<p>S is very excited to have the opportunity to study at VT. We visited the school and he loved it. After thinking about his list this weekend and where he feels would be the best fit for everything: what he wants to do career-wise, cost, proximity to home, "vibe" of the campus, etc. VT is now at the forefront of his list. When we visited, the admissions rep spoke of how extremely hard it is go get into the CAUS, she said it is even harder than engineering. S feels that he should maybe apply early decision to make sure that he is accepted. His stats are: (in state)
3.9 GPA, 30 ACT (34 English, 28 Math), 1240 SAT (670 English, 570 Math), 55/306 rank, 5 APs, great counselor rec. </p>
<p>I was wondering what your thoughts were. Also, should he have one of his teachers send another letter of recommendation, a resume, etc. in addition to the online app? Just curious what some of you/your kids did. Thanks so much for your help.</p>
<p>Getting into CAUS is really hard (probably harder than engineering but not as hard as the most selective program here, interior design. I'm not kidding) but your sons stats should certainly be competitive. I'm not a counselor so I can't tell you anything for sure but those numbers look really good. I'd talk to an admissions rep about sending in extra stuff. I've got a feeling it'd never even be looked at but they could tell you for sure.</p>
<p>Thanks Chuy for your reply. He said he is going to call up there tomorrow to see what they say about additional materials being sent. I want to edit a sentence in my original post, though: instead of "S feels that he should maybe apply early decision to make sure that he is accepted" it should be "S feels that he should maybe apply early decision to help impove his chances at being accepted". He and I know that there is no sure thing for anyone applying to college these days! Thanks again.</p>
<p>Just to give you more of an idea, someone from admissions spoke at my school and mentioned CAUS. They said they usually get over 1000 applicants for about 100 spots in the architecture program and then extended that there was similar competition in the other CAUS programs. The normal acceptance tends to have over a 4.0 average with several AP courses taken. </p>
<p>I would suggest he retake the SAT in hopes of a higher score if he does not apply early decision. Applying Early Decision could help him in the long run since they will only be comparing him to the other early decision applicants. If he really is sure that Virginia Tech is for him, he should most likely go for it. If he does not get into his desired major, they may offer him the option of entering the school under University Studies (which is non-binding at that point). I can't say for certain if they defer.</p>
<p>Also, recommendations may not help him. I'm currently in the process of trying to find out if admissions actually reads the recommendations in consideration of admittance. Virginia Tech may be similar to some large schools like Georgia Tech that do not read any of the recommendations they receive. Virginia Tech I know has no space for comments from the guidance counselor on their application and no mention of a teacher recommendation.</p>
<p>I'll let you know what I find on the recommendations. Certainly asking for a recommendation is not going to hurt, but personally I do not want a teacher to take the time to write out a recommendation that in the end will be tossed out.</p>
<p>This is what I found out about letters of recommendation</p>
<p>
[quote]
Greetings from VT Admissions,</p>
<p>If you would like to send a letter of recommendation that would be fine; simply mail it to the address below and it will be read by an admissions officer. Transcripts, test scores, and the application itself are more heavily weighted than any supplemental information an applicant may provide however this is not to say that a letter could not still have a positive impact on your admission prospects.</p>
<p>Thank you for your interest in Virginia Tech! Best wishes,</p>
<p>That is great information. S actually had one of his teachers send a letter of recommendation today. He is applying ED and is thrilled with his decision. Now we wait and hope for the best. I like different aspects of all of the schools he applied to, but I agree with him about VT being the best in terms of the having the whole undergrad experience that he wants. I can really see him having an absolutely great five years there. Thanks again for your thoughtful replies and information.</p>
<p>Since I can't edit I'm going to add more information in a reply for simply anyone else that might be reading about the recommendations. </p>
<p>Today I talked with a Virginian guidance councilor that has had about 16 years of experience with Virginia Tech. She recommends that students just send in their transcript because Tech - to be honest - does not care about the recommendations and really is a numbers school. They <em>will</em> read it, but with almost zero weight.</p>
<p>If you are just making a list of colleges for a teacher to send a recommendation to, go ahead and add tech to the list. However, if your going out of your way trying to get a recommendation for tech, it really doesn't have enough weight to warrant the effort. They really tend to decide almost solely based upon your stats and scores.</p>
<p>Hey Dal and others, did you see the results for Architecture Magazine's first ranking of architecture schools? Virginia Tech comes in FIRST in the country for undergrad. I know there are many people who take rankings, polls, etc. with a grain of salt, but still......They must be very proud of what they are doing in Blacksburg. To be ranked first along with some very well known arch chools like Cornell, Rice, UT- Austin says a great deal about the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Kudos to them!</p>
<p>Thats good to hear =) Architecture has been getting very popular to major in and it is great to see that a school like Virginia Tech is the top of the rankings.</p>
<p>Let me know if your son gets into the program!</p>
<p>Sounds like he is very qualified, but one thing I would recommend is to submit a portfolio. Even though tech doesn't require one, it can't hurt to show them a little aptitude for the major. If he has taken art classes, and has some quality work to show for it, he should absolutely submit it. Let me know if you need tips on the format.</p>
<p>HokieArchie, I didn't follow up on this thread since I posted on another, but my guy was very happy to find out a few weeks ago that he was admitted ED to the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. BTW when he went up to visit/tour, he did take what many would think to be a crude "portfolio". The professor he talked with looked at his pictures as he talked to us. Since he (the prof) was not in admissions, I don't know whether that made a differerence or not, but my son felt it couldn't hurt to take them. He is just happy as a clam to have the whole process over with and is even happier to be heading to Tech next fall! </p>
<p>On another note, I briefly looked at the running "argument" you are having on the Architecture forum. A bit of advice, and this is coming from a wise old momma bird.... let it go. I think your VT pride may be causing you to read a bit too much into what the folks on there are saying. Have a great day and thanks for the offer of help.</p>