<p>I consider myself a borderline candidate, but I have pretty a pretty substantial legacy (4 family members). I know Tech says they consider it, but I'm trying to figure out if it would be a big enough deal to let me in.</p>
<p>I don’t really think anybody ever really knows. All you can do is apply and hope for the best. I’m pretty sure only parents count though, right? I’m almost certain siblings and aunts/uncles don’t at least.</p>
<p>Oh, I was pretty sure siblings do count… at least it had me list them on the application</p>
<p>Siblings do count at VT which is a college rarity. The real question is how much of a border line candidate are you? Are you at the bottom of the border or at the top. In another words is this school a high reach for you.</p>
<p>If it is a high reach, then you need to understand in VA there are a ton of legacies. In NoVA you can’t make it through an intersection or in a parking lot without seeing a VT logo on a car.</p>
<p>I would think VT is eventually going to have to revisit the sibling legacy just because with every yr they will have more and more legacies, thus making the legacy issue worth very little.</p>
<p>Chuy is correct the only way to get the BFE is to apply.</p>
<p>I think I’m about average (a little below, maybe) for the kids that they accept. I appreciate the input, I’m just a little bit nervous about getting in or not.</p>
<p>You have a very long wait. I don’t see you getting ED if you are saying borderline, even as a legacy. I believe last yr they only took 22% as ED. I am almost positive that our DD did not find out until March, and she was not a borderline student.</p>
<p>One aspect that may be a bigger impact for you than the legacy is where you are from. The reason why is they don’t want everyone at VT to be from one area in VA. For example, NoVA is very competitive academically, but not everyone gets in even with great stats. The reason why is they want diversity.</p>
<p>^^^So right. But the admissions people at the VA flagships will deny the state geographic diversity issue when asked point blank.</p>
<p>I agree, they will deny it, but it is easy to see. Everyone in PW and Fairfax know that this exists. Most of these kids have amazing stats and only get in at the RD point, but when they get there and start making friends that live below Richmond. they are all amazed at each other’s stats.</p>
<p>At our DD’s school if you were not in the Cambridge program and did not graduate at least magna cum laude, and the top 10% you got the thin envelope. Kids from other areas had to lift their jaw up off the floor when they hear her say this, and typically follow that with, Man, I am glad I am not from your area because there would be no way I would have gotten in.</p>
<p>I do not want people to assume that I am saying they are not well qualified candidates, it is just NOVA is very very competitive. This issue became a very hot topic about 18 months ago, because parents in these counties were in an uproar that their kids were not getting accepted to the flagships. Both counties came back changed the gpa scale from 7 to 10 and the weight scale to give their kids an advantage since even the school districts felt that their students were at a disadvantage due to geographic location.</p>
<p>If you look up the schools in NoVA, most of Fairfax county schools are listed in at least one national magazine in the top 100 public schools in the nation. I remember reading that the avg SAT at one of these hs (not TJ) is 1360. In other words if you don’t break 1300 you are the dumb kid at the school.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have heard about the NOVA competitiveness, but I am from central VA so that doesn’t really apply to me. Also, I know they only filled up their class with about 1/4 of ED kids, but isn’t the acceptance rate for ED somewhere around 1/2?</p>
<p>The comparative acceptance rate between ED and RD applicants isn’t really that important since it’s a very different pool of people applying.</p>
<p>VT I would not say 50% of that 22% for ED get accepted. Every student in our HS with 4.XYZ+ wgpa, 2000 SAT marker, and in the Cambridge program was deferred. There were 11 students with those stats, and not one got in. The kids in our county that got accepted, had an additional pull, they were a URM. They did not attend our school obviously, but a sister school, and that school was up in arms because the students in the IB program were deferred and they had a harder course curriculum and higher stats. </p>
<p>I don’t know what you consider central VA…Richmond area is a huge pool too. </p>
<p>I wish you the best, but if you get in being on the cusp from Central VA as a legacy, there will be many parents and applicants in an uproar against VT.</p>
<p>Trust me, 18 months ago in NoVA this was headline news. People can understand diversity regarding admittance, they get their panties in a wad when it appears that the gpa/SAT/ACT stats are playing 2nd fiddle because someone got in since their sibling is there.</p>
<p>I don’t have a bone in this fight, our DD is there. I love our DS2 (class of 12), but if VT with his curriculum accepted him over someone like our DD because of legacy, I would be ticked. </p>
<p>Additionally, I will say this:</p>
<p>VT is not an easy school. If you do get in and are on the lower end of acceptance expect to bust your arse. The adage is UVA hard to get in, easy to stay. VT easy to get in hard to stay.</p>
<p>Use this yr wisely from an academic standpoint. College, any college is about making or breaking. Remember freshman yr at hs, and how it felt regarding the teachers not holding your hand…warp that 1000 times and now you have what it feels like as a freshman.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the advice; I like to think I’m already taking it. The only reason I am on the cusp is because I slacked off a lot my freshman and sophomore years, then junior year I picked it up and made almost straight A’s (1 B, I think) and I know I’m going to have to work very hard in college, which is definitely something I am prepared to do. Also, I don’t have TERRIBLE stats, but I don’t think they reflect my intelligence level. Thanks again</p>
<p>As long as you have an upward trend colleges can get that in 9th and 10th you might have slacked off. They understand that to many kids at 14/15 they are just getting use to hs and college is not even in their brain yet.</p>
<p>The problem that exists for many kids is they can have a 2200 on the SAT, but a 3.0 uwgpa. That sends a message to the school, they have the brains, but don’t apply themselves aka academically lazy.</p>
<p>Colleges want the best students, but not only that they want to accept the ones that have historically proven themselves and will likely graduate. It is a fine line that they must walk. Take that high scoring SAT student and they may be placed on academic probation 1st semester, but from an admissions standpoint they look good. Take that lower SAT student, who is strong academically, and has a less chance of going on probation, may bring down their bragging rights for admission, but prop up their bragging rights for amount of students graduating in 4 yrs. Both are draws for prospective students and their families.</p>
<p>Even in a stat oriented college like VT, they do look at the WHOLE package from an academic POV. They understand that as freshman it is the hardest yr of adjustment. They are trying to reduce the risks while maintaining the caliber. A kid who drops out because of academics is a loss of financial dollars to the school. They make budgets like any business and their budget is made from tuition receipts…too many kids leaving and they will have a shortfall. Shortfall means cutting budgets, which means they don’t look as good on paper to the prospective applicants as another college. </p>
<p>I know that diverted the post, but I hope it gives enlightment of why certain students will be accepted over others.</p>