Too early to start thinking W&M/UVA?

[Anonymous]

Our DD just finished her freshman year with a cumulative GPA of 4.16 UW/4.48 W (A+'s are counted as 4.3 in LCPS). We can start dreaming about in-state elite colleges, right?

[Anonymous]

Long way to go and way too early.

[Anonymous]

It’s a good start, but wait until you have a test score on the books to get too excited.

[Anonymous]

Good start-- continue working towards that goal!

[Anonymous]

If she keeps that up with the toughest course load possible she’s on track regardless of test scores at UVA. William and Mary favors men in admissions, however, so test scores will matter more.

[Anonymous]

How on earth do you get a 4.48W as a freshperson? I thought the froshpeople were not allowed to take AP classes only H Eng 9, Pre-AP World, Alg 2/Trig, H Research Earth Science etc.

[Anonymous]

Realize that Loudoun's calculation of GPA (which is on the generous side) will be recalculated to match others by any college she applies to--for instance most schools don't award "A+s" and don't give higher weighting so that will probably disappear in the recalculation. You need to compare it with how it aligns with others' in your school/county. If her GPA puts her roughly in the top 10% of GPAs and she's taking the most rigorous curriculum she's on track for UVA/W&M (depending of course on SATs).
One bummer to be aware of also is that a great start can set her up for a "downward trend" if her grades dip a bit which colleges weigh that slightly worse than an upward trend as it raises questions about her ability to handle increased challenges.

[Anonymous]

So, my DD had a 4.0 (U)/4.3 (W) after her freshman year. That is the max she could get without gaming the system.

Sophomore year, she ran into some roadblocks. I am really proud of the way she felt with them -- she had to work through some issues. Her GPA for the sophomore year is 3.7U/4.0W. UVA may or may not be in play, but frankly, I do not think the social scene at UVA is heathy, with the frat culture. W & M, maybe. But with her diagnosis, (during the year: HFA), she would be better served at a smaller school. (W & M would probably be ok).

Find the school that is right for your daughter. UVA/W & M are excellent schools, but might not be right for her. (My DD is fascinated by RPI).

[Anonymous]

What was her PSAT this year? Fairfax county freshmen n take the ninth grade PSAT; I assume your freshmen do too?

[Anonymous]

Waaay too early.

[Anonymous]

Liking W&M and UVA - big surprise. That's a no-brainer. You do nothing useful by focusing your attention on those two schools. Instead work to find in-state safeties, in case ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, my DD had a 4.0 (U)/4.3 (W) after her freshman year. That is the max she could get without gaming the system.

Sophomore year, she ran into some roadblocks. I am really proud of the way she felt with them -- she had to work through some issues. Her GPA for the sophomore year is 3.7U/4.0W. UVA may or may not be in play, but frankly, I do not think the social scene at UVA is heathy, with the frat culture. W & M, maybe. But with her diagnosis, (during the year: HFA), she would be better served at a smaller school. (W & M would probably be ok).

Find the school that is right for your daughter. UVA/W & M are excellent schools, but might not be right for her. (My DD is fascinated by RPI).

Lol I’m sure you thought UVA was fine when DD had a 4.3. Now all the sudden it’s too fratty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my DD had a 4.0 (U)/4.3 (W) after her freshman year. That is the max she could get without gaming the system.

Sophomore year, she ran into some roadblocks. I am really proud of the way she felt with them -- she had to work through some issues. Her GPA for the sophomore year is 3.7U/4.0W. UVA may or may not be in play, but frankly, I do not think the social scene at UVA is heathy, with the frat culture. W & M, maybe. But with her diagnosis, (during the year: HFA), she would be better served at a smaller school. (W & M would probably be ok).

Find the school that is right for your daughter. UVA/W & M are excellent schools, but might not be right for her. (My DD is fascinated by RPI).

Lol I’m sure you thought UVA was fine when DD had a 4.3. Now all the sudden it’s too fratty.

UVA grad here. It is too fratty. I will be actively discouraging my child from attending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my DD had a 4.0 (U)/4.3 (W) after her freshman year. That is the max she could get without gaming the system.

Sophomore year, she ran into some roadblocks. I am really proud of the way she felt with them -- she had to work through some issues. Her GPA for the sophomore year is 3.7U/4.0W. UVA may or may not be in play, but frankly, I do not think the social scene at UVA is heathy, with the frat culture. W & M, maybe. But with her diagnosis, (during the year: HFA), she would be better served at a smaller school. (W & M would probably be ok).

Find the school that is right for your daughter. UVA/W & M are excellent schools, but might not be right for her. (My DD is fascinated by RPI).

Lol I’m sure you thought UVA was fine when DD had a 4.3. Now all the sudden it’s too fratty.

UVA grad here. It is too fratty. I will be actively discouraging my child from attending.

Just tell her not to get involved in Greek life! There is something for everyone at UVA. In fact, there are over 300 clubs and social groups outside of the Greek houses at UVA. DC has never stepped foot inside a sorority or frat there. He has no interest. You have to walk over to Greek row to participate. Just focus on other areas. Music? Debate societies? (the oldest debate society in the nation is there) Newspaper? (one of the oldest in the nation). Marching band? orchestra? Astronomy? Religious groups? Seemingly hundreds of a cappella groups. There are almost 17,000 undergraduates there. Just the numbers tell you that only a small fraction of those can be involved in the frats and sororities. My DC doesn't even have a friend in his very active social group that is a member of the Greek societies (he's very anti-greek). Now if you were looking at Washington & Lee, I think that's a different situation altogether because 86% of the students participate in Greek life. That is not UVA - Greek life is not part of the culture on campus - it's off campus. You need to tour, ask questions and then actually go find Greek row and see how few houses there are and then reassess. Remember also that UVA won that suit against the Rolling Stone magazine. Especially, if you are in-State, UVA is an opportunity you should thoroughly investigate before dismissing based upon some incorrect stereotype. I take it back - there are 700 clubs at UVA, not 300. Here's the list. http://www.virginia.edu/life/activities

[Anonymous]

There are just under 17000 undergrads at UVA. 24% of the males are in fraternities, 27% of females in sororities. That means about 75%, or over 12000 students, are NOT involved in Greek life. Sorry but if your child can’t find friends/people with common interests/etc. among that group of 12,000- that sounds like a “them” problem, not a UVA problem.