What are my chances of getting accepted into James Madison University? I am a junior with a 3.46uw GPA. I’ve taken honors bio and AP Lang. I will be taking AP lit, AP Government, and AP Psych. I have also taken 3 years of Spanish and 1 year of Latin. I am South Asian ( mostly worried about this since JMU seems to accept predominantly white). Upper Middle class in NOVA. I am also not submitting an act/sat since the school is test-optional. My EC’s are: Volunteer firefighter, assistant manager at a company, 2 clubs ( HOSA and the Muslim association club), freshman basketball manager, boxing at a local gym, I tutor kids, and I also worked at a kids birthday party playhouse. I will also be submitting a Letter of recommendation and a supplemental essay ( optional ). I’ve been also trying to show demonstrated interest by attending their webinars and following them on social media. I will also send out an email later on next year to my admissions representative, Thank you! I have a feeling I won’t get in but I’m trying to be optimistic about it:) ps: idk if this helps but I’m fluent in Urdu and Arabic.
Since you are a junior, you seem well ahead of the game. Unless the application has changed since last year when my DD applied, JMU only looks at guidance counselor recommendation and their application has a personal statement. Make sure you have a good working relationship with your GC at school and let them know of your interest in JMU. Ask your HS English teacher to review your personal statement next year when you are a senior. JMU does not “track” demonstrated interest. However, if you have any specific questions about their curriculum or your course plan for next year, then look up your local JMU Admissions officer (on JMU website) and email them with your questions. Your local AO is the person who reviews applications from your area/high school. I would also recommend applying EA, then if you get deferred you will automatically be considered in the RD pool. Keep focused this year to finish strong in your coursework and you probably have a good chance at acceptance. (just my opinion)
WRT: Asians at JMU. My DD is Asian and had/has the same concerns about JMU being predominantly white. Coming from the diversity of NOVA, it does require adapting. However, every year JMU seems more focused on admitting a greater diverse population, so I do think this may work to your benefit. Assuming you decide to attend, just plan to seek out clubs where you feel comfortable. The JMU population is a welcoming community.