<p>Yes, definitely something to check into with Admissions. I think my son would much rather go to Amherst rather than Lowell (and so would I) but if he could do it for 1yr and then transfer to Amherst, that could work. I’m sure the merit aid we received from Lowell would not transfer but we can handle UMass Amherst and we’d have saved money on that 1st year at Lowell.</p>
<p>U New Haven also added a 2K Engineering Award</p>
<p>I posted this in another forum thread but thought I would share it here also.</p>
<p>I think I may have been calculating my son’s GPA incorrectly this whole time. His high school reports a percentile grade for each class and for the average. His average grade at end of grade 11 was an 86.87. His school does not use weighting for Honors/AP courses.</p>
<p>I thought that I could just convert it to GPA as a straight-forward math problem.</p>
<p>GPA= (86.87/100) * 4.0
GPA= 3.47</p>
<p>I have now seen several GPA charts that suggest that the score could be evaluated by colleges as anything from a 3.0 to 3.47 depending on methodology. Luckily we left GPA and class rank fields blank on the Common App with the intention that the college would use the numeric grade and class rank reported by the high school via the official transcript. </p>
<p>We would have certainly not even been considering a few of the schools (e.g., Purdue, UMCP) on our initial list if I had thought his GPA was closer to a 3.0 than to a 3.5. Definitely a rookie mistake on my part.</p>
<p>It must be quite an interesting process for college admissions officers to compare applicants who have a variety of grading scales (e.g. percentage, 4.0 scale, 4.33 scale, 5.0 scale, letter grade, international) as well as methods (weighted and unweighted). The grades might as well be smiley faces and gold stars when it comes right down to it.</p>
<p>Some schools remove music, band, physical education etc. and calculate their own GPA for each applicant.</p>
<p>Our HS would convert an 86.87 to a 3.387. They use the MA State University System standards (conversion chart is on page 15) so a 3.0 is an 83 and an 86 would be 3.3.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mass.edu/shared/documents/admissions/admissionsstandards.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mass.edu/shared/documents/admissions/admissionsstandards.pdf</a></p>
<p>That leaves me looking at our target engineering school list and asking myself, “what was I thinking?” I doubt we would have even applied to Purdue, Maryland, Northeastern, Connecticut, or WPI with a 3.3 (UW) instead of a 3.5. Some of the reach schools now look more like out-of reach schools and target schools seem more like off-target schools. At least he did have very good SAT score (2010) and a solid package of 13 Honors and AP courses.</p>
<p>USN - I just found out today that my son got into UConn so don’t give up hope!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son (and to you).</p>
<p>Congrats on UCONN</p>
<p>Some more news today. Son accepted at UConn School of Engineering, deferred at WPI, and notified of another Scholarship at UMaine Engineering</p>
<p>So now a newly ordered list - </p>
<p>U Maine - EA - admitted College of Engineering & Honors College / Flagship Scholarship / Engineering Scholarship
University of Connecticut - RD - admitted School of Engineering
Northeastern - RD - awaiting notification
U Massachusetts - Amherst - RD - awaiting notification
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) - EAII - deferred to RD
U New Haven - EAII - admitted College of Engineering/Presidential Scholarship/Writing Award Scholarship
U Maryland College Park - EA - admitted Letters and Sciences (undeclared)</p>
<p>Congrats on UCONN!!</p>
<p>Congrats on UConn and more money from UMaine. Majes it even more attractive! Congrats on WPI deferral, too. You are still in the running. My DS got a rejection letter today. Oh well, it was a reach for him.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that about WPI for your son but UConn seems like a good option unless you can get UMASS to reevaluate entry to engineering after mid-term grades. </p>
<p>Though WPI is our top choice I am increasingly wary of the considerable costs involved. With the scholarships and Honors College, UMaine has steadily risen to the top of our list. I have come to learn something through this process. Reach schools tend to be more expensive. Then because they are reach schools to begin with there is very little chance for merit scholarship money. So unless one is eligible for considerable need based aid those reach schools tend to be unreachable even if one does get accepted. Much better to concentrate on schools where one is more assured of both entry and merit aid or has the advantage of in-state tuition. I am definitely more informed for the next son. We will be much more focused on “match” schools.</p>
<p>USNChief- UMass is giving my son’s application a 2nd look. Just don’t like that the Ad rep told my son that basically means he will just be put in the RD pile. Am hoping that doesn’t mean there is the chance he could lose his EA Undeclared status and just get rejected.</p>
<p>If he does get into UMass Engineering it will be between UMass and UConn for my son. If he can’t get in he will have to consider UMass Lowell along with UConn. Lowell can’t be completely discounted. It would just be so reasonable financially if he went there. </p>
<p>Even if my son had gotten into WPI, he wouldn’t have gotten any merit $ and we’d have to get a huge amount of need $, so we couldn’t afford it anyway. </p>
<p>I feel bad that my DS is the “practice” child.</p>
<p>What were your thoughts on UMASS Amherst? We are in the Northeast and looking at similar schools for my junior -also interested in Engineering. SUNY Binghamton and Penn State are two others…</p>
<p>Coryjoma- as a Mass resident, looking at UMass Amherst for engineering is a no brainer. Don’t know all the ins and outs of rankings and comparing SUNY Binghamton, Penn Stata and UMass. </p>
<p>UMass is in a great area and great college town.</p>
<p>And another scholarship from UMaine today keeps school at top of our narrowing list</p>
<p>Flagship Scholarship 5K (IS) / 15K (OOS)
College of Engineering Dean Scholarship 1.5K
Mechanical Engineering Department Chair Scholarship 2K</p>
<p>It is scholarship season…apply for everything that you are eligible for.</p>
<p>Congratulations! If this keeps up, pretty soon your son will be going there for free!</p>
<p>For curiousity’s sake, I calculated my son’s GPA using the Admissions Standards for the Massachussetts State University System. My son’s high school does not report a weighted grading scale which I think is somewhat of a disservice considering that he completed 13 AP and Honors courses.</p>
<p>Massachusetts Grading Scale - 3.40 Unweighted and 4.16 Weighted</p>
<p>Final results are in…</p>
<p>Son with 3.38 GPA (unweighted) and 2010 SAT superscored (720 CR / 680 M / 610 W). Class rank in upper 25%. 14 Honors and AP courses. Excellent Music EC (Multiple Honors), Sports (Track), Key Club President, Community Service, 3 years of part-time employment. Will pursue Mechanical Engineering degree.</p>
<p>Northeastern University - rejected waitlist offer
Purdue University - denied
University of Connecticut - accepted
University of Maine - accepted
University of Maryland College Park - accepted
University of Massachusetts - Amherst - accepted
University of New Haven - accepted
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) - rejected waitlist offer</p>
<p>UConn merit - 0, financial aid - 6600
UMaine merit - 9500 (18500 OOS), financial aid - 0
UMass-Amherst merit - 10000, financial aid - N/A
UMaryland-College Park merit - 0, financial aid - N/A
UNew Haven merit - 19000, financial aid - 500</p>