<p>My daughter, a junior in HS, has her heart set on UVa. She has visited UVa many times since her sister is going there now. Se has stayed at her sister's dorm, gone to football, BB games, to classes, etc....We are OOS.
She is currently ranked at 13/500 in a competitive magnet program and she is taking the hardest load possible (all AP or Honors in HS) with outstanding grades (all As, a couple of Bs). She just took her SAT on Dec. 5. She will probably can get about 2200-2300 SAT. She had 210 PSAT. She is a varsity tennis player, a pretty good pianist, elected to a couple of clubs, etc..Under normal circumstances, she probably will get in at UVa.</p>
<p>Yesterday, she came home and were very upset since a lot of kids (about 10) ranked above her intend to apply to UVa as safety, but have no intention of going there. This is where not having a ED hurts my kid. She would apply as ED to UVa. There is just no way that UVa will accept more than 4 or 5 from an OOS high school, so she was very upset at the thought of not being ale to get in while other kids who would get in, but would not attend.</p>
<p>Any advice on what she can do to improve her chance? She would absolutely go to UVa if accepted. It is by far her No. 1 choice. How would she show that i her app?</p>
<p>Same thing happening at our D’s school this year. A highly competitive private school. Valedictorian just got in Yale EASC and is applying to UVa. Not much you can do. As I see it our daughter had every opportunity that this other student had. She also has safety schools which I am sure are some students’ reaches so it goes both ways. It is unfortunate, but I make sure that she does not dwell on it.</p>
<p>Dean J has commented several times that your daughter will not necessarily be compared directly with other students at her school - it’s more based on how she maximized the opportunities available at her secondary school. Whether there are quotas on schools, I know not.</p>
<p>This is not true for reasons stated in the above post.
I mean, if 50 people decided to apply from Exeter, I bet they would consider them and compare them to the rest of the OOS applicant pool without capping how many could get in from Exeter specifically. It is not how many from the school, but rather how many from OOS and how they compare to eachother.</p>
<p>I understand how your daughter feels…I’m in a sort of similar situation myself, except i’m in state so. Still, I’ve heard a lot of similar grievances. I read somewhere on CC that the kids who use schools as safeties and those who REALLY want to go there will be separated by the quality of their essays. If your daughter puts her utmost effort into writing an outstanding essay, it will convey her passion/enthusiasm about UVA, as opposed to the kids who just spend 10 minutes (well, a bit of an exaggeration). Also, try to form as many contacts as you can. Maybe email faculty/staff with specific questions (like the professors who teach courses that she’s interested in), or get in touch early with the admin counselor who reads from your area. I hope everything works out well.</p>
<p>I feel for her too. I’m in that situation right now. UVa is my top choice, but more qualified applicants from my school are applying and probably going to get in over me. Most don’t even humor the thought of attending, which is the sad part.</p>
<p>I know where you’re coming from as well. It’s frustrating in my school (in CT), because many students also apply to UVa assuming that it’s a “safety,” rather than actually wanting to go there. If it helps, though, usually at least 5-10 students from my school get in, and not necessarily those ranked higher, even though only a few ever actually go there. </p>
<p>I guess you could have her work on her test scores and her essays - if her grades are good, but not phenomenal, then she can set herself apart with essays in particular.</p>
<p>What makes you think the 12 people above her in class rank are going to get in before she does. That’s GPA. Do you know their SATs, their ECs? Maybe your daughter is the best prospect from UVAs perspective.</p>
<p>My son never took grades very seriously, he has about a 3.8 UW and is in the top 20%. He is being recruited for music and sports at some really great, non ivy places where I expect he will get a great education. Your daughter is on paper even more qualified. I have a hard time believing she won’t exit the college entrance process with many wonderful options.</p>
<p>I get a little down when I see the stress and hype over this process, your daughter sounds wonderful…it sure would be a same to set up expectations that ends up with her being disappointed with a wonderful result.</p>
<p>UVa accepted 43 students from my high school last year, so don’t worry about any “max” number of students UVa will accept from your daughter’s school.</p>
<p>I wonder if maybe your daughter’s guidance could help - If it really is your d’s first choice and would go if accepted, maybe the guidance counselor could help you get that msg out in the letter of rec they submit? (don’t know if this would help or not - just a thought!)</p>
<p>UVA accepts in the double digits every couple years at my school, and we are only a slightly-competative public with around 170 kids per class. Sure, we are in Virginia, but even so, it was not like they just compared everyone who applied against each other, lest our Sal would have gotten in accepted instead of 7 kids behind her. Best of Luck!</p>
<p>I like CollegeforMe91’s advice re. the guidance counselor.</p>
<p>Crazyadad, don’t assume that the highest ranked students will automatically get into UVa. Several years after I graduated, my high school had 2 valedictorians who both applied to UVa and didn’t get in while lower ranked students did. Have your daughter convey how much she wants to go to UVa through her essays and recommendations.</p>