James Madison University-Do I have a chance in RD? I was deferred in EA..

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

JMU is my #1 top school. I wanna go so bad. I applied in EA and got deferred. I was so happy I didnt get denied like I know I still have a chance but I am scared I am going to get waitlisted or denied in RD =/ I am out of state, I am from New York. ok well here are some of my stats:
GPA: 89.41 ( I read JMU doesnt look at GPA b/c of different schools weight differently)
My transcript does show a gradual improvement from freshmen year to junior year. I took honors classes I only started taking AP classes this year (senior year). My school doesnt offer IB.
2009 - 2010 7th grade
SPANISH 1 93

2010 - 2011 8th grade
SPANISH 2 93
ALGEBRA HONORS 85

2011 - 2012 9th grade
ENGLISH 9 74
SPANISH 3H 84
GEOMETRY HONORS 75
LIVING ENVIRONMENT 85
GLOB HISTORY 1 87

2012 - 2013 10th grade
ENGLISH 10 81
SPANISH 4H 91
ALG II/TRIG HON 70
PHY SET:EARTH SCIENCE 85
GLOB HISTORY 2 80

2013 - 2014 11th grade
ENGLISH 11 86
COLLEGE SPANISH 88
ADV FUNCTIONS CONCEPT 87
PHY SET CHEM 90
US HIST & GOV 91

ACT: 21 - I know its extremely low. I have bad test taking anxiety when it comes to these huge ridiculous tests.
I posted my transcript grades of my core classes b/c I know electives dont really matter. This senior year I am taking College English, AP Gov, Pre-Calculus and Physics. No foreign language since I already took the highest level of spanish class in 11th grade offered at my school. Math isnt my really strong subject as you can see on this…
I have a good amount of Extra Curricular Activities, Honors and Awards, Community Service might be lacking a bit since I only have 3 things written for it since my Work Experience is about 7 jobs. Ive worked 2 jobs since 10th grade. So like I was extremely busy with working, school and sports. My essay is about being a first college applicant and how my hispanic heritage and family has helped shaped me to become a hardworking individual and like the person I am today. Basically like a story behind my identity kinda thing you would see on the Common App.
I know some people who got deferred also with much higher grades so I am kinda worried but also glad that JMU gave me another chance and believed I have an opportunity in the RD pool. I already emailed the admissions rep expressing my interest still in JMU and how it is my top choice school. I dont know what much else to do. Do I have a chance?
Oh god waiting until the end of March feels like an eternity…

2

I am not a JMU admissions expert but rather just a mom of a student who was recently admitted to JMU so please don’t take to heart what I’m about to say but I am going to be honest. Your hs will submit a form giving information on the gpa is calculated. I’m pretty sure your gpa will be considered in context of your school. It’s the class rank that tends to be more iffy but even then, they will probably look at it in context of your class. This website will show you more about what JMU will be looking at on your application: http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1809#selectionOfStudents.

As you can see, the ACT 50 percentile is 26 & the reality is that a lot of the lower scores are probably coming from recruited athletes. When my son was a freshman because we are in Va. & JMU has always been on the radar, I called JMU, GMU & W&M to see what level of math they wanted to see in prospective students? All three schools told me they liked to see calculus. Being OOS also means you are facing more competition.

You’ve got a lot going for you & JMU takes a holistic approach to admissions so you might still get in but just be prepared with a safety school. Nothing is set in stone with this stuff & sometimes colleges will take chances on students. I hope you are one of them!

3

Thank you for writing this it helped me alot i did already get accepted to my safety school just in case JMU denies me but i really hope in RD it all goes well! thanks so much!!!

4

My daughter was deferred from EA back in 2013, but eventually accepted during the RA. I’m confident of your chances. She is now a sophomore at JMU and still loves it there.

5

Thank you!!! I really hope so :slight_smile: