I am class of 2016, live in Virginia, and am applying early action to the College of Arts and Sciences.
– Academics –
GPA(weighted) : 4.0
SAT(superscore) : 1890
SAT Math 1 Subject Test : 660
SAT US History Subject Test : 610
Class Rank : 28 (top 10%)
I took the most advanced courses offered ( AP in all core classes junior/senior year & Honors sophomore/freshman year)
– Honors / Extracurriculars –
Perfect Attendance throughout high school
NOCTI Web Design Certification
Microsoft Powerpoint Certification
Student Government Senator (Junior year)
National Honor Society (Junior Year)
Varsity Soccer throughout high school
I held an internship at a State Senator’s legislative office this summer.
Also, I don’t know how much of an impact it will have, but I developed an iOS game this summer and plan to write my essay on that.
Your SAT score is, quite frankly, a bit low for UVA. UVA is definitely easier to get into for in-state applicants but you still need to up your score in order to be competitive because I think you’re around their 25th percentile for the SAT. Everything else (class rank, EC’s, etc.) seem to check out for UVA but your SAT is dragging you down. Get it up to a 2050+ and I think you should be set.
I agree with the above post. Also, admission to UVA is impacted by where in Virginia you live. Northern Virginia has a ton of (really highly qualified) high school students, making admissions from that area harder, while other areas of VA have (generally) less students and less competitive high schools. Just look at how many UVA students graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax…
What do the above posters know? I do know an in state student who had a lower SAT and is a rising third year. See section C9 in the below document. You are in the 25th percentile of admitted students: http://avillage.web.virginia.edu/iaas/cds/cds1415all.shtm
Did you take the June SAT? If so my non scientific survey says you’ll get more than 100 points higher next time you take it. You can apply EA and still take the October test. IMO your essay sounds great. Just be sure you have a safety school. Good luck.
@OspreyCV22 It’s never fair to base someone’s chances on that “one student you know with the low scores.” Those students always have something extra. Sometimes it’s crazy family situations. Other times, it’s some crazy talent that the student has that the university wants on its campus. You never know. Basing chances on "“that student” is one of the cardinal sins of college admissions.
@tigerrocks13 ^^^Yeah, well I see you are still in high school too. OP is in state and top 10% of his class. No need to discourage him just because you, OOS, want to apply to the same school. It’s never fair to base someone’s chances on what YOU want them to be. 70% of the first year class will come from VA; I bet plenty of them represent that lower SAT group.
@OspreyCV22 Considering that I am not even applying the same year that he is, this comment is absurd. You got me! I don’t want to see others succeed in the least bit! I’m just such a bad person for only wanting myself to succeed!!! Actually, I’m attempting to give the student what he asked us to do, which was give him his “accurate and reasonable” chances of getting accepted into UVA. He doesn’t have above average EC’s and his SAT score was low. I was being honest with him.
Actually, an SAT score at the 25th %ile is FAR from a deal breaker - seriously, fully a quarter of their students have scores at that level. And the lower percentile scores tend to be the in state students anyway, so you’re actually a bit closer to the mid-range of admitted in-state students.
Both your SAT score and your weighted GPA put you in the range of, “not particularly strong, but not an automatic reject, either.”
Your class rank and AP/Honors curriculum are your strongest points. That’s exactly what they say they want, strong core academics. (Even better if you can back up that AP curriculum with 4s and 5s on the AP exams.)
Your ECs are mostly irrelevant. Possibly the varsity soccer could be helpful. Even if you’re not recruited for college, plan to try out as a walk-on wherever you go to school. But basically, your ECs will not put you over the top and get you in.
It won’t really help you to apply EA. It is non-binding and does not affect their yield, so if you’re not a clear admit or deny at first glance (I don’t think you are), you’ll just get deferred to the RD pool. It would be better to use that time to get higher test scores to submit with your application, and to work on your essays.
I actually think the computer game essay could be good, if you encountered a lot of novel problems coding it and had to come up with your own solutions.
2/3 of the incoming class seats but less than 1/3 of the applications are in state, 1/3 of the class seats but more than 2/3 of the applications are from OOS. IS and OOS students are NOT competing with each other for the same seats; IS compete with IS, OOS compete with OOS.
Good luck. I don’t think UVA is out of reach for you.