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Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed by the stats on here that aren't getting in. My heart hurts for the kids that have worked so hard to excel at all the things and it's. "not enough". My heart also hurts for the parents that have to figure out how to best support their kid.

Eh. Every kid on DCUM has a unweighted 4.0 and many of these have an SAT in the 1400s or even lower. That right there should tell you that a 4.0 today ain't what it used to be.

Well my DS who got into UVA with a 4.6 and a 1380 sat (during Covid) is now a second year with a 3.95 gpa and just got into two of the most competitive application based majors at UVA. Me thinks the admissions people know that a 4.6 gpa over four years of rigorous HS is a better or as least as good indicator of success as a 1500+ Score.

GPA has always been a better indicator. It shows grit, determination and hard work over time to maintain an almost all A report cards. I'd much rather have someone who works hard day in and day out than someone who is really smart but doesn't put in the effort all the time

100% disagree with you. Grade inflation (LCPS, looking @ you) is rampant, particularly since the pandemic. Cheating is also rampant. That’s another things that’s unpalatable to me about test optional— it used to raise admissions red flags when test scores and GPA were not similarly high.

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/test-scores-dont-stack-gpas-predicting-college-success

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2020/01/29/its-gpas-not-standardized-tests-that-predict-college-success/?sh=2545f29c32bd

I could go on with the research.

Despite what you want to think about grade inflation and cheating, grades are a much better indicator of college success than SAT/ACT

Most of those studies aren’t particularly large, and many of them suffer from range restriction. The university of California system did an analysis with millions of students spanning decades and found that test scores were the single biggest predictor of college success. Kuncel and Sacckett out of the University of Minnesota got grades and test scores as well as majors/classes for millions of students and found the same thing. Test scores combined with grades is the best predictor.

Anonymous wrote:For UVA, I would tell my kid to take rigorous classes but does not have to be the most rigorous. You don’t have to take the highest level math AND the highest level humanities classes. It’s more important to show a challenging enough schedule and high grades. So, if you can get a higher grade in AP Calc AB than in BC, take AB. If you aren’t good at science, don’t take AP Physics C even if 15% of the class does. The kids that were accepted to UVA from our DC private this year are the ones that had the highest GPAs, but not necessarily the hardest schedules.

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Anonymous wrote:

You are wrong. You need most rigorous. It’s everywhere in the materials


well explain why my kids are there and did not take AP Calc BC, AP Physics or AP Chem?

Or why my kid from a school referred to on here as a “Big 3” who did take AP Calc BC, AP PhysicsC, etc. even though he asked plied as a humanities major did not get in, despite having literal straight As, when other kids who avoided those classes and took the less rigorous ones but earned higher As did get in? GPA seems to be the most determinative factor, but my DC also has 35 ACT and the counselor told DC they were going to use DC’s activities on the Common App as a model for the next class.

I know what Dean J says, and I know it’s not 100% true.

If your kid attends one of the DC Big 3, I presume you are not a Virginia resident and it should be no surprise your kid didn’t get in. OOS is extremely competitive.

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Anonymous wrote:Any parents have advice for younger (soph/junior) students? If you could do it again, would you aim lower, not apply to uva at all, have considered other va state schools in its stead?

Your kid has to be in the top 5%, possibly even higher, of their school, then apply ED. I also think they weight essays pretty strongly so take some time to perfect those.

I completely disagree with this post. I would say, don't apply ED because UVA does not give any preference to ED applicants at least not the way some other colleges do. Dean J confirms this saying that it is not easier to get in via ED.

This may depend on the high school but at least dc's NOVA public, you do not have to be in the top 5%. Most Nova public HS do not rank so it's hard to even know the answer to this but my dc was definitely not in the top 5%. A while ago, someone posted on DCUM saying that she was told UVA looks to top 10-12% from public HS, and to me that seems correct.

This is just my opinion, but I cannot see how it's possible to weigh those essays heavily. Have you seen UVA essays? They're not essays, they're short answers. A couple are maybe 3-5 sentences. There's not a whole lot you can write.

This is what I think UVA looks for from following DeanJ. Take the most rigorous courses in your 5 core courses and get As.

Well your school must be extra special because at my kids school in NOVA, it’s known that it’s only top 5% and even then, in my kids class, some of those kids were waitlisted. UVA accepts about 25 of over 400 in a normal class at our school. I suppose you may be in a stronger school but if you’re just top 10-12%, you’re going to Tech or JMU.

On the essays, my DD read her application notes and it noted that her essays were “thoughtful”. I think that is the key, thoughtful.

I'm curious. Where did your DD read her application notes? Were these notes that her high school counselor wrote? Her English teacher? At my DS' school, the English teacher reviews the essays and provides feedback before they submit their application. I'm sure I'm not the only one - it would be super helpful if you knew exactly why a particular student was rejected, admitted or waitlisted. Was it the essays? The grades? The rigor?

Anonymous wrote:

You are wrong. You need most rigorous. It’s everywhere in the materials


well explain why my kids are there and did not take AP Calc BC, AP Physics or AP Chem?

Or why my kid from a school referred to on here as a “Big 3” who did take AP Calc BC, AP PhysicsC, etc. even though he asked plied as a humanities major did not get in, despite having literal straight As, when other kids who avoided those classes and took the less rigorous ones but earned higher As did get in? GPA seems to be the most determinative factor, but my DC also has 35 ACT and the counselor told DC they were going to use DC’s activities on the Common App as a model for the next class.

I know what Dean J says, and I know it’s not 100% true.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any parents have advice for younger (soph/junior) students? If you could do it again, would you aim lower, not apply to uva at all, have considered other va state schools in its stead?

Your kid has to be in the top 5%, possibly even higher, of their school, then apply ED. I also think they weight essays pretty strongly so take some time to perfect those.

I completely disagree with this post. I would say, don't apply ED because UVA does not give any preference to ED applicants at least not the way some other colleges do. Dean J confirms this saying that it is not easier to get in via ED.

This may depend on the high school but at least dc's NOVA public, you do not have to be in the top 5%. Most Nova public HS do not rank so it's hard to even know the answer to this but my dc was definitely not in the top 5%. A while ago, someone posted on DCUM saying that she was told UVA looks to top 10-12% from public HS, and to me that seems correct.

This is just my opinion, but I cannot see how it's possible to weigh those essays heavily. Have you seen UVA essays? They're not essays, they're short answers. A couple are maybe 3-5 sentences. There's not a whole lot you can write.

This is what I think UVA looks for from following DeanJ. Take the most rigorous courses in your 5 core courses and get As.

Well your school must be extra special because at my kids school in NOVA, it’s known that it’s only top 5% and even then, in my kids class, some of those kids were waitlisted. UVA accepts about 25 of over 400 in a normal class at our school. I suppose you may be in a stronger school but if you’re just top 10-12%, you’re going to Tech or JMU.

On the essays, my DD read her application notes and it noted that her essays were “thoughtful”. I think that is the key, thoughtful.

Anonymous wrote:Any parents have advice for younger (soph/junior) students? If you could do it again, would you aim lower, not apply to uva at all, have considered other va state schools in its stead?

You are wrong. You need most rigorous. It’s everywhere in the materials


well explain why my kids are there and did not take AP Calc BC, AP Physics or AP Chem?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any parents have advice for younger (soph/junior) students? If you could do it again, would you aim lower, not apply to uva at all, have considered other va state schools in its stead?

Make sure you've identified/visited/applied to at least one state school other than UVA/W&M or VT that your kid truly likes and would be happy with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For UVA, I would tell my kid to take rigorous classes but does not have to be the most rigorous. You don’t have to take the highest level math AND the highest level humanities classes. It’s more important to show a challenging enough schedule and high grades. So, if you can get a higher grade in AP Calc AB than in BC, take AB. If you aren’t good at science, don’t take AP Physics C even if 15% of the class does. The kids that were accepted to UVA from our DC private this year are the ones that had the highest GPAs, but not necessarily the hardest schedules.

You are wrong. You need most rigorous. It’s everywhere in the materials

well explain why my kids are there and did not take AP Calc BC, AP Physics or AP Chem?

Anonymous wrote:Your kids applied ED, from a “lesser” public HS, applied in 2020 or 2021, etc ?

Anonymous wrote:

Disagree. I think UVA is expecting the highest level possible in ALL core classes. Speaking as a parent who's kid was just waitlisted.


Yep, highest level in ALL core (including 4 years foreign language). Another WL parent.

I can say definitively at our school this is not true. There has to be rigor, but it does not have to be the most rigorous in every subject.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm amazed by the stats on here that aren't getting in. My heart hurts for the kids that have worked so hard to excel at all the things and it's. "not enough". My heart also hurts for the parents that have to figure out how to best support their kid.

Eh. Every kid on DCUM has a unweighted 4.0 and many of these have an SAT in the 1400s or even lower. That right there should tell you that a 4.0 today ain't what it used to be.

Well my DS who got into UVA with a 4.6 and a 1380 sat (during Covid) is now a second year with a 3.95 gpa and just got into two of the most competitive application based majors at UVA. Me thinks the admissions people know that a 4.6 gpa over four years of rigorous HS is a better or as least as good indicator of success as a 1500+ Score.

GPA has always been a better indicator. It shows grit, determination and hard work over time to maintain an almost all A report cards. I'd much rather have someone who works hard day in and day out than someone who is really smart but doesn't put in the effort all the time

100% disagree with you. Grade inflation (LCPS, looking @ you) is rampant, particularly since the pandemic. Cheating is also rampant. That’s another things that’s unpalatable to me about test optional— it used to raise admissions red flags when test scores and GPA were not similarly high.

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/test-scores-dont-stack-gpas-predicting-college-success

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2020/01/29/its-gpas-not-standardized-tests-that-predict-college-success/?sh=2545f29c32bd

I could go on with the research.

Despite what you want to think about grade inflation and cheating, grades are a much better indicator of college success than SAT/ACT

Anonymous wrote:Any parents have advice for younger (soph/junior) students? If you could do it again, would you aim lower, not apply to uva at all, have considered other va state schools in its stead?