UVA- how hard is it to get classes you need/want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

yes, ~10% get As.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Yes, it is a hard class and is graded on a true curve. About 150/1500 are given an A.
My kid got an A- and otherwise has a 4.0 (taking bio 1&1, Calc 2&3, linear algebra, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Yes, it is a hard class and is graded on a true curve. About 150/1500 are given an A.
My kid got an A- and otherwise has a 4.0 (taking bio 1&1, Calc 2&3, linear algebra, etc).

My kid got an A- in Econ also - the first time in his life he had a final grade that wasn't an A. There were definitnely times during the semester that he really struggled with the class but stuck with it and looked for resources to augment the class lectures, went to office hours etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Yes, it is a hard class and is graded on a true curve. About 150/1500 are given an A.
My kid got an A- and otherwise has a 4.0 (taking bio 1&1, Calc 2&3, linear algebra, etc).

My kid got an A- in Econ also - the first time in his life he had a final grade that wasn't an A. There were definitnely times during the semester that he really struggled with the class but stuck with it and looked for resources to augment the class lectures, went to office hours etc.

Yes, same here. We actually got my son a tutor on Wyzant--a PhD economist who has tutored kids for year. Pulled out an A-. lol.
It is not an easy class and they do a straight curve of the grades in the end. You are in direct competition with your peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is trying to decide on UVA. DC loves the campus and the vibe. DC is undecided and has no idea what to study. How difficult is it to get classes? Is it impossible to enter Data school or business school if you don't start taking prerequisites immediately? Worried that getting classes will be difficult, not to mention research opportunities and internships.

DC is second year and in A&S. They have had to join a waitlist a couple of times to get classes, but it always works out. They have not been denied classes they need but can be nerve wracking as they wait to see movement on the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard the Jefferson scholars now dominate admissions to Commerce and admissions to the top IB clubs. That is your competition.

Doubtful. Sounds very speculative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how hard is to get into commerce school at UVA?

Business is the #1 major kids want to pursue in 2026, so the admit rate for business keeps dropping everywhere. I imagine it will drop more this year for the Commerce school. I believe the numbers have gone from a 60% admit rate to a 40% admit rate in just 2 years. In previous years, there was clearly a lot of institutional priorities being considered (FGLI/DEI).

Probably a 30% internal acceptance rate to Mcintire this year. 10% external in-state acceptance to McIntire for transfers, 5% external OOS rate for transfers.

43% internal acceptance rate

I bet it is lower this year. The Intro to Comm and Micro classes were larger than ever. I think 2500 kids out of 4000 freshman took them.

So more than half the entire class wants business? My DC has turned down many direct admit business schools for UVA. He is really confident about getting in, but I am very, very nervous. I imagine the spots are evenly split by gender. By the time you find out it in June it is too late to transfer to another university. I really wish UVA was direct admit and that they expanded the commerce school so more kids can get in.

In my view, UVa's Batten (public policy), Data Science, and McIntire (Commerce) schools all ought to be real 4-yr schools inside the university with each having direct admissions.

Batten should have some academic departments moved into it (e.g., government). Data Science school should have at least CS and Statistics moved into it.

Note well that such a change would not prevent students in A&S from taking some courses or having a minor from those relocated departments. Already, people in A&S can take CS courses - even though CS now is in the E school. E School students already have their Math courses taught by the Math department which happens to be in A&S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Yes, it is a hard class and is graded on a true curve. About 150/1500 are given an A.
My kid got an A- and otherwise has a 4.0 (taking bio 1&1, Calc 2&3, linear algebra, etc).

Grading on a true curve for most classes is common for engineering programs at many universities. Welcome to the real world where some get the blue ribbons and others do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard the Jefferson scholars now dominate admissions to Commerce and admissions to the top IB clubs. That is your competition.

They are 1-2% of undergrad enrollment. Not sure how they could dominate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Grade inflation in all schools. They publish the data

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Grade inflation in all schools. They publish the data

The average GPA is under a 3.6.
That is not grade inflation when at places like Brown and Harvard it's a 3.9.
And Rice has 25% of the school with a 4.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how hard is to get into commerce school at UVA?

Business is the #1 major kids want to pursue in 2026, so the admit rate for business keeps dropping everywhere. I imagine it will drop more this year for the Commerce school. I believe the numbers have gone from a 60% admit rate to a 40% admit rate in just 2 years. In previous years, there was clearly a lot of institutional priorities being considered (FGLI/DEI).

Probably a 30% internal acceptance rate to Mcintire this year. 10% external in-state acceptance to McIntire for transfers, 5% external OOS rate for transfers.

43% internal acceptance rate

I bet it is lower this year. The Intro to Comm and Micro classes were larger than ever. I think 2500 kids out of 4000 freshman took them.

So more than half the entire class wants business? My DC has turned down many direct admit business schools for UVA. He is really confident about getting in, but I am very, very nervous. I imagine the spots are evenly split by gender. By the time you find out it in June it is too late to transfer to another university. I really wish UVA was direct admit and that they expanded the commerce school so more kids can get in.

In my view, UVa's Batten (public policy), Data Science, and McIntire (Commerce) schools all ought to be real 4-yr schools inside the university with each having direct admissions.

Batten should have some academic departments moved into it (e.g., government). Data Science school should have at least CS and Statistics moved into it.

Note well that such a change would not prevent students in A&S from taking some courses or having a minor from those relocated departments. Already, people in A&S can take CS courses - even though CS now is in the E school. E School students already have their Math courses taught by the Math department which happens to be in A&S.

It’s ridiculous Batten isn’t also international policy like every other top policy school : Ivies, Georgetown, Hopkins, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If kids need 4.0 or 3.97 to get into Commerce school, then is the intro Econ class a weed out class? What is the grading curve? I imagine that many of the 1500 kids who take the prerequisite classes won't get an A?

Is there grade deflation at UVA? What about the premed classes?

Grade inflation in all schools. They publish the data

The average GPA is under a 3.6.
That is not grade inflation when at places like Brown and Harvard it's a 3.9.
And Rice has 25% of the school with a 4.0

Grade inflation is defined as rising GPAs over time and you can absolutely see that in the data. You are saying that because UVA is not there with Brown bumping into the 4.0 ceiling it has grade deflation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how hard is to get into commerce school at UVA?

Business is the #1 major kids want to pursue in 2026, so the admit rate for business keeps dropping everywhere. I imagine it will drop more this year for the Commerce school. I believe the numbers have gone from a 60% admit rate to a 40% admit rate in just 2 years. In previous years, there was clearly a lot of institutional priorities being considered (FGLI/DEI).

Probably a 30% internal acceptance rate to Mcintire this year. 10% external in-state acceptance to McIntire for transfers, 5% external OOS rate for transfers.

43% internal acceptance rate

I bet it is lower this year. The Intro to Comm and Micro classes were larger than ever. I think 2500 kids out of 4000 freshman took them.

Plenty of them will realize that aren't interested in McIntire because of those classes, but still, where is your source for 2500 taking foundations of commerce?

I see 5 sections currently:

Section 1: 146 total students
Section 2: 156
Section 3: 149
Section 4: 147
Section 5: 115
713 total

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how hard is to get into commerce school at UVA?

Business is the #1 major kids want to pursue in 2026, so the admit rate for business keeps dropping everywhere. I imagine it will drop more this year for the Commerce school. I believe the numbers have gone from a 60% admit rate to a 40% admit rate in just 2 years. In previous years, there was clearly a lot of institutional priorities being considered (FGLI/DEI).

Probably a 30% internal acceptance rate to Mcintire this year. 10% external in-state acceptance to McIntire for transfers, 5% external OOS rate for transfers.

43% internal acceptance rate

I bet it is lower this year. The Intro to Comm and Micro classes were larger than ever. I think 2500 kids out of 4000 freshman took them.

So more than half the entire class wants business? My DC has turned down many direct admit business schools for UVA. He is really confident about getting in, but I am very, very nervous. I imagine the spots are evenly split by gender. By the time you find out it in June it is too late to transfer to another university. I really wish UVA was direct admit and that they expanded the commerce school so more kids can get in.

In my view, UVa's Batten (public policy), Data Science, and McIntire (Commerce) schools all ought to be real 4-yr schools inside the university with each having direct admissions.

Batten should have some academic departments moved into it (e.g., government). Data Science school should have at least CS and Statistics moved into it.

Note well that such a change would not prevent students in A&S from taking some courses or having a minor from those relocated departments. Already, people in A&S can take CS courses - even though CS now is in the E school. E School students already have their Math courses taught by the Math department which happens to be in A&S.

I don't agree.

Having business and tech leaders who have no liberal arts foundation is why we're in such dire straits right now. You can get board education and still do the job training with UVA.

If you think college is purely job training, pick another school. If you value being an educated citizen, go to UVA.