Seeking some answers in VA

ldcubed · November 6, 2004, 7:10pm

If you even clicked on the thread, thank you. That much means something. However, before you go on, I must warn you that this post is a little long, so bear with me if you can. If you can't, then that's okay. If you can though, well, I'll be sure to thank you even more. And with that, I'll present my record.

Since my move from CA to VA resulted in a major problem (which I'll get to in a bit), I'll divide up my transcript like so.

Gender: Male (I've heard that this can be an important factor too, even though the colleges don't talk about it.)

California

9th Grade:

Honors English 9 (A)
Honors Geometry (B)
Health & Humanities (A)
P.E. 9 (A)
Spanish 2 (A)
Biology (A)

Notes: California (or at least Santa Monica, California) has a very strange history system. Instead of offering history for 4 years like most schools, they only give 3. As a result, we get the very unecessary health and humanities class (at least I thought it was unecessary.) Moreover, when I moved to VA, it was a real pain in the neck to get a 9th grade history class on my transcript. Also, unlike most schools, this school offered biology as its highest level course for 9th graders. The course that was below it was taken by most freshman, and there was no honors bio course offered.

10th grade:

Honors English 10 (A)
Honors Algebra 2 (B)
Sports Fitness (A)
Spanish 3 (A)
World History/Geography (A)
Chemistry (B+)
Drama (A)
Graphic Design (A)

Notes: Chemistry, like Biology, had no honors course. The same goes for World History/Geography. Also, for some reason, I was not placed into AP Biology for 10th grade (which is odd because the school I am at now doesn't offer that until junior year.) The school placed 9th graders who got an A in Biology into AP Bio, but for some reason, even though I did get an A, I was not placed in. ...I'm not sure why I'm talking about this, but I haven't really told anyone and I suppose I needed to vent. So there ya go! :P

Ultimately though, despite my little complaints above, I was doing really well in my first two years. I had a 3.8 unweighted average and a nice balance of classes. However, an unexpected event arose (it would be too long to go into) and my family and I ended up moving to Virginia. As a result, my junior year simply tarnished my record. I got my first my first C...s (3 of them) and my first (and what I hope to be my last) D. My GPA dropped to a 3.5(weighted) and I felt that there would be no way that I could redeem myself. The main reason for this drop in grades is due to my not entering school until October. To make it short, my family and I were having problems adjusting (to say the least) and it caused a major disaster.

However....

I renewed my hopes and vowed to work hard in my senior year. Well, I've been working hard so far and it's been paying off. Right now, I have nearly straight A's and above a 4.0 for the quarter. I hope to keep it that way.

And with that, here's my the rest of my record.

Virginia

11th grade:

Honors Physics (D)
AP English Language (C+)
Business/Management (A)
Honors Precalculus (C+)
Film Study (A)
Spanish 4 (C)
AP U.S. History (B)

12th grade (so far):

AP Calculus AB (B)
Astronomy (A)
Journalism 1 (A)
AP U.S./Comparative Government (B+)
AP Psychology (A)
AP English Literature (A)
Creative Writing (A)

And my extra cirricular activities so far have been...

Young Democrats
School Literary Magazine
Key Club
What should be 80-100 hours of community service by December
Also, I plan to participate in an essay contest or two in hopes of earning a scholarship (one of them is for $5,000.)

For SAT I scores, I've taken the test twice and have gotten the same score each time (1180) even after spending oodles and oodles of cash on the classes and the books. I'm taking the test one more time, and that's it. I still sincerely want it to be about a 1400, but even if it gets up to a 1300, I'll be satisfied.

For SAT Subject Tests, I just took U.S. History, Math Level I (I decided to play it safe), and Writing today, so the results will arrive soon.

Yes, you might be a bit weary now (or not), but now the moment of truth has arrived. Based on the information that I've given, what do you believe the chances are that I will get into the schools listed below?

= what I think are safety schools
= seem like good matches
*=Up in the air
**= Reach

George Mason University*
James Madison University**
University of Mary Washington**
Carnegie Mellon University*** (if I applied, it would be for the school of humanities and social sciences)
University of Virginia****
College of William and Mary****
Georgetown University****

So as you can see, I have a wide array of schools here. Am I right about my little star ratings though? Are there any schools that I haven't listed that might be worth taking a look at? And are there any suggestions you have for improving my current record? Whatever you think that's necessary to say, do indulge me. I'm looking for the cold hard facts and you guys definitely seem like the perfect people to dish them out. I don't want to have delusions of grandeur at this time and end up getting thrown for a loop come college letter season, so tell all and don't be shy.

And I promised before...

Thanks again for reading!

themindofayn · November 6, 2004, 7:53pm

If you absolutely kill the SATs, I think you have a shot at UVA. I think it also depends on where you live in VA. If you live in NOVA, your chances are lower (from what I've seen). My friends got into UVA with a 1280, 1420, 1220, etc. (I live in SW VA), but the majority of people I know from NOVA who got in had somewhere around a 1580. I'm only talking about a couple of kids here, though, so it might not be indicative of the actual stats. I don't really have much experience with the other colleges you mentioned. I hope you get in. Good luck!

phdinee · November 6, 2004, 10:33pm

Your SAT score is bit lower for UVa, Georgetown and W&M, but should be OK
for GMU. However, it depends on where you live in VA. Rural kids historically had better chances than kids living in NOVA for VA publics. If you live in NOVA you can still try but it's going to be a long shot. If you really like to go to UVa or W&M, getting into GMU and then transfering to UVa/W&M can be an option. In any case, you should apply to any school that you want to attend, you never know!

ldcubed · November 6, 2004, 10:50pm

Thanks for responding, themindofayn.

<<if you="" live="" in="" nova,="" your="" chances="" are="" lower="" (from="" what="" i've="" seen).="">></if>

Well, I do live in NOVA (in Fairfax to be exact) and I can agree with you here, as I've looked at my school's 2003 profile....lots of high numbers across the charts. Even kids with 7-8 AP classes, 3.7-3.9 GPAs, and SAT scores of 1300-1500 didn't get accepted into UVA or William and Mary. Well, actually a substantial amount of kids with those numbers did get in, but there were just as many that didn't. I don't know if it's just arbitrary or if there's some extra cirricular activities, recommendations, etc. hidden beneath what's on the records, but I definitely have UVA and W&M on reach status.

<<my friends="" got="" into="" uva="" with="" a="" 1280,="" 1420,="" 1220,="" etc.="" (i="" live="" in="" sw="" va)="">></my>

Now that's interesting. Do you have any idea as to why UVA might be more harsh on Northern Virginians? Could it simply be location or could it have to do with something else? I know you said that you don't know too much more, but if you have an inkling, feel free to share.

<>

Thanks a million for your support, and I will most certainly do my best.

ldcubed · November 6, 2004, 11:17pm

To phdinee:

<<rural kids="" historically="" had="" better="" chances="" than="" living="" in="" nova="" for="" va="" publics.="">></rural>

Well, now I've got 2 opinions on this. I guess I'm just going to have to kick some major SAT butt in December to show my true Northern Virgini-ness (whatever that is.)

<<if you="" really="" like="" to="" go="" uva="" or="" w&m,="" getting="" into="" gmu="" and="" then="" transfering="" w&m="" can="" be="" an="" option.="">></if>

That's a good point. The problem though is that, because I've always assumed GMU as being a safety school, I've never really investigated it. And when I did, it was for a brief amount of time. What's even more crazy is that I'm practically two miles away from the school and I haven't even visited it. I just never really regarded it as being a place where I'd end up at. But transferring might be an option....

I often forget that so many people these days vie to become the top dog, the creme of the crop...but fail to see that the school they get into is not the end-all, be-all. Things can change fast. A school with an excellent academic system but poor social life may not end up being the right school, and the same goes for a school with a great social life and poor academics. Even a campus visit or so cannot simply give a person an overall sense of the college atmosphere. I've visited 4 colleges already on my list and I still can't say that I know the true feel of them. In any case, I'll take a look at GMU sometime soon, probably during Thanksgiving or Christmas break.

<<in any="" case,="" you="" should="" apply="" to="" school="" that="" want="" attend,="" never="" know!="">></in>

And that's exactly what I intend to. Thanks for your support!

redski59 · November 7, 2004, 2:23am

ldcubed,

i'm in Fairfax County too! What school are you in? (I'm in West Springfield). Anyway, this stuff about us Northern VAs having a harder time getting into UVA is new to me. I went down to UVA a few months ago and remember the admissions people saying that 1/3 of UVA students are from Northern VA. (It was the same thing at Virginia Tech too).

I know several people who've gone the path of Mason for a couple of yrs, then transferring to either UVA or W&M. If you take that path, then keep your grades up and you've got a good chance of making the transfer. (Looking at your grades, your trend is better than mine. My Senior yr grades as of now are taking a major hit. I kept straight As last yr, but this yr i've got Bs and a C+ in my APs, except an A in AP Physics)

Good luck with your search.

ldcubed · November 7, 2004, 8:03pm

Hey, redski59.

<<i'm in="" fairfax="" county="" too!="">></i'm>

Cool!

<<what school="" are="" you="" in?="" (i'm="" in="" west="" springfield).="">></what>

I go to Woodson. What school do you go to?

<<anyway, this="" stuff="" about="" us="" northern="" vas="" having="" a="" harder="" time="" getting="" into="" uva="" is="" new="" to="" me.="" i="" went="" down="" few="" months="" ago="" and="" remember="" the="" admissions="" people="" saying="" that="" 1="" 3="" of="" students="" are="" from="" va.="" (it="" was="" same="" thing="" at="" virginia="" tech="" too).="">></anyway,>

Hmmm...now that's interesting. I went to UVA a while back and didn't hear any statistics (the tour group didn't really ask enough questions.) I think what can be concluded though, is that there are a lot of NOVA people who get in, but it's just harder for them in general.

Congratulations on the AP physics grade, btw. I could never imagine taking physics again (that was the one class that I got a D in) and to get an A in the AP class is definitely a feat that I could not perform.

<<good luck="" with="" your="" search.="">></good>

Thanks, and the same to you. :)

r0br0b · November 7, 2004, 8:42pm

Idcubed, We're basically the same person, haha. I'm also from Fairfax County (I go to McLean High School) and I moved here from Texas about 4 years ago. This year, I'm taking basically the same classes as you (AP Language instead of Literature and I'm awful at math so Im taking Trig) and have about the same GPA as you (I have about a 3.53 unweighted)

haha and I'm applying to about the same colleges as you are too. Georgetown and UVA are too big of reaches for me, so I've decided to not apply to either of them. Some of the brightest kids in Fairfax County have been rejected from these colleges and I find no reason to waste my time to apply. I think you have a shot at W&M even though they look at SAT 2 and SAT 1 scores heavily

I got a 1240 on the SAT and took the SAT 2's this past weekend. I'm an awful test taker, but I'm happy with my score: I feel kind of embarassed about it because of all the other amazing students on this board with 1400+'s, but it was the best I could do, so why fret about it? If you can get over 1300, then do it and I praise you for trying. But if you don't, just realize its not the end of the world. You'll find a college that fits you and that you'll be happy at no matter what.

JMU, GMU, and MWC are all colleges I'm also applying too, haha. We should consider these safeties. My sister goes to MWC and she says they're trying real hard to even out the girl/guy ratio there. (60% female/ 40% male) .And by the look of your workload and your projected grades this quarter, these are definitely a safety.

I don't know too much about CMU so I can't give you a guess on that one. I am applying to University of Pittsburgh though because it has a stellar business/financing program. Their philosiphy department is nationally ranked, too.

But good luck man in the admission process. I know it's nerve racking, but everything will work out. And also remember that you NEVER know what the admissions committees are looking for. So, if you're in doubt of applying, then do it. It won't hurt, especially if you want to go there. If you have any other questions, let me know or I can even answer your questions via email or aim. Good luck dude.

ldcubed · November 9, 2004, 3:46pm

Wow, r0br0b! We really are practically the same person!

<<georgetown and="" uva="" are="" too="" big="" of="" reaches="" for="" me,="" so="" i've="" decided="" to="" not="" apply="" either="" them.="" some="" the="" brightest="" kids="" in="" fairfax="" county="" have="" been="" rejected="" from="" these="" colleges="" i="" find="" no="" reason="" waste="" my="" time="" apply.="">></georgetown>

I concur. In fact, after visiting UVA, I'm not quite sure that (if I were somehow accepted) I would even like it there. It's got some great features, including a top-notch library and a great outdoor theater, but it's a bit too crowded for me. As for Georgetown, I haven't visited it yet, but since it's not too far away, I think I'll check it out sometime soon.

<>

Really? Thanks! I'm taking the SAT I again in December, as I said before, so hopefully things will go well. I'm not too sure about my SAT II's, so I'll have to wait until next Friday to find out. If I did bad on one or more of them, I'm not sure if I'd be able to take it again in time so that the colleges I'm applying to would receive them, namely W&M. We shall see though. Btw, just out of curiosity, what SAT II tests did you take?

<>

Well, ya did better than me for the two times that I took it, so kudos.

<<i feel="" kind="" of="" embarassed="" about="" it="" because="" all="" the="" other="" amazing="" students="" on="" this="" board="" with="" 1400+'s,="" but="" was="" best="" i="" could="" do,="" so="" why="" fret="" it?="">><i feel="" kind="" of="" embarassed="" about="" it="" because="" all="" the="" other="" amazing="" students="" on="" this="" board="" with="" 1400+'s,="" but="" was="" best="" i="" could="" do,="" so="" why="" fret="" it?="">

Precisely. When I first visited this board a while back, I was completely intimidated and drawn back by what I saw. But I learned that this board does seem to offer the cold hard facts, and honestly, that's what counts.

<<you'll find="" a="" college="" that="" fits="" you="" and="" you'll="" be="" happy="" at="" no="" matter="" what.="">></you'll>

Wow, there's so much optimism on this thread!

<<my sister="" goes="" to="" mwc="" and="" she="" says="" they're="" trying="" real="" hard="" even="" out="" the="" girl="" guy="" ratio="" there.="" (60%="" female="" 40%="" male)="" .and="" by="" look="" of="" your="" workload="" projected="" grades="" this="" quarter,="" these="" are="" definitely="" a="" safety.="">></my>

I sure hope you're right! I do know about the whole guy/girl ratio thing, though and from the looks of it, it should have a positive effect.

<<i don't="" know="" too="" much="" about="" cmu="" so="" i="" can't="" give="" you="" a="" guess="" on="" that="" one.="" am="" applying="" to="" university="" of="" pittsburgh="" though="" because="" it="" has="" stellar="" business="" financing="" program.="" their="" philosiphy="" department="" is="" nationally="" ranked,="" too.="">><i don't="" know="" too="" much="" about="" cmu="" so="" i="" can't="" give="" you="" a="" guess="" on="" that="" one.="" am="" applying="" to="" university="" of="" pittsburgh="" though="" because="" it="" has="" stellar="" business="" financing="" program.="" their="" philosiphy="" department="" is="" nationally="" ranked,="" too.="">

Awesome! I almost ended up visiting U.Pittsburgh when I visited CMU with my brother, but we didn't have enough time (it was a one and a half day trip.) I do know that both schools have excellent business and engineering programs though, so if you get accepted, I'm sure you'll be most pleased with what you see.

<<but good="" luck="" man="" in="" the="" admission="" process.="" i="" know="" it's="" nerve="" racking,="" but="" everything="" will="" work="" out.="" and="" also="" remember="" that="" you="" never="" what="" admissions="" committees="" are="" looking="" for.="" so,="" if="" you're="" doubt="" of="" applying,="" then="" do="" it.="" it="" won't="" hurt,="" especially="" want="" to="" go="" there.="" have="" any="" other="" questions,="" let="" me="" or="" can="" even="" answer="" your="" questions="" via="" email="" aim.="" dude.="">></but>

Very encouraging words, my friend. Thank you for the support, and I hope that everything goes well for you in your admissions process!

ldcubed · February 16, 2005, 8:47pm

bump

The semester grades turned out quite well! Take a look-see:

AP Calculus AB (B)
Astronomy (A)
Journalism 1 (A)
AP Government (B+)
AP Psychology (A)
AP English Lit. (A)
Creative Writing (A)

Also, I retook the SAT and got a 1250. Still nowhere near what I wanted, but it will just have to do. I also took the SAT IIs and ended up getting the following:

Math Level II: 600
Writing: 660
U.S. History: 730- I'm happy about this one, as indicated by the following smiley face: :D

Also, the community service project that I talked about in the first post also went quite well and netted in some hours (and to my surprise, some good times.)

So now that everything is in, I'm once again curious to know what my chances might be for the schools I listed in the first post.

Lastly, I hope that all of you who responded (and then some) are doing well and are getting/will get into your top colleges. Hopefully college will yield us pleasant results in grades, and in areas that lie outside of academia (because we all know how badly we want to show our DVDs, video games, and music to our roomates...er, at least I want to.)

ldcubed · February 16, 2005, 11:17pm

Bump again

ldcubed · February 17, 2005, 10:26pm

Another update

Just got accepted into George Mason! Hardly surprising, as it was my safety, but it's good to know that I got the letter so quickly (heck, I live only about a mile away from the place) and I'm happy to know that I'll be attending at least some type of college. However, my primary concerns at the moment are Mary Washington, James Madison, Carnegie Mellon, W&M, and UVA. I realize that I've already received feedback a while ago, but any more comments on these schools would be most appreciated (and honesty is most certainly okay by me.)

Note: Posts #1 and #10 contain my record.

soccerguy315 · February 18, 2005, 1:12am

It's harder to get into the state schools from NOVA for two main reasons. The first, is that a huge percentage of the state lives there in a small area. The second is that NOVA puts out tons of very qualified students for the top schools in the country. I think 1/3 from Northern VA at these schools is a little on the low side, but that's generally what they like to say is 1/3 from NOVA, 1/3 from the rest of the state, and 1/3 from out of state.

I find it weird that you thought UVA was too much of a reach but not W&M... it's worth applying to both schools. There's people at UVA who didn't get into W&M, and people at W&M who didn't get into UVA.

I think:
George Mason University IN
James Madison University IN
University of Mary Washington IN
Carnegie Mellon University*** (if I applied, it would be for the school of humanities and social sciences) solid shot at the humanities
University of Virginia****
College of William and Mary****
Georgetown University****
... last 3 are reaches, but worth the App fee I believe. W&M would probably be more willing to overlook the slip in grades than UVA, from what I've seen, UVA is more stats oriented.

ldcubed · February 18, 2005, 11:00pm

Thank you for replying, Soccerguy!

<<i find="" it="" weird="" that="" you="" thought="" uva="" was="" too="" much="" of="" a="" reach="" but="" not="" w&m...="" it's="" worth="" applying="" to="" both="" schools.="" there's="" people="" at="" who="" didn't="" get="" into="" w&m,="" and="" w&m="" uva.="">><i find="" it="" weird="" that="" you="" thought="" uva="" was="" too="" much="" of="" a="" reach="" but="" not="" w&m...="" it's="" worth="" applying="" to="" both="" schools.="" there's="" people="" at="" who="" didn't="" get="" into="" w&m,="" and="" w&m="" uva.="">

Well, actually I didn't say that UVA was of greater difficulty to get into than W&M, but after looking back at the posts, I realize that I might have implied so. And I kind of was, lol. After looking through my school's college admission book, I saw more rejections from UVA than W&M (in ratio terms.) But you are correct. There are probably nearly the same amount of people who do/don't get into both schools. It just varies per high school. Also, I might have had a little bias since I'd prefer W&M over UVA based on what I saw on the visits.

<<w&m would="" probably="" be="" more="" willing="" to="" overlook="" the="" slip="" in="" grades="" than="" uva,="" from="" what="" i've="" seen,="" uva="" is="" stats="" oriented.="">></w&m>

This is something that I did not know about. Thanks for sharing! I truly do hope that W&M takes my note about 11th grade into consideration.

As a sidenote, I read your Xanga. Looks like you're having fun (overall)! I also must praise you for keeping on top of current events and for being respectful of other people's political opinions. And although I have a different ideology and didn't agree with everything you said, I still think you said some very interesting things. Keep up the good work!

soccerguy315 · February 20, 2005, 3:25am

haha thanks idcubed.

good luck with your apps! Playing the waiting game is stressful, heh.

The UVA admissions at my school last year, and many others around, were a STRAIGHT GPA cut off. Almost seems like they didn't look at the rest of the app, heh.

I was more referring to r0br0b about the decision to not apply to UVA/Gtown but to apply to WM... or at least, I read it as r0br0b was going to apply to WM since they said they had about the same list of schools.

... I'm not sure that WM considers SAT II for admissions. I remember that I only took them (I believe) because UVA and some OOS schools wanted them. Mine weren't so hot, and I'm still here.

Mr_Socrates06 · February 20, 2005, 8:26am

My friend had a problem likes your, except She moved from Virginia to California and THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT HER WORLD HISTORY 2 CREDIT. So she had to take the class all over.

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