Taking "Q&A with Dean J" submissions

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
61

<p>
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I don't think they have been addressed before on the blog (have they?).

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Most have, but I realize that the search feature is hard to find.</p>

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Does UVA really frown on an in-state student dropping 2 classes (math and one of 2 science classes, no less) in the fall of senior yr? Student has a second science class in the schedule this fall/spring, and will be taking the math class (calculus 2) in the spring.

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I can't make a recommendation based on this limited information. We look at students in context, so the curricular offerings at the school and the student's record over the last three years factors into how we view the senior schedule.</p>

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Please also tell me whether 2 C's in the spring of Junior Year is pretty much a death knell for admission as a chemistry major? Will it automatically keep an in-state student out? I have heard even 1 C will do that.

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Again, we have to see things in context. There are schools in Virginia (some of the ones that offer full IB programs come to mind) where I have seen Cs given out in HL courses. Many schools have started giving us grade distribution charts in their profiles so we can get a sense for how the grading looks in their system. There are schools where the majority of the class has As and there are schools where the majority of the class has Bs, with only a few As being handed out. We adjust our reading in light of this information.</p>

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Also, you pretty much ignore National Merit finalist standing in admissions, right?

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It's not a big part of our review. If you list it, great. If you don't have it, no big deal.</p>

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Is the essay really as important as I have read? Doesn't GPA reign supreme

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Yes, the essay is important. However, you have to have the academic goods first and foremost. I personally think the subjective is more important than ever because it seems as though every student knows what they need to do to be attractive in the admission process. Everyone's taking the top level courses at their school. Everyone had great recs. Everyone's inolved. When everyone looks great, sometimes those essays can factor in.</p>

<p>That being said, we won't deny a student with phenomenal academics if their essay isn't brilliant. We aren't looking for a graduate thesis, we're looking for personal statements. </p>

<p>I have definitely written about this multiple times on my blog. Use the search box at the top of the blog to read more.</p>

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Do you have quotas to meet from all around the state of VA? I had heard this was untrue, that you could accept all northern VA students for your freshman class if you had the best-qualified candidates from there that particular year. Is this the case?

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I think you already have your answer. But here's a short thread about it:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/317354-too-many-people-applying-my-school.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-virginia/317354-too-many-people-applying-my-school.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

62

<p>Dean:</p>

<p>UVa travelled nationally with H&P last year. Were y'all able to increase the OOS applicant pool? Would you term the road show a success?</p>

63

<p>
[QUOTE]

UVa travelled nationally with H&P last year. Were y'all able to increase the OOS applicant pool? Would you term the road show a success?

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The goal was not to increase the OOS pool.</p>

<p>Travel with Harvard & Princeton is part of our efforts to raise awareness of the access programs we have. Though quite a few have tried to draw conclusions about these efforts after one year, it will take a few years to see if we have an increase in these applicants.</p>

64

<p>I used the search and noticed the entry about AP Study Hall a while back and saw the assumed negative outlook of a PE class or other easy elective. Of course these courses are not as challenging as those of the AP level, but how much of a red flag are electives on a transcript, with tougher honors/AP classes dominating the core courseload? </p>

<p>I have taken several electives (all concentrated in business/economics field --intended major) and as a senior, i did choose to take the non-required PE2 course basically because I wanted to. It is surrounded by all AP courses and the required Honors Senior English however. I know you obviously do not make personl assessments when giving information, but in general will electives like PE or Intro to Business, Marketing, etc (not offered in honors) be a red flag for an admissions officer if it is surrounded by other challenging courses. In the case that the GC does note "most challenging/rigorous" courseload in comparison to class despite the electives.</p>

65

<p>Taking a couple of non-honors/AP classes won't hurt you, at all. I have a bunch of friends from northernVA who took 5 APs senior year, and the other two were fluff electives (weight training, computer graphics, computer science, etc). Your schedule shouldn't be dominated by these classes, but if you have a couple of classes that are interesting to you, but not necessarily AP/honors, no worries. They'll see that there's no honors option, and besides, it's not like you're taking nothing.</p>

66

<p>For the counselor recommendation, is there a specific form other than the commonapp rec that the counselor has to fill out? Because mine said that I needed something along with the commonapp form</p>

67

<p>There is no other form.</p>

<p>Any rec beyond the counselor rec (which is part of the secondary school report) is a supplemental one. You can ask the teacher to fill out the Common App rec form, but it's not required.</p>

68

<p>Regarding a teacher recommendation: </p>

<p>I read on the website that UVA wants the teacher rec. to be faxed. In order for that to be done, my teacher would have to give the recommendation to somebody in the guidance office, which, according to my guidance counselor, would be a confidentiality breech. Is it okay if we just mail the teacher recommendation? Or is there some other way? </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

69

<p>
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Teachers may send recommendations by mail or fax their recommendations to the admission credentials fax line: 434-924-7674. We prefer that letters be faxed, as we are now a paperless office.

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</p>

<p>Notes</a> from Peabody: The UVA Application Process</p>

<p>the funniest thing is, this is the entry at the top of the page.</p>

70

<p>Dean J</p>

<p>i've had a tough course work throughout my high school career (10 ap's, a few interest classes, & honors) but I only have 3 years of french under my belt and I'm currently in my fourth year now as a senior, but I'm also taking 6 other AP's [government, english, physics, engineering, calc, art history] and I would like to drop french because I've realized that french is just not the route for me. but i know UVA likes 4 years. is this going to hurt me in regards to a tough course load?</p>

71

<p>
[QUOTE]
In order for that to be done, my teacher would have to give the recommendation to somebody in the guidance office, which, according to my guidance counselor, would be a confidentiality breech.

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I'm fairly sure your teacher is capable of sending a fax. However, if using a fax machine is somehow limited to specific personnel at your school, it is not an issue for the teacher to give the rec to the GC. </p>

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I would like to drop french

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In general, it's not a great idea to drop language unless there's some sort of scheduling conflict with another core class. Also remember that you have to demonstrate proficiency at UVa and you might regress without taking French your senior year.</p>

72

<p>Dean J,</p>

<p>I haven't performed very well in my Spanish classes throughout highschool but I was going to take it my senior year. However, to take honors spanish I would've had to drop out of either AP Biology or AP US Government to fit it into my schedule. I decided to stick to my 4 AP classes, Biology, Physics, Government, and Calculus, without taking spanish. Did dropping spanish hurt my chances of getting into UVa?</p>

73

<p>We don't penalize students for scheduling conflicts. I have two suggestions: either ask your counselor to mention the conflict in their rec or use the "Additional Information" section on the Writing page of the Common App to let colleges know about it.</p>

74

<p>Languages are also part of those things that happen to be very good to self-study. Basically, you can find your study material everywhere: on Youtube, on a foreign language Wikipedia, and everywhere else online that uses your language .... You can still do the AP exam without taking the class.</p>

<p>I'm not sure how you document self-study on an application, but if some structured formality is desirable, you could always dual-enroll.</p>

75

<p>devilman:</p>

<p>Foreign language is 95% memorization. If you can memorize Bio, you can memorize espanol. You are a math-science major who admits you don't "perform well" with with a humanities class. How do you think you can stand out from all the other math-science types who don't perform well in humanities?</p>

76

<p>
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How do you think you can stand out from all the other math-science types who don't perform well in humanities?

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</p>

<p>by being exceptionally good at what he's good at. If you want an example, talk to ehiunno.</p>

77

<p>IIRC, ehiunno had a philosophy class or two somewhere... </p>

<p>But actually, languages are both conceptualisation and memorisation. Memorisation allows for vocabulary, but idioms, morphology and syntax require conceptualisation. Case in point: Broca's asphasiacs, whose vocabulary is intact but not the grammar. Another case in point: Wernicke's asphasiacs, whose grammar is intact but the vocabulary, though valid words individually, is word salad and nonsensical. </p>

<p>This should actually make it easier for the science folks, because language learning is not as mindless as it seems! Language acquisition also makes you think about the way you think, and learn about the way you learn -- a valuable tool.</p>

78

<p>Dear Dean J,</p>

<p>What exactly do you consider "well rounded?"</p>

79

<p>Dean J,</p>

<p>Another VCCS question:</p>

<p>If I am accepted to UVA without taking the 201 and 202 foreign language classes, can I still take them at the community college while enrolled at UVA?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance</p>

80

<p>and another: if someone does earn their associate degree and transfer in under the agreement, do they still need to apply and fill out all areas of the application, like essay, recommendation letters, et cetera -</p>