning they had the necessary academic and extra curricular qualifications to get into JMU. </p>

<p>“The fact that they don’t take in your GPA at all is kind of surprising,” Butts said. “But I got in so I guess that’s all that’s important.”</p>

<p>Shirali Shah, a freshman international business major, also wasn’t too stressed about applying to JMU.</p>

<p>She said she knew she would bet in because she had both the grades and SAT scores that JMU was looking for. </p>

<p>Walsh said that most of the competitive students applying to JMU usually had grades of As and Bs throughout high school and were enrolled in advanced or upper-level courses. </p>

<p>“The biggest single predictor of how well students will perform in college is the curriculum,” Walsh said. “Students enrolled in more difficult classes and those who perform well in their core classes will have a more likely chance of getting in.”</p>

<p>Location is also a significant factor in the admissions process, according to Walsh. This aspect alone dictates the reason the SAT is low on the application evaluation process.</p>

<p>“This test was designed to test the culture of suburban areas,” Walsh said. “By 1995 the vocabulary on the test was so one-sided that the students from urban and rural areas once again did poorly.”</p>

<p>He explained that for this reason, admissions makes some allowances for students of different social statuses and locations.</p>

<p>But he added that in order to get into JMU, students still need to maintain good grades and do well on their SATs. </p>

<p>“To be competitive at this school, you really must be a good student with a certain level of math and science,” Walsh said. “A decent score on the SAT is still important; a 500-500-500 is average. The curriculum is very much a deciding factor for students.”</p>

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<p>i got in! so happy</p>

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<p>Congratulations!</p>

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<p>Am I the only one scratching my head after reading this article?</p>

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<p>To me, it shows that just because you get 500’s on each section of your SAT’s, which is average, does not mean you will not get in to JMU. They look more at your level of high school classes and grades , more than the SAT’s. I agree with this, as one test is not a good judge of the total student. Pyeccs is a good example, all honors classes, really good GPA, average SAT’s, accepted to JMU EA.</p>

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<p>I’m confused. Looking at the common data set for 2011-12, 22,864 students applied- but 13,705 were offered admission. 4000 of 22,000 is what the article says, and about an 18% acceptance rate. 500s on SATs are below the 25% range, and the 50% looks like 570 CR and 575 M.
So no, JMU1989, you’re not alone with the head scratching. :slight_smile:
Anyway, regardless of the confusion, JMU is a great place. Awaiting honors decisions for D and hoping S gets in next year.</p>

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<p>Right, the 18% is the yield, or the actual % of students that enrolled vs. applied. The acceptance rate is 60%+, as many students use JMU as a safety school for UVA and W&M, among others. But, that’s an error by the author of the article.</p>

<p>The other disturbing thing was the “suburban” centered vocabulary on the SAT. Huh? First I’ve ever heard of that. Of course, my DD and I live in the suburbs. I would prefer her not to be disadvantaged because of where we choose to live. My gut says this is total nonsense and suburban kids - on average - just flat out know more words in the English language. But, I will keep an open mind if I come across some serious research.</p>