Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For MCPS, tests help a lot for the "bonuses".

My kid with high rigor, high test scores (SAT & AP), great grades but average ECs was accepted to UMD Eng with honors AND merit.

We are full pay.

+1
We know many high stat kids who did not go TO. They get generous merit from UMD that covers full tuition. In addition UMD also sponsors NMS scholarship for finalists, which is way higher than what NMSC would offer (8K for 4 years). There are many other bonuses and opportunities and pathways for kids who are high performing and not TO.

That is good to know! Do you mean that UMD gives higher than 8k for 4 years for nmf or that this is what they give?

Anonymous wrote:They are inviting themselves needless Federal attention. You can anticipate that testing policies would be one criteria Feds would be looking next.

I doubt it. I don’t see how anyone could possibly argue this. I am very much in the camp that test scores are informative and should be considered if you want a high rigor school. But institutions can have priorities other than rigor. We need a range of schools for different levels of academics to meet a lot of different needs. Unless they want to say all state and community schools need to admit based on test scores, but then what about people with just average scores, or those with dyslexia, etc? They don’t want them to be able to go to college at all?

Anonymous wrote:57 percent of Maryland is white. 40 percent of UMD is white.

This is common at many schools.

Anonymous wrote:For MCPS, tests help a lot for the "bonuses".

My kid with high rigor, high test scores (SAT & AP), great grades but average ECs was accepted to UMD Eng with honors AND merit.

We are full pay.

+1
We know many high stat kids who did not go TO. They get generous merit from UMD that covers full tuition. In addition UMD also sponsors NMS scholarship for finalists, which is way higher than what NMSC would offer (8K for 4 years). There are many other bonuses and opportunities and pathways for kids who are high performing and not TO.

57 percent of Maryland is white. 40 percent of UMD is white.

Anonymous wrote:May be TO for admissions, but I believe (based only in my kid’s and his classmates’ experiences) that a strong SAT helps with LEPs and Banneker Key.

My child got into business TO, instate, but not MCPS. I was really concerned about the business admit. I think what may have helped is my child had a few good ECs related to major, high GPA, took business classes at their school and answered some of the short answers with responses about business. Hope this gives hope to those applying in the next cycle.

For MCPS, tests help a lot for the "bonuses".

My kid with high rigor, high test scores (SAT & AP), great grades but average ECs was accepted to UMD Eng with honors AND merit.

We are full pay.

My kid is coming from Title 1 school; his 1550 SAT score is 500+ points higher than school average. Helped tremendously.

My son got in TO and is doing fantastic. Tests are not always the best metric.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May be TO for admissions, but I believe (based only in my kid’s and his classmates’ experiences) that a strong SAT helps with LEPs and Banneker Key.

If you're white or asian and coming from an affluent and competitive school in MoCo, you need those test scores.

Same goes for private schools, we were told they expect our kids to take the test and if you don't report the assumption is that it was low.

Anonymous wrote:May be TO for admissions, but I believe (based only in my kid’s and his classmates’ experiences) that a strong SAT helps with LEPs and Banneker Key.

If you're white or asian and coming from an affluent and competitive school in MoCo, you need those test scores.

May be TO for admissions, but I believe (based only in my kid’s and his classmates’ experiences) that a strong SAT helps with LEPs and Banneker Key.

Bummer. But I suppose it makes it easier for them to give spots to kids from the rural counties.

They are inviting themselves needless Federal attention. You can anticipate that testing policies would be one criteria Feds would be looking next.

UMD extended test-optional:

https://admissions.umd.edu/apply/freshman-application-faqs