On the road in Northern Virginia

It's almost NOVA time! I'm on my way to Northern Virginia for three weeks of appointments in October. I've heard that some schools send rookie admission officers to NOVA as an initiation because of the notorious traffic and the advanced questions that get asked there. I personally love my time in northern Virginia, probably because I grew up in an area just like it. I enjoy being asked questions about topics that are far more interesting than SAT scores and deadlines. Hearing the current rumors that are getting passed around is interesting, too.

I'm so excited that I was able to work visits to most of the public schools in Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun into my schedule.  There's a third week of travel that I haven't posted yet, so don't worry if your school isn't listed.  Also, we don't use "demonstrated interest" in our application review, so coming to see me during my visit doesn't have any affect on your application.  Come if you'd like to ask questions and hear my advice for the process. 

The daytime high school visits are for students who attend each of the schools below. If your school is on my schedule and you'd like to come see me, you already know the drill. Your Career Center Specialists have probably made you aware of the sign up procedure you need to follow to get a pass.

So, here is where I'm headed for the first two weeks.  I'll post my last itinerary next week.

Monday, October 3rd
8:30 AM    Yorktown High School
10:00 AM  Washington-Lee High School
11:30 PM   Wakefield High School
1:15 PM     Stuart High School

Tuesday, October 4th
9:00 AM    Falls Church High School
11:45 AM  TJHSST
1:00 PM     Robert E. Lee High School
2:30 PM     George Mason High School

Wednesday, October 5th
9:00 AM    James Madison High School
10:30 AM  Oakton High School
11:45 AM   Fairfax High School
1:30 PM     WT Woodson High School

Thursday, October 6th
8:00 AM     Robinson Secondary School
9:30 AM     Lake Braddock Secondary School
11:00 AM   West Springfield High School

Friday, October 7th
9:00 AM     Marshall High School
10:30 AM   Langley High School
12:30 PM    McLean High School






Tuesday, October 11th
10:00 AM  Annandale High School
6:00 PM     Freedom High School College Fair (Woodbridge)

Wednesday, October 12th
10:30 AM   NOVA Annandale Transfer Fair
2:00 PM     Episcopal High School College Fair
7:00 PM     Ballston Commons Mall College Fair

Thursday, October 13th
10:30 AM  NOVA Alexandria College Fair

Friday, October 14th
7:30 AM    South County Secondary School
9:00 AM    West Potomac High School
11:00 AM  Edison High School
1:00 PM    Mount Vernon High School

Admission Chat TONIGHT!

The UVa Chat rooms will be open from 7 PM to 9 PM tonight. We'll have students and admission officers in the rooms to answer questions about UVa or the admission process. You'll have to register a username to participate and you can do that now or just before entering the chat.

Hope to see some of you there!

UVa Chat Rooms

On the road in Richmond

I offered my colleagues the opportunity to share their travel plans on the blog and Merav Frazier has already taken me up on the offer!  Aside from being an admission counselor in our office, Merav coached the UVa Color Guard, part of the Cavalier Marching Band for a few years.  If you have questions about the band, she'd be a great resource!

There is another staff member visiting other schools in the area, so please don't worry if your school isn't on this list.   

Here's Merav's schedule in Richmond:

Thursday, September 29^th 

8:30am             Saint Gertrude High School

11:00am           Saint Christopher's School

12:15pm          Saint Catherine's School

2:00pm             Powhatan High School

Friday, September 30^th 

7:45am             The Steward School

9:00am             Collegiate School

10:30am          Trinity Episcopal School

Wednesday, October 5^th  

8:15am           Thomas Dale High School

9:30am           Lloyd C. Bird High School

11:30am         Benedictine College Prep School

1:30pm           Goochland High School

Thursday, October 6^th 

7:30am            James River High School

10:00am          Midlothian High School          

11:30am          Cosby High School          

1:00pm           Clover Hill High School

Recommended test dates for Early Action

We talked about recommended test dates in the comments on the Early Action post from earlier this month, but I thought I'd address that again.

The last recommended SAT test date for Early Action applicants is October 1, 2011.  If you list UVa in advance as a school that should receive your scores, we should get them on October 20th (we get everything electronically).  When you registered for the exam, you should have had the option to designate four schools to get your scores.  Here's the score report timeline right from the ETS website:

 

From CollegeBoard.com

 If you wait until you see your scores to send them, they might not get to us in time.  The ETS people say that it takes FIVE WEEKS to send scores to colleges after you submit your request.  On top of that, there's a fee involved to send scores after the test date.

 

From CollegeBoard.com

 

If you pay even more money, you can have scores rushed, but the price to do it is $40.50.  I just cringed when I looked that up. The test costs $49 to take in the first place.  Don't wait.  Use the free reports that you get up front and save yourself some money.

For those of you who are already planning for the Regular Decision deadline on January 1st, the last recommended SAT test date for you is December 3, 2011.

What are your questions about the application timeline?

Arts Supplements 101

While serving as "Dean of the Day" on Monday, I got quite a few calls about arts supplements.  The Early Action arts supplement deadline is October 1st, so I imagine most callers were hoping to submit portfolios in the next week or so.  Here are the most frequent questions I received and how I answered them:

Who should submit an arts supplement?
Anyone who intends to major, minor, or be significantly involved in the arts at UVa should think about submitting an arts supplement.  Submission is not required for anyone.

I don't think I'm going to be involved in the arts. Can a supplement help my application anyway?
I guess you could submit a supplement, but consider the fact that your supplement will be reviewed alongside those of students who are going to major/minor.  Submission alone doesn't help you.  The review by faculty is what could help you.

Can I submit ________ as part of my supplement?
Each type of arts supplement has specific instructions regarding format, length, and submission.  There are forms for visual art, dance, drama, music, and marching band.  Follow the directions on the form that corresponds to your discipline.

Can I combine a few areas into one supplement?
The supplements go to different departments for distribution and review, so if you want to submit a music and marching band supplement, you need to submit two supplements. One will get sent to the Marching Band Office and the other will go to the Department of Music.

The October 1st deadline is really early.  Can I submit late?
Yes, October 1st is early because faculty need to review the supplements and send their notes to the Office of Admission in time for our Early Action review.  I don't think late submission will help an Early Action application.

What about the Common App Arts Supplement form?
For now, we want you to use our forms.  We don't want recommendations (those are mentioned on the Common App's Arts Supplement form).  Just follow the directions on the UVa forms.

What questions do you have about arts supplements?

There will inevitably be another stretch of calls closer to the regular decision arts supplement deadline (December 1st), so I might have to write an "Arts Supplements 201" post.

Important Links

The Arts at UVa

UVa Application Instructions (deadlines and basic info)

Arts Supplements Submission Iinfo & Forms

Outreach chat TONIGHT!

The UVa Chat rooms will be open from 8 PM to 9:30 PM tonight for a diversity chat hosted by the Outreach Office. We'll have students and admission officers in the rooms to answer questions about UVa or the admission process. This chat is meant for juniors and seniors. You'll have to register a username to participate and you can do that now or just before entering the chat.

Hope to see some of you there!
UVa Chat Rooms

Fall admission chats are scheduled!

The UVa Chat room schedule is set for the next few months.  We have students and admission officers in the rooms on designated nights to answer questions about UVa or the admission process.

Fall chats (7-9 PM):

Thursday, September 29th

Wednesday, October 12th

Monday, October 24th

Tuesday, November 8th

Wednesday, November 16th 

Tuesday, November 29th

Thursday, December 1^st


Outreach chats (8-9:30 PM):

Tuesday, September 20th

Tuesday, October 18th

Tuesday, November 15th

International Student chat (8:30 - 9:30 AM Eastern)
Thursday, October 20th

I post a reminder on the morning of each chat.

Headed to New England

On Monday, I'll be meeting up with old friends from Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and UC Berkeley for the first of four evening program in New England. If you're on any of our mailing lists, you probably already know this because we mailed and emailed invitations to these programs last month. However, if you'd like to join us this week, you can RSVP via links on our "UVa Visits You" page.

Our evening programs:

Monday, September 12 - Noble and Greenough School (MA) - I think this session is full!
Tuesday, September 14 - Providence Marriott Downtown (RI)
Wednesday, September 15 - Darien High School (CT)
Thursday, September 16 - Farmington High School (CT)

We'll also be hosting counselor breakfasts each morning for your guidance staffs, who also received invitations by mail and email last month.

Hope to see some of you next week!

Let's talk about Early Action

The 2011-2012 application season will be our first with Early Action.  It'll be our first year with two deadlines since 2006, when we got rid of that other kind of early deadline.

I have to admit that I liked having one deadline.  I thought it was the right thing to do in light of complaints about the admission process creeping earlier and earlier recent years.  Everyone was in the same pool.  Everyone was evaluated together.  I didn't read files on Thanksgiving for a few years.  It was nice.

Alas, we got an earful.  You want an early process.  So, we're giving you one.  We offer the basic early action program.  There are no restrictions.  We don't dictate how you apply to your other schools.  Of course, if you get in to another school through a binding early program, we expect you to withdraw your application to UVa.


I know many of you see Early Action as a way to get out in front of the pack (which isn't all that far behind).  Some of your perceive Early Action to be an easier way to be admitted.  That isn't going to be the case here.  We are going to read files the same way throughout the application season.  We don't have any statistics about Early Action at this point, so you can't use that as a factor when you are deciding whether to apply in the early or regular rounds.

Instead of consulting stats to make this decision for you, you need to think about what kind of application you can present in November and what kind of application you can present in January.

If you think you had an amazing junior year and your application is rock solid without the first semester of senior year on your transcript, consider applying early.  If you had a little stumble early on in your junior year (which sometimes happens when you step up the number of advanced classes* in your schedule, maybe you should apply under Regular Decision, when we'll have some senior grades to consider (my expectation is that you rebounded in a big way). 

Feel free to post your questions about Early Action in the comments!

CavDog staying ahead of the pack

* I use "advanced classes" a lot because there are different options out there.  I'm referring to the top classes at your school, often the AP or IB courses.

Sneak peek...

This is just a teaser for a post that's coming.  We went over to the new Hunter Smith Band Building, which just opened this week.  As far as band facilities go, we're told it's one of the best and most modern ones in the country. 

I'll share some photos soon, but for now, you can watch a few of the deans try to carry the drum sets that the students in the UVa Drumline wear during games and performances.  They're heavy!

Let's talk about the weather

We've gotten calls from a few anxious parents who want to know if we will still be having information sessions and tours tomorrow and Saturday.  At first, I thought people were assuming that our buildings were damaged by the earthquake on Tuesday (all is well).  I didn't realize that people thought we'd be cancelling the sessions and tours because of Hurricane Irene.

Rest assured, the sessions and tours will happen as scheduled.  We're just about three hours from Virginia Beach, so while we expect rain, we aren't shutting down or evacuating. 

If you ever need to know if UVa is in session or closed, just click on the "What's Happening" bar on Virginia.edu.  A box will drop down that will show you all the information you need. 

You can also follow UVa on Twitter for minute-by-minute updates about what's happening on Grounds.  Even I follow UVa on Twitter so I can be aware of events and activities.

If you are thinking of visiting us this weekend, the sessions and tours will happen.  Just make sure to bring your rain jackets.

Live from Peabody Hall

If you're reading this from almost anywhere in the east, you probably felt the same earthquake that we did this afternoon.  Despite being about 30 minutes from the epicenter in Mineral, the damage at UVa seems minimal so far.  Everyone seems to be going about their day.  Students are going to class, libraries are open, and power is on.

We felt the shaking for about 40 seconds at Peabody Hall and I think we've had an aftershock already.  The only damage I've heard about has come from Larry Sabato, who lives in a pavilion on the UVa Lawn.

I also saw this picture of the destruction posted by Charlottesville based photographer Tom Daly:

Did you feel the earthquake?

Summer is over

We're really happy to have students coming back to Grounds right now.  The one drawback to the beginning of the semester is the end of our time with our summer student guides.  We had a fantastic group of students working in Peabody Hall over the last few months.  They gave up to three tours each day and never complained about being outside during a heatwave or a rain storm. 

I think CavDog will be missing the students the most!

Pardon the blurriness...there was a lot of wagging and petting going on when I snapped this shot!

They're coming!

Looking north on Emmet Street during the 2010-2011 move in

The new UVa Bookstore

If you've toured colleges during the summer, you probably know that summer is construction season on many campuses.  When the students leave, the tradespeople and craftsmen go into high gear to get projects done before move-in in August.

I had to run over to the UVa Bookstore yesterday to pick up some software and stopped in my tracks when I walked in the door. The first sign of the summer construction season coming to an end was in front of me. The bookstore extension that was started when the students left last year is almost done.  I snapped a few pictures with my phone...

The bookstore has always had plenty of UVa gear, from embroidered khaki shorts to UVa Snuggies, but there is probably twice as much product now.

 

The kids' section is probably three times as big as it was before.  Too bad most of the nephews and nieces have parents who attended our ACC rivals.

 

Girls have loved the Clinque counter and Vera Bradley section in the bookstore, but there are now many more cute dorm room decorations on display. There are plenty of things embroidered or painted with Greek org letters, for those who like to display their affiliations.

I couldn't help take a few pictures of the dog section, which used to take up the edge of one shelf.  CavDog already has a collar and lead set, a tennis ball on a UVa lanyard, and a water bowl.  Do you think he needs a stadium jacket for chilly Days on the Lawn mornings?

I didn't take a pictures of the new Cavalier Computers store inside the bookstore, but it's gigantic.  It's so large that I had to ask someone to help me find that piece of software I needed.

The only project that seemed incomplete was the new Java City counter.  It'll be great to see that open and have the lovely woman who staffs it back.

Not exactly the honor of honors

When this arrived in my mail a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but laugh.  If you're a junior or senior in high school, you've probably gotten letters that look a like this.

All I had to do was visit a website and provide personal information (that would probably be sold and result in a lot more "honors" arriving in the mail).  I'm sure there's a fee involved, but I didn't visit the website to see about that.

Now that you know I was accepted into the National Association of Professional Women, are you more likely to heed my advice?  Probably not.

Common App 2011-2012 is live!

Last night, a few hours ahead of schedule, the Common Application for the 2011-2012 academic year launched.  I posted the essays that would be on the UVa Supplement to the Common App back in June and I hope that if you want to do anything early, you'll start to think about how you'll answer those questions.

The launch of the Common App also means the start of the new year for people in the Office of Admission.  We've started travel planning already, but it's time to start solidifying those plans.  In the coming weeks, I'll let you know where I'll be going this fall.  You can also keep an eye on the "UVa Visits You" page on our website to see where else we'll be going.

As always, we'll be on the VACRAO college tour circuit in Virginia.

CavDog turns four

Summer is often a bit quiet on the blog...last year's readers are now thinking about orientation and moving into the residence halls at the end of August.  The next group of students hasn't really started prowling the web for admission tips just yet.  There isn't much news, but I thought I'd share that CavDog has just turned FOUR years old!

At Days on the Lawn this year, one father commented that he was at CavDog's first Days on the Lawn with one of his older children, back in 2008.  It's kind of fun to think about CavDog having attended the DOTL for every student who current attends UVa. 

Tuttle Hall comes down

This isn't admission related, but I thought I'd share a few pictures of Tuttle Hall, one of the Alderman Road residence halls, being demolished yesterday.

These are just iPhone pictures.  A photographer friend was there, so perhaps I'll be able to update this with better images soon. 

2011-2012 essay questions

The Common Application for 2011-2012 doesn't launch until August 1st.  If you want to work on something application related over the summer, I suggest you think a little bit about how you'll approach your personal statements.   You don't really need to practice filling out your biographical information, but it might be smart to do some free writing on a few essay topics so you aren't scrambling for ideas as the deadlines approach.

Here are the prompts for the two required pieces of writing you'll have to do for your UVa Supplement to the Common Application.  Pay attention to the information about how long these should be.  These aren't term papers.  You should be able to answer the questions in half a page.  Part of being a good writer is being a good editor, so you really shouldn't go too far beyond the recommended length.

2011-2012 UVa Supplement Essay Questions

1.  We are looking for passionate students to join our diverse community of scholars, researchers, and artists.  Answer the question that corresponds to the school or program you selected.  Limit your answer to a half page or roughly 250 words. 

• College of Arts & Sciences:  What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
• Engineering:  If you were given funding for a small engineering project, what would you do?
• Architecture:  Discuss an experience that led you to apply to the School of Architecture.
• Nursing:  Discuss experiences that led you to choose the School of Nursing.
• Kinesiology: Discuss experiences that led you to choose the kinesiology major.

   
2.  Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words:

• What is your favorite word and why?
• Describe the world you come from and how that world shaped who you are.
• Discuss your favorite place to get lost. (This question was written by U.Va. students who live in one of residential colleges, Brown College at Monroe Hill.)
• Discuss something you secretly like but pretend not to, or vice versa.

For more essay advice, click on the "essay" tag at the bottom of this entry!