I was recently waitlisted at Umass Amherst and American as well as accepted into UNH, URI and UVM. I am a pretty outgoing person who enjoys going out or staying in. I’m planning to major in poly sci. I have extra curriculars such as Key Club and Volleyball as well as a committment to religious night school (I am not very religious, my friends just went). I also have been working a steady job for 2 years but have worked since I was in 8th grade. I have a feeling that I will not get into Umass or American but I am having my a hard time choosing which school to commit to.
My scores were:
SAT- 1220
GPA- 3.4 (I also have taken several APs and hard classes)
From this, does anyone know my chances of actually getting off the waitlist or maybe anything to say about the other schools? I’m going to accepted students day but I just am not sure how I feel.
Also, I am from Mass.
For UMass, I’d go ahead and read their FAQ for 2014, although its a bit dated, I think it does provide some good info and tips. https://www.umass.edu/admissions/sites/default/files/waitlist_faq_f14.pdf
As for any waitlist, it is very difficult to get off, and highly unlikely. In this website they say that there really isn’t anything else you can do aside from answering the waitlist form in a timely manner. You can try to send in new grades or SAT/ACT scores. That being said, all waitlist students are offered admission into the spring semester.
You are admitted to some good schools, if money is not an issue than you have some very good options in your hands.
A lot of kids from our town (in MA) attend UNH and are extremely happy. Perhaps do some research on the strength of the PoliSci department at each school. For example, see what the professors are researching in relation to your personal interests, check the course schedule to see what electives are offered, try to meet with someone from the department, etc. Also, if you have an interest in a minor check out what the requirements are at each school. You have to do some work to figure out which one is the better fit. Tons of info is available online (Reddit, rate my professor, Niche) so start googling.