My GPA is a 97 but it’s weighted. I took the toughest possible courses but I still rank just outside of the top 10% of my class. My school doesn’t calculate unweighted GPA, but if they did it would probably be in the high 80s or low 90s. My SAT score however was a 2300, and I have very strong activities including published research and leading community efforts to involve more girls in computer science. I was surprised to be accepted into scholars because of my low-ish GPA but I guess my SAT made up for it. Also my essays were very strong, I consider myself to be a very good writer.
@STEM2017 I was a double English and History major. I think it differentiated me in the beginning because I was living with scholars and doing the events-- at that point, I hadn’t really formed any sort of identity and it was the one label/community I did have for sure. As I branched out to other things on campus, it steadily became less of a focus in my life, but I do know other people who became incredibly active, getting positions as scholar advisors, scholar coordinators, etc.
I think it helped when I applied to grad school. My acceptance letter noted my ‘excellent academic achievement.’ Housing/course registration is INCREDIBLE and I’d recommend scholars even if that’s the only one thing you use it for. No monetary aid. Worth the extra work - it’s stuff I should’ve been doing anyway. One thing is like, you’re required internship or volunteer position or something. Can’t imagine not doing that once it came time to apply for jobs.
School spirit - I’m not a huge rah rah sports person; we don’t have huge football games, or basketball games where tons and tons of students show up. However, I think in general there is a lot of school spirit that manifests itself in non-sport ways. Virtually everyone I know seems to LOVE the school. There is a very warm embrace of the traditions, inside jokes, and other things that make Binghamton, Binghamton. Everyone I know is involved with clubs or organizations of some sort, and not just to pad the resume. They really love being involved. Dollar Show, which happens every semester and lets you see all the a capella groups perform for $1, gets HUGE crowds. I guess that’s our version of football. There is also a club called BU Zoo which specifically aims to promote rah rah spirit, like pom poms and face painting and “wear green the day of a sports game and if we see you we’ll shower you with free candy!” stuff.
@STEM2017 I was a double English and History major. I think it differentiated me in the beginning because I was living with scholars and doing the events-- at that point, I hadn’t really formed any sort of identity and it was the one label/community I did have for sure. As I branched out to other things on campus, it steadily became less of a focus in my life, but I do know other people who became incredibly active, getting positions as scholar advisors, scholar coordinators, etc.
I think it helped when I applied to grad school. My acceptance letter noted my ‘excellent academic achievement.’ Housing/course registration is INCREDIBLE and I’d recommend scholars even if that’s the only one thing you use it for. No monetary aid. Worth the extra work - it’s stuff I should’ve been doing anyway. One thing is like, you’re required internship or volunteer position or something. Can’t imagine not doing that once it came time to apply for jobs.
School spirit - I’m not a huge rah rah sports person; we don’t have huge football games, or basketball games where tons and tons of students show up. However, I think in general there is a lot of school spirit that manifests itself in non-sport ways. Virtually everyone I know seems to LOVE the school. There is a very warm embrace of the traditions, inside jokes, and other things that make Binghamton, Binghamton. Everyone I know is involved with clubs or organizations of some sort, and not just to pad the resume. They really love being involved. Dollar Show, which happens every semester and lets you see all the a capella groups perform for $1, gets HUGE crowds. I guess that’s our version of football. There is also a club called BU Zoo which specifically aims to promote rah rah spirit, like pom poms and face painting and “wear green the day of a sports game and if we see you we’ll shower you with free candy!” stuff.
@STEM2017 The decision to enroll at Binghamton is May 1 like the other schools, but I already accepted my space in Scholars. You get to reserve your place in Scholars as soon as you get your acceptance. Accepting a spot in Scholars is not binding, so I still have time to decide if I actually want to go or not
