<p>Have Banneker Key Semifinalists already been notified? I am wondering when semifinalists are notified or if they have already been notified. </p>
<p>Packets came throught the mail. Some semifinalits got an email, some didn’t. The RSVP was yesterday. I guess it could be possible that someone has yet to receive theirs (I just got mine on Saturday), but probably very unlikely. </p>
<p>Do you think you (or anyone else) know why I didnt get any notification?</p>
<p>I have a 2370 SAT, class rank 3, instate, 4.80 GPA, coauthored a scientific paper with a UMD College Park Professor, president of two clubs, varsity sports, etc… Not only that, I had talked to TWO UMD Admissions Counselors and they both told that I have a very high chance of getting the scholarship…</p>
<p>It’s really hard to say why you apparently didn’t get selected. They are looking for a certain je ne sais quoi. Meaning, we don’t know exactly what they are looking for besides top notch students. There is something more to it that we on the outside don’t know. Your scores and everything are excellent and you should be very proud. My guess is you will be the recipient of a Presidents Scholarship. I am a little surprised that you were not selected to interview for BK. From the info you have provided to us, you are an outstanding student. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>By all means, those stats will give you some epic options for college. </p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, the selection seems pretty mystifying, with unknowns flowing all over the place. There isn’t a published standard criteria for B/K, and on this forum you’ve seen 32 ACT kids beat out 34 ACT kids and 3.75UW kids beat out 3.9UW kids.</p>
<p>What this kind of makes me think of is the admissions process for the elite, where nothing is guaranteed. Unless the essay written has absolutely horrendous (which I doubt it is – you seem very capable), I don’t think anyone on this forum can tell you why you didn’t get notified. (Well, if you applied after the priority deadline, that’d be a reason, but you probably didn’t miss that, either.) Remember, it’s not all stats-driven. There are some inherent factors that could’ve determined the outcome, i.e. race, location. </p>
<p>If you’re really hung up on this (I probably would be), maybe you can give them a call or an email inquiring why. </p>
<p>Let’s not forget that the B/K scholarship was developed to aid URM and Maryland residents. Although, many of the recipients stats are very good there are many others with better. As for antwonmom, I believe with your stats UMD felt they would not be able to keep you in state especially if you are a URM. Don’t be bitter and good luck at Stanford, Harvard or U Chicago.</p>
<p>Well I’m only bitter because I know I won’t get into any other top colleges. I mean how is this fair? I went to Maryland Day, Marquee Day, I did research on College Park Campus every week for two years, and I really needed this scholarship. I talked with multiple admissions counselors and let them know that I was genuinely interested in College Park, why would they think that I am not interested/would not accept? I am not even sure if I will be going to college any more…</p>
<p>antwanmon - you credentials would make you competitive at Harvard, Yale or Princeton, and their financial aid is very generous. I hope you applied elsewhere, because you belong at an elite school. I would also suggest contacting the Honors College to make sure there was not a mailing error. I did so and they were very responsive and understanding. They will check your name against the list. </p>
<p>I’m not convinced the URM factor plays heavily. My son is Latino with top level credentials and unfortunately he did not make the cut. I’m sure they consider many factors that are difficult to understand from the outside. The credentials of the applicant pool gets stronger every year, and I was told it was exceptional this year.</p>
<p>antwanmon - I agree with @marylandhome that you should call the Honors College as it’s possible there is a mistake somewhere. With the stats that you have and being a MD resident, I can’t understand why you were not selected for B/K.</p>
<p>Having said that, no matter what the outcome is, don’t loose hope on education. What you are going through can happen to anyone, really, and I am saying this with personal experience. Keep up with the good work ethic that you’ve developed and demonstrated through your high stats. There are always ups and downs in one’s life so don’t let this one setback affect your perspective.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>I called Honors College today. Fairly quick process to check if you are selected for B/K or not- under ten minutes, including a transfer.</p>
<p>I called them today. For those of you say I belong at a top school, I am not going to get into any of those good schools → this is a fact. I have realized that it is best to just give up. College is a scam. All the world cares about is money. there is no justice. No matter how unfair one’s situation may be, not a single person gives a damn. </p>
<p>My son did not get an interview for BK. He had a 2320 SAT. A score of 800 on both the math and chemistry subject SATs. Straight As throughout high school. He is a student of the science and math magnet school in MD and the courses he took were very advanced. He did two competitive internships throughout the 2012 and 2013 summer breaks. Actively led and participated in several science and math comps and won several. National Merit Finalist. No sports but plenty of other extra curricular stuff. Had excellent recs from school. All said and done, he was not called for an interview. Not sure where he fell short or what the selection committee was looking for. He is obviously disappointed and so are we. But, on a more positive note, good luck to all those who made it. Do well in your interviews :)</p>
<p>Wow. It’s weird to read stats like ^that^ and antwanmon’s and to hear that they didn’t get tapped for BK – hard to make sense of it. My son did receive the BK invite, with stats slightly below those (he is not URM): 2290 SAT, scores of 770-790 on subject SATs (French, US Hist, Math II) and without any college-level research projects. Hard to figure. He is a good writer and a creative one, so maybe his essays had a certain spark? My take on it is that he should be humbled and grateful…</p>
<p>@itllbeok, yes, with stats like that he still did not get a call for interview. I was compelled to share the information mostly for the benefit of antwonmom. I wanted that student to know that he/she is not alone. My son was extremely disappointed as well. Sometimes, there is no use in attempting to apply rationale to these decisions. It is what it is. When I contacted the honors college, I was given a vague response that really did not answer the question. @antwonmom, I know their decision is hard to accept, but you clearly appear to be a bright student with a great future ahead of you. Please do not lose hope. Stay positive. I wish you the very best.</p>