Why did I get rejected?

<p>Eth: White
Sex: Male
State: NC
Grade: Senior
Major: Biology ..pre-med
GPA: 3.8
location: In-state</p>

<p>AP's - Through End of Junior Year
-AP Environmental Science(3)
-AP US History(3)
-AP English 11(2)</p>

<p>Senior Schedule:
-AP English 12
-AP Human Geography
-H Chemistry 1
-H Pre-Calculas
-Spanish 2
-AP Studio Art 2D
Scores:
SAT: 1520 out of 2400 (This is one of the reasons.)</p>

<p>Sports-
-Varsity Lettermen for Swim Team last 2 years, and senior year too hopefully. And a conference participant in swimming last 2 years.
-Travel AA Ice Hockey (9, 10, 11)
EC's:
-Boy Scouts (9,10,11,12)
-Beta Club (11,12)
-Blood Drives
-CPR/First Aid/Lifeguard trained (10,11,12)</p>

<p>-Job: Lifeguard at the YMCA (June 2007 till present)</p>

<p>Honors, Recognitions, Awards, Program:
-EAGLE SCOUT
-Brotherhood Member of the Order of the Arrow (Scouting's National Honor Society)
-Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scientific Visualization I for the 2006-2007 School Year
-Award for Perfect Attendance for the 2007-2008 School Year</p>

<p>-Recommendations: I had killer recommendations.
-Essays: What can i say, they're essays. </p>

<p>I guess I didn't get in because my grades weren't good enough. I didn't have enough A's in high school. And my sat scores are too low. But I am well-rounded. I am an EAGLE SCOUT, played travel ice hockey (how many kids in North Carolina play travel ice hockey?!), and am a YMCA lifeguard. But i guess in the end "well-rounded" is ********. If you don't have the grades they won't accept you.</p>

<p>Your SAT score ain't that good. I think that's the major problem.</p>

<p>Well grades and SAT scores are two of the most important things that they look at. So yeah, you can have all the activities in the world, but if your GPA and/or SAT score is too low, you will get rejected.</p>

<p>Although, a 3.8 GPA isn't bad. Unless it is weighted??</p>

<p>SAT's, AP's, no subject tests, no calculus (which leaves questions to rigor). Chapel Hill likes over 4.0 or very close and really I would say a 2000 is pretty average for SAT or 1350 for just math and CR. It's great that you are a scout but EC's will never make up for your work in the classroom, and test scores- are a big part of the game at least up to a certain point. Good luck with your other applications.</p>

<p>yea, well rounded means excellence in other areas (sports, community service, arts) in additon to success in school. They dont want just pure bookwrom nerds w/ no other skills. But they also dont want someone who they fell cant handle the rigorous education</p>

<p>sats, and ap scores are way to low for a pre-med, ur senior science and math courses are not challenging enough, esp for someone looking to be a doctor, most ppl have at least 2 ap sciences and up to Ap calc bc by senior yr</p>

<p>sorry to be blunt, but its not the end of the world!!</p>

<p>Well rounded helps when you have most of the things required for admission and are on the marginal side in one area. The 1520 total SAT is VERY low for UNC even for in state students and your AP course selection leaves a lot to be desired. Add to that the fact that your AP scores are on the low side. Your overall course selection does not appear to be the most rigorous available (unless you HS only offers Honors in some areas and not AP) which means that you had way too much to overcome with recommendations and ECs especially in a highly competitive early admissions class that we saw this year.</p>

<p>AP Environmental science is not one that they (or honestly most other top schools) give much credit for taking. They are looking for AP Bio and Chem as well as AP Calculus AB or BC.</p>

<p>To slightly change the subject:</p>

<p>You say you want to major in Bio/pre med but didn't take AP Bio or Chem in HS; was it not offered?</p>

<p>I ask because AP Bio and Chem can give you some idea of what the rigors of those classes will be like in college. Unfortunately intro chem, bio and physics classes at many schools (UNC is one of them) are designed to be weed out classes for pre-med with ORGO being the ultimate weed out class. </p>

<p>My next comments are more informational and NOT intended to discourage you as much as point out the reality of med school admissions these days.</p>

<p>Med school admissions these days for a white male are incredibly difficult and more competitive than ever. Take a look at the pre med forums on CC for more on this.</p>

<p>Performance on the MCAT can closely mirror performance on the SATs. You will need over a 3.5 both overall and science GPAs and an MCAT over 30 just for consideration to most any school and for a better school (and I don't mean top 25) raise the GPAs to 3.7s and the MCAT to between 33 and 36. In all honesty, your SAT performance does not indicate that those scores are probably achievable. Some people are not good standardized test takers which doesn't mean they can't be highly successful in college or grad school; the problem is that when test scores carry as much weight as the MCATs do (especially for non-URMs) they act as gate keepers for those with lower scores. </p>

<p>I say all this because far too many people enter undergrad dreaming of Med school and only after they have disastrous results in core science classes and have really screwed up their GPAs do they realize that med school may not be in their future and they spend the rest of college trying to raise their GPAs for grad school or law school.</p>

<p>A close friend of my son from HS (who is a very bright kid) went to a very good, very highly regarded private college, had good grades (3.5 overall, 3.4 science) but bombed the MCAT the first time around scoring around a 27 (which by the way is the average for all test takers) and a 30 the second time. Med schools really don't encourage retaking the MCAT by the way. Right now he is in his second year of applying while working in a hospital trying to gain some edge. He hasn't gotten any acceptances or even interviews yet.</p>

<p>This is not the end of the world and it certainly doesn't minimize your chances to be highly successful doing something else. I would talk to someone who has been there and get some real world advice before declaring a pre-med major.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Why did I get rejected?

[/quote]

I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing it's because they didn't want you...</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure it was because of SAT's and grades. 3.8 on weighted scale is really, really low. </p>

<p>The lowest SAT score from school that got in was 1900. </p>

<p>That's at least 630 CR, W, Math. </p>

<p>1540 is 510 CR, W, Math. It's a big difference when you look at it on a bell curve.</p>

<p>You didn't seem to challenge yourself academically.</p>

<p>You took 0 challenging science courses, e.g. AP Chem, Calc AB/BC, Bio, Stat, etc. You took mostly humanities. Big difference, again, on the bell curve.</p>

<p>As much as you like to push it, being an Eagle Scout does not make you a well-rounded person. Not trying to create a brag-a-thon, I founded a drug awareness program my freshmen year, I was on the board for the county sponsored Fatherhood and Role model program .. the list goes on. Playing sports is a backseat to being involved directly with your community.</p>

<p>Don't feel too bad. I know A LOT of people with 4.4 and up gpa and over 1340 SAT's who were deferred. LOTS! It was a very tough year!</p>

<p>^^I agree. Don't feel too bad. My son was flat-out rejected last year (OOS) with about the same GPA (unweighted) but higher SATs (2120--I had forgotten but just looked them up!). He is very happy where he ended up. You SATs are low, but I think the comments about your lack of academic rigor may be unfair. My S went to an academic magnet HS and took the most challenging courses, but few APs and few advanced courses (e.g., biology or chemistry II) were offered. I have always wondered whether the inexperience of his counselor affected the school profiles that went out to colleges, not just for him but for others. I was not confident that the counselor adequately described the rigor of his school, which has very high expectations and standards. This is not sour grapes, but just a comment that academic rigor is not measured only in terms of APs. I think my son was rejected because at his level of SATs and GPA, it was a crapshoot. He is glad he gave it a try and did his best on his essays, but his reaction was "oh, well." He moved on, and so will you.</p>

<p>P.S. I checked this forum to see how this year's EA applicants were doing. This year is even tougher than last year!</p>

<p>I'm about the same grade-wise as you are and expecting a rejection letter. Hey at least I know I'm not the only one!</p>

<p>I wouldn't knock on the GPA too much. I got in a with a 3.5 HS GPA, although this was 2 years ago. SAT was the killer I think for you.</p>

<p>for all of you posters out there, id like to mention to xistrep that he is absouletly FULL OF IT!!! The Eagle Scout Award is an outstanding achievement and Scouts is a wonderful extracurricular. This highly regarded and rare award has A LOT of weight in college admissions. With that being said, for a 1540 SAT applying to Carolina, even if it is in state, Eagle Scout is good, but unfortunately, it is not a miracle worker.</p>

<p>I didn't say that becoming Eagle scout was an easy achievement, I said that it does not necessarily credit you to being a well-rounded person. </p>

<p>There is a difference. </p>

<p>Yes, admission officers like to see it, it does hold weight, but it does not 'seal the deal' or make the person a 'slam dunk'. </p>

<p>Geezermom, if his school can offer AP Studio Art 2D or AP Human Geography, then either the school does not have its priorities straight based on scientific-educational needs, or he did not challenge himself adequately to the approval of admissions officers. </p>

<p>Not only would this be a factor, but the form that the school counselor sends in has a box marked for 'Academic Rigor' and then their opinions ..</p>

<p>yes i agree, as these APs are what my school considers "elective" APs...they are NOT core curriculum classes and are not nearly as challenging as some of their core counterparts</p>

<p>btw, I put "undecided" as my major on the application...not that it matters now.</p>

<p>This doesn't add much to your question, but I can't help but say good luck with AP studio art. It doesn't sound as impressive as Calc or whatever, but it's probably the hardest class I've ever taken.</p>

<p>^ you're right. it's a ***** of a class.</p>

<p>Rejection happens to a lot of people. Just hold your hear high. You'll find the right place for you. :)</p>

<p>AP studio art isnt that hard. I spend lots of time outside class. Beginning of the year i probably spent 2 hours a night working on art work, now i just work in class and occasionally work at home. I guess I’ve just gotten better. Im really good with prismacolors, good at painting, and my concentration is papercuts.</p>