Hi. I believe Dean J said that Echols scholar invites were being mailed this past Tuesday. Has anyone received the invite or notification? Still hoping :). Thank you.
Wondering the same. We live very far away in an isolated area, so we judge when things might get here by snail mail based on when they got to places closer to UVA. Surely if these letters were mailed Tuesday, someone must have received one by now over in Virginia or nearby, right? Please do let us know when you hear so we don’t keep hoping in vain. Thanks.
PS- Admissions blog still says they were sent Tuesday with no further updates.
We are in a town down the road from UVA and didn’t receive a letter for Echols or the admission envelope. S has been admitted and is a candidate for Jefferson so we are hoping for an Echols acceptance.
My dc received an invite today. We are in state.
My d also received an invite today. We aren’t too far away from UVA and the letter was mailed on Wednesday (postmarked Feb 1) not Tuesday. Hope this helps.
Thank you. It looks then that they just started showing up today!
Received the invite in Massachusetts today! It was dated January 30th
@bluekou23 thank you! Congrats…we are much further away than Mass…I guess we should know by Monday or so. Thank you!
I think we just got the Echols letter in the mail…regular envelope addressed to DD…she is not home! 
What is the criteria for an invite to Echols? Is it the top percentage of kids admitted or do certain scores and grades need to be met?
My student got this invitation on Saturday out of the blue on Saturday. We had no idea it was a thing. I supposed this is a big deal?!
I understand this is a selective program, but I am curious if anyone has additional insights on the criteria. DD has perfect SAT I and SAT II scores, perfect GPA, national merit, all 5’s on AP exams (7 going into senior year), great extracurriculars and recommendations, good essays and has already been accepted into UMich Honors, is a semifinalist for W&M 1693 and is a semifinalist for another program but apparently didn’t make the cut for Echols. I know this sounds like sour grapes (and to be honest, there is a touch of that present) but this is likely a game changer for DD. UVA has always been at the top of her list but the other schools have demonstrated that they not only want her at their school, they recognize the hard work and effort she has put in to getting to this point. Whether or not it is true, this certainly gives the impression that they do not value her academic efforts and contributions to her school community and the greater community. I know she will have some other great choices coming in RD but wow, this is a bit of a shocker. However, rejection is a part of life and something we all experience and have to learn to deal with. Notwithstanding my DD’s disappointment, congratulations to all who received this honor. Best of luck to you all.
@aburg
There is quite a bit of info on Echols on the UVA website. They make it very clear, that quantitative stats are only 1 piece of the puzzle, the other two being intellectual leadership and expression of ideas. Apparently the application essays are quite important and should demonstrate an ability to articulate ideas and grapple with complex topics. They go on to say that high scores alone are not enough for this honor.
Thank you for your reply. I guess at this point it is all moot but her essays were strong–articulate and demonstrated intellectual curiosity. For whatever reason, she did not have what they were looking for. It is a shame as she really wanted to go to UVA for undergrad but this has soured her perspective. Whether we are 18 o 80, we tend to want to go where we are wanted. But as I said, congrats to those who were recognized. I am sure she will end up somewhere that is a good fit for her.
@aburg
Don’t overlook the fact that getting in to UVA is an accomplishment in itself and signals that the school ‘wanted’ her.
I would encourage her to go back for an accepted students day and perhaps also talk to professors or admissions to gain perspective on how she could thrive there.
@aburg I completely understand the wanting to know why and then as you put it “18 or 80 we tend to want to go where we are wanted” I have the same thing with my DD. She did get into UVA and Echols and is feeling the love, but then at another school she didn’t get in early (when others did - why??) and then yet at another school she got in with a chance at full scholarship. It is hard to know what makes one school choose you for something and others not. I suspect that as someone said above Echols is not just about high stats. My DD did have high stats, but perhaps it was the way her essays were written. She let me peak at them, and of course, I thought they were excellent. Her ECs are fantastic and she has alot of consistent leadership in a few activities - not just the title - but acknowledged leadership. And honestly, I do believe that getting in UVA is an accomplishment in itself. I believe much more selective than Michigan and many others, especially for OOS. I do think your daughter should go to accepted students day. I hope that helps…
I agree with you wholeheartedly that they did indeed want her otherwise she would have been denied admissions. However, she has other schools who are interested in her for their honors program which is a step above simply being accepted (indeed not an easy task for anyone at UVA). All things being equal (and they never are), these other schools have demonstrated interest and will give opportunities that UVA has shown that they have not and will not be giving her. As I said, it is wonderful for those who have been accepted and I am pleased for those students, but regular admissions without the additional opportunities offered via the honors program won’t be enough to entice her to chose UVA. Sometimes things just are what they are and we have to move forward. It is a disappointment but she is certainly not the only disappointed applicant. Now I just need to go back and review the terms of her 529 plan.
@aburg so sorry for your and your dd’s disappointment! She indeed sounds like she would be an incredible addition to uva and, in my opinion, sounds like she was definitely a candidate for Echols. I hope she finds just the right university to pursue her passions and goals. She will thrive wherever she goes just as she has done in hs! Best of luck to her!!
@aburg … I’m very sorry. Clearly this stings, and you feel what else could she possibly have done? It seems shocking to me, too that she didn’t get it. My DS is a regular early admit into the E-School. We are just hoping he decides to go to UVa! He has no dream school, unlike many kids. My DD is a freshman at W&M and absolutely loves everything about it. I hope your daughter decides to take another serious look, especially if by 529 plan you meant you did a prepaid tuition plan. If you go OOS, it is absolutely a terrible return. (We have looked as well). One of the big reasons (although there are many) for us to encourage UVa to DS (fallback VA Tech, we hope - haven’t heard yet though).
@aburg I have a daughter first year at UVA in E-School. While being in the honor program is a nice distinction, that should not dictate what school your daughter should attend. What I love about UVA is the abundance of clubs/activities that the school has to offer - mostly because the students that attend the school are so bright and motivated! Interestingly enough, I have a son that attends VT (Engineering as well) and am so grateful we have such amazing state schools in Virginia. And we are fortunate to have done the 529 prepaid plan back in 2003 - as my daughter has said “other than an ivy league, it wouldn’t make sense to pay almost double to go to any other school in the nation”. As another person pointed out - outside of VA the pre-paid plan is almost worthless. I highly recommend attending DOTL this spring and encourage your daughter to keep an open mind.