A moment of zen from CavBear

Before CavDog was born, there was CavBear. CavBear became part of the admission team after a family left their camera in one of my information sessions on a rainy day. I felt badly that 1) they left their camera and 2) all of their pictures were taken when the weather was dreary. So, I bought CavBear at the bookstore and took pictures of CavBear doing different things around Grounds and Charlottesville. CavBear made appearances on the blog for a while after that. Back in 2007, getting over 1,000 hits on the blog in a day was a big deal. These days, the blog gets many times that many hits in the days leading up to notification.

Originally posted March 27, 2007

The 1200 hits this blog got yesterday and the tension apparent among applicants in the comments and on a particular message board some applicants frequent are making CavBear a little concerned. He thought a nice cup of tea might help you relax.

Just a few more days. Step away from the message boards for a day or two.

Let's talk about perfection

Originally posted December 18,2008

The pressure to live up to perfection can get anyone down

There was a point yesterday afternoon when my fingers hovered over the keyboard and I found myself thinking "I don't know this kid at all." I had just finished reading an application and was trying to write an enthusiastic opening to my notes, but nothing was coming. It didn't really make sense. The curriculum was excellent, the grades were great, the test scores were solid, the applicant was involved, the counselor's recommendation was positive, and the essays were meticulously edited. Many people would say the application was flawless.

I had the perfect application in front of me, but I had trouble getting excited about it. It was an application that epitomized an idea I had a few years ago:

Sometimes

perfect

is

boring

Does the student who achieves perfection (whatever that is) get accepted to lots of schools? Sure. But at UVa, we'll be admitting over 6,000 students to bring in a class of about 3,240 students. If we only admit the perfect students, we'll have a pretty small class. Yes, you need a strong profile to be admitted, but we don't have a picture of the perfect student in our heads as we read your files.

My advice: don't try to be the perfect applicant. Try to be the most perfect version of you. You might wind up giving us a lot to write about when we take our notes.

Perfection is nice, but so is personality

Let's talk about blog interaction

Originally posted March 21, 2008


This is obviously an emotional and stressful time for all of you. While I understand that it's sometimes cathartic to blow off steam on message boards and blogs, I hope we can keep the discussion here polite and thoughtful in the days leading up to notification and during April, when many are here asking questions about Days on The Lawn, different programs at UVa, the waitlist, etc.


I posted a similar entry to this one a few years ago and I think there was a good response. I have a few suggestions for those who want to discuss topics on the blog. It's fine to address each other (in fact, when students answer each others' questions, it's very helpful!), but I hope that you'll keep a few things in mind.

1. Be welcoming of newer readers.
They might not know how to search past posts for answers.

That's a baby CavDog greeting a pretty well known dog in town.

2. Don't gang up on other readers.
A good discussion doesn't have to end with consensus.

3. Don't horde information.

Unfortunately, CavDog tends to horde tennis balls.

4. Be patient when waiting for answers to questions.

CavDog as a puppy at his cousins' house

5. Know when to take a break.

It's fun to talk about admission, but sometimes you need to step away from the discussion.

Notes from Peabody goes retro

Whew! Three posts in one day! Those reading by email will probably want to visit to read the comments on the two notification posts.

Tomorrow is going to be retro day here at Notes from Peabody. I'm going to post some of my favorite blog entries from past years (with a few updates, when needed). I hope you find the information helpful and a little entertaining, too.

Get out the Ray-Bans. We're going back in time.

Scholar notifications update!

CavDog strikes a scholarly pose

It's a big news day here!

The notification plan for the three scholars groups (Echols, Rodman, and College Science Scholars) has come together. Our office will email notifications to those three groups on Friday night (I will give you a specific time later this week). Formal letters will be sent in the mail, but we want to get the information to you as soon as possible so you can plan a visit, if needed.

Of the five Days on The Lawn open houses, one is dedicated to those invited to the three scholars programs. Scholars Day, as we call it, will be Saturday, April 10th. Information about DOTL will be in your offer packets.

Remember, if you don't get into Echols or Rodman at this point, you can apply to join during your first semester. CSS doesn't have that option.

Notification Update!

Notification is moving up to this Friday, March 26, 2010 at 5 PM Eastern!

The video is of all the printing supplies ready to go...boxes upon boxes of toner, US Mail bins, envelopes, and letterhead. There are always a few last minute changes, but now that the printers are whirling and our staff is folding and stuffing as quickly as possible, we know that we'll be ready to put letters in the mail on Friday.

I just looked back at the announcement from last year (check out the video I made...had I not been under the weather, I would have done something similar again) and we're releasing decisions on the same date. That's just a coincidence.

I'll do quite a bit of posting this week to pass the time. If you have topics you'd like addressed, let me know about them in the comments on this post. I'll try to cover both admission topics and fun ones.

If you haven't logged into SIS yet, now is the time to verify that you know how to get to your status page. If you don't know what SIS is, read this blog entry.

Transfers, my blog is geared towards first-year students. Updates on your process are on the transfer blog. The link is in the menu to the right.

Some words about financial access

You've probably seen me mention that the Office of Admission is separate from financial aid, which is handled by Student Financial Services before. When I read applications, I'm not thinking about how the applicant is going to pay their tuition bill, which is something I like. Obviously, there are times when we find out about a student's financial background through their essays or recommendations and that's just fine.

You should know that we are committed to increasing financial access here. AccessUVa was the name of the initiative that started back in 2004 to make sure there is adequate financial support for low income students. AccessUVa is our pledge to:

• Meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduate students.
• Replace need-based loans with grants in the financial aid packages of low-income students — those whose family income is equivalent to 200 percent of the federal poverty line or less.
• Cap the amount of need-based loans offered to any student at approximately 25 percent of U.Va.’s in-state cost of attendance over four years, and meet all need above that amount with grants. All students, regardless of state residency, receive the in-state cap level.
• Offer additional one-on-one counseling to admitted students and their families, assisting them in the financial aid application process and presenting them with financing options outside of need-based financial aid.

I came across some financial aid statistics the other day and thought I'd share them with you:

• In 2004, we had 702 applicants from low-income families, described as those whose income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. In 2009, that number had more than doubled, to 1,599.
• Five years ago, 49.8 percent of low-income students accepted offers of admission. Last year, that number had jumped to 61.8 percent.
• In 2009-10, over 32 percent of the student body qualifies for financial aid, up from 27 percent in the previous academic year. As these numbers have risen, so have our Pell Grant recipients. The number is up 48 percent since 2005.
• Total need-based aid to undergraduates increased from $37 million in 2003-04 to $59.1 million during the 2008-09 academic year. Forecasts indicate that total need-based aid may top $73 million in 2009-10.
• The University's level of support for AccessUVa has risen each year to almost $30 million in the current academic year, even as state support has continued to dwindle.

Obviously, we're always trying to do better, but I think thought those show that there's been good progress here when it comes to access. I'm not a financial aid officer, so any questions about aid need to be directed to Student Financial Services.

If you're interested in current students' perspectives of AccessUVa and Financial Aid, check out the Hoos for Open Access blog. It's a great team blog that was started by and continues to be maintained by students. I'm sure they'd love to answer your questions!

Reports from the commercial shoot

Did anyone go to the football commercial shoot I wrote about last Thursday? From the story on the Virginia Sports website, it looks like a great cast of alumni showed up.

I wasn't able to go myself, but here are a few shots from CavDog's last photo shoot on The Lawn, during which he made a cute, new friend.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

It's a good day to be a redhead.

I think CavDog's wishing for Notification Day to come early. No updates yet!

Let's talk about ratios, quotas, and admit rates

Every admission officer I know bristles at the mention of the word "quota". Maybe we hate it because it implies that we don't have control over our processes and that we are slaves to demographics while we read applications. During every Q&A session, every College Night panel, and every phone call, I think we all brace ourselves for that word, which usually comes in a sentence that starts with "We heard that UVa..." and ends with the name of a county or a region. We don't have quotas that specific here. We have one ratio.

The State Legislature has set a ratio that governs the in state and out of state populations at UVa. Two thirds of our students must have Virginia residency. Therefore, one third can come from outside of the state.

Beyond that, no population rules are enforced on us. Obviously, most admission offices want to bring in an interesting class that has people from many backgrounds, but we have not been handed target numbers for different regions, counties, or populations beyond that 2/3 : 1/3 ratio. There are definitely trends within the admitted group, though. For example, around one third of our Virginia population tends to come from the northern part of the state, but that area is highly populated and makes up a pretty big part of our applicant pool. There's no target for that region or any other. State legislators propose bills to change the ratio almost every year, but the bills fail each year.


Now, the ratio obviously impacts the offer rates for VA and OOS (out of state) residents. Here's a chart that shows offer rates back to 1990. On the Office of Institutional Assessment website, you can see data that goes back even further.

One thing to realize, though, is that the number of applicants jumped dramatically last year and hovers around the same number this year. This year's statistics (I'll post them when I get them, which usually happens around notification day) will probably look a little like those from 2009. Here are the stats from last year. I'm adding a "Class of 2013" to make sure those who are just skimming this know that these are last year's stats.

Total number of applications (Class of 2013): 21,839
Total number of VA apps (Class of 2013): 7,663
Total number of OOS apps (Class of 2013): 13,764

Overall offers (Class of 2013): 6,331 total offers (28.9%)
Total VA offers (Class of 2013): 3,276 offers (42.7%)
Total OOS offers (Class of 2013): 3,055 offers (22%)

Enrollment goal (Class of 2013): 3,240 first-year students

Again, the stats for the current year generally get crunched at the very end of the process. I hope to post them on the day we release decisions.

I can't tell if all this talk about statistics made CavDog serious or sleepy

Curious

Last week, I made this statement in a comment:

Most of the activity done from this point until May 1st (the National Candidate Reply Date) is focused on yield. We aren't alone in this sort of activity. We may be the only ones talking about what we are doing.

Which got this reply:

I have to tell you how much I agree with your statement "We may be the only ones talking about what we are doing." Sometimes I feel like the whole college admissions process is a game that you try to play and no one wants to tell you the rules! I find the UVA approach to be the most fair and it seems to me, the most ethical. Thank you for your transparent approach.

It was a very kind comment, which made me feel good about what I'm doing here. However, it has me wondering...

Have any of your other schools talked about this stuff on their blogs? Back when I started this blog in 2005, I followed all of the admission blogs I could find. There weren't all that many, so it was easy. I can't keep up with them all anymore, so I'm wondering what the other admission bloggers are saying. Do they talk about the same topics? Have you seen something on another blog that you wish I did on mine?

Calling all local Cav fans

The UVa Today blog just posted a story that might be of interest to anyone who lives in Charlottesville or Albemarle County. Next Tuesday, there's going to be a commercial shoot on Grounds and the organizers are looking for extras.

If you are out of school in time (notice that I directed this at locals; I don't think you should be missing class for this), this might be fun! Of course, if you decide to go to a different school, you might have to hide from your friends when the commercial comes on. ;)

Here's the official info:

On Tuesday, March 16, we’re going to shoot a television commercial designed to show broad-based support for the UVa football program. The shoot will take place on the steps of the Rotunda and include the coaching staff, current and former players, UVa students, and our fans. There’s a specific reference to the fans in the commercial that states, “Ultimately, a successful program is sustained by unwavering and passionate fans.”

The shoot will take place from approximately 2-4:30 p.m. on March 16. If you are willing to participate, it’s important that you report to the amphitheater on Grounds no later than 2 p.m. The nearest public parking garages are the Central Grounds garage off Emmet Street and the 14th Street Garage. Hourly fees apply.

You will receive an email to confirm participation as there is limited space.

You have to fill out a little form to get involved. It's on the Virginia Sports website.

Let's talk about the SAT Writing section essay

The other day (or maybe it was today), someone asked about how we use the essay that many of you had to write for the SAT people as part of the Writing section.

First of all, back when the writing section appeared on the SAT, the process for looking up the scanned essays was tedious. Along with our normal electronic score delivery came a massive file containing PDFs of the essays written by every student in the score batch. The order of the essays wasn't evident at the time (I don't recall them being in alpha order). So, if we wanted to look at an essay, we had to scroll through pages and pages of poor quality scans, some with handwriting that looked like chicken scratch, to find the right page. That's way too elaborate a process to find an essay that was scribbled out in 30 minutes. Which brings me to my next point...

Your applications provide us with three writing samples. Hopefully, those essays have been written with care and thoughtfulness. They should be accurate examples of your very best writing skills. I would much rather read essays that you crafted over time than one you hastily dashed off with an eye on the clock and a rumble in your tummy.

As for the essays scores, there isn't enough deviation in the scores to use them all that much. The SAT essay is read by two readers who each award up to six points. Now, the three digit writing section score is of interest...just as we used to like to see the old SAT II in Writing in addition to the old, two section SAT.

In a nutshell, we're interested in the essays you provided us on your application. We aren't interested in looking up the scan of the SAT essay.

Does that help? Do you think your application essays are better indicators of your writing skills than the SAT essay?

Spring Break 2010

Pardon the lack of a post yesterday. I've been offline at home for the last two days while some work is going on. Most of my posts are written at night or in the early morning, then set to post during the day. I'll be back to the normal routine in a day or two.

Though following contractors around is a favorite past time of his, CavDog has been in the office so he's out of the way at home. Unfortunately for him, most of the students are away for Spring Break, so he isn't getting all of the attention he's used to getting.

I'm bored. Where are the students?

As you may have read in an email Dean Roberts sent out to the entire applicant pool, all of us here in the Office of Admission are busy working on the next phase of our review process. Almost all of the first year files have been read twice by this point. Now, we are going back to reread to make sure we hit our targets for the number of students admitted to each of the four schools. We also have to make sure we hit the Virginia:Out of State ratio that is set by the state legislature. I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

The Class of 2014 logo

Hot off Alumni Association presses...

It should go without saying, but here we go:
Agencies external to the University may NOT use any of the University's symbols, or logos for any purpose without the appropriate permission of the Office of Public Affairs or the Collegiate Licensing Company.

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.

Have you logged into SIS?

I just took a look at my side of the SIS and was shocked to see that a little over 4,000 of you have never logged into your SIS accounts! Here's everything you'll miss if you don't get into your SIS account:

• viewing your application status
• viewing your financial aid application status
• viewing an abbreviated version of your decision letter (formal letters are mailed)
• viewing your official financial aid award (financial aid awards are not mailed)
• accepting or declining a spot in the Class of 2014
• accepting or declining a spot on the waitlist for the Class of 2014 (we offer you a spot, you have to reply to actually get placed in the unranked pool)
• paying your deposit (which makes you officially a member of the class)
• registering for orientation
• searching for classes
• registering for classes...and the list goes on!

We're about the email everyone who hasn't logged in to make sure they know what they need to do. Here's the message:

Greetings!

We are excited that you have applied to the University of Virginia. However, we recently noticed that you have not yet logged into your U.Va. Student Center account. This is where your “to-do” list is located and where we will first notify you of our decision.

You will need your computing ID to log in. This information came to you in an email from our office when your application was submitted. If you did not receive this email, contact the Help Desk at 434-924-HELP or 4help@virginia.edu for assistance. Before you call, check your spam or junk folders to be sure the message was not filtered from your inbox.

Once you have your ID, the link to log into the U.Va. Student Center is: https://studentsystem.admin.virginia.edu:18201/epprd/signon.html .

We understand that plans change. If you no longer wish to be considered for admission to the University of Virginia, please respond directly to this email with “WITHDRAW” in the subject line.

Thank you for your interest in U.Va. We hope you have a wonderful rest of the year!

Sincerely,

Office of Undergraduate Admission
University of Virginia

I want to see those numbers drop below 4,000 by the end of the week and I want them to keep dropping. Log into those SIS accounts!

It's that time of year

It feels like you've been waiting...

...and waiting.

Please understand that we are working as quickly as possible. We'd love to be done right now, but we'd be shortchanging a lot of applicants if we rushed through this process.

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 2

Here are answers to a few more questions that came in list week, while I was immersed in your applications.

Janet said...

Would I be penalized if midyear reports do not get there until March (that's the time the counseling center told us they'd reach our schools)?

No, we won't penalize you for something that's happening at your school. This goes for those who had their schools closed for snow days, too. These things happen. They aren't your fault.

Conrad said...

If the tracking system shows I'm missing something but I don't get an email, should I not be concerned?

We sent the email out for those who were missing testing and/or high school transcripts. I imagine the item left your your list is something else, so it still needs to get here.

Anonymous said...

Does my counselor still need to send a fax/email of my missing SAT score if I sent them on college board through regular delivery couple days ago?

Just follow the directions in the email you got. :)

Cameron said...

What should we do if we haven't received an email on how to access our status pages?

I think I've covered this one before. First, verify that you actually applied. Log into your Common App account and make sure you submitted the application, supplement, and payment. All three of those items have to be submitted for our system to consider you an applicant.

If you verify that all three parts of the application were submitted, check your spam/junk folder in the email account you used on the Common App. The email would have come from studentsystem@virginia.edu. If you do not have an email from that address, email it with your full name and high school so we can generate a new email. Add that email address to your address book. I'm told that can decrease the chance of the email being marked as spam.

KPage said...

I am faxing my unofficial SAT score reports - should I send just the first page (which contains the scores), or the entire 10-page report?

I don't think any school will want a ten page report on anything! Just send the score page.

CrozetGirl said...

Dean J, Will you be writing a post this year regarding likely letters (when they're being sent out)?

Yep. I also addressed Likely Letters in yesterday's post.

Anonymous said...

Dean J,I submitted a form to my school to send my mid-year grades. However, I forgot to submit the Common App mid-year form. Will I be penalized for this late form?

We're not concerned with getting the form. We just need the mid-year grades. The form is just a duplicate of the Secondary School Report your counselors already sent us.

Diana said...

I do believe SAT Rush Reporting also now delivers from SAT computer to UVa computer.

Eureka! Finally! You don't know how happy that makes us. I know the processing staff is going to do a little dance when they hear this. We might change our policy for next year if College Board verifies this. Thank you so much!

dadofapp said...

Dean J: Is there any information in the Website, or can you tell me, what the SAT/ACT averages are or any other criteria that distinguish between in-state and out-of-state UVA applicants. There is always the line that it is harder to get in from out of state, but I would like to know what the differences really are.

I talked about this a little bit yesterday. We don't have minimums or different bars for the different pools. While we could generate stats for the different groups, I fear that publishing them would lead people to assume that we read with minimum numbers in our minds, which we don't do.

If you want to poke around and look at statistics, the Office of Institutional Assessment is the place for you. There are more statistics on their website they you'll ever want!

E said...

Have any likey letter been sent out this year so far?

Nope. Not yet!

PossibleUVaMom said...

Dean J, We told our daughter she could make visits to her accepted universities to help her with her decision process. I noticed that UVa had a Days On The Lawn (DOTL) last year for accepted students in April. Will that occur this year? Could you please tell me the dates? We are out of state and would need to make airline reservations and accommodations. Is there a special DOTL for out of state students?

Days on The Lawn is an annual series of open houses for admitted students. The DOTL dates for this year will be:
April 9th
April 10th (Echols/Rodman/College Science Scholars only)
April 12th
April 16th
April 19th

Please note that registration is not open until offers are released, as these are for admitted students only. There is no set date for out of state students. For more info, read this post from last year and see the "wrap up" posts I wrote after each DOTL event.


I'd also like to say thanks to KEA for the comment she posted on Sunday. :)

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

Missing credentials emails have been sent

Our processing staff sent out missing credentials emails to about 1,000 of you this morning. Please check the email address you used with your Common Application to see if we have asked you to submit a missing document.

Only send duplicate credentials if you have been asked to send them.

Sending out duplicate credentials takes a lot of time on your high school's part and it can slow the processing of other credentials (credentials for which we've asked!).

These are the only duplicates we like

If you get an email asking for official SAT scores to be sent, do not pay to rush your scores. Have them sent through regular delivery. Here's why: it is our understanding that rushed scores are sent by mail. So, each student who rushes a score prompts ETS to put a half sheet of paper with their scores into an envelope to be mailed off. This creates A LOT of mail. We believe it is faster to have your scores sent the traditional way. The traditional delivery is electronic. Here's an extremely simplistic snapshot at the two processes:

Traditional Delivery:

SAT Computer > UVa Computer


Rushed Delivery:

SAT Computer > Printer > US Postal Service > UVa Central Mail Services >
UVa Mail Delivery > Office of Admission Mail Room > Processing Staff Member > Scanner > UVa Computer

Traditional SAT delivery is faster than rushing scores.

Snowboarding at The Rotunda

There was a nice, thick layer of snow protecting the marble steps of The Rotunda this weekend and some snowboarders decided to see if they could catch some air off them.

I don't know who these people are. The video was taken by someone who happened to be walking by and was sent along to us by someone else.




I am not endorsing this. In fact, there's a huge statue at the bottom of those steps and had the boarder not fallen during his landing, I'm afraid he might have hit the base. The standard disclaimers apply here (do not try this at home, do not try this at UVa, do not do this ever).

Let's talk about course selection

Whenever I'm the "Dean of the Day" (giving info sessions, answering questions for walk ins, taking phone calls that the front desk doesn't handle), I get questions from students and parents who want to know how many APs we want to see on transcripts. When I tell them we don't have a number in mind, people seem skeptical.

Let me explain why we don't have ideas about the ideal program in mind.

First of all, Virginia high schools have a lot of curricular diversity, as do the rest of the schools in this country. There seem to be roughly six types of advanced programs out there: Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge (AICE), Dual Enrollment, and then there are schools that combine two or more of those programs and schools that don't use them at all. Obviously, when it comes to the IB schools, you're either going for the full diploma or you aren't (we think you should for for gold, but understand that there are sometimes reasons students can't do that). With the other programs, the options vary from school to school. One school may be able to offer over 20 AP courses and another may offer five. One school may have such a tight collaboration with a Community College that they are able to offer dozens of Dual Enrollment courses, while others can only offer a handful.

We can't have a preferred number of advanced courses. It wouldn't be fair. If you attend a school with multiple options (IBs and APs, for example), we will adopt the philosophy of your school when it comes to determining what is the best possible program. Some high school have a definite hierarchy (which is evident in the profile they send us) and others consider all of their advanced programs to be at the same level.

We will look at the program you have chosen in reference to what was offered at your school. We wouldn't penalize a student who was only offered 5 AP courses at their school. We would look at the program they put together in light of their limited options. Ideally, as you've been able to make choices about your program, you will have worked in those advanced courses so that by senior year, you are close to college level work. You want to show your schools that you are ready for the next step; that the transition to college isn't going to rock your academic world in a bad way.

As with GPAs, resist the urge to compare your program to the program of a student from another school. We aren't comparing apples to oranges and neither should you.




If you're a junior or sophomore reading this, this is a time to think about balance. You want to decide how many of these top courses you can handle while still maintaining good grades. Don't sign up for every top class you can fit into your schedule if that means you'll be struggling and Cs. Similarly, don't shy away from challenges just to have all As. Obviously, it's nice to see all As in top courses, but we would rather see you sacrifice that A and get a challenging course into your program over taking the path of least resistance.

It's all about balance!

How CavDog spent the day

While I read files at home, CavDog gets to veg out. He's transfixed by this Air Bud movie, about a golden retriever that plays football.

Checking your status

I posted this note about your status pages on the 2014 Facebook group earlier in the month and I realized that I should post it here, too.

-The amount of processing we have to do right now is staggering. All of your credentials may not be checked in until early February. Do not send duplicates unless we contact you. Don't worry about your status page until February.

-"Initiated" in a term used by our Student Information System to show that an item has been added to your to do list. It means the item has not been completed yet.

-If you get to the point that the only item on your to do list is your mid-year report, that's great! We know those don't arrive until February.

-Once your application is complete and it moves to the "ready to read" mode, you'll see a box pop up at the bottom of the status screen. "View decision" will appear in the box. It doesn't mean your decision is ready. That's just something that's built into the computer system that we can't change. If you hit "view decision", you'll just see a note about decisions not being ready at this point.

-If/when you apply for Financial Aid, their office's to do list will appear on your status page. Our offices are separate, so we in Admission have no knowledge of what's going on with your aid application. Direct all questions directly to them.

-While the Office of Admission is paperless, you'll be getting a paper decision letter from us in addition to seeing a short version on the decision screen on notification day.

-Financial Aid packages are posted online ONLY. They won't be sending your paper documents. You'll probably want to take screen shots or print out the screen when your aid package gets posted so you can share it with your parents.

-If you ever forget your SIS password or want to change it, you can follow the steps in that first email you got to generate a new password.


Let me know if you have any other questions!

Friday Fun

It's Friday and I figured I'd show you something fun that got my attention this week.

Perhaps I have application fatigue. I took a pretty extended Youtube break and got lost in a sea of lipdubs (lipsyched music videos) created by college students to go with the Black Eyed Peas song "I Gotta Feeling". Those who don't listen to top 40 radio (myself included) know this as the song that played while a massive group danced in the street on the Oprah show a few months ago.

The first video I watched was by students at a school in Montreal. The video was cute and I was surprised that it was done in a single take. More impressive was the "behind the scenes" video they put on Youtube.



Well don't you know those "related video" links led me to students in Japan and the Philippines doing their own versions, inspired by those students in Montreal. I made the mistake of searching for "I gotta feeling lipdub" and saw the idea is viral and students around the world are making posting their own version, all inspired by the students in Montreal.

I love this stuff. I love seeing college students being silly and quirky and not taking themselves too seriously. I've found just a handful of lipdubs made by students in the US, so I guess this hasn't hit us in a big way yet. I can't wait to see what our students come up with, if this hits the states.

Photos from the back office

We're still processing credentials that were mailed to our office. Some of you have probably noticed updates to your SIS status pages, but there's still some work to be done before you should worry about missing items. Sit tight for now!

Some mid-year reports have already arrived

This is where each admission officer used to find their allotment of folders.
Each of us had a vertical row. Now, the bins are used to store documents.

Let's talk about GPAs

When students or parents try to gauge an applicant's chances of admission, GPA is always mentioned along with a flurry of accolades. They usually cite the number and breeze right on by to the next statistic. This makes me worry that people don't think about the subjective nature of GPAs these days.

The methodology for calculating GPA varies dramatically from place to place. What's more, grading scales are all over the map (there are seven different grading scales in use in Virginia public schools alone!). There are schools where 4.0 GPAs are rare and signify all As in the very best courses and there are schools where 4.0 GPAs are common and could be earned with okay grades in average courses. This year, I've read applications from schools with pretty interesting GAP scales, including 18 point and 500 point scales. I've seen schools where no courses are weighted and I've seen schools where Honors and AP courses have the same weighting.

So when you see or hear people from other school districts cite their GPAs, resist the urge to make comparisons. Chances are the grading scales and methodologies in use at your schools are different.

By the way, we don't have any opinion about all those grading scales. Whatever works for your school is fine with us.

Feeling worried?

CavDog looked perpetually worried as a puppy

The application reading season is extremely hectic and while I try to carve some time out of each day to check in on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, and College Confidential, it's not always possible. Sorry for the delay between posts.

It's still too early to worry about your status pages. We will contact you at the end of January or beginning of February if you have missing credentials. Hang in there. I know you feel a little lost right now. I'm here...I'm just a little busy!

CavDog around Virginia

A recent Facebook message and follow up tweet asked for a CavDog interlude. Here's a collection of CavDog pictures from around the Commonwealth. He's a Virginia boy through and through!

Replies to some comments

A few comments came in over the weekend that I thought I would address in a post so all could see.

First up, a question about essays:

Call me Curious said...

We appreciate all of the reading you are doing this month. While I don't envy you, I am curious about what you do get to read. What is the most popular book or work of art chosen for that essay question? What other essay question do most applicants choose to answer? Do more applicants secretly like something they pretend to hate or secretly hate something they pretend to love? Have you noticed a different trend this year over last?

Friday, January 8, 2010 2:21:00 PM EST

At times, I'll mention a trend here and there when it comes to essay topics. However, there are some out there who think that mentioning a particular book will send applicants who used that book as a topic into a panic, convinced they are doomed because their choice wasn't unique. So, let's get to the bottom of that. Applicants, if I tell you that writing about Dave Matthews Band songs was common and you wrote about a Dave Matthews Band song, would you be upset? I'm not saying DMB topics are common, that's just a relatively safe example I'm using.




Second up, a few questions/comments about deadlines:

Anonymous said...

What's with the SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 deadline instead of a work day? A recommendation came in for my son and we live in Charlottesville. We go over to Admission's office and it's buttoned up tight! We meet someone else who has a BAG of documents and couldn't get the on-line system to work. Turns out, HE is the GUIDANCE counselor for a local school! What he had in that bag I hate to imagine! Would that be everybody's transcripts, recommendations, etc. which would be the responsibility of the GUIDANCE COUNSELOR from a school and usually uploaded to the Common App? Ouch. We may have to go to our deaths knowing which school this just happened to! However, the school my children go to school at was unaware of the SUNDAY deadline on Thursday when I told them and though they only have a couple of apps each year from this private boarding school, they were certainly caught off guard. Even the Guidance Counselor told my husband that he just THOUGHT that January 10th was a Monday. So, what's up with the SUNDAY deadline for those that may have something to deliver? Or, is that point? Keep more away? :)

Saturday, January 9, 2010 9:23:00 PM EST

Anonymous said...

Oh, I forgot to mention, my husband found a fax number on the bottom of the page and faxed it and kept the receipt. Hopefully the recommendation that came in and coujldn't be sent UP to the kid's school to be up-loaded by the staff will make it where it is to go. It worried us that we didn't have any problem getting onto the fax machine. Shouldn't it have been a bit busier on Saturday the 9th of January with deadlines on sunday the 10th? I wouldn't want the job of reading all these apps, but it is probably very encouraging and up-lifting to read about young people's lives and knowing that they are probably some of the best in the world.... not too shabby a job after all I guess.

Saturday, January 9, 2010 9:27:00 PM EST

This is a long one and I'm hope I'm going to address all the issues here. If there are any outstanding questions, give our office a call during our normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM). While many of us work far beyond those hours at this time of year, we don't keep the full staff in the office beyond the normal 40 hour work week.

Out deadlines are generally on easy to remember dates. Before we went to the Common App, our deadline was always a moving target, which was confusing. We had to make the deadline a day when post offices were open. I remember one year when we had to move the deadline at the last minute due to the closing of post offices for a National Day of Mourning. Anyway, our deadline is now January 1st and applicants don't seem to have a problem hitting the submit button before 11:59 PM on that night. Teachers and guidance counselors get a few extra days. Most credentials are submitted late at night, regardless of the day of the week.

Obviously, some people aren't comfortable with the submission system and we are flexible about that. If there's a problem outside of normal business hours, we will work with people. If a recommendation can't be submitted electronically at the deadline, a teacher or school counselor should put it in the mail or fax it.

Back when I was in school, it was common to furnish a recommendation writer with a stamped, addressed envelope. If you don't think the person writing for you will use the online system, perhaps that's the best way to ensure the letter comes to us (and not back to you, which seems to have happened in the case above).

I don't think our fax line was busy yesterday because most teachers submit through the online Common App system or mail documents over the holidays. Faxed documents aren't so common these days.

Hope that helps! If you have more questions, feel free to post them in the comments.

Early numbers

It's still early to have a final count, but we have just under 22,000 first-year applications. This is an increase. I thought apps would go down (you can search posts from last year for my thinking on that).

Back to reading...it's going to be a long season.


Since this came up in the comments, I thought I'd post this here. Total apps from past years:

2005: 15,922
2006: 16,298
2007: 18,046
2008: 18,598
2009: 21,831

If you want to see more, you can find all kinds of data in the Data Digest and Historical Summaries on the Office of Institutional Assessment website. Hit the "statistics" tag below to see past blog posts that contained data.

Status updates take time

Our office will open tomorrow morning for the first time since deadline. Inevitably, there will be a mountain of mail to process (and plenty more arriving for the next two weeks), the front desk will be overwhelmed with calls, and there will be hundreds of emails in the general account to answer.

Please understand that there is no way to process all of your applications tomorrow. As I've written before, it will take weeks to get everything checked in and get your status pages updated.

Do not worry about your status pages at this time.

We will contact you when we are through the bulk of the processing if we are still missing documents. This will happen at the end of January or beginning of February.

Happy Deadline Day!

CavDog's dressed up for the big day!

The countdown has begun. I know a lot of schools have a January 1st deadline, so some of you will inevitably be putting the finishing touches on multiple applications right up until 11:59 PM.

Keep in mind...

We can't fix Common App website problems.
Submit a help request on their website if you have any trouble.

Also, today is your deadline. Your counselors and teachers have until January 10th to submit school forms, transcripts, and recommendations. We prefer online submission, but you won't be penalized if these items are sent by snail mail.

If you want to chat with other applicants to relieve a little stress, check out the Class of 2014 Facebook page. We set this page up so you'd have a place to congregate online. Obviously, the membership evolves in the spring as students commit to schools.

The group I created for last year's applicants is now the Class of 2013's page. I turned over administration to students and now the Class Council uses the group to publicize events (though we have an internal networking system that they use, too).

Good luck, everyone! If you have general questions, feel free to post them. Be sure to read the "after you apply" part of the application instructions on our website. It's really important to understand the timing at work here. In the wee hours of the morning, Common App's system will transmit all applications submitted today. It will take a few days for our system to process the applications and send our confirmation emails with your Student Information System login information.

EDIT: I've repeated this a few times today on College Confidential, so I'll post it here:

Don't be alarmed by your to-do list at this time.
Read this if you're worried.

Let's define the deadline

There's always a little confusion about the specific moment of our deadline. Back in the days of paper applications, the deadline was whatever time your local post office was willing to post mark an envelope. These days, you have a little more time. With online applications came permission to procrastinate just a few more hours.

Our deadline is January 1st. Technically, you could submit an application at 11:59 PM on January 1st and meet the deadline.

The Common App system builds in a grace period in case there are technical problems, but I strongly encourage you to hit submit before that final hour. There is obviously a lot of traffic on the Common App servers on that final day and while I'm sure they can handle it, I can imagine the panic you'd feel if your internet connection cut out during those final moments of deadline day.

In addition, if you have questions for the Common App people, I imagine you'll get a faster response to a help ticket submission if you are asking during normal business hours. If you submit a help request at 10 PM, you'll probably be one of many doing the same thing and therefore won't hear back for a little while.

I know this is an extremely stressful time. I imagine there is some freaking out going on. Do yourself a favor and made a personal deadline that's before the official one.

Good luck! As always, you can post questions here and I'll do my best to answer them quickly!

CavDog knows you're probably sick of sitting in front of the computer right now

The app deadline is around the corner!

The January 1st deadline is around the corner! Inevitably, there will be last minute questions that will come up after our traditional office hours (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM). Here's how to get answers.

First of all, any trouble with the Common Application can only be fixed by the Common Application staff. If you have any problems with your Common App, submit a help ticket. If you wait until the last minute, you have to expect a delay in the resolution of your problem. Don't freak out! Don't submit something that's half finished or incorrect in a panic. Wait until you get an answer.

Once you submit your application (and all three parts, the Common App, Supplement, and payment must be completed and submitted to prompt anything to be sent to us), it will take a couple days for processing to prompt a login email for UVa's Student Information System to be sent to you. I assume that if you are about to leave for college, you will be able to follow the direction in the email and log into our system successfully.

When you log in for the first time, scroll to the bottom of the main page and become familiar with the different areas of the status page.

Don't be alarmed by your to-do list at this time.

Credentials may be in our system, but not yet linked to your file. It may take a few weeks to get through all the applications submitted in these last few days, so please be patient! If your transcript arrived a month ago, it was scanned and put in a miscellaneous credentials file. A staff member must manually link that transcript to your newly submitted application.

We will contact you when we are through the bulk of the processing if we are still missing documents. This will happen at the end of January or beginning of February. Don't freak out. Seriously. It will be okay.

That being said, here is how you can get answers to last minute questions when our office is closed:

• Post a comment on this entry
• Post on the wall of the UVa Class of 2014 group on Facebook (other students might have answers)
• Post on the UVa forum of College Confidential (current applicants/students may have answers)
  
• Message me through Facebook or write on my wall
  
• Instant message me through AIM (UVaDeanJ)
• Instant message me through Google Chat (UVaDeanJ)

I won't be logged into all of those all the time between now and deadline, but I will try to be on in the evenings. If I don't reply right away, I've either stepped away from my desk (I'm doing this from home) or am answering questions for another student.

Good luck with those last minute edits! Try not to submit at the very last minute!

CavDog realizes that the party is over. Back to the apps!

Office of Admission CLOSED Monday, December 21

I've just gotten an email saying that due to the tremendous snow storm that hit this weekend, the Office of Admission will be closed tomorrow. Driving conditions were less than ideal in Virginia this weekend, so I hope anyone planning to visit has decided to stay home.

Want to see pictures taken over the weekend around Charlottesville? Check out this slide show created by a reporter from The Hook.

Common App status

Last week, we used the Common App system to email out this reminder, but it's worth repeating here with an image. Within the Common App website, you have a box for each school to which you are applying that shows your application progress.

First of all, Common App has an FAQ about the little colored symbols. They only update on a set schedule, so pay attention to the text next to an item first and foremost. If you submit your application components at 3 PM, the test will say that they are submitted, but the colored symbol next to the item might remain yellow for a while until the system updates.

Second of all, we do not get any of the Common App items (Common App, supplement, payment) until all three parts are completed. So, you may have finished your UVa Supplement last week and hit submit, but it will not be sent to us until the other two parts of the application are completed. This saves our tiny staff from doing a ton of work on applications that will never be completed.

Lastly, on the application instructions page, we have a section that explains what happens after you submit. It goes without saying that you need to read this! You need to look for an email from uvaapplicationinfo@virginia.edu that is going to the email address you used on your Common App. It should arrive within five days of our receiving your application (remember, all three parts). That email explains the login process you need to use to monitor your application status after submission.

Remember, don't worry about your status page items until late January/early February. The volume of submissions right now is so great that we don't always process items on the day they arrive. It can take a few weeks to get items checked into our system.