Hi, my son is really interested in UNC but I’m uncertain if he really has the kind of stats that would make him a competitive applicant, especially given how hard it is to obtain OOS admission. I would be interested in any feedback from you guys regarding whether he has a shot or should move on.
GPA: 3.79 weighted / 3.4 unweighted
Rank: Probably top 35%
SAT: 2070 as follows 790 Critical Reading; 590 Math; and 690 Writing
SAT II World History Subject Test: 680
SAT II US History Subject Test: 740
ACT: 31 (E 34, M 27, R 31, S 31) - April 2015
ACT: 31 (E 36, M 24, R 34, S 28) - June 2015
AP World History: 5
AP US History: 5
AP Human Geography: 5
AP English Comp: (Did Not Take Exam)
Senior year AP course load:
AP Economics
AP Environmental Science
AP English Lit
AP Psychology
AP Sociology
AP Statistics
AP US Govt.
Hook: African-American Male
EC: Track freshmen year; Basketball manager sophomore year; running cross country junior year.
Job: Working at Chick-fil-a since June 2014
Residence: Texas
Intended College Major: History
Thanks in advance for any advice or input
If I were you, I would encourage him to retake the SAT. His math score is low for UNC. His ACT math is good, so clearly he is capable of a higher score. If he could increase it by just 100, that would go a long way. His GPA is also pretty low for UNC, so he needs to really increase it this semester. He needs all A’s. Is there a reason why he seems to be doing so well on the exams, but so poor in the actual classes compared to his score? Does he have an upward trend?
Are you full pay? If he needs money obviously it adds another layer.
@TempeMom If I am not mistaken, UNC, is need blind for all applicants.
@CaliCash: thanks for the input. Respecting his low grades/class rank, its due to a horrible freshman year, he took a couple high school credits while he was in junior high and did horribly. He got a 72 in Spanish which is a “D” in our school district and a “C” in a high school Algebra course that he took in junior high. His mediocre grades continued in his freshman year. He turned things around his sophmore year as he started taking AP classes and after he received a solid score on the PSAT which resulted in him receiving alot of promotional college pamphlets. He’s continued that upward trend through his junior year as well, but the poor performance his freshman year and respecting those high school credits taken in junior high are still pulling his overall GPA/class rank down.
@TempeMom, we understand that he would not get any merit aid given his academic record. I’ve run the Net Price Calculator and understand what we are looking at in terms of finances.
(that’s what I meant…no reason to apply if he could get in but couldn’t afford it anyway).
Best to your son.
UNC also meets 100% need for all students.
@fatherof2boys, is he a legacy there? If so, that will help.
@suzy100 no legacy here, both parents are graduates of UT-Austin. That’s interesting if UNC considers legacy, UT-Austin does not.
Just to give context here, in addition to Chapel Hill he’s also considering applying for OOS to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio State. We have a few safety schools as well. We’re uncertain if we would be wasting our time respecting UNC and Wisconsin.
UNC meets full need ( it’s a profile school that uses the fafsa EFC) and is need blind. We are OOS and my daughter will be a freshman in a few weeks. UNC is extremely competitive for OOS students. She graduated #1 ( out of 400) with high test scores ( 99%), excellent letters of recommendation, major leadership etc. Her guidance told her he was looking forward to seeing if she actually gets in- said he had no idea how it would go. I think it’s a reach for your son, however you will never know unless you try. Your son should give it his all and see how it goes. We were just told at orientation that 65% of the incoming freshman class graduated in the top 10 students ( not top 10%, top 10). Good luck to your son! Is he recruitable? That would help. Once again, good luck!
Thanks all for your comments, seems like UNC would be a huge reach so that simplifies things for us…one less application to do.
Good luck to everyone.
I was accepted to UNC this past fall, and I am OOS. I also got accepted to Wisconsin and Minnesota both OOS as well, so I thought I’d comment here. I would encourage your son to apply because I did not have a near perfect application like so many OOS accepted students. 32 ACT (34 ss), 3.86 UW GPA, 3/260, and good ECs, but my essays weren’t that great and I had no huge hooks. Give it a try! You never know.
Really, no one can predict chances for OOS. Chapel Hill does a holistic review. The upward trend in grades will help. How far did in go in the math sequence since he appears to be weak in that area? Puzzling since he is taking two math related APs. Is it possible to pull up the math scores?
Honestly, it will be a high reach. The math scores, rank and maybe the GPA will hinder him. However, he is an URM. How that factors in I have no idea. Personally, if he has the time to properly write the essays then it might be worth the crap shoot to apply. If he gets accepted then you can do the college visit. I would apply EA. No commitment and you hear at the end of January.
I believe that UNC still super scores. So his ACT would be E36,M27,R34,S31.
I think you should apply and see what happens, otherwise you will always wonder.
Thanks @illinoisgolf and congrats on your admission to Chapel Hill. Seems like you and my son are/were attracted to a number of the same schools. My son really likes the Big 10 schools because they all seem to have very good academics with the balance of storid traditions and great school spirit. Good luck with your time in North Carolina.
@noname87, that’s good to hear that UNC superscores the ACT so that means he would have a 32 composite, I’m still not certain if that puts him the competitive range given his class rank/GPA. The URM status is simply hard to quantify. He’s going to re-take the ACT in September to try to raise his math score and get at least a 32 in one-setting as all of the other schools he’s considering do not superscore the ACT. Respecting the highest level math completed so far, he took a regular pre-calculus class last year and received a B.
@twogirls, I think the always wondering or the “what if” component is the only thing that might result in him applying because as for now I don’t really see him having a reasonable shot, but North Carolina along with Wisconsin (and maybe UT-Austin) can be his reach schools. Luckily he does have a number of match/safety schools that he’s content with having to attend if necessary.
We came back from orientation where I observed two things: community service is very important to UNC; they had the kids doing community service projects at the orientation, and they stressed the importance of taking classes that you find interesting rather than just taking classes for the purpose of fulfilling requirements in a major ( the cynical part of me wonders if they say this because it’s hard to get classes in your major). Looking back at my daughter’s application, it seemed to fit what is important to the school without us even realizing it. I guess what I am getting at is try your best, show who you really are, and the right schools will notice. Good luck!
Your son’s senior year course load is extraordinarily heavy. I would recommend he take no more than 4 or 5 AP classes and add some meaningful community service.
For UNC, rigor of curriculum helps. In this vein, it would be great if his APs included Calculus (instead of Stats) and Bio, Chem or Physics (instead of Environmental Science). Then Lit, Gov, and one of the other courses you’ve listed if no non-AP is available. That would be a full load.
If he likes UNC, he may also want to apply to NC State. Applying by Oct 15 will make him eligible for scholarships. Also, apply early to Ohio State for OOS scholarship consideration, including the Morrill.
@fatherof2boys I will actually be attending the University of Michigan, since I’ve grown up in a Big 10 family. If he likes Minnesota and OSU, then I would encourage him to look into Indiana, Iowa, and Penn State as well, in that order.
It sounds like he has the background to do well on the math sections but something is tripping him up. Can he get some tutoring to help him figure out what the issue is?
twogirls: It can be difficult to get the courses you need. However, if you try hard enough you can get lucky. What I mean is that if registration starts at 12 then you need to start at exactly noon. Do not wait. Have a list of backup courses map out. Also continuously check to see if slots open up or sessions are added. Repeat the whole process once open enrollment begins. It can be a pain. As for taking courses that are interesting I think they are sincere. That can be a good way to find your passion. My daughter has really enjoyed the course outside her original major and it has help shape what she want to pursue.