How on earth did i not get into an honors program?

Question

okay, im a senior in high school and i applied to Adelphi University's Honors College, and i did not get accepted. I have a 3.7 average on a 4.0 scale. Im the president of Key Club, a communtiy service organization in my school, im the Vice President in Speech and Debate, im captain in a church organization, im a member of SADD, im a member of the National Honor Society, i receieved a full 4 year scholarship to the private school i applied to, i was nominated for so many awards, im in many college classes, i already have 24 college credits, and 6 more to receive this senior year. For my SAT, i got a 590 for reading a 590 for writing and a 500 for math. THey are only counting the reading and the math, so all together thats a 1090, which is 110 points lower then needed for honors college. Can they just not accept me because of one test? the SATs determine my entire future? is tehre anyway i can get into the honors program when im a sophmore, should i try to reconvince them? im lost, help

Answer 1

Congratulations on your outstanding academic record. As it happens, schools look at more than academics and extra curriculuar performance. They also look at how the individual will fit into their program. It may be that the school felt another high performer had more to offer in terms of the school's mix of students. Perhaps they were looking for more out of state applicants, racial/ethnic diversity, more international students, maybe the program you applied for had an extraordinary number of highly qualified applicants in the pool or some mix of all these reasons. Any of these may have caused the school to pass on your application. University admission is becoming more and more competitive all the time. Good luck with your search!

Answer 2

Well sadly, yes they can turn you away because of your SAT score. The unfortunate truth is that there are simply too many talented students who have just as strong qualifications as you (in terms of GPA, club participation, etc.) but also score far higher on the SAT. The problem is that if they have a set requirement for SAT scores (as your initial post suggests) then it's really unfair of them to ignore it for one individual. I understand your frustration at having not been selected into the Honors Program and I do agree with your position that the SAT shouldn't determine things like this (I couldn't ever get higher than a 1340 on the old SAT, and that kept me out of a lot of colleges that I really felt I was qualified to attend), but I'm afraid that's just the way things are right now. All I can recommend is either 1) going to a different school that is higher echelon if you can (Brown didn't have an honors program because they felt that their entire course selection made up one giant honors program) or 2) going to Adelphi anyways and attempting to get into the honors program as a sophomore if possible (you should ask if they will let you). If you can't do either, then you're just going to have to bite the bullet and attend as a regular student (as opposed to honors). In the end, people only care about the knowledge you've obtained, not the number of honors you've received.

Answer 3

You have proved that you are a good person, but NOT that you are a good candidate for an Honors program. A 3.7 is only a little better than average - lots of kids who are applying from competitive high schools have averages above 4.0 because they get a boost from taking AP courses. And SATs less than 600 are not anywhere near Honors level. One of my kids got into an Honors program at a school roughly equivalent to Adelphi with a 740 average on all the SATs.
Admission may depend on many factors, but admission to an Honors program is almost completely on academics, and you are respectable, but not Honors level in academics.

Answer 4

1090 may be more than the minimum, but is not particularly high. In fact, it is below the SAT score of the average student at Adelphi.

A lot of students take AP classes, which give them GPAs above 4.7.

If you were not accepted, it is likely due to one of two things. One reason is that there might have been a lot of students with higher GPAs and SAT scores. If there was an essay, then their could be another reason. Your comments here indicate a sense of entitlement. If your essay had the same tone, it might have turned them off.

Answer 5

after reading your story, i think the SAT score is definetely what got you. if you accept general admission, and you do well in your courses you will be admitted into the honors college the second time around. the fact is that some students that are admitted into the honors college right away, can't hack it. so after their first year, they end up disqualified. the college honors program is not the same as it was at the high school level. don't worry because you can reapply once you are enrolled. good luck :-)

Answer 6

Yes I would keep applying until they give you a reason why you have not been accepted. Maybe if they see that you are dedicated and determined to become a member they will give it to you.

Good Luck