What happened to UVa??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And ironically UVa CS and Engineering programs are quite mediocre, at best

yup. My kid got in both UVA and VT for engineering and (obviously) picked VT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have to apply ED to get in? EA isn’t good enough?

Of course not. UVA lets in many students from our HS, almost all from the top30%, ED is only "needed" for the bottom of that group. The top 15% get into UVA EA as long as they took enough hard courses and have the scores.

Is this TJ because that’s not how it is most anywhere else. At my kids school only the top 5% got in.

No, not TJ! They do slightly better. Just a test-in high school that is not top 3 in the state but is a top 10 in the state.

Biggest issue people have with UVA is so much grade inflation exists and class rank and more importantly relative course rigor are very hard to determine by parents. Median weighted gpa can be 4.1–4.2 at many schools in VA especially nova. 8 APs can be average. To truly be top 30% at the more competitive schools(usually the test-in privates or public magnets) one has to do a lot more than a 3.9uw/4.2 W with 8 APs.

Yep, it's a crapshoot. I posted in another thread about my two DS's, 2021 and 2024, at Mclean/Langley. 2021 had 3.9 UW/4.2 W with 8 APs, 1490 SAT, rejected by UVA. 2024 had 3.9 UW/4.3 W with 10 APs, 1500 SAT, accepted by UVA in EA. Same average ECs. Very slight difference between the two DSs, but one in and one out. Why? I have no idea.

If the 2nd one was admitted and first one rejected- I get it.

My kid had uw4.0/w4.4, 35ACT. The first one had scores and gpa borderline for UVA and coming out of Langley/McLean probably many kids with much higher scores, gpa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may not be a strict quota, and it may not be imposed by law like in Texas, but if you look at county-by-county data, there’s a remarkable consistency to the admissions rate. Looks to me like the target is 30%.

https://research.schev.edu/enrollment/b8_admissions_locality.asp

So they are either predictable or it's a crapshoot. Great thread!

[Anonymous]

For NOVA - its mostly growth, especially with Asian rock star immigrant kids who excel in STEM.

UVA and others really need to expand to keep up. Instead their dean is more interested in going for jogging and making a big deal out it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just go to community college and get good grades(which is easy)

You get right in. It’s a breeze.

Be careful bringing facts here. However, and honestly, what would DCuM say to all her friends about Buffy going to NOVA? The embarrassment...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have to apply ED to get in? EA isn’t good enough?

Of course not. UVA lets in many students from our HS, almost all from the top30%, ED is only "needed" for the bottom of that group. The top 15% get into UVA EA as long as they took enough hard courses and have the scores.

Is this TJ because that’s not how it is most anywhere else. At my kids school only the top 5% got in.

No, not TJ! They do slightly better. Just a test-in high school that is not top 3 in the state but is a top 10 in the state.

Biggest issue people have with UVA is so much grade inflation exists and class rank and more importantly relative course rigor are very hard to determine by parents. Median weighted gpa can be 4.1–4.2 at many schools in VA especially nova. 8 APs can be average. To truly be top 30% at the more competitive schools(usually the test-in privates or public magnets) one has to do a lot more than a 3.9uw/4.2 W with 8 APs.

Yep, it's a crapshoot. I posted in another thread about my two DS's, 2021 and 2024, at Mclean/Langley. 2021 had 3.9 UW/4.2 W with 8 APs, 1490 SAT, rejected by UVA. 2024 had 3.9 UW/4.3 W with 10 APs, 1500 SAT, accepted by UVA in EA. Same average ECs. Very slight difference between the two DSs, but one in and one out. Why? I have no idea.

If the 2nd one was admitted and first one rejected- I get it.

My kid had uw4.0/w4.4, 35ACT. The first one had scores and gpa borderline for UVA and coming out of Langley/McLean probably many kids with much higher scores, gpa.

If you look at the recent history of your high school, you can tell which high school UVA favors, and which UVA does not. ie: how many potential slots for your particular school's applicants. Also, most of UVA's students apply ED/EA, which to many people, reads "yield protection". There are top kids in our high schools (plural) who were not admitted in recent years, because they did not apply ED/EA. They had higher stats than those who were admitted (but no sob story, which may be a factor, given UVA's need to try to right its past wrongs).

To answer OP's question: money.

[Anonymous]

A bunch of DD's friends got into UVA. She attends one of the 3 APS high schools. I was surprised at how many actually got in, so I don't think it's as hard as ppl think.

[Anonymous]

“If you look at the recent history of your high school, you can tell which high school UVA favors, and which UVA does not. ie: how many potential slots for your particular school's applicants”

My kids HS says where kids got in but not how many got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what you are looking for in terms of an answer. Admission to UVA, like all of the top-30 schools has become hyper-competitive. Common app and test optional has driven the number of applications way up. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Decent grades are definitely not enough anymore.

40%.

FORTY PERCENT.

The decision for all universities to go “test optional” during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic (because the SAT was not available during Covid), drove up university applications by 40%.

Admissions were already more competitive before Covid.

Competition has increased dramatically each year ever since the 2007 financial crisis.

But that fierce competition was then hit by a 40% “test optional” increase in applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It may not be a strict quota, and it may not be imposed by law like in Texas, but if you look at county-by-county data, there’s a remarkable consistency to the admissions rate. Looks to me like the target is 30%.

https://research.schev.edu/enrollment/b8_admissions_locality.asp

So they are either predictable or it's a crapshoot. Great thread!

It’s predictable at the county level. Which kids will be admitted from each county is unpredictable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“If you look at the recent history of your high school, you can tell which high school UVA favors, and which UVA does not. ie: how many potential slots for your particular school's applicants”

My kids HS says where kids got in but not how many got in.

The top HS student in your school generally know their peers and competition ie: who is in their AP classes, who is on their sports teams, etc. Unless the kid greatly fabricates their essay to be admitted, which is another story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And ironically UVa CS and Engineering programs are quite mediocre, at best

yup. My kid got in both UVA and VT for engineering and (obviously) picked VT.

+1. No brainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what you are looking for in terms of an answer. Admission to UVA, like all of the top-30 schools has become hyper-competitive. Common app and test optional has driven the number of applications way up. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Decent grades are definitely not enough anymore.

40%.

FORTY PERCENT.

The decision for all universities to go “test optional” during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic (because the SAT was not available during Covid), drove up university applications by 40%.

Admissions were already more competitive before Covid.

Competition has increased dramatically each year ever since the 2007 financial crisis.

But that fierce competition was then hit by a 40% “test optional” increase in applications.

WOW. That is super high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you really have to apply ED to get in? EA isn’t good enough?

Of course not. UVA lets in many students from our HS, almost all from the top30%, ED is only "needed" for the bottom of that group. The top 15% get into UVA EA as long as they took enough hard courses and have the scores.

Is this TJ because that’s not how it is most anywhere else. At my kids school only the top 5% got in.

No, not TJ! They do slightly better. Just a test-in high school that is not top 3 in the state but is a top 10 in the state.

Biggest issue people have with UVA is so much grade inflation exists and class rank and more importantly relative course rigor are very hard to determine by parents. Median weighted gpa can be 4.1–4.2 at many schools in VA especially nova. 8 APs can be average. To truly be top 30% at the more competitive schools(usually the test-in privates or public magnets) one has to do a lot more than a 3.9uw/4.2 W with 8 APs.

Yep, it's a crapshoot. I posted in another thread about my two DS's, 2021 and 2024, at Mclean/Langley. 2021 had 3.9 UW/4.2 W with 8 APs, 1490 SAT, rejected by UVA. 2024 had 3.9 UW/4.3 W with 10 APs, 1500 SAT, accepted by UVA in EA. Same average ECs. Very slight difference between the two DSs, but one in and one out. Why? I have no idea.

If the 2nd one was admitted and first one rejected- I get it.

My kid had uw4.0/w4.4, 35ACT. The first one had scores and gpa borderline for UVA and coming out of Langley/McLean probably many kids with much higher scores, gpa.

If you look at the recent history of your high school, you can tell which high school UVA favors, and which UVA does not. ie: how many potential slots for your particular school's applicants. Also, most of UVA's students apply ED/EA, which to many people, reads "yield protection". There are top kids in our high schools (plural) who were not admitted in recent years, because they did not apply ED/EA. They had higher stats than those who were admitted (but no sob story, which may be a factor, given UVA's need to try to right its past wrongs).

To answer OP's question: money.

Why wouldn't anyone not apply EA if they are in-state? It's not binding and you can still apply to any private/Ivy university that you want. That's why is it is the most popular round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“If you look at the recent history of your high school, you can tell which high school UVA favors, and which UVA does not. ie: how many potential slots for your particular school's applicants”

My kids HS says where kids got in but not how many got in.

The top HS student in your school generally know their peers and competition ie: who is in their AP classes, who is on their sports teams, etc. Unless the kid greatly fabricates their essay to be admitted, which is another story.

SCORES MATTER now. Nobody wants to admit that. But at our school the kids that had the high scores, in addition to a solid transcript/GPA did better.