<p>I can't help but constantly think about how much easier it is for in-state applicants to get in. I visited UVA and it is exactly what I want in a college with a great balance between social life and academics, warm weather, and a non-urban setting. </p>
<p>I know that the school needs to admit 2/3 Virginians in order to get funding from the state, but is anyone else that is out-of-state frustrated that we have to work that much harder to get into UVA than the in-staters do? I have the same chance to get into UVA as I do to get into UPenn or Cornell. I feel like UVA is a much better fit for me but I can't help feeling that I should go to a more selective school to feel some sort of compensation for all of my hard work in high school.</p>
<p>Does anyone else feel the same way? Or is it dumb for me to think this way and I shouldn't even think about how it is easier for 70% of the students to be admitted.</p>
<p>Despite it’s exclusivity when it comes to admissions, it IS a public university after all. Virginia taxpayers subsidize UVA and residents SHOULD be admitted at a higher rate. And it’s not easy for anyone, in state or out, to get in.<br>
You should apply where you want to go and where you feel is the best fit for you. If that’s UVA, go for it. It seems a little silly to say that you should go to a “more selective” school to compensate for your hard work; isn’t UVA “selective” enough, just by your definition?</p>
<p>It’s technically just as hard for northern virginians to get in. And students from the rest of Virginia typically have to be valedictorian or salutatorian to gain admittance. Just be the best student you can be, and what is meant to happen will happen.</p>
<p>I applied to UVA out-of-state last year. The fact that I had to work much harder than in-state residents to get in did not bother me. I realized that I had my own state university that was forced to give more weight to my application and that it would only be fair for Virginians to have the same set up, despite the fact that UVA was a much better fit for me than my own university. I don’t think uVA loses any prestige - every time I tell someone that I attend UVA, be it back home or in Virginia, they always seem impressed. However, it sets up an interesting dynamic once you actually attend UVA. I once heard the students described in a hierarchy: international > out of state > NOVA > can’t remember the rest in terms of, shall I say, “studiousness.”</p>
<p>In response to the original post, it is still much harder to get into U. Penn than UVa out of state.</p>
<p>There are many great universities - just make sure you set yourself up to have a wide range of choices for May 1. </p>
<p>I’ll repeat my suggestion to use U. Delaware as a backup for someone who really likes UVa. and might not be accepted. U Del is two-thirds out of state students. It is a similar town, offers similar social opportunities, has a similar sized enrollment and has similar academic opportunities. Many of the buildings even look similar to UVa. It is not as difficult in admissions and their out of state tuition is much lower. They also offer merit and need based aid to out of state students, and you are 30 minutes from all of the things to do in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Be very careful making generalizations and assuming that all Virginia residents have it easier. This type of thinking of ‘us’ and ‘them’ doesn’t make for very cohesive relationships between students if it is carried past admission and onto your university career…that somehow one group is more select then another. UVa uses a holistic admissions policy that goes far beyond GPA, SAT, and rank. That’s a good thing and pulls unique individuals to build a diverse student body.</p>
<p>Charlieschm the University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy. Meaning Penn is not mandated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to have any instate vs OOS ratios. So it is equally as hard to get in no matter what state you reside.</p>
<p>charlieschm was saying a student accepted to UVA OOS is not as likely to be accepted to UPenn, ie it is harder to get into (UPenn) than (UVA OOS).</p>
<p>Thanks Hazel. Now that I have the clarification and reread his post I get it. S1 was accepted to both. He chose UVa because it was a better fit.</p>
<p>I don’t have any data in front of me,…but I wonder how much different the OOS/IS admit rates are in reality. Sure, more IS students get offers because of the 2/3 rule, but there are probably also a heck of a lot more IS than OOS students applying as well.</p>
<p>I believe that the original poster does not appreciate what kind of statistics an applicant from Virginia needs to have in order to be competitive for admission to UVA. In my daughters’ NoVa High school, successful applicants routinely have stellar SAT scores, 10 plus AP classes, in addition to the amazing extra curricular activities required by colleges these days. My daughter and her peers, who were all accepted to UVA, had statistics that were far more impressive than the original poster’s statistics. They were accepted because of their hard work in high school.
Jasoll337, you are not entitled to admission at UVA.</p>
<p>Pretty harsh statement, Capeme. You say your daughter and her peers had stats that were far more impressive than the the OP’s stats. Unless I missed something, the OP didn’t post any stats.</p>
<p>Just for clarification, I know several kids from my school who were accepted to U.Va. with 1800-1900 SAT scores. Now, while it is easier to get into U.Va. from in state that does not mean that OOS students need to despair or be frustrated. Work as hard as you can and show admissions why you truly belong here (with regards to academics and personality). I’ll be hoping to see you here one day, jasoll337.</p>
<p>Congradulations to your daughter and her peers, and I am sure those who chose to attend UVA love it there.</p>
<p>However, the fact that they had stellar grades/scores/extracurriculars does not take away from the fact that the statistics show that UVA is more selective for out-of-staters than in-staters (see links above that were posted by others). </p>
<p>I posted this thread to express how i wasnt sure if i should even care about the difference in selectivity. I want to clarify that i did not say Virginians did not work as hard or arent as qualified at the out of state applicants.</p>
<p>The last thing that i needed was for you, a parent, to comment on my post telling me that your daughter and her friends are better than me and that i am not entitled to admission to the school that i would love to attend.</p>
<p>"… but is anyone else that is out-of-state frustrated that we have to work that much harder to get into UVA than the in-staters do?"</p>
<p>I took exception to this statement and the tone of your post.</p>
<p>There are many good candidates for admission to many schools . No matter how stellar their statistics are, many good applicants are turned away annually. I was just pointing out that no one is entitled to admission at any school.
I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and hope to be able to congratulate you on your admission to UVA.</p>
<p>This is the only dumb statement in your post. UVA isn’t a private university and never claims to be. Virginia residents pay taxes that support the school and thus should get preferential treatment when it comes to admissions. Yes, it can be frustrating but those are the breaks. </p>
<p>Also, you say you can’t help but feel like you should go to a more selective school to compensate yourself for your hard work. One, that’s not the point of college. Two, it really doesn’t get all that more selective than UVA. Of the schools ranked above UVA (not that rankings really matter), I wouldn’t even consider 10 of them if I was doing my college process over again.</p>
<p>Keep your head up, plenty of OOSers get in every year and choose to come to Charlottesville. Try to get rid of the poor me attitude that you’re adopting in this thread as well. Just be glad that Virginia doesn’t have a state law like North Carolina does. Then your chances would be really affected.</p>
<p>Thank you my2sunz, hazelorb, RavenclawGirl, blueiguana, 10iswarrior, and Knights09 </p>
<p>The reason that I posted this was for people to comment on it and tell me that I should not care about the disparity in selectivity. I know full well that choosing a college is not all about rank and prestige. My thoughts that I expressed in the original post were feelings resulting from pressures from family and peers to choose the most selective school possible. It is hard to shake those feelings and your feedback has (barring a few out-of-line and obnoxious comments) helped with this.</p>
<p>As an out-of-stater, I too wish it were easier to get in! I mean, I understand why it is that way. I’m just jealous that MA doesn’t have state schools like UVA and William and Mary! haha</p>