Match Schools: Univ. of MD, CP vs American University

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I am currently a junior from Maryland and have narrowed my college selection down to two schools (AU and UMD).
If I go to AU, I plan on being a CLEG (interdisciplinary study: communications, law, economics, government) major.
If I go to UMD, I plan on majoring in Govt. and Politics (Political Science).
Which school do you think would fit me best?

Pros and Cons of each school

American University

  1. Very politically active and liberal (pro)
  2. CLEG major is exclusive to AU (pro)
  3. Location in DC makes it perfect for internships (pro)
  4. Very high tuition (though financial aid/merit aid might quell that problem)(con)
  5. Smaller school, so a more concentrated learning environment (pro)

University of Maryland, CP

  1. Higher ranked on lists of best universities (pro)
  2. Low in-state tuition (pro)
  3. Still have close access to DC (pro)
  4. School is too large for my taste (con, but perhaps you can convince me otherwise)
  5. Doesn’t specialize in my field of interest

I would also ask whether you believe my admission to these two schools is a safe bet, according to my qualifications.

Race/Gender: Black Female
SAT (out of 2400): 1810 <-- I plan on taking the new 1600 SAT in June and hopefully make at least a slight improvement
GPA (unweighted/weighted): 3.93/4.54
Class rank: Top 5%

of AP courses taken: 9 (now), 12 by senior year

Extracurriculars: Varsity Field Hockey (3 yrs), Billboard Musical Show solo vocalist (all 4 yrs), President of School Ambassadors, National Honors Society

Thank you.

2

I mean you don’t have to narrow your search down to 1 school as a junior lol. You don’t have to decide between the two until you actually get into them. But to answer your question, I think American U is the better fit for you. Your only con was price so you should see if you get financial aid. I think both of these are matches because your grades are awesome but your scores are a bit weak. I think you should get into these schools but they’re no safeties so don’t be surprised if you don’t.

3

Better chances at American than UMD btw. Both good chances though

4

For some odd reason, the average SAT and GPA for students accepted to AU at my school (30 admitted in the past 10 years) was 1850 and 3.52 (regular); meanwhile, the average for UMDCP (220 in the past 10 years) was 1748 and 3.51. I go to a school that is about 75% black/Latino and isn’t highly competitive.
Do you think me going to a low performing high school aids me in the college admission process? It seems that on average, the standard for admission to schools has been much lower for students at my school. I’ve seen kids get into UMD with a 1540 and one kid (famously nicknamed ''Yale guy") got into Harvard/Yale/Johns Hopkins with a 2070 (though he did have a 4.0 gpa).
For this reason, I figure I am almost guaranteed admission to at least UMD.
I’m thinking about applying early action to AU (which is daunting because that means if I am admitted I have to attend) because while I was on the campus tour I was told it would increase my chance of admittance because “we [they] want students who want us [them].”