@bucky0926 they don’t really consider the application essay? Because I would REALLY hope that they view it as important as they claim it to be. I wouldn’t want to transfer to UMass because then I would be placed into Sylvan, which does NOT fit my personality to say the least.
@bucky0926 also, wouldn’t being a FULL PAY OOS student help?
You don’t necessarily get placed in Sylvan as a transfer but there are no guarantees you won’t. Yes I think being out of state helps because obviously we pay more, much more. But they have thousands of applicants from OOS and being from NJ isn’t a big deal for them. If you were from Montana or Alaska that would be better. I don’t know how much the essay helps. I think my sons was pretty bad (he liked it, I didn’t). Somehow I don’t think that any school reads all the essays, skims probably. The only ones that are read are probably the exceptional ones-either really good or really bad. Last year UMass had over 37,000 applications and they will probably get more this year due to the big jump from US news and world report, so reading all of them is probably not going to happen. MY sons weighted GPA was like a 3.3 and he (I think) was skimming the bottom of the barrel. With each class that starts the stats get higher and higher so with your GPA it might be a stretch. The question becomes does a school want the obvious harder workers with the high GPA but with lower SAT’s. To me that kind of student shows they can work hard but might be limited in terms of how much more they can stretch. Or does a school take a chance on the student who didn’t push themselves in high school but have high SAT’s which shows they are smarter than their GPA portrays and can probably go further with college but might not be used to the work load. When they put together a class they are thinking of a number of things and I’m sure that trying to keep the graduation rate within the standard 4 years is a priority to them. So who’s the better fit- low GPA and high SAT or high GPA and low SAT. They also think about diversity and where you come from and what major you are interested in, etc. Its not just an essay or a score-its the combination of everything. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I think also that the last waves were when people started to report that they were rejected or deferred. All the earlier ones were acceptances with what kind of merit they got.
@bucky0926 well, that makes transferring more desirable! 
I’m sure my essay is really good. My GC has read it and she loved it. Whether it sways the AO is yet to be determined.
I think that most schools should have a mixture of “high GPA/low SAT” students and “low GPA/high SAT” students. It helps to increase the well-roundedness of the class. I think sometimes the right school can spur applicants of the second group, such as myself, on to achieve greater heights. If you mention diversity, only 4% of UMASS’S student body is African-American. In my eyes, it wouldn’t hurt if they added some more - but of course, that doesn’t mean that they should admit a black applicant with a 2.3/1340. I truly do hope that I’m not in the last few waves, and that I hear back this upcoming week.
No Bucky0926, you have it wrong. For most schools, the essay becomes most important, not for the very strong (who will be accepted regardless of the essay) or very weak (who will be rejected regardless of the essay) applications, but for the borderline student. The essay becomes important if a student is controversial (liked by half the reviewers for example) or on the edge in terms of all the other application material. Sometimes a strong essay or one that provides information about the candidate that is not otherwise obvious can tip the decisions in the candidate’s favor. Consider two candidates with the same scores and grades. One student’s essay discusses experiences working 30 hours a week all year while the other talks about the memorable summer spent in a summer program designed to improve SATs. The essay tells the adcom that one student has had every opportunity to achieve on all the indices used for college admissions whereas the other probably had no help. All of a sudden the two applicants look a whole lot different from each other.
Ibad96, colleges are not looking for well-rounded classes, they are looking for the strongest students they feel will benefit from what the school has to offer. High GPA low SAT often suggests that a student went to school that lacked rigor. A’s were plentiful. Sometimes it just means that the student is not good with tests. If that is the case, there will be other indices of strengths besides the grades. Other evidence of achievement besides SATs can show that a student is strong even if the scores are low. Low GPA and high SATs may suggest a student who did not work very hard in high school. In that case, there better be some indication that the student has changed or that will be repeated in college. But it seems like you are highly motivated so that is something that would be viewed as desirable by most colleges.
@lostaccount thank you very much for the compliments. I truly hope that what you’re saying is more accurate than what Bucky is saying and that I’ll actually get accepted in the EA round. Not to mention that those with lower GPAs/higher SATs usually come from more competitive high schools than those that are vice versa.
Also, a classmate of mine got accepted on Monday. She has a 3.6 GPA (with Basic Skills math included in her course load) and a 1730 SAT. Though, to her credit, she does write for my school newspaper.
lostaccount, what you are saying is true about the essay. The middle ground students essay is probably being read for the factors that you mention. I do however feel that schools want well rounded classes as well as betting on those who could excel. Its just that I know Ibad really wants UMass and when my S and I attended the info/tour they made a really big deal that the first thing they look at is GPA. I think for UMass his GPA is low and wanted to tell him not to be surprised if he is deferred. On a side note, my son was one of the low GPA and high SAT group and was deferred and then eventually accepted. He did really well his first semester (deans list) despite losing a grandmother, having to put down the family dog the next week and then his other grandmother winding up in the hospital 4 days after that. ibad has certainly shown the effort to obtain admission but I don’t feel it will be EA. I am rooting for him all the way.
@bucky0926 WOW, that’s too much to handle. Kudos to your son for buckling down in times of intense hardship. Since you said that they look at GPA, what of course rigor? I’d be very mad if I, someone who took PreCalc in junior year, loses out on a spot to someone who had Basic Skills math as a GPA padder.
Oh, and it’s LBad
P.S. are you guys from Ohio?
No we are from NY, Queens to be exact. Of course course rigor counts. In fact we were told that as well. They recalculate everyone’s GPA and assign extra points for honors and AP classes. What you need to find out is what college within UMass that classmate applied to. Was it something that having a higher level math wouldn’t really make a difference (like language or journalism)? Just remember that nursing, engineering, business and computer science are the hardest to get into.
Sorry about the name. Its Lbad from now on.
@bucky0926 ah, that’s a good point…Idk what she’s majoring in. I’ll probably ask her. I still think I have a great chance of being admitted EA as an Undecided, tbh.
You know you could be right but I don’t recall anyone getting admitted undecided EA, unless that was their first choice. You should search last year’s thread to see if that happened.
@bucky0926 there were actually a couple of people who were accepted Undecided second choice. I assume I’ll be one of them. Also, my app was processed on September 8…I just have a feeling that I should have heard back already.
“I wouldn’t want to transfer to UMass because then I would be placed into Sylvan, which does NOT fit my personality to say the least.”
You won’t necessarily be placed into Sylvan if you transfer after like a semester. Sylvan is for late transfers and upperclassmen.
Also congrats on your acceptances!
@fallenwinter well, that’s at least better…Idk if I would want to transfer after only one semester, though. Thanks for the congrats!! 
@lbad96 Been following your saga (much better than anything on TV) and hoping for good things for you. You’ve gone silent on this discussion, but since my S is also waiting to heard from UMass (RD) I’ve seen your comments over there. Any updates? It will all work out the way it should…we just don’t know what that way is yet.
@brucemag thanks for the compliment! The only update I can give is that Stetson has been officially eliminated from contention. Both the school itself and the town are too small, it’s the second-least prestigious school remaining on my list, and I’d rather be a Quinnipiac Bobcat than a Stetson Hatter. Still have yet to hear from UMass, and I’m not obsessed with it anymore. I’ve been in a Facebook group for QU accepted students, and I’ve enjoyed it; the students seem down-to-earth and sweet (contrary to what I’ve heard about the school’s overall student body), and we’re now in a huge group chat. Quite a few have already committed to the school, but there are others like me who have to still hear back from other schools before making a decision. And as miniscule as it may sound, the girls aren’t too bad either 
lol
@lbad96 My son is in somewhat similar boat. Accepted to Quinnipiac – interested but will be a financial stretch – while awaiting UMass (as well as Penn State /UP and UDel). Accepted also to Arizona State, Salisbury (Md.) and Rowan (like you, we’re from NJ). He won’t decide until he hears from all his schools (or so he says). I will tell him about the QU Facebook page. Thanks.
@brucemag Ah, I see. Quinnipiac is a pretty good school, but indeed expensive. It’s pretty nice to have a fellow New Jerseyan reading my story! 
What’s your son’s first choice?
He’s always talked about going to UDel, but has also shown great interest in PennState and UMass. But there’s a lot to like about Quinnipiac (aside from the cost). Obviously 3 big schools and 1 smaller one, so he’ll need to prioritize. I truly believe that wherever he goes will be the right place for him. Continued best wishes to you.
@brucemag that’s nice!! Your son seems to be a typical Jersey boy considering he likes both UDel and Penn State 
kids at my high school love those schools, and the feeling tends to be reciprocated. I personally never really saw the appeal of UDel, but it’s good that your son has found four great schools that he likes! I’ve always talked up UMass, but have also shown great interest in Bentley and QU recently as well. Best wishes to you and your son; I know that he’ll do very well wherever he goes!