<p>Spyderman- many people who appear middle class, but are self-employed could have low enough AGI to qualify. I had direct exposure to AccessUVa this past spring and was pleased and amazed for the student I knew who was accepted and offered aid. She did not go there, but she showed me the paperwork and it was great. They called her home more than once to explain follow-up financial forms and really made an effort to make sure her family felt comfortable with the process and that it could be affordable.</p>
<p>I am sure there is a long history of upper middle class kids on campus, but they are making a change. Following this board, i saw the changes announced with AccessUva and I'd bet that over time, the % of Pell grants will increase.</p>
<p>Also, it is my belief, based on what I saw with this student, that there was some admissions knowledge as to who would qualify for AccessUVa- they had some additional correspondence. So, would it not make sense that they might have slightly different admissions in that group? They may look at that group and compare those kids only to each other- this girl was extremely qualified, so I cannot say for certain, but perhaps they are able to adjust for the lack of educational advantages experiecned by lower income kids. This girl would not have applied without AccessUVa and I have to give them credit for executing that program well, in her case.</p>
<p>I have never been to UVa and do not know enough about them to defend or accuse, but I did see an outstanding effort to encourage a student with whom I am acquainted, for what it is worth :)</p>
<p>Great story somemom. Like I said, AccessUVa is a great new program that will benefit a lot of students. Don't let spyderman24 prevent you from missing this opportunity. It may be the case that it will help you a lot, not help you, or somewhere between. But please, at least check it out. A few less hours playing video games :) is well worth the possibility of finding a program that lets you attend the best public school in the nation.</p>
<p>I don't think AccessUVa is the total solution for the problem that exists at UVa. I believe AccessUVa only masks the real problems and will only guarantee a larger pool of low-income applicants. AccessUVa doesn't force UVa to change any of their admissions processes that have created the LOWEST percentage of low-income students of any university in the nation. (That statement alone is astounding.) Unfortunately, it shows that UVa has turned their backs on their own community.</p>
<p>Spyderman- there aren't a lot of people sharing your opinion- maybe your dislike for UVA is amplifying your opinion of AccessUVA- i know my support of UVA is definitely making me a bigger support of it- in the meantime this is a thread meant to generate an emotionless discussion of the university that helps current applicants, current students, and futre applicants/students gain an idea of the school. Dont tarnish it with your personal hatred for the school because you didnt get in.</p>
<p>Please come back in a couple years and relate your experiences as a UVa undergrad. Hopefully you'll be better prepared to debate the issues instead of just attacking me.</p>
<p>All of this bickering detracts from the purpose of this site. I will hence no longer participate in such controversial discussions since it only harms futrue applicants. I apoligize if i have fueled a controversy by either my tone or my candor. HOWEVER- will all visitors to this site please visit the UVA website and/or the univeristy if you are even considering applying. Talk to the students there and ask them what they think. Take everything you have read hear whether it was written by me or spyderman or VirginiaAlum with a grain of salt we all have our own opinions or views of the school that taint our objectivity. form your own opinions- its what Mr. Jefferson would have demanded of his students!</p>
<p>Why did UVA create AccessUVA? Aren't there enough scholarships at UVA to help poor people pay for college? Is it true UVA only has 8% of their students receiving aid? This is troublesome.</p>
<p>You know, it is interesting. Indiana Jones seems to completely agree with spyderman24. Furthermore, this is his first post. Now maybe I have a suspicious mind, but could Indiana Jones and spyderman be the same person? Is that possible? This is indeed "troublesome". :)</p>
<p>What, I can't have an opinion? Hmm... I guess spyderman and glasshalffull and I must all be the same person since we have differing opinions? Paranoia self-destroyer. Man, you people from UVA really come off quite arrogant.</p>
<p>Indiana, it appears they don't like it when someone exposes the dirty truths about their 'wonderful' UVa and C'Ville. They just want to 'white'wash everything. </p>
<p>It reminds me of how the community handles the Sally Hemings/Jefferson issue. They prefer to sweep it under the carpet.</p>
<p>First of all, I said spyderman and Indiana Jones are most likely the same person - not glasshalffull. Why? They completely agree with each other. The writing styles are the same. Indiana Jones just recently joined with his / her only two posts on this thread. Indiana Jones "magically" appears to counter UVAJeff09's statement that not a lot of people agree with spyderman.</p>
<p>Could spyderman and Indiana Jones be different people? Of course. Are they most likely the same person? Yes.</p>
<p>I don't really feel like continuing this argument as it seems to be going no where. How about this Spyderman (or Indiana Jones - whichever you prefer), we agree that the best thing for a prospective student to do is check out UVa's website for facts about AccessUVa, etc.</p>
<p>I am sure you are a nice person, spyderman. It is understandable that you may be mad at UVa for rejecting you (I am making this assumption based on what other people wrote about you) - but instead of putting it down, why not transfer in or go there for grad school. I didn't get into Stanford, but I still think it is the best university period.</p>
<p>Wow spyder! Seems you have virginiaalum quite worried about people's perception of his beloved UVA. I guess he doesn't want to tell my why UVA had to create AccessUVA? </p>
<p>I looked at the 'scholarships' and they are pathetic. Why should a school like UVA create real scholarships for low income students? I guess it would be a tad wasteful, since they don't have too many who'd qualify.</p>
<p>UVA's endowment stands at approximately $2.8 billion. Part of that endowment is being used to recruit low-income students, an underrepresented group at any top university. Why are there low numbers of low-income students at schools like UVA? Because low-income students, for whatever reason, are outperformed by richer students. It's a fact. As long as schools like UVA operate need-blind admissions processes, they won't be able to directly address the problem.</p>
<p>And again, spyderman/indiana jones, I invite you to tell me which school you'll be attending this fall. I'm sure it compares well with UVA. <em>sarcasm</em></p>
<p>Cav302, aka VirginiAlum?, since you addressed your response to me instead of Indy, I'll go ahead and respond. </p>
<p>Well, here's another fine example of how people like you are misleading everyone here. AccessUVa is being funded on the backs of students/parents via a 50% tuition increase, 10% a year for the next 5 years. <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2005/03/bov.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2005/03/bov.html</a> "The tuition proposal discussed by the board would help fund the $137 million that University officials forecast will be needed to meet the cost of education, including funding the AccessUVa financial-aid program..."</p>
<p>So, what does AccessUVa actually do? It guarantees that UVa will see more low-income applicants. It doesn't do anything to fix any of the systemic problems that have created the LOWEST enrollment of low-income students of all universities in the nation. </p>
<p>All Casteen did was throw the student/parent's money at the problem, and not address the real issues. In fact, now that middle-income parents will have to pay a higher tuition, all Casteen did was shift the problem from the lower-class to the middle-class. But none of that really matters when neither group is your target recruit.</p>
<p>Indy, it's sad that these guys can't even tell the truth on a basic message board. I wonder if that would qualify as an Honor Code violation? </p>
<p>Here's the real answer to your questions. Casteen had to create AccessUVa to protect his legacy. He doesn't want to go down in history as being the UVa president who created the MOST elitist public university in the nation. He also doesn't want to risk his US News rankings and make some real changes. It's still quite shocking how a state funded university can get away with turning their backs on the poor in their community.</p>
<p>I tried to stay away from this site because I've been busy as of late, but Spyderman & Glasshalfful have brought me back. </p>
<p>Let me remind you Spyderman from our previous correspondence that the onus is not on UVA but the state of Virginia. If the state of Virginia funded its public schools better, UVA's tuition would not have had to rise considerably in the last 20 years thus squeezing out lower-income students. Ergo, UVA's percentage of lower income students wouldn't be low if Commonwealth really cared about funding higher education. Because of this, UVA is doing the right thing w/ AccessUVA by helping BOTH its lower income and middle class students.</p>
<p>I expect UVa will hear more about proper funding and affordable tuition as new president Gene Nichol leads William and Mary. He is outspoken about the role of public institutions in providing affordable education for all citizens.</p>
<p>I understood that "privatization" of UVa is ongoing but do not really understand the planning behind that. Is it as simple as raising tuition to better compete with the private schools for prestigous faculty, with some of the increased revenue going to aid and scholarships? Nichol says the problem is the aid and scholarships are awarded on merit and end up helping the advantaged students- not the financially deficient.</p>
<p>I'm looking forward to hearing what W&M's new President Nichol has to say about public education. W&M is a great school. Unfortunately, its small endowment will be a hindrance in its goal to offer affordable education for all citizens. It would be cool if they were able to offer something similar to AccessUVA. They have to definitely beef up their fundraising.</p>
<p>UVA is not going private. UVA justs wants more autonomy when it comes to controlling its own destiny. Jefferson intended the University of Virginia to be a public institution, and it will remain so. Granted, there are schools at UVA (i.e. the Law School and Darden) which are self-sufficient and require no funding from the state, but I don't think UVA as a whole wants to counter Jefferson's mandate of being one of the premier public universities in America. Going against Jefferson's wishes is blasphemy at his University.</p>
<p>It's true that at many colleges financial aid and scholarships are used as recruiting tools to win over students, and many of these students are as you say "advantaged." But that's the beauty of AccessUVA. If you're smart enough to be admitted to UVA and you're eligible for the aid offered by the program, then you as a financially disadvantaged student will benefit from it.</p>