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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here's what I'm wrestling with.  I think UVA has gone overboard this year with the first-generation segment of applicants.  We know UVA received almost 50,000 applications, a 17 percent increase this year.  Out of the ED applications (38% increase), 968 were accepted.  A few were rejected.  The rest were deferred.  Then 28,897 students applied for EA. 21,048 of those applications came from OOS.  18% OOS students were offered a slot.

But a whopping 692 first-generationers (remember the entire class is 3,750) were offered and ED or EA slot.  I could be wrong but I don't think admissions has been transparent about how many of the first-generation students were EA or ED.

So with a class of 3,750, you first have to subtract those that took a gap year due to covid. Let's just say 200.  the ED (minus or take a few that bowed out due to finances). Now, take 3,550 and subtract the EDs of 968 and you are down to 2,582.  You have now a 6000 accepted EA (no one knows in this year how many of them will show up - family finances will play a huge party).  So you are now in negative territory (2,582 - 6,000).  Also you have those students who were deferred, not rejected from ED.  If one-half  of those 6,000 showed up, UVA is still over subscribed. If a third show up, then there are 582 slots left for ED deferred, EA deferred and RD.  Now toss in the athletes (may already be in), URM, more low-income, Blue Ridge Scholars, the Jefferson Scholars, rich daddys who have made calls and it increasingly becomes an imposible situation for those like OP's kid.

What I'm pondering and haven't settled on a decision yet is why are so many slots going to in-state and OOS first-generation students?  692 slots for a class of 3,750 seems extreme.  I'm a first-generation student (and white) and back then it didn't count for squat.  No one even thought of it.  Yes, I understand USN&WR now uses this category as a "social mobility" factor, but why are we rewarding students simply because their parents didn't finish college?  Mine didn't.  My grandfather didn't even finish middle school because his father died and he had to take care of the farm.  VT is also doing the same.

I think -all things being equal - there are other more important subcategories in Admissions such as URM, Blue Ridge Scholars (disadvantaged and poor), etc. etc.  Why is first-generation now so hot.  Even as of 2015, 54% of all students were first-generationers (although most of us didn't know it).  And only 14-16% of those were minorities.
https://firstgen.naspa.org/research-and-policy/national-data-fact-sheets-on-first-generation-college-students/national-data-fact-sheets.  That may have changed.  So I don't think you can say this is pushing race issues.  Is this all just because USN&WR added the social mobility criteria and schools must now report the number to USN&WR.

But where does that leave the superstars at Virginia's top public and private schools.  Or the TJ superstars?  It's happening at TJ too.  The Commonwealth's top kids aren't getting into the flagship or the state's best tech school.  Is this right?  I'm very proud of the fact that I am self-made with no help from anyone along the way.  I should not have been rewarded that my parents did not graduate from college.  And I was low-income too.

What do you think (and don't make this a DCUM yelling match).  I'm genuinely curious.

Another step I think needs to be taken is to increase the number of seats at Virginian schools as other states have.  Texas is top 6% of public high school class (a fairer one than Virginia's - and easier on the students and the parents); California has virtually pushed out all the OOS when the voters got fed up paying for a very good system (UC, Cal State, Community college) but their own chldren couldn't get in. UVA is still at 35%OOS and I bet that a lot of them are the first-generation students that Jim Ryan is so keen on admitting.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/historic-application-year-uva-offers-early-action-admission-more-6000

[/quote]

T[b]he current president, Jim Ryan, made First Gen acceptance a  priority when he came on board. The legislature sets the in state/out of state numbers and how public colleges/universities are designed; this is not a a high priority for them. Charlottesville is small compared to California markets, Texas markets etc. Virginia does not have a  large state system like  UCs, UTs, UNCs, etc[/b].[/quote]

But the same is taking place with the relatively new Preisdent of VT.  It's "First-generation" or bust for him.  WHY?  Is it just the USN&WR ratings pushing this?  Go read the VT EA results, and the UVA EA results pages on this forum and see the kinds of statistics that are being deferred from TJ.  Also there's a TJ acceptance thread with a similar point of view.  (BTW I have no affiliation with VT).  But these kids who are rejected or deferred have outstanding statistics and they are being favored over the first-generation applicants. Many VA families really NEED Virginia Tech this year because of financial reasons due to covid.  The OOS and private tech schools are too expensive = lots of frustration.

Also UVA gets only a small percentage of its budget from the Commonwealth.  It can do what it wants for the most part.  And the Commonwealth WILL have to pay attention when enough parents in Virginia rise up and say "enough OSS - my own kid can't get into any of the UC schools and I've paid taxes for 30 years".  Public institutions do have a different mission than privates.  The other states have already starting curtailing the OSS programs.

The Commonwealth has 41 institutions of higher learning, which includes the community colleges.  Per student population that's pretty amazing.[/quote]

For UVa president it’s because he himself was a First Gen[/quote]

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