Commonwealth Honors College Admissions

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Massachusetts - Amherst
1

<p>Requirements say </p>

<ol>
<li>1300+ SAT</li>
<li>A- weighted average</li>
<li>Top 10%</li>
</ol>

<p>How rigid are these requirements?</p>

<p>Is A- weighted average 3.5+ or 3.66+?</p>

<p>Is top 10% enforced even for the most competitive high schools in the Boston Suburbs?</p>

<p>Is a student in the 11th percentile at one of these schools really not invited?</p>

<p>Just trying to get some data-points</p>

2

<p>It gets harder to get into Com Col every year. They said this year the cutoff was more like a 3.9-4.0 weighted average. Not sure your stats will do it but good luck. </p>

<p>FYI - the avg for the whole freshman class this year was a 3.69 weighted according to what they told us at freshman summer orientation a few weeks ago.</p>

<p>You can find the formula that UMass uses to re-calculate your GPA on the web page somewhere. Every high school weights differently so they re-calculate everyone</p>

3

<p>

</p>

<p>Can you help me, I can’t find it. Thanks.</p>

4

<p>This is from 2007, I don’t think they have changed the methodology</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.mass.edu/shared/documents/admissions/admissionsstandards.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mass.edu/shared/documents/admissions/admissionsstandards.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Fantastically useful, thanks. </p>

<p>So with a weighted GPA of over 4.0+, SAT (M+CR) 1450+, but still not top 10%, would that student be denied entry into Comm Col?</p>

6

<p>

My S wasn’t. He was in that exact situation.</p>

7

<p>4.0+ GPA and those SATs should be on target. Agree that % of class is not as stringent as other criteria</p>

8

<p>You can also appeal not getting in if you take a gap year. I was taking a gap year anyway, and was surprised when I didn’t get in since my stats were above the bar (might have been because my school didn’t report rank). I visited the honors college building a few times to speak to advisers/administrators, appealed, and got in.</p>

9

<p>^I appealed like overcore did, but I didn’t need to take a gap year. When I sent my official midyear grades in January, my class rank was about the same as the OP’s, except my SAT (M+Cr) were a bit over 1400 (2150 including writing) and my GPA was a weighted 4.0, but I didn’t make into the honors college the first time and I only got in after I appealed in April during the general Umass Amherst open house. </p>

<p>What I was told after I finally got in is that the reason I didn’t get in the first time was because I had a very difficult time junior year (I had some pretty low grades that were unusual since I had always been one of the best students), but that they really liked my essay and that the fact that I was doing well in a very rigorous courseload my senior year is what got me in (I took 4 APs and Umass Lowell general chem). In fact, my rank and GPA were essentially surging my senior year and I ended up graduating close 5% with a 4.2 GPA. Therefore, I think overall, if you’re on the fence like I was, you better do well your senior year.</p>

<p>On the honors college website I think it says a weighted A- (around a 3.5 weighted) is the cutoff and all Massachusetts state schools use a weighted scale that’s the same as the scale my high school uses. Nowadays with grade inflation and increased competition, I would say that even a 4.0 weighted is only good if you can write a compelling essay and is a result of a sharp upward trend as was my case. That 3.5 minimum mentioned on Umass’s website nowadays is probably a flat out lie, out of date, or more likely only applies to students with extenuating circumstances.</p>