Early Action/Early Decision Deadline Reminders

The early deadline is around the corner and I have a few reminders for our applicants...

1. The deadline is for your Common App, not transcripts and recommendations.

This is covered in the deadline chart on the application instructions page of our website (please read them!). Students applying to UVA for Early Decision or Early Action consideration have until 11:59 PM on November 1st to submit the Common App. School counselors and teachers have a different deadline.

2. Applicant portal credentials come by email within a few days of submission.

Within a few days of the Common App reaching us, the student will get an email from undergradadmission@virginia.edu with login info for the MyUVA Applicant Portal.  Consider adding that email address to your email address book. This is also covered in the application instructions! 

The portal is where you can confirm your name, application term, school of entry, and residency decision are correct. It will also show you a checklist for required components (the portal doesn't check in miscellaneous credentials). All updates are submitted through your portal and it will most file types (no sound or video). On notification day, you'll see your application decision in the portal, too!

This portal is different from SIS, which is used by the financial aid office, Student Financial Services.

3. Matching up credentials takes time.

The first time you log into your applicant portal, your application may be incomplete. It takes time for credentials to be matched to a new application.  

4. There's a deadline for changing your round (ED/EA), testing decision, and school of entry.

If you would like to change your round, email us by 5 PM on November 6th.

If you would like to change your testing decision or school of entry, email us by 5 PM on November 22nd.

This is in the application instructions. 

5. We do not accept resumes, research papers, or portfolios that aren't art supplements.

 Those items are not part of our review. We mention this in several places on our website. Please do not use the "additional information" section of the Common App to submit these items. You don't need to email us anything. The Common App is enough!

6. You aren't applying to a major unless you want to study Nursing or Kinesiology.

This is covered on our website and on the Common App where you select your school of entry. Almost everyone is undeclared when they arrive at UVA. 

7. Common App provides Common App support.

The Common App has a help desk to work with people having technical problems with their website. The colleges that take the Common App don't control the technical parts of the Common App. 

8. You don't need to send us letters of interest. 

I've already gotten some "just wanted to express my interest" emails.  Your application is proof of your interest. You're a busy senior with a lot on your plate. Please don't spent time on letters of interest for UVA!

Good luck to everyone putting the finishing touches on applications! 

UVA Language Requirements

Students and parents regularly ask about UVA's language requirements during my weekly, live q&a session on Instagram. While I have a highlight on my Instagram account about this, I thought I'd write a blog post about it, too. 

Students in UVA's College of Arts & Sciences must show proficiency in a second language. Many students are able to show proficiency upon entering UVA because they're already bilingual or their high school work allows them to show a level of knowledge that satisfies the College's requirement. 

How do you show proficiency?
Proficiency in a second language can be demonstrated through the AP/IB exams, talking a college course at the 202 level (2020 at UVA), or a placement exam. 

For the AP exams, the scores needed vary by the language. Check the AP credit chart on the UVA website to see what score gets you exempted from the 2020 course. 

For IB exams, the scores also vary by language. See the IB credit chart on the UVA website to see what HL exam scores get you exempted from the 2020 level. 

What is the placement exam like?
Most placement exams are completed online before you come to summer orientation. In some cases, like ASL for example, the evaluation is done with a UVA faculty member. Check the World Language Requirement Placement page to see  whether placement is done online or in-person for your chosen language. 

I've taken the exam in my second language a few times and it only took about 20 minutes to complete. There was a multiple choice section and then a recorded section where I responded to a very basic prompt. The format of the exam may change over the time. I do not consider myself fluent anymore, though I watch the news/shows/tiktok in my second language, and I found the exam fair and straightforward. 

What about students with disabilities that might impact language acquisition?
There's a website about accommodations for students with disabilities that may affect their completion of the requirement. Staff from our Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) will help the student navigate their options. 

So I don't have to take a language all four years of high school?
If the goal as a UVA student is to show proficiency in a second language, it behooves the student to keep taking language classes throughout high school. If you take time off from language work, you will most likely lose proficiency. You will probably have to do more work as a UVA student to meet the requirement. 

Some high school students who say they're "done" with language work because they've met their high school's graduation requirement, but keep in mind that being competitive in a selective college admission process usually means going beyond graduation requirements. 

What if I want to switch languages? 
It's fine if interests evolve and you change your mind about studying a particular language. The options in college are definitely more diverse than the ones you have at the average high school! If you started over, you'd need to take four classes to become proficient. 

UVA has a consortium agreement with Duke and Vanderbilt for language classes, too! You can take K'iche' Maya, Cherokee, Haitian Creole, Malagasy, and Turkish via zoom with Duke and Vandy while their students can take Swahili classes at UVA. 

Can students fulfill the requirement over the summer?
We have students who take college courses to fulfill the requirement over the summer. Some do that work at UVA through the Summer Language Institute. It's an 8-week, intensive program.  

As always, I'm happy to answer questions in the comments.