<p>Hi.
So I'm a rising senior. Time to start college applications soon.</p>
<p>-I have a decent GPA of 90.71 probably higher now. so it will be in the upper 3.8+ ish i guess? I don't really know how to weigh in my GPA
-SAT score of 1890 (600 English 720 Math 560 Writing) if we super score then it will only be a super bad 1910. so in this department i suck. going to try to take ACT in September to see how i do.
-300~ hours of volunteer.
-Quiz Bowl Tournament player</p>
<p>yea.....are SAT subject tests important?like for getting into engineering programs and such? what are my chances???</p>
<p>Last 2 questions</p>
<p>-How is this school in your opinion. financial aid situation. etc</p>
<p>Alright, so a 1910 is not “super bad”. UMD doesn’t care about writing anyways, and youre 1320 two-part puts you well within the middle 50%, which is very good. SAT subject tests are not expected nor required to get into engineering programs, but if you’re good and perform well, they can only help. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what you’re looking for in those last two questions - UMD doesn’t help much in terms of financial aid, just like any public school. However, UMD has so much to offer - it really is a great institution with strong departments in every field. I’m a rising freshman and every student I have spoken to has loved/is loving their time at UMD. </p>
<p>I highly highly recommend applying Early Action, no matter what. That’s when UMD accepts most of their applicants. You have a good shot, yes. However, college admissions can be unpredictable, so don’t expect anything. You are a competitive applicant as it stands, and if you take the ACT, try to get at least a 30. </p>
<p>Nope I live in New York City. but i really want to get out of here. and im not smart enough for no harvard…and i found this school. Penn State University Park seems awfully similar to this school.
They both have park in their names. both have good engineering programs. etc</p>
<p>UMD is quite expensive for out-of-staters. Same applies to Penn State and most out-of-state public schools. They don’t offer the same financial aid packages private schools do. </p>
<p>FYI, admissions to engineering are more competitive since they are a limited enrollment program (LEP). If you are admitted to the university, and you have marked engineering as your desired major, your application is then sent to Clark (A James Clark School of Engineering) for a second review. The average SAT range for engineering is 1320-1450 and they consider other factors as well. I know many students that get admitted to either honors college or college park scholars (so very strong students) but are not directly admitted to engineering. It is not a big deal to re-apply to engineering after you start, and as long as you meet the requirements you will be admitted. Just wanted to put that out there so you are aware of that. It is limited primarily to ensure they have the proper resources to give good support to retain engineering students, so not a bad thing.</p>
<p>As for the similarity between Penn State and Maryland simply because of Park in their names, ummm, not sure how to respond to that one. Penn State will be an easier direct admit to engineering but is an equally strong program. Similar types of campuses - both beautiful, but Penn State campus is almost twice the size when you walk around. Penn State is in the middle of nowhere but has a really adorable, classic college town. College Park is not so bucolic, but has very easy access (about 15-20 min ride) to DC, the heart of the nation and all that goes with that (culture, nightlife, internship/job opportuntiites). Both Big 10 Conference athletics.</p>
<p>Financial aid is determined by FAFSA, so your expected family contribution is going to be the same at either school. The bigger variable is merit aid. Merit aid at Maryland, from what I can tell (and I could be mistaken), tends to be heavily based on standardized test scores. However, that is a really unpredictable thing and I wouldn’t even hazard a guess on that since there are other factors (Ie no one knows).</p>
<p>Your best chance of admission is to apply by the Nov 1 priority deadline. Best of luck.</p>