| I can also say that Legacy means nothing at UVA. We support the school for the wonderful experience that my wife and I had (we met there 25 years ago) and have gladly supported them not because we were trying to buy admissions for our children. If my kid wasn’t competitive OOS state with 1560SAT and 3.91 UGPA then they can say goodbye to our support in the future |
There's only a huge difference in DCUM discussions but if you look.at thousands of data ponts.... UVA: SAT (75/Median/25) - 1520-/1470/1400 ACT (75/Median/25) - 34/33/32 GPA (75/Median/25) - 4.53/4.40/4.24 W&M SAT (75/Median/25) - 1520/1460/1375 ACT (75/Median/25) - 34/33/32 GPA (75/Median/25) - 4.51/4.33/4.15 |
GPAs vary so differently by high schools. Our private has honors and fewer APs, a 4.3 would be very high. There is also so much grade inflation at many high schools. I think if they get info from a school where 50% or more have above a 4.0 that should be a red flag. There were 200 valedictorians at our local public high school. Some of these schools are GPA whores. Test scores should be required everywhere (and not superscore, all tests should be seen). This would cull out the kids that take it multiple times. |
They’ll be fine without your support. |
Your tax dollars have funded lots of great schools, too, and I have no doubt he’ll get into one of those. |
And very few of your tax dollars are going to UVA anyway. That’s the price they paid for more autonomy from the state. |
Rank top 5% essays were really strong - multiple teachers said they were great. |
Public numbers show that UVA has an overall 20-ish% acceptance rate and W&M something like 33-37%. I don't have internal numbers for Fall 2022, though. UMD surprised everyone by getting to 34% acceptance rate this year, down from its usual 45-ish%, due to a glut of applicants. They all favor their in-state and early action or early decision applicants to varying degrees. |
Legacy matters when all things are equal. The out of state pool is very competitive. |
Maybe I’m failing at reading comprehension, but I don’t understand this. You weren’t supporting them to get your kid in, but if you’re kid doesn’t get in, you’ll stop supporting them? |
Exactly. Look at the stats - there is a definite legacy bump at UVa. You have to be qualified but if you have two kids with the same stats - are you going to take the legacy or other? Higher likelihood that the legacy will accept. |
It's a cognitive dissonance many parents face, PP. I'm not the poster you replied to, but many people who are nostalgic for their school and wish to support it get disgruntled when they realize admissions have become so ultra-competitive that their very high-stats kids can't get in. I sympathize. I went to university in continental Europe, where it's free and there is no mechanism to donate, so I'm not in that mindset at all. I'm just relieved my kids are getting in somewhere decent - and aghast that I have to pay what a European would consider an astronomical sum for the privilege!
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I am sorry for you, really I am. You have to realize though that a great many of those highly qualified OOS acceptances, deferrals and rejects are also legacies. We are not talking about small numbers. And yes they are moving away from legacies in favor of diversity, that’s just a fact. My kid is at UVA now and the OO kids she knows are just amazing. Top scores, gpa, activities etc. and they are killing it at Uva. It’s a very competitive school and while I think your DC should have gotten in, the pool is getting more and more qualified. My brother attended OOS back in the late 1980s and even he admits no way would he have gotten in. His Dd only got on because she was an athletic recruit and he’d be the first to say that. |
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My OOS kid deferred. Things are changing so quickly that Naviance is no longer useful. According to Naviance for DC’s school, every kid in last 5 years with stats equivalent to DC has been accepted. This makes it so hard to accurately identify reach/target/safety when planning applications.
UVA’s blog post from last year makes it clear that very, very, VERY few deferrals become acceptances. |
How in the world did you read your kid’s recommendations? That’s highly unusual and makes me wonder if you’re waaaay too invested in this process. And your kid isn’t entitled to UVA admissions. There are plenty of other excellent Virginia state schools. |