Discussion regarding prospects of acceptance at Virginia Tech for Fall 2020 and any questions regarding application process.
Helpful information in post:
SAT/ACT
GPA Weighted / Unweighted / Scale
In State or Out of State
Legacy (have parent or sibling attending Virginia Tech)
Course Rigor (AP/IB etc.) and Extracurricular activities
Prior thread from 2018 located here http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/2125148-chance-me-p1.html
“Holistic” is a loaded term. It normally implies that a school is seeking URM minority applicants whose stats may not be as high as the general applicant pool. If you have a hook such as first gen college or URM status, it is normally seen as a somewhat mitigating factor.
@Gudmom or it can mean they use more than gpa and test scores to make admissions decisions
Ok? I was kinda asking more for advice and chances
So to answer your question, look at the reason they give for changing to “holistic” admissions - because they want to increase URM, low-income, and first-gen enrollment to a total of 40% by 2022.
Your GPA is low. So unless you are one of the above three things, your chances will be worse, not better, than before.
If you do havenkne of the above hooks- or more than one - your chances should be better than before.
@Gudmon They are not “changing” to holistic admissions. Virginia Tech has used an holistic admissions approach for many years. We are not allowed to link to blogs but this is easy to Google-the VT admissions blog from 2010 said they use holistic admissions, for instance. They are more recently adding more things to help make the school even more accessible and more diverse- fee waivers, addition of early action, use of the Coalition Application, self reporting of scores, etc.
uh lol ok thanks
Can someone (else) give me some actual good advice as to what my chances are and what I can do to increase them (other than GPA) ?
Early Action is new so no way to compare to ED. I would do EA unless you are absolutely sure VT is your number one choice and your family can afford it. Your public options in NC may very well be less expensive. VT is probably a reach for you but you never know. Spend time trying to write great essays.
Why is it a reach for me? What can I do to improve my chances? Would ED help to increase my chances? The public options in NC are ridiculously hard to get into, I probably wouldn’t be too competitive for NC State which is the only good public school in NC that is even near my range.
It is a probable reach because of your GPA and rank in your class. It doesn’t mean you won’t get in , but you are not a shoo in. Apply and see what happens. Identity other schools you are interested in. As I said, do your best on your essays. Good luck.
Thank you, I’m just really nervous. Will ED increase my chances?
Not sure, but probably not. Unless you are a very strong applicant, you might get deferred. Check with your guidance counselor though to see what success students from your school have had with Virginia Tech admissions . Continue to do your best in school and try to find other good options to consider .
I don’t think you are that big of a reach. My DD had almost identical stats as you and got in last year. And my DS has similar stats to his sister and has already been in contact (both ways) with departmental faculty. MY DD got into VT with slightly lower stats than some of her friends and here is why (I believe). Se went in with a very specific major and was able to write a very focused essay on (a) what she has done in the past to get experience in that major and determine if if should be her career path and (b) what SPECIFICALLY VT offers that will further her career. None of this “I’ve always dreamed of being a Hokie” stuff. She wrote about what professors specifically she was interested in working with and WHY. what did they have to offer that another university does not. Meanwhile, her good friend with higher stats applied “undecided” and didn’t get in. Both girls are caucasian, same high school and same income bracket (high). My advice is to figure out why you want to go there - not because of the football games or you heard it’s fun - but be able to write essays telling them what they have that you want and what you have that they should want.
example - I see you took Hospitality and Tourism. If you were to be interested in that major - I would write about what the VT hotel management program has to offer your career, and what YOU GOT OUT OF THAT CLASS that would make you a better candidate than someone who has no idea what it’s like to work in the hospitality industry.
Lastly, from what I have experienced - going in undecided is a slight disadvantage.
Yes, major and writing good essays can make a difference. Good advice. And good luck to the OP!
While this link doesn’t allow you to sort by in-state or out of state, it does break out admissions stats by school and major at Tech. It’s also not updated yet for this fall’s incoming class.
Thank you! Are you instate or out of state?
Best of luck to you. Chancing is very difficult as an enormous number of kids that fit squarely in or above VT’s range got rejected last year. I am not trying to discourage you, I am just trying to be realistic. Also, I am just curious - if you don’t feel like you are competitive for NCSU, why do you think you will be for VT?
If I get my SAT score up, I’ll be competitive for NCSU. However, from my school, more people get into VT than NC State by a long shot. That was just according to my Naviance.
Update: I was accepted to Virginia Tech for the fall!