<p>“3. Merit scholarships come out in March, so stop asking.”</p>
<p>This isn’t completely true.</p>
<p>Last year, my son’s interview for the Banneker/Key was in early February. He received his notification of the proposed interview date in late February. It explained that if he came for the interview day, he would be granted at least a significant partial scholarship.</p>
<p>“4. You need around a 4.4/5.0 to get into the honors college. This means taking almost every AP class offered to you. Only GPA matters for this, not even SAT scores are factors in honors college admissions.”</p>
<p>Not sure I believe this. My son took AP courses, but his final GPA wasn’t 4.4 or better (I’m assuming this is a modified 4.0 scale, where honors courses get an “extra” .5 and AP courses an additional 1.0). However, the fact that he had a pretty high SAT may have helped him get into the Honors College as well as the School of Engineering.</p>
<p>In general, however, admission to Maryland is fairly selective. And most of the focus will be on grades and test scores.</p>
<p>@ ijustcantknow- this was just copied & pasted directly from UMDCP Honors University website…</p>
<p>Invitations to the Honors College are extended to new first-year students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and promise. Students applications are carefully evaluated on the basis of academic achievement in high school, rigor of high school program, application essays, letters of recommendation, participation in extracurricular activities (including work and home responsibilities), and standardized test scores. There are no numerical thresholds (such as a minimum SAT/ACT or GPA) to be considered for Honors College admission although most successful applicants are among the most academically motivated and talented students in our pool by these measures. The Honors College welcomes a nationally and internationally diverse group of students each year. There is no quota for in-state versus out-of-state students.</p>
<p>In case you have any doubts here is the link:</p>
<p>“I don’t see why Maryland would only accept applicants in the 1200-1600 range. They’re a state school, not an Ivy League.” -Renate1516</p>
<p>How is Maryland being a state school relevant? Maryland isn’t on the same level yet, but do you think Berkeley, Michigan, UVA or UNC lower their standards because they are state schools? OOS students at these schools get rejected outright with 1400+ scores. </p>
<p>President Loh continues to make academics at Maryland the focus. As long as he is in charge, Maryland will continue to improve. It becomes more challenging to be admitted every year. </p>
<p>Having a degree that is appreciating in value is a huge plus, considering many University’s have plateaued or even regressed.</p>
<p>“How is Maryland being a state school relevant? Maryland isn’t on the same level yet, but do you think Berkeley, Michigan, UVA or UNC lower their standards because they are state schools? OOS students at these schools get rejected outright with 1400+ scores.”</p>
<p>Oh I didn’t mean it in a negative way at all, I was suggesting that many in-state students apply to those schools because of the lower tuition and the close location. So they’d have many more applicants with sub-1200 scores to pick around from, rather than an Ivy League, which I’d assume has mostly the upper-level scorers. I’m only a student, so I probably am spewing crud. I realize that UMD is increasing in the rankings, and I’m very stressed about admissions now, even though my scores are above 1200. Also, aren’t state schools much larger than the Ivy Leagues, so there’d be a wider range of acceptances?</p>
<p>To “ijustcantknow”, you really do NOT know. For all our speculation, the admissions process still remains mysterious and unpredictable at times. Sure, the stats can give you info about the average or ideal candidate, but there are lots of other admitted students who don’t perfectly fit the mold. I would never consider applying to a “dream school” as a waste of money or time; of course you need to be realistic too, but there’s nothing wrong with reaching for what you want, especially if you can sell yourself on your application with other factors. These forums are not the place for condescending, know-it-all attitudes. That’s not what people are coming here for.</p>
<p>Best of luck to everyone wanting to be part of the Class of 2017! Hope your dreams come true!</p>
<p>Concerning the honors college. The statement i previously made was based on what the Dean of the honors college said at the Maryland Marquee event. Obviously people have gotten in with GPA’s lower then a 4.4/5.0, but that is the AVERAGE. The most important thing he said was that students should be taking the highest available amount of AP/Highest level classes offered. This means that if your school offers 3 AP classes, and you take all 3, you look just as good as someone who takes 8 AP’s in a school that offers a ton of them. This also means, if you take honors courses instead of AP classes if offered, you are probably SOL. Also, he plainly stated SAT scores are not a factor. He said last years honors class had an SAT average of 1400/1600, but it didn’t factor into admissions at all. </p>
<p>Concerning “holistic” admissions. OK, you got me, SOME people are admitted with sub par SAT scores/GPA’s. This is because UMD will admit amazing athletes or minorities with crappy stats to fulfill diversity quotas. This doesn’t mean that you should expect to get in or even HOPE to get accepted with a 950/1600,. </p>
<p>@ijustcantknow if 4.4 is the average, then obviously there are just as many people below it as there are above it… that does not make it a cutoff</p>
<p>and I was at the Maryland Marquee event, and I specifically remember them saying that GPA is not the only factor in admissions to the honors college…</p>
<p>Um, ijustcantknow, if you don’t like what people do on college confidential, delete your account and get off the website. I can’t wait for people with lower scores to prove you wrong.</p>
<p>The Dean of admissions during the honors college seminar specifically said GPA was the only thing they look at during the admissions process (including course load rigor obviously. People accepted to honors obviously have high SAT scores and good extra curriculars, but that is due to correlation and not causation.</p>
<p>@ijustcantknow
“It seems the vacuousness continues…”</p>
<p>So my ideas are empty and lacking in intelligence because they don’t mirror yours? While I agree that those factors (GPA, course rigor, etc.) certainly do play a major role in the admissions process, what I was mostly objecting to was the way in which you stated your “facts.” Your follow-up response above is just further proof of a bad attitude. There are nicer ways to state things, especially in forums where almost everyone is anxious and looking for support, rather than being shot down.</p>
<p>Everything in the internet is a circlejerk. You’re better off questioning why people spend so much time playing baseball on a baseball field when they could play frisbee instead.
To be fair, a lot of what you said is somewhat true. You just said it in a rather mean-spirited way. That tends not to gain support.</p>
<p>I’ve been to a couple of discussions of financial aid over the last year and a half and I’m 98% sure they said that the awards would be mailed to early action candidates by the end of February, not in March.</p>
<p>Last year, my son’s Banneker/Key interview was in late February, and thus notification came earlier in the month. All invited to interview were guaranteed at least a partial scholarship of a specific amount, if they accepted their interview. Thus, although he didn’t know whether he had the partial or the full, he knew that he would receive a large scholarship by early or mid-February.</p>