What are my chances of getting into UNC??

Hi I am very nervous about getting into my dream college, UNC-CH. I want to go into nursing here and now it is a very prestigious school, however I would like some input on what my chances are and how I could possibly get in.

UW GPA- 3.94
W GPA- 4.2
ACT- composite: 30 (super-scored), 29 if they don’t super-score, however I am taking it again.
math-29
science-33
reading-32
english-25
6 years of competitive cheer (national and worlds titles)
school track and field - 2 years
200 hours of community service from ACTIVE 20/30 helping children in need
40 hours of community service raising money for deaf students to receive higher education
President of Green club
Secretary of Am Sign Language Club
Editor of school yearbook
tutor peers in math and science
internship at a hospital shadowing a nurse
worked as a lifeguard at local water park (CPR and AED certified)
3 community college credits (dual enrollment)

Thank you for the help !!!

UNC-CH does appear to superscore the ACT: http://admissions.unc.edu/apply/how-we-review-test-scores/

Will you be an in-state or OOS applicant?

Unfortunately OOS

As you probably know, the chances for any OOS applicant to UNC-CH are somewhat problematic due to the highly competitive nature of OOS applications there; UNC-CH admits OOS applicants in numbers that are calculated not to exceed 18% of an entering freshman class. See “Undergraduate Admissions” on Page 2, here: http://www.admissions.unc.edu/files/2013/09/Admissions__Policy.pdf. As a further example of the difficulty for OOS students to be admitted to UNC-CH, the entering Class of 2020 had a 15% acceptance rate for OOS applicants: http://admissions.unc.edu/apply/class-profile-2/.

If you look at the UNC-CH Common Data Set, under Part C7 it states that standardized test scores, application essay(s), letter(s) of recommendation, and the rigor of your high school record are “very important” academic factors considered for freshman admission, whereas GPA and class rank are “important” academic factors considered for freshman admission. Extracurricular activities, talent, and character/personal qualities are considered as “very important” non-academic factors.

Further, Part C9 of the Common Data Set for UNC-CH gives the median 50% for both SAT and ACT scores, as well as the percentage of the entering first-year class falling within certain ranges of SAT and ACT scores; Part C11 gives the percentage of entering first-year students falling within a range of unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale, and Part C12 gives the average high school GPA of first-year applicants.

A significant problem for you, as I see it, is your ACT score, which is low among OOS applicants in a category that UNC-CH considers to be “very important”; your GPA is also a bit low for OOS applicants.

By way of comparison, our OOS high school usually has 8-10 students who apply, and 1-2 students who are admitted, each year to UNC-CH; and, with the exception of legacy students, our admitted students have ACT scores of 33+ and weighted GPAs of 4.4+. These successful applicants also were involved in extracurricular activities that showed commitment over time (no “drive-by” ECs), and demonstrated leadership in the school as well as their ECs. Other kids in our city who I know were admitted to UNC-CH recently also had similar academic statistics and non-academic characteristics; and all of these kids were “unhooked” in admissions parlance (i.e., not a recruited D-1 athlete, or a URM, first-generation college student, etc.).

If you are a URM (“under-represented minority”), recruited D-1 athlete, first-generation college student, or an OOS legacy, or have disadvantaged socioeconomic status, then you may have a slightly easier path. Otherwise, at this point I would work to have really good ECs, essays, and LORs; and perhaps consider taking the ACT again. (Have you taken the SAT? People usually tend to do better on one test or the other, and perhaps you might get and advantage in taking the SAT.)

I don’t know whether your high school has Naviance or any similar program that gives information about how students at your high school have done in applying to colleges and universities; if so, you might peruse that data as they apply to UNC-CH. I would also try to meet with a guidance counselor at your school as soon as you can to discuss application strategies for UNC-CH; if any former students from your school have been admitted to UNC-CH recently, the guidance counselor may be able to give some insight into how and why such student(s) were successful.

And while your didn’t bring it up, I don’t know whether money would be an issue for you and your parents; but your standardized test scores and GPA are not going to get you any merit money from UNC-CH. If you and your parents will be faced with paying full tuition, room and board, and fees as an OOS student, then you might want to consider whether getting a nursing degree at an annual cost of $45K+ is going to provide a good ROI, especially since there are probably nursing programs in your home state that would be much more affordable.

Thank you for the advice!! Money is not an issue because I am receiving an Army ROTC scholarship, but the points you made are very helpful.