University of Maryland CP - how hard is it really to get in now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The key to getting into Maryland is to not only have the requisite scores and GPA but to apply by the November 1st priority deadline. If you don't apply by November 1st it gets extremely hard to get into the school. Most of the kids admitted, applied by the priority deadline. If you want to increase the chances your kid will get into UMD, take advantage of the Terp Young Scholars Program where high school kids can take a college level class over the summer. If he does well(they must really study hard) this will demonstrate the ability to successfully take a college level class and will show the school the kid can handle it.

Probably the most important point as far as UMD admission is concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA 4.21 is an A though, not a B+ right?

No, given that many classes are on a 5.0 scale. Also, you can take Honors rather than AP or IB classes and still get the 1 point bump, meaning an A gets you a 5.0, even though your classes might not be that tough. That is why a "4.0" student no longer means what it used to mean.

true but lack of rigor will cost your DC. 4.2 w/ honors is not the same as 4.2 with AP/IBs.

Exactly. That's what I meant, although I wasn't clear. When you hear that a 4.2 student didn't get in, at first that might sound surprising, but that might be a mostly B student who only took "Honors" classes, which means the kid didn't take the most rigorous path available. Combine that with low test scores, not many EC's, and a lackluster essay, and that 4.2 student is not looking so impressive anymore. I'm not talking about any particular kid who might have been described in this thread, I'm just explaining what to think about in trying to correlate grades with admissions.

[Anonymous]

A counselor I am familiar with at one of the Maryland-based Catholic schools was desperately trying to steer kids away from UMCP and UMBC knowing that their stats were not going to stack up. The B+ /1200 SAT kids aren't getting in anymore and many are headed to mid-tier LACS and not 2nd tier in-state schoolss. Engineering at Maryland has become brutally competitive it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A counselor I am familiar with at one of the Maryland-based Catholic schools was desperately trying to steer kids away from UMCP and UMBC knowing that their stats were not going to stack up. The B+ /1200 SAT kids aren't getting in anymore and many are headed to mid-tier LACS and not 2nd tier in-state schoolss. Engineering at Maryland has become brutally competitive it seems.

It's tough to get in but it's much tougher to get in to one of the Limited Enrollment Program (LEP) majors - engineering, business, and most of STEM majors. Admission doesn't necessarily mean you can pick your major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

LOL no that will not get you in any where.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

above 75% threshold on sat's?

U of Md wants to keep the stats up so test scores are most important to them. Much more so than grades or extras. I don't think that activities matter there at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A counselor I am familiar with at one of the Maryland-based Catholic schools was desperately trying to steer kids away from UMCP and UMBC knowing that their stats were not going to stack up. The B+ /1200 SAT kids aren't getting in anymore and many are headed to mid-tier LACS and not 2nd tier in-state schoolss. Engineering at Maryland has become brutally competitive it seems.

Engineering is always brutally competitive. Maybe more kids used to get in but they failed out pretty quickly. Tons of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA 4.21 is an A though, not a B+ right?

No, given that many classes are on a 5.0 scale. Also, you can take Honors rather than AP or IB classes and still get the 1 point bump, meaning an A gets you a 5.0, even though your classes might not be that tough. That is why a "4.0" student no longer means what it used to mean.

true but lack of rigor will cost your DC. 4.2 w/ honors is not the same as 4.2 with AP/IBs.

Exactly. That's what I meant, although I wasn't clear. When you hear that a 4.2 student didn't get in, at first that might sound surprising, but that might be a mostly B student who only took "Honors" classes, which means the kid didn't take the most rigorous path available. Combine that with low test scores, not many EC's, and a lackluster essay, and that 4.2 student is not looking so impressive anymore. I'm not talking about any particular kid who might have been described in this thread, I'm just explaining what to think about in trying to correlate grades with admissions.

I know several kids with this sort of profile who were rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

above 75% threshold on sat's?

U of Md wants to keep the stats up so test scores are most important to them. Much more so than grades or extras. I don't think that activities matter there at all.

If you read what was quoted from their website further back in this thread, that doesn't follow through, 25% of attendees got less than 1200 on their SATS and 25% of them got over 1400.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

above 75% threshold on sat's?

U of Md wants to keep the stats up so test scores are most important to them. Much more so than grades or extras. I don't think that activities matter there at all.

If you read what was quoted from their website further back in this thread, that doesn't follow through, 25% of attendees got less than 1200 on their SATS and 25% of them got over 1400.

Bottom 25% are set-aside for URMs, athletics, and kids with special connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

above 75% threshold on sat's?

U of Md wants to keep the stats up so test scores are most important to them. Much more so than grades or extras. I don't think that activities matter there at all.

I get your point but i don't this this is completely accurate. UMD still uses "mostly" stats driven admission process... However, last a couple years or so, I got the impression they are slightly leaning towards "holistic admission" path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

above 75% threshold on sat's?

U of Md wants to keep the stats up so test scores are most important to them. Much more so than grades or extras. I don't think that activities matter there at all.

I get your point but i don't this this is completely accurate. UMD still uses "mostly" stats driven admission process... However, last a couple years or so, I got the impression they are slightly leaning towards "holistic admission" path.

I think the slightly leaning is key. They have a 26 point admissions list which includes things like community service and involvement, volunteer work etc. However the 26 points are not equally weighted. They are simply all considered.

For those who want to see it, its here:

https://www.admissions.umd.edu/apply/factors.php

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:B+ student, sports, maybe a non-sports extracurricular. Nothing crazy.

above 75% threshold on sat's?

U of Md wants to keep the stats up so test scores are most important to them. Much more so than grades or extras. I don't think that activities matter there at all.

I get your point but i don't this this is completely accurate. UMD still uses "mostly" stats driven admission process... However, last a couple years or so, I got the impression they are slightly leaning towards "holistic admission" path.

I think the slightly leaning is key. They have a 26 point admissions list which includes things like community service and involvement, volunteer work etc. However the 26 points are not equally weighted. They are simply all considered.

For those who want to see it, its here:

https://www.admissions.umd.edu/apply/factors.php

I agree with pp. My impression is that the holistic process is used more for admitting kids into the living learning communities like the Honors program and the Scholars program. Also, the admission process has more than one tier. The limited enrollment programs, for example, will consider who to admit to their programs separate from the general admissions process. They may look at different things than the general admissions committee. It's hard to know what I say considered and how much influence a certain factor has on me the admissions process. It does appear that test scores are hugely important as well as Weighted GPA. Someone with a weighted GPA of a 4.0 might not cut the mustard.

[Anonymous]

I don't think they look for different things than the general admissions committee but they will want stronger candidates all round. Those who don't make the LEPs first off who are still considered generally quite strong, may simply get a different kind of admissions offer.

[Anonymous]

Someone close to me was an OOS applicant to UMD-CP. She is an absolute rock star when it comes to college admissions - GPA, SAT, extras, sports, you name it. She got accepted with no merit aid and no honors offerings. Parents make under $150k. It's a very competitive school, at least for OOS.