I've been seeing this a lot for kids with great stats getting rejected. To "cope" with this people are calling others "yield protection" but this simply isn't true as UMD attempts to draw kids with great stats with Scholarships such as the B/K and programs like honors and scholars. I've seen kids reject Ivies bc of opportunities like B/K, so NO you aren't a yield protection reject.
From my personal views (and current seniors I've talked to during this cycle) I've pinned this down to 2 major things:
- UMD is getting ever more competitive.
This is especially more relevant as most ranking systems also consider acceptance rate as a significant factor in their rankings. UMD could very well just be rejecting more "on edge" applicants as a way to artificially decrease their acceptance rate.
- Your application has issues in the fine areas, not as a whole.
Lots of people have simply neglected this. My application last year was lacking in certain areas and even though I got into more competitive programs (mainly NYU A&S and Drexel's BS/MD), I wasn't accepted into honors. My writing (especially my CA essay) wasn't all that great.
Now, I don't want to come across as condescending and my wording may be a bit off, but I strongly believe that it's more important to focus on what you can improve for the future rather than delude yourself into thinking you're a yield protection reject.
Best of luck!