I am deadset on applying to UMASS, and i figure that if there are no downsides to it, i might as well apply early action. I have a GPA of 3.4 Weighted, 3.3 Unweighted (would be higher, but i went to 4 different highschools in 4 years), and i have a 1880 on my SAT.
My understanding is that if i dont get accepted in Early Action, that i just go to the regular pool of applicants. Is there any cons to going Early Action? Should I?
If you apply EA, you will get accepted, deferred or rejected – this is a possibility. Compare yourself with others admitted. Google the “common data set” for UMASS and see where your SAT and GPA compare. If it’s on the low end, then one option is to have a great 1st semester senior year to boost your overall application.
I applied EA last year with a 2.7 GPA and a 2000 SAT. They flat out rejected me. You definitely stand a much better chance than I did, and I thought UMass was a match school. They basically focus exclusively on GPA, so you may be in the middle of the pack on that one. your SAT scores are very good, though.
Are there any other schools you’re looking at? Any favor towards a particular location, size, campus culture etc?
really, i am dead set on umass, having been raised in Amherst, ive spent alot of time there and dont really want to go anywhere else
Early action doesn’t particularly boost your chances. Since you can apply early to so many schools, it doesn’t particularly demonstrate interest.
Only early decision really demonstrates strong interests in the school.
Downside: Less time to write the application and the essays
If you get rejected, your entire Christmas break will suck.
Applying later will give you additional time to squeeze in one more term of grades to impact your GPA.
Another thing: UMass really takes a while to reply. I applied on the first of August last year, and it seriously took until January 23rd for them to get back to me (they mailed my letter on the 9th, but it didn’t come until close to February and I heard online first). They also don’t care about how interested you are in attending. I literally called my admissions rep in December and basically told her that UMass was my first choice. And I’m not even at all bitter.
https://www.umass.edu/oir/sites/default/files/publications/cds/common_data_set.pdf
Scores count about the same as GPA and course rigor. Interest is only considered. Taking an additional semester for grades may be a good idea. The OP’s GPA is in the bottom 25% of admits (and a 2.7 would be in the bottom 1% so a rejection shouldn’t have been a surprise for @LBad96).
So UMass doesn’t reject any students outright from EA? That’s not necessarily true for other schools but each school plays the game differently.
What if the application deadline is before the semester closes?
There is no downside unless you want to try to raise your GPA by the end of first semester. You get you application out of the way early and can focus on other things. Do apply to a few other schools though.