So I have a friend who mentioned that they received a Banneker Key letter yesterday (2/13/16), and had to respond by tomorrow (2/15/16). I have not received the letter yet, and since today is Sunday, and tomorrow is a national holiday, I think it’s safe to safe I’m not getting one. I was just wondering if anyone could offer me some insight as to why they think I didn’t get one. Here’s my info.
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted) 4.63 (weighted)
SAT Scores: Reading: 740, Math: 800, Writing: 780
SAT Subject Scores: (Math II: 800, Chemistry: 800)
AP Scores (Chemistry: 5, Calculus BC: 5 (both sections), Language: 5 (just the test, not the class)
Extracurricular: Baseball, Basketball, Golf, National Honor Society, Symphonic Band, STEM Club Co-Founder (at my school) Also held a summer job as a golf caddie at a local country club for four years, which I wrote about in my essay.
Here is my friend’s info who did receive the invitation.
-Same grades
-About 200 points lower combined on reading/math SAT
-Lower subject test scores (Not sure exactly how much)
5’s on Chemistry and Calc BC, didn’t take Lang.
Plays Volleyball and is in the National Honor Society.
I know this scholarship is incredibly competitive, and strong candidates get turned down all the time, but the fact that my friend got in and I didn’t has my at a loss. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an incredible student and absolutely deserves it, I just thought I did too. Any insight or explanation is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!
Sorry to hear. My D got no letter either, despite IB, team captainships, high ACTs and gpa…so the only thing we know is that there is no statistical official profile. Diversity matters. Not only obvious diversity (race, native language), but also geography (someone from rural parts of Western Maryland brings more diversity than another kid from Montgomery County, for instance), as well diversity of experiences and interests. A person showing interest in STEM is perhaps at a disadvantage in the Banneker-Key simply because there are sooooo many these days interested in those fields. Although there may be no obvious jobs from it, someone who seems destined for a degree in Classics may well be better placed. It is not that different for any elite program that looks wholistically (both at the student, but also at the community the college is trying to build), rather than as a raw score. I know when we visited Brown, the admissions director was quite blunt: to improve your chances, show an interest in humanities as everyone is talking STEM these days. I know it is not really fair in an objective sense, but I understand that, in the attempt to build a community of many interests and fills many niches, schools do a little bit of social engineering that goes beyond pure data points. Given you profile, I know that you will probably get a lot of great offers from other schools – I know my D has. While we live in Maryland, those offers have actually made other schools as cheap or cheaper than UMD – even with in-state tuition. Since college today is more like HS was in the 60s (a prerequisite for jobs that used to demand simply a HS diploma), it seems like the smart money is on going to a really good school, even if not elite – since, for most professions these days, a grad school degree from an top school seems much more significant than the bachelor’s granting institution. Sure, a smart kid won’t be happy in a school that has a large percentage of students who need intensive remedial help, but a good or really good undergraduate ranking seems to be a good choice, IMHO, vs the most prestigious program possible.
You sound like a smart, diligent student, who, I bet, will get a lot of interesting cash offers from good or very good schools; think of Banneker Key as a lottery among a group of students who all present great data points. As with a lottery, chances can vary depending things like how many tickets you buy, but ultimately, only a few chits get drawn.
Good luck, and be happy – which is the ultimate revenge!