But it is and was a red flag, PP did not get in. You don't send a 27 with that kind of GPA and you certainly don't send a 27 to UMD, when you have the option to not submit scores. |
The hard truth is that Ivies need to balance the admission number for race, first gen, LQBT etc. So, they use financial aid to get those type of URM not Asian. |
Enough already. This is an actual kid we’re talking about. I think a separate thread about when to go test optional at UMD would be a useful thread, especially when we have more data. |
There isn’t merit aid and they don’t need to sway people to attend. Getting past the admissions hurdle is the challenge. Financial aid is available to all admitted and there are calculators online. |
A lot of the test optional stampede was triggered by COVID. Now schools (including Harvard) are looking at data to see if it even made a difference in students' performance. The underpinnings of this trend are much more nuanced than what you are suggesting PP. |
Yes this is my kid. Our college consultant told us to submit the 27. She has kids getting to UMD all the time. She didn’t think the 27 would hurt her chances. I am obviously not so sure I agree, but either way, UMD rejected her. It’s upsetting when you child has worked so hard throughout highschool. |
🙏🙏 Grateful that the option of UMD (also UMBC and other in-state colleges) exists. Also glad that UMD is not a inferior fall back but is a valuable option for academics, opportunities, employment outcomes and in-state tuition. However, getting into UMD and MIT, for some of the STEM majors at least - it is the exact same candidate. Which is good news/bad news, I guess. I am grateful more than anything. The list of pros in the column for UMD is long and strong, especially in these turbulent and pandemic times. |
Based on past years, I might have thought the same. This year is crazy. I’m sorry about this denial. But thank you for sharing. It’s helpful for those of us with younger students watching this. |
Maybe some, but most options were touted as the panacea towards testing biased (whether true or not). It was advertised by many schools as such. As a result, it allows universities to rightly permit a better student demographic, and not be limited to test scores alone (read: more flexibility for admissions). GPAs alone are not perfect, nor are tests - but SOMETHING is needed to differentiate great students. If everyone has is special due to grade inflation (which is a real trend over the last decade), then no one is deemed special. High test scores help a student if otherwise not positively contributing by to demographic stats. But not submitting bud a flag to AOs that the student didn’t score well. Otherwise, they would submit. No high performing test raker is not submitting high test scores. And no high performer is not at least attempting to take a test. |
I am a college counselor. Unless your daughter fulfills an institutional priority of which we are unaware, the 27 is below the 25th percentile (29-34 is the 25th-75th percentile) and she should not have submitted that score. I'm sorry. |
I am sorry for that, but common sense must prevail. You counselor failed to use hers, and was blinded by what worked in the past. Yikes have definitely changed. |
Your college counselor performed a disservice with that recommendation. No way one should submit a 27 ACT score under test optional. 30 should probably be the lowest score. |
No. I am so sorry but the 27 did significantly hurt your kids chances. Because what it underlined for the school was only the learning disability. Going test optional would have shown the great GPA and that would have reflected that the learning disability is overcome by your kid. Go and also apply to UMBC. You still have 3 days left. Don't worry about the school report and recommendations for now. You can ask for it later from your HS. |
You’re conflating two posters. |
That is malarkey. Whoever told you this did you a disservice. |