<p>"Good essay" is extremely hard to judge. That part of the application is very important, especially for out of state students. Of course we're impressed with top stats, but the essays have to be up to our expectations. There are some schools that might be willing to overlook well written, but bland essays.</p>
<p>hairypotty, I remember you were heartbroken over not getting into UVA and now you have gotten in and you don't know whether to go...? I would say you should go just because you originally liked it better and so there must have been a good reason behind that. Besides UVA rocks!! Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>any others hear back from the waitlist?</p>
<p>I've told Cav about my friend who got into Stanford but was waitlisted at UVA. Yield protection at its finest.</p>
<p>^^ Have you not read the posts by Dean J? It may look like yield protection but colleges are looking for different things in their applications. It doesn't necessairly equal yield protection.</p>
<p>Yeah since adcoms love to admit that they turn down kids they know should get in simply to help their numbers. That makes them look so good, you know?</p>
<p>First off, can we banish the term "adcom" from the UVA section? It sounds like a machine and I assure you, when we're in committee, we're passionately advocating for our kids, not mechanically reading their stats.</p>
<p>For the second time, yield protection is not practiced here. Just this morning, I was downstairs looking through the "turndown" forms and saw many Ivy and "potted" Ivy names in the blank next to "Instead I will attend". </p>
<p>I'd like to think that we don't need to practice "yield protection" because we're a top choice school. There are plenty of kids who turn down bigger names to come here, so it'd be foolish of us to put someone on the waitlist (or deny) them if they have "the goods" as I say.</p>
<p>Just remember that UVA looks at things in a very holistic way. As I wrote above, bland (though well written) essays paired with top notch stats might get you into some big names, but we like to see great writing along with the stats.</p>
<p>EDIT: The post above is a perfect example for my stance on combating rumors. I state the fact and people decide to believe the rumor. There's nothing I can do about this, so I'll ignore all further comments about UVA and yield protection.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'd like to think that we don't need to practice "yield protection" because we're a top choice school. There are plenty of kids who turn down bigger names to come here, so it'd be foolish of us to put someone on the waitlist (or deny) them if they have "the goods" as I say.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>But UVA isn't a top choice school for many tip-top applicants. Sure, we compete, but what do you think our cross admit numbers are with the schools ranked ahead of us? Have you ever seen the Revealed Preference study? Check it out:</p>
<p>In light of the Revealed Preference Study, does anyone think that UVA is overrated? Just want some opinions... Thanks!</p>
<p>This is correct, Cav. But, there's always that chance that they're in love with UVA.</p>
<p>Last thing I'll say: I don't think many (any?) public schools can play the yield game. Our process is subject to scrutiny and laws that the privates don't deal with.</p>
<p>LBP, lol, how is it overrated? I think UVA is perceived right about where it should be - and the rankings support that.</p>
<p>Dean J, I know that there's always a chance, but doesn't the admissions office have any kind of model to predict these things? I'm aware of the consulting companies that cater to admissions offices, and I'm sure that even if you don't practice "yield protection," you're at least keenly aware of the characteristics of your applicant and matriculant pools.</p>