@sbhamm -Thank you for your insight as one whose son was awarded a Full BK. No matter how many times, people are told that certain evaluations are holistic, they just don’t seem to believe it and they fall back to the old “My stats were better” I guess some things never change
Yes, I often shake my head when I see posts and read about people talking about how their stats were this and that and they go so far as to list and ask for comparisons when most of these schools say acceptance is holistic evaluation and not based on a certain number. In case of the BK, that award was stated to be evaluated on a holistic approach as well. I am one who can certainly testify to that. But @SoofDad I think you’re right, some things will never change. Stats are important but they come a dime a dozen. The one thing I have always told my son was that in a sense he is a dime a dozen to these schools. There is another one of him in Florida and Pennsylvania and Delaware, same GPA, SAT scores, been told all their lives how special they are, the best at this and the best at that. May seem a little off but I didn’t want him thinking he was better than everyone everywhere because he stood out among the group he was in. He was competing so to speak with the people from other ares that he didn’t know and he needs to be well rounded to stand out. Everyone is smart and gets good grades and are in Chess Club and Honor Societies, show your range as an athlete or an actor or volunteer at senior citizen homes, on top of getting good grades and scores, something else to stand out. I guess when you get so focused on a number you can forget about the holistic aspect of what these schools look for. I’m no expert but those are my personal thoughts and nothing more. We’re just fortunate that UMD is one of those schools that actually do take that approach and don’t just state in because it sounds good, they really give everyone a chance and really focus on the individual as a whole.
I’m a good applicant and got into the Engineering school so I was in the same boat as you with being surprised not to be invited to the honors college. I asked for my application to be reconsidered and also let them know that I was choosing between Swarthmore, a full ride at UMBC, or College Park. I was then offered a spot in the honors college along with a letter that noting that the Honors Admissions Committee “very rarely reverses its decisions.”
@sbhamm @SoofDad I absolutely do understand what you are saying. I guess I thought I would get be invited to compete for B/K because I thought I had a great essay and have very involved leadership and commitment to extracurriculars. I was nominated by my school for the full ride at the University of Virginia and was an invited for an interview, so I am surprised as to why Maryland did not give me a chance - I really needed the money.
@mmj133 I definitely understand how you feel, and I’m sorry you didn’t get the BK invite. Obviously to be nominated to represent your school for an UVA scholarship shows you are a worthy enough student. Some of it I guess is luck in the beginning as far as how your entire bio is perceived. I would hate to be on the admissions board and have to go through all these applications and have the fates of a lot of these kids riding on who I deem as worthy enough to compete when so many are obviously exceptional. Good Luck to you. Have you decided yet?
I will be attending Maryland next year! @sbhamm
@mmj133 - Welcome to Terp Nation! GO TERPS!!!