<p>What is the most important aspect of the application for admission there?</p>
<p>Essay, Rigor of your HS classes, recommendations? Anyone heard anything that I haven't as of yet?</p>
<p>High SATs.</p>
<p>I’d agree with LurkNess</p>
<p>i know that’s not completely correct. anyone who knows what they’re talking about know?</p>
<p>You know that high SATs is not completely correct? If you are certain of that fact then you should also know the answer to this: “What is the most important aspect of the application for admission” into the Honors College?</p>
<p>I’d say SATs too.</p>
<p>I’d say SATs too. I just got in to the UHC with a 1560/1600 SAT but not even in the top 10% let alone 5% class rank.</p>
<p>Recs and Essays can’t be THAT important because I didn’t even submit a rec, and only one essay.</p>
<p>GPA can’t be that important because there is a lot of variation from school to school. Class rank is better, but what if you go to a competitive school?</p>
<p>Don’t ask for a question if you don’t want to hear the answer. If you want into the UHC that much, then just enter in as a sophomore. It’s a program more than it is a college.</p>
<p>The answer is definitely SATs, hence why they provide a clear SAT cutoff. It’s more difficult to circumvent the SAT cutoff than it is to circumvent the class rank cut off - and those are the only two requirements listed.</p>
<p>Test scores then grades. SAT or ACT are probably the first cutoff, where they say “Oh, this guy doesn’t have over a ____, move along” then they look at grades, which can maybe be overlooked if the test score is good enough. And yeah, my essay sucked and I sent no recs and got into honors college.</p>
<p>Definitely SAT or ACT scores – the higher the better. I believe they use SAT/ACT scores to award scholarships too (unless you have a hook they are looking for). They are trying to pull in the high SAT/ACT scores to increase their overall SAT/ACT average and increase their ranking!</p>
<p>He’s right on. SATs and high school gpa. I had a 1460 and 3.9. I believe you need 3.5 and 1350 (at least when I got in)…</p>
<p>It used to be 1350, but now it’s 1400 (CR/M). And if you want merit money it’s 1450, and even that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get it.</p>
<p>Nothing is guaranteed is correct – who knows what scores will get merit money this year.</p>
<p>If I got a 1390 on M/CR, 2050 for overall, a 3.7 UW and a 4.3 W GPA…do you think that would cut it?</p>
<p>Maybe. Looks like your SAT would be right on the edge… hopefully you have something else good about your app that will make it stand out/push you over the hump?</p>
<p>-I got 3 teacher/counselor recs which should be good because the two teachers I got to do it both thought I was one of the best students they ever had, but the counselor one might not be the greatest since I barely know him.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>wrote a fairly decent essay (I almost submitted a second essay just because I really wanted to get into the honors college, but I pulled it out right before I submitted because it was 2500 words and probably wouldn’t even be looked at).
-another question from that - Can I mail in another essay if I want to?</p></li>
<li><p>I have some good EC’s but due to the way that the pitt app is set up only part of my EC’s were put on there </p></li>
</ul>
<p>-I was born in Israel (doubt this will help at all though), can speak 2 languages fluently and am semi-decent in Spanish. </p>
<p>-Also, I go to one of the top public schools in the state that has a grading scale where an A is 93-100 and all my B’s are between 90-92, while my single C is an 84. Of course, though, my school decides not to put +/-'s so it doesn’t show that >_></p>
<p>So do you think I should have a good shot?</p>
<p>Oh how bout that, it got more competitive.</p>
<p>At an Honors College info session, the program’s head said that they are always open to being approached by students who want to explain why they should be admitted into the program, even if they weren’t initially accepted. No idea if they let everyone in who tries this approach, but it certainly sounds more flexible. There was a lot of discussion about how the honors college is not meant for geniuses, but for the curious. Meaning that you have curiosity, not that you’re odd! 
Though I suppose one could be curious in both senses. :)</p>
<p>So there is not merit money for less than 1450?</p>
<p>I would believe it depends on what else your profile has in it. It certainly helps, but you can most likely get at least some merit money if you have a strong profile but have like a 1400 SAT.</p>