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Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go.

I don’t think my DD was ever in contention for the BK. She did not go to a magnet school, but one of the W schools. 34 ACT. Her 3.8 UWGPA put her only in the top 25% of her class. If your DC goes to a less competitive school, he may stand out more to admissions. I forget how many AP classes she took, but she entered UMD with enough credits that she is graduating in 3 years. She was varsity athlete 4 years, in music activities 4 years, president of a club, and had part-time jobs four years. The one kid I know of who got BK turned down Princeton for UMD to give you an idea of how competitive a BK is.

My DS who did not get anything had a 35 ACT and went in with 43 AP credits. Also 4 year varsity athlete and musician who started his own business netting 5 figures a year. 3.7 UWGPA (pretty low at his school).

We actually saved enough in their 529’s for 4 years of out of state public. They knew if they went to private, they would have to take loans; if they went to out-of-state they would have nothing left for grad school, if they went in-state, they would have plenty left for grad school. They chose UMD and are very happy with the education they are receiving and the cost savings.

Good stats but probably no for BK consideration unless URM.

PP here. We are not URM. The DD you bolded got the President’s scholarship ($5000 per year). DS had similar stats but did not get anything. It’s a crapshoot what they look for.

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Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go.

I don’t think my DD was ever in contention for the BK. She did not go to a magnet school, but one of the W schools. 34 ACT. Her 3.8 UWGPA put her only in the top 25% of her class. If your DC goes to a less competitive school, he may stand out more to admissions. I forget how many AP classes she took, but she entered UMD with enough credits that she is graduating in 3 years. She was varsity athlete 4 years, in music activities 4 years, president of a club, and had part-time jobs four years. The one kid I know of who got BK turned down Princeton for UMD to give you an idea of how competitive a BK is.

My DS who did not get anything had a 35 ACT and went in with 43 AP credits. Also 4 year varsity athlete and musician who started his own business netting 5 figures a year. 3.7 UWGPA (pretty low at his school).

We actually saved enough in their 529’s for 4 years of out of state public. They knew if they went to private, they would have to take loans; if they went to out-of-state they would have nothing left for grad school, if they went in-state, they would have plenty left for grad school. They chose UMD and are very happy with the education they are receiving and the cost savings.

Good stats but probably no for BK consideration unless URM.

I wonder why some people like to play “URM” games.
PP clearly mentioned her DD is only in the top 25% of her class.

?? what is "URM" games? either you are one, or you are not.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go.

I don’t think my DD was ever in contention for the BK. She did not go to a magnet school, but one of the W schools. 34 ACT. Her 3.8 UWGPA put her only in the top 25% of her class. If your DC goes to a less competitive school, he may stand out more to admissions. I forget how many AP classes she took, but she entered UMD with enough credits that she is graduating in 3 years. She was varsity athlete 4 years, in music activities 4 years, president of a club, and had part-time jobs four years. The one kid I know of who got BK turned down Princeton for UMD to give you an idea of how competitive a BK is.

My DS who did not get anything had a 35 ACT and went in with 43 AP credits. Also 4 year varsity athlete and musician who started his own business netting 5 figures a year. 3.7 UWGPA (pretty low at his school).

We actually saved enough in their 529’s for 4 years of out of state public. They knew if they went to private, they would have to take loans; if they went to out-of-state they would have nothing left for grad school, if they went in-state, they would have plenty left for grad school. They chose UMD and are very happy with the education they are receiving and the cost savings.

Good stats but probably no for BK consideration unless URM.

I wonder why some people like to play “URM” games.
PP clearly mentioned her DD is only in the top 25% of her class.

MCPS wants your kids in as many AP classes as possible. Makes their stats look good. It is literally the only thing they have going right now. All their other stats are in a dumpster fire of decline.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go.

I don’t think my DD was ever in contention for the BK. She did not go to a magnet school, but one of the W schools. 34 ACT. Her 3.8 UWGPA put her only in the top 25% of her class. If your DC goes to a less competitive school, he may stand out more to admissions. I forget how many AP classes she took, but she entered UMD with enough credits that she is graduating in 3 years. She was varsity athlete 4 years, in music activities 4 years, president of a club, and had part-time jobs four years. The one kid I know of who got BK turned down Princeton for UMD to give you an idea of how competitive a BK is.

My DS who did not get anything had a 35 ACT and went in with 43 AP credits. Also 4 year varsity athlete and musician who started his own business netting 5 figures a year. 3.7 UWGPA (pretty low at his school).

We actually saved enough in their 529’s for 4 years of out of state public. They knew if they went to private, they would have to take loans; if they went to out-of-state they would have nothing left for grad school, if they went in-state, they would have plenty left for grad school. They chose UMD and are very happy with the education they are receiving and the cost savings.

Good stats but probably no for BK consideration unless URM.

Anonymous wrote:Re: APs, most MoCo high schools permit freshman to take at least 1 AP, and some even more. But wherher your child gets credit comes down to how they score on the AP exam and whether and at what score the college accepts. The teachers at my kids’ MoCo hs have a good handle on what scores are needed to get credit at UMD, but you can check this on the colleges’ websites. You have to balance your kids’ ages/maturity/interests with number of APs which is hard to do so obvious advice is to start slow and work up.

There is pressure to do this, but I would resist it.
Why push someone who just got out of middle school to take (supposedly) college level material?
This is an example of people losing all perspective.

I attended a lecture (from the Counselling Dept of a W high school) where parents were told, have your kid take AP if they intend to enter that career field (like calculus for kids who want engineering) and/or have exhausted the high school level curricula (e.g., say they entered high school two years ahead in math).

I think that is healthy, though it flies against the driven culture in DMV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

PP you were responding to... Yes, I think your DC has a good chance at merit money. Obviously I can't tell you how much (no one can) but with those stats, your son should be in the running for some/a lot of money. My kids had similar stats (but a few more APs). As for BK/no BK, other factors play in BK candidate selection but the selection itself is unpredictable. A number of kids friends who ended up at Ivy schools, did not get the invites. Some say, that's because UMD admission officers know those kids will not attend UMD but I don't believe that. All of these kids had spotless qualifications - stats, volunteer activities, and (I think) pretty dang good LORs.

Good luck

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go.

I don’t think my DD was ever in contention for the BK. She did not go to a magnet school, but one of the W schools. 34 ACT. Her 3.8 UWGPA put her only in the top 25% of her class. If your DC goes to a less competitive school, he may stand out more to admissions. I forget how many AP classes she took, but she entered UMD with enough credits that she is graduating in 3 years. She was varsity athlete 4 years, in music activities 4 years, president of a club, and had part-time jobs four years. The one kid I know of who got BK turned down Princeton for UMD to give you an idea of how competitive a BK is.

My DS who did not get anything had a 35 ACT and went in with 43 AP credits. Also 4 year varsity athlete and musician who started his own business netting 5 figures a year. 3.7 UWGPA (pretty low at his school).

We actually saved enough in their 529’s for 4 years of out of state public. They knew if they went to private, they would have to take loans; if they went to out-of-state they would have nothing left for grad school, if they went in-state, they would have plenty left for grad school. They chose UMD and are very happy with the education they are receiving and the cost savings.

Re: APs, most MoCo high schools permit freshman to take at least 1 AP, and some even more. But wherher your child gets credit comes down to how they score on the AP exam and whether and at what score the college accepts. The teachers at my kids’ MoCo hs have a good handle on what scores are needed to get credit at UMD, but you can check this on the colleges’ websites. You have to balance your kids’ ages/maturity/interests with number of APs which is hard to do so obvious advice is to start slow and work up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I am trying to get my head around all this stuff for my high schoolers. Did your kids take any AP classes in 9th grade? Or did they start those in 10th? Thanks.

"I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.


I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go."

BK or not BK almost always comes down to which major DC is applying to.

At least half of the Blair magnets have exactly those stats and solid enough ECs. UMd only picks the best handful for BK's for say CS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

I’m PP with DC from non-magnet school above. What do you think was the reason your DC didn’t get BK? I know that lots of kids from Blair/RM get
it so I’m guessing it’s more competitive. Also, how were your DCs extracurriculars? We’re really hoping for more than 5k per year b/c my DC will likely be a NMSF (via alt entry) and we told him that if he goes to a school that gives a full ride for NMF (it would probably be U of Florida), he can use his college fund for grad school, but if he got BK, it wouldn’t even be a question about where to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

Yes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 kids are older (graduated already) but 2 got b/k and 1 got presidential scholarship. All 3 went to MCPS magnets. They all had almost perfect scores.

My son is not at a magnet or a W school (think second-tier MCPS), but has 1560 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA and will have 4.82 ish WGPA at time of application. He'll have taken 10 APS total after junior year, has pretty good extracurriculars and has been a varsity athlete since freshman year. Do you think he has any chance at getting merit from UMD?

I think so. See the pp above whose kids got about $5k/yr merit from UMD.

But $5k/yr is a drop in the college expense bucket. This generation of parents need to let go of the idea their kids are going to be funded by merit aid. It's a different world.

I’m the PP with DC who got $5000/year in merit. It is actually half the tuition so I’d say it’s more than a drop in the bucket. Over 4 years it is $20,000. Actually, DC entered with so many AP credits that she is graduating in 3 years. My younger DC, who did not get merit, has 43 AP credits going in and will also graduate in 3.

^^^ *2020 Blair magnet