<p>I thought I probably had a good chance, but all this stuff about not wanting too many people from NJ made me a little worried.
I'm from NJ (like I said), I go to a very good public high school (2008 best in NJ I believe).</p>
<p>Typical statistics stuff:
3.9 weighted GPA
CR:790 Math: 690 Writing: 650
5 on AP US History, 800 on US History SAT II
Taking AP Psychology, Lang. and Comp., and Lit. and Comp.</p>
<p>Internship at my local historical society and the New-York Historical Society
Worked for a veggie co-op sorting vegetables for 4 years
Worked as a telephone interviewer at Baruch College last summer
I have been playing bass guitar for 4+ years, been in a band for 4 years. We have recorded music and played a ton of local shows, benefits, etc.</p>
<p>Applying to Government and Politics LEP </p>
<p>I know I probably have a good chance, and I don't want to seem like a jerk for asking. I just need reassurance.
Thanks so much</p>
<p>No, you’re not a jerk. And yes, you’ll probably have no problems getting in! Good luck!!!</p>
<p>I agree you should be in, but I am starting to laugh now, because every student says they come from a highly competitive school if not the best.</p>
<p>Note to all, unless your school is on Fortune, Newsweek or Time’s best schools, than fine, but otherwise there is no need to mention it. Not trying to snap, but it just can’t be possible that everyone goes to a top rated school.</p>
<p>hahaha, I know I didn’t go to a top rated school, but it did occur to me that actually, since UMD has so many apps from MoCo, a lot of those kids really do go to top rated schools, I think Montgomery Co has a lot of schools on the Newsweek list 
but i def know what you mean, if we went by the boards, every school in the country would be on the top of some kind of list</p>
<p>There is a little known fact regarding admissions…when your gc sends your transcript it also shows the background of the school…i.e. % that grad, % that go to Ivies, % that go 4 yr, % 2 yr, etc. This is put into the equation. You might believe you are in a highly competitive school, but in reality, it is not as competitive as another hs in your district. They take that into effect. They may elect to take a 3.2 uw gpa with all honors over, a 3.5 uw gpa with all honors, all because the school is ranked higher in their matrix for admissions.</p>
<p>We now live in VA, McLean HS is on the top 100, and I bet that UMD would take a lower GPA from TJ over McLean. Why? Because although TJ is a public hs it was removed from Newsweek, USNWR and Time since it is a public MAGNET hs it was always winning the number 1 public hs in the nation, and the media decided that they should compete with private due to this fact. According to USNWR there are only 2 hs in NJ that rank in the top 100. The funny fact is that the 2 on USNWR and Newsweek are not ranked with NJ monthly.</p>
<p>This is really point, people say highly competitive out of school pride, but that does not mean that it is according to UMD. Thus, instead of saying I attend a highly competitive school, just place your stats. If your school is on a national list, than say it is, but if not that is an opinion.</p>
<p>I am not trying to be mean or rude, just trying to make people realize that highly competitive can be thrown around by anybody, and only when it is recognized as a prestigious school should be the time you say highly competitive…i.e. Magnet, because even though it is public you had to compete to be accepted.</p>
<p>There are Blue Ribbon School designations that are put out each year nationwide. Where does this fit in?</p>
<p>It fits in with the admission dept, since not only is your gpa and standing matter, so does the quality of the school. Blue Ribbons are good schools, but it has lost its allure. 20 yrs ago I attended the 1st hs in NJ that was a Blue Ribbon, and the 8th in the nation, now if you go to NJ, almost all of them have received blue ribbon.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to spark such a spirited debate. If you want to know where I went to school, Google “hazing NJ”.</p>
<p>Actually, TJ shows up as No 1 high school on USNWR’s public high school ranking. In NJ, High Technology High School (HTHS) shows up as No 4 (behind TJ and a couple of schools in CA) in USNWR’s best public highschool list. Then, it has to be, by definition, the best ranked HS in NJ. S1 went to that school. It’s a public magnet school also. My kid thrived in it, and 30-40% of the kids ends up in top 20ish USNWR unviersities/colleges. However, it’s not for everyone. Only about ~60 kids. No sports team. No drama production. No art.</p>
<p>For raven, they do not attend HTHS at least by my google search, it would be a school that begins with the letter M, which brings us back to the fact that there are many levels of the “best” depending on who defines the best and why I say on chance threads leave the school profile out, unless of course it is a public magnet…i.e. the ivies for hs education.</p>