<p>We are from Maryland, my son visited College Park and was impressed, and the Computer Science/Engineering programs are strong. He wants to take some shots at so called elite institutions but is very happy with Maryland and may attend even if accepted elsewhere. My question: is he safe with Maryland admissions as a certainty or does he need to apply to one or two other “safe” schools? He’s in a Maryland public school, finished 11th grade with a 3.86 cumulative GPA, top 5% class and a 34 ACT, no SAT taken. I’m hoping he gets into the Honor’s college but want to be certain he somehow does not get rejected to all schools he applies to. Do these numbers within virtual certainty guarantee admission? I know Maryland has gotten significantly more competitive over the past two decades.</p>
<p>There are no guarantees but UMD loves standardized test scores and a 34 ACT is in the upper echelon for the school. My son was accepted OOS for Computer Science with a 34 ACT this year and received a Presidential Scholarship and Honor’s acceptance. Be careful at UMD, Computer Science and Computer Engineering are in different schools. There are seemingly more scholarship opportunity in the Engineering school. As for elite schools for Computer Science your son’s stats are average at best. Choose one and apply ED and don"t expect any money. Good Luck.</p>