What are my chances of getting into the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
1

I was hoping to major in genetics in CBS, or chemistry in CLA.

Cumulative GPA- 3.938
Tri GPA- 4.0
Weighted GPA- 4.018
Class Rank Unweighted- 8 of 500
Class Rank Weighted- 6 of 500
Percentile- 98%

I took the PSAT.

My senior year course work includes IB History HL, IB English HL, IB Chem SL, IB Physics SL, with 4 years of wind ensemble, 4 years of French, and precalculus

My high school career for the most part was all honors classes and an AP class freshman year.

I have never gotten anything lower than an A-

Girls Tennis: (Varsity) 2013-2018
Model United Nations Team: 2015-2018
Sophomore Class Cabinet: 2015-2016
Junior Class Cabinet: 2016-2017
Link Crew: 2016-2017
Delegate for the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State: 2017-2018
National Honor Society: 2017-2018
Senior Class Cabinet: 2017-2018
(Winds and Percussion): 2015-2018
National Society of High School Scholars: 2017-2018

Over 200 volunteer hours.

8 school, state, and national awards.

I have a job.

But I got a 21 ACT, in which I will retake in September.

I am a black female, if that helps, coming from a more diverse high school.

I am a first generation African student.

I plan to apply Early Decision.

Lastly, I am a Minnesota resident.

Please help me determine what my chances are for getting into the UMNTC.

2

I’m not sure if any of us here know whether a first generation African student can get in with a 21 ACT. The minimum score that most students shoot for is 28 at least ( and maybe 26 in CFANS or CEHD but higher in the sciences. ). Why is your ACT so low while your grades are so high? You need to retake the ACT and really prepare in advance

3

Do you have a plan to get a much higher score?

4

I studied months prior to my first actual ACT test. I will retake the ACT and I do plan on scoring higher.

5

What was your PSAT score? If your PSAT percentile was higher than average (21 ACT is about 50th percentile, I think) then you should take SAT not ACT.

You definitely have a demographic advantage - perhaps not a gender advantage because the majority of CBS students are, in fact, female (by 2:1). Your grades are super and your course load seems appropriate - although I wonder about the differences in difficulty between HL and SL. Given that you are taking two sciences at the same time and both are the rigorous IB curriculum, that’s probably OK to have them both at SL. Also, hopefully you took Bio at some point since you will need that course to be considered for CBS.

Despite all the advantages of your application, you will need to get that standardized test score up in order to improve your chances of being admitted to CBS. The latest statistics (see below) show an ACT of 29 and a (new) SAT of 1330 at the 25th percentile - those are the numbers to shoot for at minimum. As a desired demographic you have a real shot at CBS if you can hit those numbers. Keep in mind that even if you don’t hit them - and even if you don’t end up in CBS - you might be admitted to CLA. If in CLA, you definitely can major in biology or similar.

Good luck to you!

https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/academics/profile.html

Edit to add: When you say first gen. African student do you mean first generation in this country (but parents are college educated) or first generation to go to college? If the latter, then that’s probably another advantage as UMN considers first. gen. status to be a secondary factor in an admission decision (not a definite “in” but definitely will help).

6

What is your end goal? (Genetics will require grad school)

Have you tried the SAT?

Look into test optional universities.

7

I was also looking at CFANS and its pre bio systems and bioengineering program. How about my luck there?
My school doesn’t offer HL science courses except for biology, however I did take honors biology my sophomore year.
And first generation as in this country. Both of my parents have degrees.

8

CFANS is well known and easier to get into but would still require a 25+.
Apply to UMN Morris and start looking at test optional colleges such as Earlham but even reaching to top test optional schools like Wake Forest, Dickinson, Bates, and Bowdoin.

9

Bard is also test optional. But UMN is a heckuva lot cheaper than private college.

@HiHeyHello8 do you have good reason to believe your ACT will be significantly higher? Or are you going more on hope and determination? And what are your thoughts on taking the SAT instead?

In terms of selectivity, CBS will be harder to get into; CLA and CFANS easier (with similar test scores needed for both). Previous applications have asked for two choices of a college so you can specify a backup - say, one of the less selective colleges that can give you a similar major experience. Your studies in CBS will be much more math and science intensive than at CLA; however, the major requirements for a biology major in both colleges are going to be similar. The prebiosystems/bioproducts major is a joint program between CFANS and CSE. It’s a very applied program of study (you work on food or biosystems or ecological systems specifically) and has an engineering focus. While in CFANS you are actually in pre-major status - if accepted to the major, the remaining two years are completed over at CSE. It sounds very rigorous and exciting but you should check to see how many who apply through CFANS tend to be accepted to the major.

You might just take a look at all the requirements of your majors of interest to see how they are fulfilled through the various colleges of entry. UMN is very flexible in that there is more than one way to major in the biological sciences. Each college will have its own emphasis (CFANS very applied, CLA will be a liberal arts education, and CBS will be very technical and quantitative). All are great choices - the trick is discovering which tracks spark your interest the most. Assuming your stats are in good order, those are the tracks you will want to put down on your application.