The Likely Letter

We've had comments on the blog, emails, tweets, and calls about Likely Letters in the last few weeks.  I thought this practice was going to go away, but I recently found out that the Dean is sending some out again this year.

Before I go on, let me cover the basics...

What is a Likely Letter?
Around this time of year, many colleges and universities send letters to some very strong students telling them that their applications are impressive. These letters are commonly referred to as likely letters, but you might also seen them called love letters or early writes.

Why do you send Likely Letters?
In this day and age, it's hard to feel confident about admission. These letters let some of our strongest candidates know we were impressed by their applications. These letters are not specific to UVa. Selective schools around the country send them. Doing a search for "Likely Letter" or "Love Letter" on College Confidential will yield signs of them being sent by plenty of other schools.

How many Likely Letters do you send?
We don't have a target number and I am not permitted to release the number of letters we are printing, but it's safe to say that the number is comparatively small each year. I don't have year by year statistics, but I'd say the percentage that gets these letters is in the single digits. So, ninety-something percent of you won't see these letters.

If so few applicants get them, why are you writing about them here?
As you have probably seen from comments posted in the last few weeks, people are already asking questions about these letters. When the letters land in mailboxes, the talk will increase.  Despite the chatter, there's little to no official talk of these letters outside of articles in college student newspapers.  I'd rather let you know the facts than leave you in the dark. I hope that makes you all worry less than you would if I didn't talk about these at all.

Will I see the Likely Letter on my SIS page?
No. Likely Letters aren't decisions. They won't show up on the SIS.

Does this mean I'm getting into Echols/Rodman/College Science Scholars?
No. There are students in the scholars programs who never got a Likely Letter and there are students who got Likely Letters who aren't in any scholars program. For more information about these programs, see the Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars websites.

I got one! What does the Likely Letter mean?
Congratulations! The letter means exactly what it says. In a nutshell: we like you! Keep in mind that this is not the formal offer of admission*. Obviously, we aim to only send these to candidates we think are among the strongest in the pool, but there have been times when mid-year grades or some other new piece of information has changed a decision. That's very rare. 

*We are still a few weeks away from having decisions finalized.


When will I get my Likely Letter?
Assume that you are not getting one. Manage your expectations and keep your eye on what's really important right now. If after reading all of this, you expect a Likely Letter, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Try to look at the big picture. Most students don't get them.

For what it's worth, I don't control the US Postal Service, so I can't predict when anyone will get mail.


A quick recap:

• Likely Letters are sent by many selective schools to some top applicants
• The vast majority of applicants will not get a Likely Letter
• Decisions are not finalized yet
  
• Getting a Likely Letter does not equate to an offer into one of the scholars programs
• Likely Letters are sent via standard mail

Do not read into the absence of a letter.

Please do not call our office to ask about a Likely Letter. The front desk does not have a list of who got them. Similarly, there is no need to reply to a Likely Letter. See it as a pat on the back.


 If you have a question, look at the replies I made to questions about these in the past. If you still have a question after that, post it below. Please use this post for questions about Likely Letters only. If you have a question about something else, comment on the next post.

Likely Letters 2011

If you're a regular reader, you've probably seen references to something called a Likely Letter in comments for the last few weeks.

We are probably going to print two rounds of these letters this year.  As I wrote the other day, the majority of files have been looked at a couple times at this point.  We're going to print some letters now and probably print some more when the rest of the files have gotten those initial reads.  We are by no means done with this process.  After the files get their initial reviews, then the work of shaping the class begins.

For now, let's talk about the likely letters...


What is a Likely Letter?
Around this time of year, many colleges and universities send letters to very strong students telling them that their applications are impressive. These letters are commonly referred to as likely letters, but you might also seen them called love letters or early writes.

Why do you send Likely Letters?
In this day and age, it's hard to feel confident about admission. These letters let some of our strongest candidates know we were impressed by their applications. These letters are not specific to UVa. Selective schools around the country send them. Doing a search for "Likely Letter" or "Love Letter" on College Confidential will yield signs of them being sent by plenty of other schools.

How many Likely Letters do you send?
We don't have a target number and I am not permitted to release the number of letters we printed, but it's safe to say that the number is comparatively small each year. I don't have year by year statistics, but I'd say the percentage that gets these letters is in the single digits. So, ninety-something percent of you won't see these letters.

If so few applicants get them, why are you writing about them here?
As you have probably seen from comments posted in the last few weeks, people are already asking questions about these letters. When the letters land in mailboxes, the talk will increase.  Despite the chatter, there's little to no official talk of these letters outside of articles in college student newspapers.  I'd rather let you know the facts than leave you in the dark. I hope that makes you all worry less than you would if I didn't talk about these at all.

Will I see the Likely Letter on my SIS page?
No. Likely Letters aren't decisions. They won't show up on the SIS.

Does this mean I'm getting into Echols/Rodman/College Science Scholars?
No. There are students in the scholars programs who never got a Likely Letter and there are students who got Likely Letters who aren't in any scholars program. For more information about these programs, see the Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars websites.

I got one! What does the Likely Letter mean? Am I admitted?
Congratulations! The letter means exactly what it says. In a nutshell: we like you! Keep in mind that this is not an offer of admission. Obviously, we aim to only send these to candidates we think are among the strongest in the pool, but there have been times when mid-year grades or some other new piece of information has changed a decision. That's very rare. 

We are still a few weeks away from having decisions finalized.


When will I get my Likely Letter?
You shouldn't assume you are getting one. While I like to help with the management of expectations, you have a hand in that, too. If after reading all of this, you expect a Likely Letter, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Try to look at the big picture. Most students don't get them.

For what it's worth, I don't control the US Postal Service, so I can't predict when anyone will get mail.


A quick recap:

• Likely Letters are sent by many selective schools to some top applicants
• The vast majority of applicants will not get a Likely Letter
• Likely Letters are not offers of admission
• Decisions are not finalized yet
  
• Getting a Likely Letter does not equate to an offer into one of the scholars programs
• Likely Letters are sent via standard mail

Do not read into the absence of a letter.

Please do not call our office to ask about a Likely Letter. The front desk does not have a list of who got them. Similarly, there is no need to reply to a Likely Letter. See it as a pat on the back.


If you have a question, look at the replies I made to questions about these in the past. If you still have a question after that, post it below. Please use this post for questions about Likely Letters only. If you have a question about something else, comment on the next post.

Likely Letters 2010

Likely Letters are now in the mail. We are only sending them once this year. This post aims to answer the common questions we get about these letters.

What is a Likely Letter?
Around this time of year, many colleges and universities send letters to some very strong students telling them that their applications are impressive. These letters are commonly referred to as likely letters, but you might also seen them called love letters or early writes.

Why do you send Likely Letters?
In this day and age, it's hard to feel confident about admission. These letters let some of our strongest candidates know we were impressed by their applications. These letters are not specific to UVa. Selective schools around the country send them. Doing a search for "Likely Letter" or "Love Letter" on College Confidential will yield signs of them being sent by plenty of other schools.

How many Likely Letters do you send?
We don't have a target number, but it's safe to say that the number is comparatively small each year. I don't have year by year statistics, but I'd say the percentage that gets these letters is in the single digits. So, ninety-something percent of you won't see these letters.

If so few applicants get them, why are you writing about them here?
As you have probably seen from comments posted in the last few weeks, people are already asking questions about these letters. When the letters land in mailboxes, the talk will increase. I'd rather let you know the facts that leave you in the dark. I hope that makes you all worry less than you would if I didn't talk about these at all.

Will I see the Likely Letter on my SIS page?
Likely Letters aren't decisions. They won't show up on the SIS.

Does this mean I'm getting into Echols/Rodman/College Science Scholars?
There are students in the scholars programs who never got a Likely Letter and there are students who got Likely Letters who aren't in any scholars program. For more information about these programs, see the Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars websites.

I got one! What does the Likely Letter mean? Am I admitted?
Congratulations! The letter means exactly what it says, no more and no less. In a nutshell: we like you! Keep in mind that this is not an offer of admission. Obviously, we aim to only send these to candidates we think are among the strongest in the pool, but there have been times when mid-year grades or some other new piece of information has changed a decision.

We are still a few weeks away from having decisions finalized.


When will I get my Likely Letter?
You shouldn't assume you are getting one. While I think I can help with the management of expectations, you have a hand in that, too. If you expect a Likely Letter, you are increasing the chances of being disappointed. Try to look at the big picture. Most students don't get them.

For what it's worth, I don't control the US Postal Service, so I can't predict when anyone will get a letter. What's more, we use a regular stamp on these, so if you are far away, I imagine it could take a while.


The Reader's Digest version:

• Likely Letters are sent via standard mail
• There is only one batch of Likely Letters this year
• The vast majority of applicants will not get a Likely Letter
• Likely Letters are not offers of admission
• Decisions are not finalized yet
  
• Getting a Likely Letter does not equate to an offer into one of the scholars programs

Do not read into the absence of a letter.

Please don't call our office to ask about a Likely Letter. The front desk does not have a list of who got them. Similarly, there is no need to reply to a Likely Letter. See it as a pat on the back.


If you have a question, look at the replies I made to questions about these in the past. If you still have a question after that, post it below. Please use this post for questions about Likely Letters only. If you have a question about something else, comment on the next post.

Little signs of things to come

This is the time of year when little signs start to emerge that we're reaching the final month of our application review process. A few groups are going to start reaching out to applicants to provide information you may need as you start to assess your options.

I always think it's best to manage your expectations at this point. Most students won't hear anything from us until April 1st*, notification day. If you happen to get a nice call or email from a student, a Likely Letter from our office, or some information from a school or department, see it as a nice surprise. Don't sit by the phone or compulsively check email. Sit tight, read some of the blog entries from last year, or chat with other applicants here or on the Facebook page.

Hang in there! We are still poring over your applications, chasing a few of you to complete your applications, and mid-year reports are still trickling in since some schools were closed for as long as a week this month due to snow storms.



*Every year, I promise that any changes in the notification day will be posted here immediately after I hear about them. We want to release decisions as soon as possible. Please don't ask me for updates on the notification day. If I haven't mentioned it, it will be April 1st.

Q&A with Dean J, part 1

I had a busy week last week and didn't get to too many of your questions. So you don't have to go back and look at old posts, I'll copy and answer the questions that came in here. Feel free to add more questions in the comments section of this post.

Please don't use the "anonymous" option when posting a comment. Select "Name/URL" and enter a name, real or made up. It makes it easier to direct my answers when you use names.

Valley Alum said...

Dean J, Not to split hairs but that "haystack" CavDog is standing in front of is called a "Round Bale." Thanks for writing the blog, I enjoy reading it from time to time.

Duly noted. I shall refer to all hay structures properly from now on. :)

Michael said...
As an out of state applicant am aware that UVA accepts more in state students. Are the standards more competive for the out of state students?

We don't read the way you seem to think we do. There is no "baseline" or minimum criteria for admission, so there aren't different bars for the different populations. I've written this before and I'll repeat it a few times between now and deadline day. Most students who apply to UVa are perfectly capable of coming here and doing well. There is so much good data out there about what works that most students won't put their hat into the ring if they aren't competitive. We wind up being able to take more of the strong Virginia residents because of our commitment to keeping the 2/3 : 1/3 ratio (VA:OOS). If you don't get an offer, chances are there was nothing wrong with your application. We just can't take all of the qualified students who apply.

Alex is Avenged7x said...

Hi. alex here: My to do list says I need to get my midterm grades in by Feb 15. Our grades didn't come out until week before last and we've been snowed out of school since then. My high school counselor is always behind on things and I don't see how the date will be met. Also -- my sat's needed to be upgraded and somehow that has never been done. Can I call someone or email so I can try to get these faxed in as soon as we get past these snow days?

Alex is Avenged7x said...

found out my high school counselor already submitted mid-term grades. Didn't even have to ask. (Is there a counselor appreciation day?)

I think you're onto something, Alex. Maybe after decisions come out, high school students should have a Counselor Appreciation Day to celebrate the end of the process. :)

Diana said...

Hi Dean J, Because my status for my official transcript is marked "Initiated" 3 times, would you like me to fax another copy? Is the number 3 because of my college courses or have computers just duplicated this requirement?

The system automatically asks you for transcripts of schools entered in the "education" section on your Common App. If you entered a local college because you have Dual Enrollment credit, chances are the courses are going to show up on your regular high school transcript. The system doesn't know this...it's just asking for the transcripts from the schools you said you attended.

Lisa said...

Hi Dean J,How can I be sure my SAT II Subject tests have been received for review? Collegeboard indicates they have been sent, but since they are not a requirement,my status page gives no indication.

Thank you!
Lisa

Our system isn't going to confirm SAT II score arrival since it's not a required part of the application. If you want to check up on that, send me a quick email with your full name (deanj "at" virginia "dot" edu) and I'll look your file up.

Matt said...

Hi Dean J, I've been reading your blog for quite some time now, despite never going to UVA, but I was wondering if you know anything about Graduate Admissions and when the Liberal Arts acceptance/rejection letters might go out. I applied in History and the the waiting is slowly driving me insane. Any ideas?

Matt said...

Ask, and ye shall receive. I got my acceptance letter yesterday :-D

Hooray! Congratulations! Graduate admission is handled by the individual schools, so I wasn't going to be much help on this question. I'm glad it worked out. Wahoowa!

Anonymous said...

Tell me there is a dogpark in Charlottesville! If I am accepted to UVA I am MAKING my parents bringing my puppies down :)

There are plenty! In fact, I've posted pictures from the dog parks in the past. I might repost some of those pictures in the next month. There are two great dog parks in the county (CavDog, being a bit of a water dog, loves the one at Chris Greene Lake where he can swim) and one in the city. There is also an "off leash" time at another park for dogs that don't need a fenced in park. Well behaved dogs can also be found on The Lawn right here on Grounds. There are at least three canine residents on The Lawn (owned by UVa administration and faculty) and there are a few felines, too.

UVA Alum mom said...

Dean J, I know you all are buried under snow and applications, but will likely letters be sent anytime soon?

We will probably send Likely Letters once this year, which is a change from years past. I think it's best to assume you won't get one since the vast majority of applicants never see them. It's just a nice surprise if you happen to get one. Do not read into the absence of a Likely Letter

Likely Letters, round 2

Another batch of Likely Letters should hit the mail over the weekend. Everything we mail has to go to the central mail services to be sealed and metered, so I don't know exactly when they'll be released to the US Postal Service. Sorry I can't be more specific about the time frame. I don't think there will be another "wave" of these letters.

Read past posts about these letters and then read the following before posting questions:

1. A small number of likely letters are sent each year. There is no set number of letters sent.

2. The letters are sent in waves, not at once. I can't predict when a letter will arrive. I can only tell you when letters left my office.

3. The absence of a letter does not mean you are going to be waitlisted or denied. The vast majority of admitted students never receive one. Assume that you won't get one and then it'll be a little surprise if you do.

4. There is no relationship between likely letters and Echols/Rodman/College Science Scholars.

5. The letter means exactly what it says, no more, no less. It is not an offer letter. We have not made final decisions yet.

6. International students can get one of these letters, but the letters are sent via regular mail, which can take a long time.

7. We do not expect replies to these letters.

Okay...let's hear those questions!

Likely Letter questions answered

There are so many questions in the Likely Letter comments that I thought I'd post some responses as a new entry.

Danielle, if the college course you took doesn't appear on your high school transcript, fax the college transcript to 434-924-7674. You don't need a cover page, just circle your name and date of birth on the transcript.

Grateful, thanks for your comment. I hope everyone remembers to use the search box at the top of the blog to find answers to their questions!

XXL, because grading scales vary dramatically from school to school, I can't really be specific about what mid-year grades will affect your application negatively.

Anonymous, there is no rule about spacing admission essays. I personally prefer single spaced essays.

Anonymous and NorthEndWahoo, it's a simple question of weight ratios. Did one of you write an essay about a favorite word being "ni"?

UVa Hopeful, since we have only sent out one batch of Likely Letters, I don't know if the number generated has increased. We we won't know that for a few weeks. I can't generate that stat easily because we are using a different computer system than in years past.

The Virginia Society has started to call students who might be considered for the Echols Scholars Program. They are not calling Rodman or College Science Scholars candidates.

Jesse, our system uses your official ETS score report to pull the highest scores from each section of the SAT. Don't worry about self-reported SAT scores.

Anonymous, we don't read by region. The letters were not sent by region.

Anonymous, see the update I posted to the original entry.

Anonymous, sounds like ETS hasn't sent those scores or they didn't match up exactly to your application. No worries...that will work itself out in time and we'll use the scores on your transcript. Don't worry about that item on your to do list.

Please pick an alias instead of using the anonymous button. As you can see, it's hard to direct replies when half the questions coming from "Anonymous". Hit the "Name/URL" button and fill in a name...it doesn't have to be real.

Likely Letters have started to go out (2009)

We know time creeps by slowly between deadline and notification. Many schools break the silence by sending "Likely Letters" to a handful of students with strong profiles. For some, the arrival of the letter will be confusing. What does it mean? Is a response in order?

Here's the deal:
1. A Likely Letter is our way of saying we think you're a strong candidate in our pool. It is not an offer letter, but if your mid-year grades are as good as those already on your transcript, you can be fairly confident about you admission decision.

2. There is no set number of Likely Letters, but comparatively few are sent. As I've written in the past, it's safe to assume you won't get a Likely Letter. Don't look for it. If it comes, it's a pat on the back.

3. There are times when mid-years arrive and show a drop in curriculum strength or grades that prompts us to change our decision.

4. Likely Letters go to domestic and international students, but they are put in regular mail, so they will not get to some students in foreign countries. They will not be posted online.

5. Please don't call to ask about Likely Letters. They mean exactly what they say. There is no need to respond to these letters.

Questions?

2/21/09 Update:
I posted this elsewhere and figured I'd post it here, too.

Last year, I believe we ran the letters three different times during the reading process. There are still plenty of applications to read and more letters will be run at some point in the future. I'll let you all know on this blog when they get sent out again.

We are still "first reading" applications at this point. The administrative staff that has been scanning and linking mid-year reports is also trying to contact students and schools about missing documents to get nearly complete applications ready to read.

We are still over a month away from having decisions ready. Hang in there!

The L word

They're coming...stay tuned for this year's missive on likely letters. While I put the finishing touches on that entry, you can read last year's posts about these letters.

Do not panic. Stay where you are.

Another round of those "likely letters" should be hitting mailboxes today and tomorrow (or over the weekend if you live very far away).

For more information about these letters, read this entry.

The Likely Letter 2008

I'm going to keep this entry very, very simple.

Around this time of year, many colleges and universities send letters to very strong students telling them that their applications are impressive. These letters are commonly referred to as "likely letters".

If you have questions about a "likely letter" from UVa, I hope this helps:

1. A small number of likely letters are sent each year. There is no set number of letter sent.

2. The letters are sent in waves, not at once.

3. Do not read into the absence of a letter. The vast majority of admitted students never receive one. It is best to assume you will not get one.

4. There is no relationship between likely letters and Echols/Rodman/College Science Scholars.

5. The letter means exactly what it says.  We like you!

6. International students can get one of these letters.

Process Update

Reading folders before breakfast usually means one thing: the end of our first phase of reading applications. By the end of this week, we should be moving on to the second phase of our review, which means every file will have been read at least once and we'll start double checking our decisions and printing those mysterious letters that have been deemed "likely letters".

Selection of Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars has been happening concurrent with the process and a few students have started to call those students we've flagged. Official notification about the scholars programs is made by mail. The programs mail the letters themselves and I'll let you all know here when that happens.

Weekend topics will start in another week or so, once the first round of reading is behind us.

Another round of Q & A with Dean J

Lots of questions came up in the comments section for the last post and I thought I'd answer them here so more people will see them.


Q. I am wondering if you read all the personal letters that applicants write to you personally? Does writing a personal letter to you hurt or help us as applicants? -Anonymous

A. Of course we read any letters sent to us, but writing to me isn't going to change your transcript, recommendations, essays, activities, and testing. At this point, unless something dramatic has changed in your program, there isn't really a reason to write to us. Wait until you get your decision and go from there. Waitlisted students often write us letters. You can read more about that if you look back at last year's blog entries from around decision time.


Q. Because we are entering our midyear grades and not sending an official transcript, does this mean that the UVA admissions office does not consider mid-year semester grades and class rank in the application process? For example, if my GPA or class rank have improved over the last semester, how can I tell the admissions office? Thanks! -Jessica

A. Jessica, if we ask you for something, we're considering it in our review process. Your first semester grades are very important to us. The comments section of the MY report is for adding any info you'd like to share with us.


Q. Under transfer FAQ's for the UVA transfer webpage, it said a student should have a B+ average to be competitive. If we've got just below a B+ average, will recs and essays come into play or will that low GPA knock us to the bottom of the pile. -KS

A. KS, courses taken also factor into our review, so don't assume you're out of the running if your GPA is a little short. As I'm sure you've read, transfers with a solid 3.4 GPA are competitive.


Q. How can I be sure my fine arts supplement was received? I sent it in and I don't know how to check...:( -Andy

A. Andy, art supplements are not checked into the computer system. They are sent to various departments for review. I believe the instructions tell you this.


Q. Do I absolutely have to send in my ACT score, even though I took it only once, and four years ago at that? I am a prospective transfer student. Thanks! -Rene

A. Rene, sending in your score can only help you, not hurt you.


Q. Can midyear grades break a decision? I have my lowest GPA(a lot of B's!!), but I am taking my most challenging course load yet. I know midyear grades can help an applicant but can they hurt them too? Sorry these questions must get tedious...just shows how nervous we all are! -Hooareyou

A. Hooareyou, midyear grades can change a decision if they show a dramatic departure from the grades earned in the past. Now, it's normal to see some change in grades when the challenge level goes up in the curriculum, so it's not the end of the world if a few Bs creep into the transcript.


Q. I am so anxious about finding out if I've gotten into UVA. I check the status of my application everyday and I've read probably all of this blog. My question is about the likely letters, because I want as much info on my admission ASAP.

Do you send likely letters to all applicants that are likely to get in? Like, are there some students likely to get in, that you never send letters to and for what reason? Will they all be sent at the end of February? -Anxious

A. Anxious, first of all, there's no reason to check your status everyday. The way our system works, decisions are "turned off" right now. They WILL NOT show up until I edit the database settings that govern what shows up on your status pages. If you read back, I talk about this fairly often and I tell students not to hammer the system because decisions won't show up without my giving you a heads up on this blog first. There is no ways, barring a bizarre computer glitch, that decisions will show up before

Likely letters are sent to a small percentage of students. A VERY small percentage. Perhaps I should repost the "Letter Frenzy" post I made last year.

It's 70 degrees in Charlottesville (a notification update)

The flip flops, shorts, and t-shirts are out and the admission deans are stuck inside reading your applications. I sometimes wonder if weather affects admission decisions...we could study it, but I don't think we have the time...

Last year, February 1st was the first day I was asked why decisions weren't out yet. This year, the question didn't come until three whole days later!

We're currently about half way through the first round of reading. During the first round, each application gets read by at least two different deans. It will probably take about three more weeks to finish this round. When that's done, we'll start double checking our decisions, reviewing students for the Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars programs, and getting those lovely "likely letters" ready. I promise you that I'll update you when those things start happening. For now, use the side navigation to look at posts made a year ago to familiarize yourself with the pace of things.

Notification will not be made early, as far as I can tell at this point. April 1st is the big day.

Gratuitous CavDog shot

Another round done...two more big steps to go!

If you read any other admission blogs (there's a list of them on my other blog), you know that it's committee time for most of us. This is the time when we make decisions about close or complex cases. I know of a few schools where every single file is reviewed by the committee. Obviously, that's a smaller school.

Anyway, there are two more big steps in the process before letters are in your hands. While we want to work quickly, we want to give every applicant our full consideration, so we'll take however much time it takes to make an informed, careful decision.

Many of you are aware that another wave of "likely letters" has gone out, but once again, don't read into the lack of a letter in your mailbox. For the vast majority of students, the next official communication received from UVa will get the decision letter.

Hang in there!

Letter frenzy

I've managed to carve a path to my laptop through all the application files and thought I'd check in. We're still reading applications, as many waited until the very last minute to send us mid-year grades. Just a general note about deadlines: don't ever feel like you can't submit something well in advance of the deadline. It really makes things easier if credentials and correspondence comes in a steady stream instead of a deluge. When decision letters go out, if you know you're coming to UVA, send that reply card in.

Now, on to the title topic. Around this time, we start mailing and calling some of our applicants. Let's not dance around this one: if you get a letter that says we're impressed by your application, that is a "Likely Letter" and you can be reasonably sure that you'll have a congratulatory letter in your mailbox in late March/early April. We send these letters out in waves, so if you don't have one, don't assume that you will not be admitted. We haven't made final decisions at this time. More letters will be sent in a few weeks.

Also at this time, UVa students have started calling applicants to talk to them about the Echols Scholars Program. We haven't completed our selection process for Echols or Rodman Scholars at this time, so don't assume that the absence of a call is a sign.

Hang in there, everyone! We're reading as fast as we can!