UVA or bust

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.

Does UVA have a special program where they admit more from poor high schools? Families would flock to South Lakes and Herndon if they made this public

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.

Does UVA have a special program where they admit more from poor high schools? Families would flock to South Lakes and Herndon if they made this public

DP. No, of course not. The poorest high schools in the state would be thrilled to have one kid admitted, but it’s more likely zero.

[Anonymous]

For those of you who like actual data, this is an interesting one.

https://research.schev.edu/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=localities.LocalityData_Admission

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.

Does UVA have a special program where they admit more from poor high schools? Families would flock to South Lakes and Herndon if they made this public

UVA does not this kind of a program, but GMU does. They offer automatic admission to kids from certain high FARMS high schools. I assume there is an academic bar that must be met. Now sure how rigourous it is though. My kid was offered this option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.

Does UVA have a special program where they admit more from poor high schools? Families would flock to South Lakes and Herndon if they made this public

UVA does not this kind of a program, but GMU does. They offer automatic admission to kids from certain high FARMS high schools. I assume there is an academic bar that must be met. Now sure how rigourous it is though. My kid was offered this option.

Here is the GMU link:

https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-public-schools-expands-partnership-george-mason-universitys-direct-admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.

Does UVA have a special program where they admit more from poor high schools? Families would flock to South Lakes and Herndon if they made this public

South Lakes and Herndon have plenty of high stats kids applying to UVA and getting rejected. It may be easier than Langley or Oakton but it is not assured, by far.

[Anonymous]

Why isn’t UVa doing more for poor high schools? They should guarantee admission

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:all A's in all 5 core areas and all ap when avail

foreign language through ap.

leadership

sports

volunteering

GPA over 4.45

This is for a chance. Yes there are exceptions, but over the last 2 years I have seen many with this profile not get in.

This will give you a decent shot, particularly if you ED. Don’t be afraid to use alternate routes if necessary such as year in Wise or via CC route if necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why isn’t UVa doing more for poor high schools? They should guarantee admission

They do if the student does the community college route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS- what exactly does it take to get in UVA? No other option is good enough.

The median starting salary for a UVA graduate is $64,500. This is the only plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

Name the school

I can name a few that fall into this category:

Herndon, Justice, Falls Church, Lewis, West Potomac even South Lakes.

Just look up the lowest rated schools. Look at their instagram decision pages. They may not have 30+ kids going to UVA, but they do have a good number. Also, who wants to go away to college and end up running into a bunch of former HS classmates?

And that has nothing to do with UVA having generous financial aid for Virginians who show need, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

Name the school

I can name a few that fall into this category:

Herndon, Justice, Falls Church, Lewis, West Potomac even South Lakes.

Just look up the lowest rated schools. Look at their instagram decision pages. They may not have 30+ kids going to UVA, but they do have a good number. Also, who wants to go away to college and end up running into a bunch of former HS classmates?

And that has nothing to do with UVA having generous financial aid for Virginians who show need, right?

Not sure about other schools, but at our “less desired” fcps high school, most of the kids getting into UVA are not FARMS; they are full pay. These are kids that played club sports, had “fun” summer jobs, were in band, and stable home lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.

Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.

Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.

This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.

Does UVA have a special program where they admit more from poor high schools? Families would flock to South Lakes and Herndon if they made this public

UVA does not this kind of a program, but GMU does. They offer automatic admission to kids from certain high FARMS high schools. I assume there is an academic bar that must be met. Now sure how rigourous it is though. My kid was offered this option.

I think they must've expanded this program to more than just high FARMs schools as my West Springfield kid was offered this direct admission this year and I know others at WSHS were as well. Here is the email to the parents:

Congratulations! We are excited to share that your 12th grade student is eligible for direct admissions to George Mason University for the Fall 2026 semester! This opportunity is available through an innovative partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

Direct admissions programs match students with a college based on their strong academic performance in high school. Your student's academic record makes them a great fit for George Mason University to continue their education.

Students selected for direct admissions at Mason benefit from a streamlined admissions process and application. This includes a waived application fee, and students do not need to submit an essay or letters of recommendation.

George Mason University is the largest research university in Virginia, with over 40,000 students. Since its founding in 1972, Mason has embraced diversity and inclusion as one of its core principles. Mason proudly accepts nearly 90% of undergraduate applicants because they believe in inclusivity over exclusivity. Their graduation rate exceeds the national average, and there are no disparities in academic success rates among the differing ethnic groups or socioeconomic statuses of students.

To learn more about Mason and their non-binding direct admissions offer, please visit Mason’s website.

Once the offer is accepted and consent/permission received by September 10, 2025, the student will begin to receive communication to their fcpsschools.net email address directly from George Mason University with more information about how to apply.

You should be proud of all your student has accomplished in high school. We wish them the very best as they begin their senior year!

If you have any questions, please contact your student's school counselor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid can go to Fairfax University of America.

Similar to Trump University?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn’t UVa doing more for poor high schools? They should guarantee admission

They do if the student does the community college route.

They should guarantee admission for top 10% of FARMS