<p>Thanks. Must have missed it. By the way, I have it on good authority that it was 71 degrees and sunny in C-Ville on Sunday when it was 35 degrees and sleeting up here. Guess where I would rather be.</p>
<p>Dear Dean J:</p>
<p>As a current high school junior, I'm contemplating retaking 2 classes over the summer (both of which I had previously taken in 8th and 9th grade) to bump my gpa up to a 4.0 (cummulitive up to junior year). At my school, all students with a 4.0 are considered #1 rank. Do you think it would be worth it, or would a 3.9 be considered the same?</p>
<p>I am a little confused with the UVA application. Two questions ask that I list extracurriculars and awards. Should I just copy paste that part of the resume that my guidance counselor is enclosing with my transcript? I did highlight an activity in the UVA application like it asked and changed the formatting.</p>
<p>Dean J,</p>
<p>The School of McIntire require a foreign language level of 202. I was wondering if Mongolian is acceptable. Im highly fluent in Mongolian (first language) and English. If so, what test (ex: SAT II) must I take to prove my level of Mongolian.
The college Im currently attending does not have course in Mongolian, as well as SAT II or any other tests that I know of.</p>
<p>-Naran</p>
<p>P.S. Like powderpuff said, this thread is a great idea.</p>
<p>Is transportation provided from UVA to somewhere in NoVA (with or without a fee)?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>There's a bus that goes from UVa to one of the malls in Fairfax County and there's another bus that goes to Tidewater. Some googling will probably find you the details. I think students make reservations at the bookstore.</p>
<p>Dean J,</p>
<p>I was directed to you by one of the posters on the Parents forum.</p>
<p>How badly is a generic, almost "fill-in-the-blank" type counselor recommendation looked at (not necessarily at UVA)? This is while keeping in mind that the other teacher and supplementary recommendations are great.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Generic recs aren't going to hurt a student. Obviously, they don't do much to help them. There are plenty of GCs that have enormous case loads that prevent them from knowing each of their students well and we aren't surprised by letters from GCs in these situations.</p>
<p>Dean J,</p>
<p>If I'm applying as transfer student and I want to be considered for CAS too (I'm applying to McIntire), is there a way to do so on the online application? Would I write that on the additional information?</p>
<p>Dean J:
How and when are international students who are selected from the general applicant pool notified if they have been selected as Jefferson Scholar finalists?</p>
<p>Canuck, I don't have a specific mailing date for you, but we flag students for possible at-large spots during our first read and then go back and make final choices after that. When we make selections and have a mail date set, I'll try to let everyone know on the blog.</p>
<p>J,</p>
<p>I've heard that having legacy status groups you in with the in state admissions where there is a higher acceptance rate. Is there any truth to this?</p>
<p>I was wondering the emphasis on senior first semester grades. Do they carry much weight?</p>
<p>Hey Dean J,</p>
<p>What if scores from my Subject Tests contradict my school grades?
For example, if I received credit and placed out of chemistry, what would happen if I score poorly on the Chemistry Subject test?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Dear Dean J,</p>
<p>You mentioned a while ago (a LONG while ago) that you take the best essays and put it up on the communal wall (or something to that effect.) Do you think you could post one of them? And CavDog pictures?</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
What if scores from my Subject Tests contradict my school grades?
[/QUOTE]
That's not all that uncommon. We'll dig around a bit to find extra info if we're worried. Counselors are good about addressing inconsistencies when they write their recommendation letters.
[QUOTE]
You mentioned a while ago (a LONG while ago) that you take the best essays and put it up on the communal wall (or something to that effect.) Do you think you could post one of them? And CavDog pictures?
[/QUOTE]
I was just talking to a student about this yesterday. I'll have to go through them and ask the writers for permission to post some excerpts. </p>
<p>As for CavDog, I'll gladly share some pictures from his latest adventures. Check the blog in a few hours.</p>
<p>CavDog Pics are posted on the blog. They're awesome as usual!</p>
<p>Dear Dean J,</p>
<p>I'm not sure if you are still offering this Q & A session, but if you are, I have a question:</p>
<p>What does admissions see when a student has never taken honors or AP in a particular subject? Is that frowned upon? Can heavy Honors/AP in other classes make up for not necessarily having Honors/AP in a certain subject? Finally, can the major that the student specifies when he or she applies explain why the student did not take Honors/AP? (For example, if a student applies under a science major but has never taken any AP or Honors English, what happens?)</p>
<p>There's no policy about this, ZAE. Every applicant is reviewed in context, so we'll interpret your transcript with your school's profile (an official publication sent by each counselor) and recommendation in mind. </p>
<p>Because we're moving to the Common App and a paperless process, I would suggest that you ask your guidance counselor include information about your course selection reasoning in their recommendation letter (most do this anyway, but it can't hurt to remind them).</p>