Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better to be an outstanding student at a lower performing high school with less competition. Tried to tell my relativse in NOVA this and have them move to a lower performing part of the state, since they are retired now, because their daughter could be top of her class there. Not here. Wish my parents had understood!

I'll never understand parents who try to "game" the system by moving to a lower performing school. Will your kid stand out? Yes. But its short-sighted. Your kids college destination is the not the end game. If youre trying to raise motivated, life long learners, you don't purposely place them in a less challenging environment.

I agree its completely foolish. UVA along with every other prestigious university admissions dept is also looking for "rigor of curriculum" and you just don't get the same rigor in the lower performing schools because its what the teachers DO with the curriculum and manage to pull out of it, not what is inherently contained within the basics.

This article is 3 years old but may be of some insight. Yes, there is definitely a NOVA problem. A PP mentioned that 10th of their Langley/McLean class gets in (doubtful now) but what PP doesn't take into account is that 99% of the students at McLean or Langley are stellar students. We were stunned but very happy when DC got in: 4.05 GPA, 36 ACT, Eagle Scout, National awards, took summer courses at NVCC, good SAT subject matter II scores and other stats. DC was lucky and has been enjoying every minute of it. http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2014/apr/01/northern-virginia-problem/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

will be compared to the other students applying from their high school. So if the top 100 students from Yorktown HS in Arlington apply to UVA, generally speaking UVA will accept the top 30 of those students

I think we're all aware of the first part. How are you coming up with the "top 30" idea?

First of all I said "generally speaking." Of course there are exceptions. Secondly about 95% of students UVA admits are in the top 10% of their class and even if a high school doesn't officially rank, the admissions officers are intimately familiar with the high schools in their assigned territory and are able to determine ranking on their own. Thirdly, and of course this is merely anecdotal, I have seen this happen now with three of my own kids (one is at UVA, one was rejected and one was wait-listed and all were in the top 10% of their class), their friends and peers at two different top NOVA high schools (neither of which was Yorktown).

93% of the class of 2020 were in the top 10% of their class. 256 perfect SAT scores, etc. http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2016/03/university-releases-admission-decisions-for-class-of-2020

Anonymous wrote:a kid on my street with 4.2 gpa 1400+ sat and on football team didn't get in. is this due to NOVA penalty?

I also know a kid with similar stats that was admitted as a freshman last year to a highly selective college. When I last spoke to his dad, he was failing his first semester at school. Being an athlete is tough for sure, but I also know that this kid had a relatively easy schedule in high school that led to a very high GPA. Now, clearly he's no dunce, he did pretty well on the SAT. But a 4.2 is not all the same across the board.

Anonymous wrote:a kid on my street with 4.2 gpa 1400+ sat and on football team didn't get in. is this due to NOVA penalty?

If admissions were this easy, the admission reps could say yay or nay via text!

a kid on my street with 4.2 gpa 1400+ sat and on football team didn't get in. is this due to NOVA penalty?

Yes, no different than Asian penalties.

Anonymous wrote:There is a history of - approximately - how many students are accepted from each high school. Yes it can vary somewhat year to year. Yes UVA will deny it. Parents need to do their own research rgarding your child's high school. That's all that matters. Know what does it takes to be (likely) accepted from your high school.

Yes, it's called Naviance. Your school's admits stats at almost every college anyone has applied to from that school. This is not hard.

Anonymous wrote:Better to be an outstanding student at a lower performing high school with less competition. Tried to tell my relativse in NOVA this and have them move to a lower performing part of the state, since they are retired now, because their daughter could be top of her class there. Not here. Wish my parents had understood!

I'll never understand parents who try to "game" the system by moving to a lower performing school. Will your kid stand out? Yes. But its short-sighted. Your kids college destination is the not the end game. If youre trying to raise motivated, life long learners, you don't purposely place them in a less challenging environment.

Anonymous wrote:

will be compared to the other students applying from their high school. So if the top 100 students from Yorktown HS in Arlington apply to UVA, generally speaking UVA will accept the top 30 of those students

I think we're all aware of the first part. How are you coming up with the "top 30" idea?

First of all I said "generally speaking." Of course there are exceptions. Secondly about 95% of students UVA admits are in the top 10% of their class and even if a high school doesn't officially rank, the admissions officers are intimately familiar with the high schools in their assigned territory and are able to determine ranking on their own. Thirdly, and of course this is merely anecdotal, I have seen this happen now with three of my own kids (one is at UVA, one was rejected and one was wait-listed and all were in the top 10% of their class), their friends and peers at two different top NOVA high schools (neither of which was Yorktown).

Better to be an outstanding student at a lower performing high school with less competition. Tried to tell my relativse in NOVA this and have them move to a lower performing part of the state, since they are retired now, because their daughter could be top of her class there. Not here. Wish my parents had understood!

There is a history of - approximately - how many students are accepted from each high school. Yes it can vary somewhat year to year. Yes UVA will deny it. Parents need to do their own research rgarding your child's high school. That's all that matters. Know what does it takes to be (likely) accepted from your high school.

will be compared to the other students applying from their high school. So if the top 100 students from Yorktown HS in Arlington apply to UVA, generally speaking UVA will accept the top 30 of those students

I think we're all aware of the first part. How are you coming up with the "top 30" idea?

Anonymous wrote:This is interesting:
http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2016/10/uva-admission-quotas-for-northern.html

Interesting maybe but not the whole story.

NOVA applicants (maybe all Virginia applicants) will be compared to the other students applying from their high school. So if the top 100 students from Yorktown HS in Arlington apply to UVA, generally speaking UVA will accept the top 30 of those students, regardless of whether student 45 has higher grades/test scores, taken more AP classes, has great ECs, than a student from the middle of nowhere high school in Virginia. That latter student, if in top 10% of her HS, will be admitted over student 45.

BTDT for 3 DCs now.

Of course. Think of it as affirmative action for people from rural Virginia.