UMD Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
1

<p>Hi, I was referred over here, by someone in "What are my chances?". Ok, the most obvious thing lacking seems to be my rank. I haven't gotten my report card fort he end of the year yet, so that's from the middle of Junior year. I do, however expect it to be lower at least 5 spaces, but I'm not positive where exactly I'll end up falling. I plan to also raise my SATs, also. </p>

<p>Not so good Freshmen year was a hard hole to get out of. A white, female and to be senior at a private catholic high school in Pennsylvania. </p>

<p>Rank: 38 of 102. GPA: 3.51 SAT: 1270 (Retaking) Writing: 670.
Nothing special. </p>

<p>EC: (* would be projected) Varsity field hockey: 9,10,11,12<em>, Varsity soccer: 9,10,11,12</em>, Varsity basketball: 10,11,12<em>, SADD: 10,11,12</em>, Student Government: 10th Grade Class Secretary, 11th Grade Class President, 12th- Student Body President, Student Ambassadors: 12*.
Other things: Lots of volunteer work at church social events, 2 years a buisness camps, 12 years of swim team, 12 years of club and premiere soccer, 3 years working as a lifeguard. </p>

<p>Classes: Junior Year- English 11, Trigonamatry, Citizens and Systems Honors, Physics 1 honors, Spanish 3, church history (required)
Senior Year (to be courses)- English 12, Pre Calculus honors, AP european history, physics 2 honors, AP Spanish 4, apologetics/christian vocation (required). </p>

<p>Thats about it, does anyone have anything to say on my likelihood of being accepted? Thanks in advance, your opinions are much appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Your ECs seem amazing but being out of state is going to cripple you a bit. Your SAT is the same as mine and I got in, but I'm in state. Because you're out of state it would really really be helpful for you to raise it to the 1300+ range. Also, do you have a weighted GPA? If 3.51 is unweighted, and you have a higher weighted one then okay but if 3.51 IS weighted then that might be considered a little low too.</p>

<p>You have a pretty good chance as is in my opinion; but, Maryland is extremely picky and I know of some people who got deferred to Spring who I thought would get in wayyy before me.</p>

3

<p>I was reading this thread and also your first one in chances....</p>

<p>Something you should keep in mind is that not all schools rank. You should find out from your guidance counselor if your rank prints out on your transcript or not. If it doesn't, then there's no need to even give your rank on your app. If it does, maybe when you write your rank in your application, you could put 38 (based on unweighted GPA). This way at least the admissions office knows what's going on.</p>

4

<p>That's a good point. The ranks are such a touchy subject to me because without trying to sound cocky-ish, I know for a fact that I'm smarter than at least 15-20 people ahead of me.</p>

5

<p>Kelly - our backgrounds sound sooooo similar and they took me! </p>

<p>Only big dif is I'm in-state. My GPA weighted wound up about 3.7 weighted - my old SAT was 1280 - only took the new one once and the writing part was a disaster - and other scores similar. Sports and EC's very similar (especially community service work) and I had a lot of leadership positions. Came from a private Catholic school - I get the apologetics ref - many here prob don't! Played bball, field hockey and lax since I was little. </p>

<p>Although I was in the top 20% - I was always fried by the kids ahead of me who took 4 years of basket weaving and got top 10% and NHS - when they never took anything higher than consumer math and english for dummies - but in the end it didn't matter. With 3 AP's and almost all of my classes at honors level, my success at a really tough schedule in a college prep environment got me in, when some of those in the top 20%, with easy schedules were rejected or deferred to Spring - the schools look at your schedule and factor that in. If you can pick up another AP that would be great!</p>

<p>I have wanted to be a Terp as long as I could remember and I completed my app and submitted the first day it was available online last August (if I remember correctly). I bugged my guidance counselor (who wasn't too swift) to contact the admissions counselor for our school and recommend me. My Dad - who is an alumnus - wrote a frank letter about my strengths and weaknesses and asked that my application be carefully considered. I impressed on the teachers who wrote my recs how important UMCP was to me. Then I crossed my fingers, wore Terps t shirts to bed every night for luck (people kept giving me new ones and I bought a new one every time we went to a football or bball game there - so I am still keeping my streak going - I have about 25 of them now - so always have a few clean ones on hand - hah! - I may keep it up until I graduate in 2010), and prayed - yep - prayed a lot.</p>

<p>I had a back up plan that I put into place last August/early September. I applied to Penn State U early action (I love PSU - but its not UMCP) - and they have rolling admissions. I also applied to several safety schools and did everything early action. Most of my safeties accepted the common application <a href="http://www.commonapp.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.commonapp.org&lt;/a> - so that made life easy - 1 essay for all! By October - I had been accepted to a few rolling decision schools - like Towson - by November I was into PSU University Park for Fall - by Christmas I knew I was into all of my schools except Maryland, Villanova (impossible to get into this year - but so expensive - so who cares!), Delaware (great school but very late decision schedule) and Loyola Baltimore (also very expensive and stingy on $ and very late on their decisions, if I had it to do over, I would have saved the app fee on this one). Knowing I had good alternatives already in my pocket made waiting on UMCP easier.</p>

<p>SO I guess the bottom line is - if they took me - they can take you - get working on your essays and get your requests for recommendations in to your teachers as soon as you return to school in the fall - the earlier they get them, the less fatigued they are by the senior/college app process and the more enthusiastic they are about writing for you. Figure out a few safeties which you can afford and where you could be happy while getting a good education. Visit them this summer and whittle your list down to places you can love once you get there. Do the apps and get it over with.</p>

<p>Then kick back and enjoy the heck out of your senior year - its so fun but goes so fast! I can't wait to go to College Park in the Fall - but I can't believe I had to let go of high school - I thought I would die at graduation - so get the apps behind you and don't let the agony of college acceptances dominate the fun out of your life!</p>

6

<p>if you're out of state you might want to raise that, I got in and was 38/351 with a 4.0 weighted</p>