Anonymous
03/27/2025 13:15
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you NoVa?
Yes, North Arlington.
To OP: any idea where your student falls in the class? Can you tell which percentile based on school profile bar chart? Knowing where your kid is relative to his or her peers at their particular school may give some info on if UVA is a viable option. I do not know about W&M but fairly confident being top 5% of class for UVA if in NoVA would give me some comfort level.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 13:14
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The schools are different enough that one probably "fits" your student better, and your student will seem like a better fit from the AO perspective. EDing to that one (as opposed to trying to figure out which of the two has "more likely" ED stats) will likely yield a better outcome for your student.
THIS. They are both great schools, but not interchangeable. My current WM (post-COVID) junior got in with a 4.1W and 35 ACT out of FCPS by going ED. She was an amazing fit for WM for multiple reasons, including best in her high school strength in foreign languages and history/government/econ. Very pointy and applied for IR and languages, which is WM’s strength (and a path she has followed at WM very successfully) . But GPA for white girl in NOVA was 25%. UVA never would have looked at her.
+1 WM seems more interested in finding the kids who really want to be there. UVA, at least in our naviance stats, has more of a hard cutoff on GPA.
THIS! “Who comes here belongs here”. WM moto and they live this.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 13:09
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Good luck, OP. I hope you have a kid with stellar stats - highest rigor, nothing less than an A, discovered a cure for cancer, and founded their own nonprofit.
Our kid that got in both had the first two criteria you’ve laid out but certainly not the second. It’s competitive but come on.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 13:08
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:You might be surprised by how much merit and need-based aid some private schools will offer. UVA and W&M are excellent schools, but lots of LACs — especially the less-trafficked ones, like Grinnell, St. Olaf, Whitman — will offer merit aid that can bring the cost down to match (or even beat) the in-state options. If you have a really academics-oriented student, that might end up being a more appealing option than some of the other in-state publics. For need-based aid, create an account and fill out the Net Price Calculator for a few schools (it saves your financial info, so you don't have to re-enter your data) to see what you might have available to you. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/get-started/net-price-calculator
Agree. Merit to our kid got us to W&M level at a few privates.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 13:05
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The schools are different enough that one probably "fits" your student better, and your student will seem like a better fit from the AO perspective. EDing to that one (as opposed to trying to figure out which of the two has "more likely" ED stats) will likely yield a better outcome for your student.
THIS. They are both great schools, but not interchangeable. My current WM (post-COVID) junior got in with a 4.1W and 35 ACT out of FCPS by going ED. She was an amazing fit for WM for multiple reasons, including best in her high school strength in foreign languages and history/government/econ. Very pointy and applied for IR and languages, which is WM’s strength (and a path she has followed at WM very successfully) . But GPA for white girl in NOVA was 25%. UVA never would have looked at her.
+1 WM seems more interested in finding the kids who really want to be there. UVA, at least in our naviance stats, has more of a hard cutoff on GPA.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 13:01
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:You might be surprised by how much merit and need-based aid some private schools will offer. UVA and W&M are excellent schools, but lots of LACs — especially the less-trafficked ones, like Grinnell, St. Olaf, Whitman — will offer merit aid that can bring the cost down to match (or even beat) the in-state options. If you have a really academics-oriented student, that might end up being a more appealing option than some of the other in-state publics. For need-based aid, create an account and fill out the Net Price Calculator for a few schools (it saves your financial info, so you don't have to re-enter your data) to see what you might have available to you. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/get-started/net-price-calculator
+1. My older kid went to a SLAC. Kenyon, Oberlin, Macalaster, Grinnell and St. Olaf got the price down to around WM cost. Wooster got it below. Consider Midwestern SLACs
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:59
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ED1 to UVA and ED2 to WM because UVA doesn't have ED2.
+1 and be sure to do an interview at WM to show interest.
Yes. And, probably come up with a compelling reason to fill out the connection to UVA essay.
+1. And make no mistake— the “optional” WM essay is not optional. They outright said so in our information session.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:57
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:The schools are different enough that one probably "fits" your student better, and your student will seem like a better fit from the AO perspective. EDing to that one (as opposed to trying to figure out which of the two has "more likely" ED stats) will likely yield a better outcome for your student.
THIS. They are both great schools, but not interchangeable. My current WM (post-COVID) junior got in with a 4.1W and 35 ACT out of FCPS by going ED. She was an amazing fit for WM for multiple reasons, including best in her high school strength in foreign languages and history/government/econ. Very pointy and applied for IR and languages, which is WM’s strength (and a path she has followed at WM very successfully) . But GPA for white girl in NOVA was 25%. UVA never would have looked at her.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:57
Subject: Re:ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you or your spouse alums of W&M? If so I would recommend ED there bc otherwise it could hurt RD chances. That might have changed in the last year or two but up until recently legacy is a factor
By law VA universities can no longer consider legacy.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:51
Subject: Re:ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Are you or your spouse alums of W&M? If so I would recommend ED there bc otherwise it could hurt RD chances. That might have changed in the last year or two but up until recently legacy is a factor
By law VA universities can no longer consider legacy.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:51
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:We can't afford OOS or private tuition so need to go with one of these two. I know UVA says applying ED has no benefit but is that really true? And at W&M, could you just show a lot of interest and get a similar effect as applying ED? TIA
For WM show interest AND apply ED. You will have an edge. Demonstrated interest probably helps around the margins at RD, but hundreds or thousands of other kids have also demonstrated interest.
Can’t speak to UVa.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:20
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
You might be surprised by how much merit and need-based aid some private schools will offer. UVA and W&M are excellent schools, but lots of LACs — especially the less-trafficked ones, like Grinnell, St. Olaf, Whitman — will offer merit aid that can bring the cost down to match (or even beat) the in-state options. If you have a really academics-oriented student, that might end up being a more appealing option than some of the other in-state publics. For need-based aid, create an account and fill out the Net Price Calculator for a few schools (it saves your financial info, so you don't have to re-enter your data) to see what you might have available to you. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/get-started/net-price-calculator
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:17
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ED1 to UVA and ED2 to WM because UVA doesn't have ED2.
+1 and be sure to do an interview at WM to show interest.
Yes. And, probably come up with a compelling reason to fill out the connection to UVA essay.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:16
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:ED1 to UVA and ED2 to WM because UVA doesn't have ED2.
+1 and be sure to do an interview at WM to show interest.
Anonymous
03/27/2025 12:15
Subject: ED to UVA or W&M
Anonymous wrote:IED1 to UVA and ED2 to WM because UVA doesn't have ED2.
This is the answer. ED to UVA certainly does give your student an advantage. The applicant pool is much smaller, the schools knows you really want to attend and they have more seats available. Meanwhile, make sure you show W&M lots of love by way of DI. Apply ED2. Best of luck!