Ok, Hi everyone! I’m a student in VA who goes to a really affluent High School with tons of AP offerings. The highest GPA a student typically gets each year is around a 4.37. I personally have a 4.0-4.1 weighted I will have taken 9-10 AP’s by the time I’m said and done with high school. And I have some really killer extracurriculars including varsity sports, class rep, pres of Latin honors society, and some really high up county leadership position (I was recently elected as the student rep on my school board) - among other things. I do not plan on submitting an SAT or ACT score to the school (they are now test optional). Do I have a good shot at getting in to UVA even though my GPA is well below the reported 4.3 average. I really don’t know of anyone who has gotten in from my school with my GPA, but my extracurriculars are really working in my favor - I may even be able to get a rec from my school districts superintendent. Any thoughts anyone has would be appreciated. It may also be worth noting that I am planning to apply ED.
^to clarify, my weighted GPA is somewhere in the 4.0 to the 4.1 range
The best person to ask is the college councilor at your high school to get a better picture of who gets picked up at your school. Lots do at Marshall, McLean, Langley, Madison, and the rest. UVA takes 70% of the intake from instate (both kids went to Marshall in Nova). Next year might be great for more instate pick up if this pandemic continues and if UVA wants a larger class of instate.
thank you, I actually contacted our college counselor and she was very helpful
Keep in mind that academics overshadow all other components in the application (clubs don’t make up for academics) and that the numbers don’t provide the amount of information we need to make a decision.
I have two blog posts that might help. One is about course rigor and why the number of APs isn’t helpful. The second is about GPA and those scattergrams.
http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2019/10/course-rigor-and-curriculum-strength.html
http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-role-of-gpa-in-uva-admission-review.html
@“Dean J” Thank you for providing those links! I can see the emphasis on core classes, and a variety of core classes. Here’s a related question-- If a student has already taken 4 years of foreign language, is it okay to choose a second science class senior year rather than AP foreign language? (and this would be in a senior schedule with AP Gov, AP English, AP Calc BC, and AP Environmental science as core classes).
Have you already taken a year of bio, chem, physics, and one of those at the AP level? If not, switch out AP Env Sci for one of the core science classes.
And yes, if you’ve already completed level 4 of a FL, you should be fine doubling up on science.
@momofsenior1 Already took Honors biology, Honors chemistry, and AP biology. So you think physics would be better than AP Environmental for senior year?
Yes, you need a year of physics. It doesn’t have to be at the AP level. I would definitely prioritize physics over env sci.
It’s going to be especially important to have all your core classes covered if you aren’t submitting standardized test scores as the rest of your application will be more scrutinized.
@momofsenior1 Luckily she took the ACT early and got a 35, so that will be included. Thank you for the physics advice!
If applying to Engineering, it’s smart to take Physics. If applying to one of the other schools, that AP Environmental Science course would be just fine.
I took biology honor, chemistry honor and AP Env science. I am planning to take physic honor and AP Bio at senior year. should I take two science classes or take other AP class instead of AP Bio for senior year?
please do not reply to such old threads.
feel free to start a new thread with your question.
closing.