We’re in NoVA |
+1 |
It’s different in our circle. Of all the kids my Dc knows who have gotten in, only 1 is not a legacy. All the other non-legacies were deferred. It may not “count”, but the connection to UVA essay does come into play. |
Are there stats on how many were deferred to regular decision? |
And they had nothing else going for them, right? Can we acknowledge that these kids probably had great applications? |
SCHEV data is standardized. It is reported based on standard calculation criteria. |
Michigan is highly reliant on OOS kids for budgeting purposes and that has saved it from decline. I think the most probable reason for a relatively low OOS yield is net price. For an OOS applicant, they will likely either have an offer from their state institutions at a much lower net price (and may get merit/honors) or offers from privates that are providing better net price and financial aid packages than UVA. Many top privates have replaced loans with grants. UVA, although need blind, focuses more on in-state net price, which makes sense given it is a state institution. |
Of course they had great applications. The connection essay is the cherry on top. |
Why do they offer this essay if legacy isn’t considered? At the info session, they mentioned writing about a summer class you take at UVA. Besides being a descendent of the slaves that built UVA, a legacy or taking a class or camp, is there another creative way to respond to this essay? |
Dean J mentions learning about summer programs she did not know existed from this essay. DD attended a summer program, but did not think it was worth discussing and left the essay blank. Admitted OOS |
Is it harder to be accepted in-state or OOS for Engineering at UVA? |
That essay drove us crazy as we had none of that to write to either. My DC wrote about his personal connection he felt when visiting the University (places he went, his experiences, what got him excited to go there). That's it. My advice is not to overthink it. You can write about a connection you made or felt during a visit (if you are out of state, maybe even a virtual visit would be something to write about ). |
Agreed. The extent of my DC's "connection" to the school was attending a sports camp there one summer and having an aunt and uncle who graduated from the school. DC is not close to them. It gave DC something to write about, but not much. Weird essay prompt. DC is in their first year and loving it, BTW. |
My DC didn't answer the optional essay and got in OOS. When DC told us we secretly thought for sure it would be a negative but I guess not. |
I'm pretty sure Dean J has said multiple times it's not a big deal if you leave it blank. Many do she said. My kid couldn't leave it blank, so just went with their experience visiting the university. Anyways, morale of the story...don't stress about it. I really don't think it's super important in the grand scheme of the application. |