ECs for UVA or VT admission

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year was even more challenging than last year

NP but 🙄 Every single year, parents act like their snowflake’s year was dramatically harder than the prior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

You have to stop looking at Naviance as if it's complete, reliable data. It's not. Students self-report unverified data for those charts.

No they don't. High school counselors report the data. Students give permission.

It's not verified. Trust me.

Ok, the common data set tells the exact same story. UVA has a far narrower band of admitted GPAs/SATs. VT's is wide open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

+1
Few of the kids who have the 4.4+ weighted GPA probably have no ECs, but UVA is the most clearly driven by high GPA in a heavily weighted course schedule as the primary defining factor. You can have kids in at VT from a really wide range of GPAs and SATS and their yield protection shows by the waitlisting of high stats kids. VT is less selective than UVA by far, but also way less predictable.

DP. Re: the bolded, this has not been our experience *at all*. We know so many kids waitlisted or outright rejected from VT - kids who desperately wanted it as their first choice. It is not easy in the least to get into.

[Anonymous]

My child did one high school sport, captain senior year. One rec sport. Worked as a lifeguard for the past couple years. One club at school, some intermittent volunteering for a few causes she cared about. Nothing remarkable but I think she demonstrated resourcefulness during pandemic by finding new activities when hers were unavailable. She got into Virginia Tech. Didn’t apply to UVA.

I really firmly believe that schools just want to see some interest in something, and that it doesn’t really matter what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child did one high school sport, captain senior year. One rec sport. Worked as a lifeguard for the past couple years. One club at school, some intermittent volunteering for a few causes she cared about. Nothing remarkable but I think she demonstrated resourcefulness during pandemic by finding new activities when hers were unavailable. She got into Virginia Tech. Didn’t apply to UVA.

I really firmly believe that schools just want to see some interest in something, and that it doesn’t really matter what it is.

I would agree. Parent of a soon to be college sophomore and a senior. Kids should do ECs they love. For our kids, so far, they have really been their socials lives.

Get how it would be different if a D1 athlete but the sports they played made high school so much for fun. That is what extra extracurriculars are supposed to be about, fun.

[Anonymous]

more fun. not for fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

No, the current President is highly driven to make the school URM and first generation.google it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

+1. Also big into yield protection hence the high stats kids getting deferred and wait-listed. Talk to any TJ parent or go back and read the ED EA and RD results posted right here, on College Confidential and Reddit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

+1
Few of the kids who have the 4.4+ weighted GPA probably have no ECs, but UVA is the most clearly driven by high GPA in a heavily weighted course schedule as the primary defining factor. You can have kids in at VT from a really wide range of GPAs and SATS and their yield protection shows by the waitlisting of high stats kids. VT is less selective than UVA by far, but also way less predictable.

DP. Re: the bolded, this has not been our experience *at all*. We know so many kids waitlisted or outright rejected from VT - kids who desperately wanted it as their first choice. It is not easy in the least to get into.

That is because they weren’t an URM, first generation or raised concerns about yield protection. UVA doesn’t play the latter game

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A real, paying job where you are accountable to a manager who isn’t one of your relatives or parents’ friends.

How will the admissions officer know if the manager is related to/family friends with the student or not?

[Anonymous]

What does URM stand for?

[Anonymous]

I agree with PPs that the main thing is for kids to get involved in things that interest them and a basic teen job is great as part of that.

My DS is at VT (admitted in 2021). His activities included being a summer camp counselor, long-term church service, playing guitar, school theater tech crew, and did a summer program related to his major.

Beyond transcript and URM/1st Gen (which DS is not), what VT says is most important is their four short answer questions. Those cover service, leadership, working towards a goal, and I can't recall the 4th one. So, ideally there should be something the kid is doing that can address those points.

He also applied to UVA and didn't get in which I completely expected because his GPA was below our school's usual threshold. But he wanted to give it a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

+1
Few of the kids who have the 4.4+ weighted GPA probably have no ECs, but UVA is the most clearly driven by high GPA in a heavily weighted course schedule as the primary defining factor. You can have kids in at VT from a really wide range of GPAs and SATS and their yield protection shows by the waitlisting of high stats kids. VT is less selective than UVA by far, but also way less predictable.

I don't think this is true. I think test scores are very important which is why the 75th percentile of enrolled students last fall had an ACT of 35. Can you provide a cite for your claim?

NP. They are test optional, so all you are seeing is reported test scores, which of course are going to skew high. Their admissions Dean boys prolifically and has said that rigor and GPA are more important than test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

+1
Few of the kids who have the 4.4+ weighted GPA probably have no ECs, but UVA is the most clearly driven by high GPA in a heavily weighted course schedule as the primary defining factor. You can have kids in at VT from a really wide range of GPAs and SATS and their yield protection shows by the waitlisting of high stats kids. VT is less selective than UVA by far, but also way less predictable.

I don't think this is true. I think test scores are very important which is why the 75th percentile of enrolled students last fall had an ACT of 35. Can you provide a cite for your claim?

NP. They are test optional, so all you are seeing is reported test scores, which of course are going to skew high. Their admissions Dean boys prolifically and has said that rigor and GPA are more important than test scores.

*boys=blogs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT is more pure numbers driven than UVA.

I think the exact opposite. UVA is all gpa by high school. Just check naviance and you will see a clear line (in state). VT is all over the place for engineering. They value first gen and URM and WL a lot of high stats kids with strong EC.

You have to stop looking at Naviance as if it's complete, reliable data. It's not. Students self-report unverified data for those charts.

No they don't. High school counselors report the data. Students give permission.

It's not verified. Trust me.

Ok, the common data set tells the exact same story. UVA has a far narrower band of admitted GPAs/SATs. VT's is wide open.

DP. Not from our school. I'm looking at the Naviance right now and acceptances start around the 4.0 mark. Every school is different.