Reply to How to get into UVA from Langley?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor.  Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley.  That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses.  UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class.  95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%.  Ask the counselor about where your student stands.  If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it.  (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA.  This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA.  Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots.  Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class.  UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility.  That happened to my DS.  That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates  . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply.  Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor.  Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher.  That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall.  a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile.  Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.  
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024.  who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year.  Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt.  Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important.  National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024.  Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year.  It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools.  William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller.  Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm.  Now I'm seeing 15.  Make good use of the ED application.  Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck.  Post back with any questions.[/quote]

[b]Hi, does this mean to get into UVA it’s easier to go to a non top HS? So your kid can make it to 10% easier. Please be kind in your feedback. We are trying from last couple of months to buy a home in Langley/MCLean or Madison and this makes me rethink our decision. [/quote][/b]

Yes, if you really want UVA and if your child is a super-star and will make top 10%, and will have the GPA, test-scores and ECs, you would be better off applying from a Virginia county that sends only one or zero students a year to UVA.  Many parents joke that they want to move to Nellysford, VA (one of the poorest regions) late in junior year to apply from there.  Approx. 600 students from FCPS get into UVA every year but when you divide that amongst the 22 high schools, maybe 30 offers go to Langley, 28 to Mclean, etc., but some of those students don't attend because they use UVA as a safety, as my child did, while applying to Ivys.  There's also the fierce competition from the TJ students which sends 60-80 students a year to UVA (it fluctuates).  It is true that some counties send no students so if you were to apply from there (and your residence didn't look contrived), it would be easier than from Langley, but you have to consider the quality of teaching and of the guidance counselor in that region.  You can find that map - county by county acceptance - on Dean J.'s blog. The worst competition, by far, is in NOVA/FCPS/TJ, which is why there is so much bitterness when parents pay taxes for 20 years to support the Virginia school system and their high-stats. kid can't get in.  If your child isn't a superstar academically, then getting into the best public (Mclean, Langley, etc.) would be the best bet. Get them the very best education you can and then see where you are junior year about options.  (Higher Ed is about to go through big change - who knows what we will be facing by the time your child graduates?). Don't discount the other VA institutions.  I know of many students who were very happy at GMU, JMU, CNU, Virginia Tech, etc.

Back to moving to 22101, I know of families that rent apartments in the area to get the right zip code and use that as their base (to be honest, sometimes, the apartment is just the kid living alone or empty, but that's hard for FCPS to monitor). There are also smaller townhouses in the King's Manor subdivision.

Another area to consider is the Ashburn/Loudoun County part of NOVA.  Dean J says that she finds herself spending more time there than ever before because the area is booming and the public high schools are churning out high stats kids.  There's less pressure on the students there, as well.  Langley and Mclean can be a pressure cooker because they offer all the top AP courses.  Go to the Langley website and look at the advanced math and science courses offered - it's very impressive - but can make average students feel inferior.  Also, with traffic getting so bad in NOVA (well, pre-covid), moving further out from D.C. makes a lot of sense.

Is that helpful?[/quote]

Thank you this is helpful.

The PP or you are not the first one who have told me about this. I have heard the same from other parents too. However, we were still persistent on these schools and as we personally liked them on our tour. Also our kids will be surrounded by kids who have similar goals. We are moving from a N.J. district which is in top 10 if I remove magnets. In the past we have been in a district which was at 150. There is a big difference in quality of education and parents who value education. I have kids who are high honor and honor roll in MS. So yes they are doing well. They also do sports and [b]Boy Scouts. 
[/b]
My husband thinks it’s stupid to take so much debt and still live in a fixer upper. When you can buy a beautiful home for under 900 K. Hmm no wonder some of the families I know of whose kids went to Loudon HSs are in UVA, whilst those who went to Langley ended up in JMU. They are all good schools. They are all doing similar jobs. Honestly, I am confused, lol. [/quote]

Keep up with the scouting.  Encourage your son to at least make Life, but try for Eagle (must be done by 18th birthday as you probably know, which takes time and planning).  Universities are looking for leaders of tomorrow and self-starters.  Eagle Scout indicates this.  Don't listen to the nay-sayers here.  The Eagle Scouts from my son's troop who applied to UVA all got in.  My top 3 law school also lists the number of Eagle Scouts in the incoming class for this fall.  [/quote]

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