<p>How many years of math are required to have a chance at admission? I realize the process is holistic, and I haven't found any information on specific requirements on the website.</p>
<p>But going through college guidebooks, they all say that four years of math are mandatory.</p>
<p>I'd like to have a chance at UVa, even though I'm OOS. I've finished calculus -I moved ahead and took geometry in the 8th grade, as a high school level course. I've gotten a 780 on the math portion of the SAT, and have made the AIME every year.</p>
<p>Is acceptance still possible? I've done four years of high school math, but not four years of math in high school. If it is required, would I be able to take a math course over the next summer for credit?</p>
<p>Thank you very much! I'm kind of anxious, Virginia doesn't look like something I'd be okay with missing out on.</p>
<p>I honestly have never had anyone bring up AIME scores when discussing an applicant. </p>
<p>Of course, getting recognized by the Math or Science Olympiad programs (or something like the National Latin Exam, for that matter) is impressive, but we aren't looking at the scores.</p>
<p>Yea, I think it shows how everyone I talk to HATES math here and just takes science courses or has AP credit for the math/science gened reqs... No one chooses to take a math course to fulfill that requirement. Then I tell people I'm a math major. And they stare at me like I have 2 heads. It doesn't help that the math dept here makes calculus so hard that very few people want to continue past calc 2. So basically my point is: strong math candidates are not the people UVA is striving to bring in during admissions.</p>
<p>So what you're saying, Dean J, is that you don't take academic accomplishments into account when reading applications? lolz. Or is it that UVA doesn't receive the same caliber of applicants as HYPSM? Because those schools most certainly get applicants who submit AIME/USAMO scores. In fact, I've seen threads where they compare them. </p>
<p>hazelorb, don't be so naive. The math department here is <em>fine</em>. You need to realize that most people at any school hate math and that even the best-taught math courses are unbearable to the intellectually-challenged (humanities majors and social science slackers like me ;) ).</p>
<p>Cav, if you look again, you'll see that I said we aren't looking at scores from those exams.</p>
<p>Essay 2 is where students list special honors they've received from the groups that administer those exams. They are more likely to list the honor than the numeric score.</p>
<p>Yeah, very few applications specifically ask for scores (MIT and caltech come to mind). I think I put scores on my app for some contests, but I have just put the contest itself, i dont really recall.</p>
<p>I would hope that if a candidate decided to put scores that you would acknowledge it. If I were in admissions at uva and saw an AMC>130 or a USAMO candidate I would send a likely letter without reading the rest of the application.</p>
<p>So you don't take the exact scores into account? lolz. I agree with ehiunno, I'd send a likely letter to a kid who did well on the USAMO (or even qualified). But I guess most of those kids are solidly into likely letter territory anyway...</p>
<p>On a side note, part of why I hate the fact that the admissions office has no merit scholarship program is that many of those kids are lost right off the bat because they get into HYPSM or receive money from lesser top 25 schools. These kids are absolutely brilliant and frequently fall outside of the scope of the Jefferson Scholars program, which would rather take a future soft subject major who is, like, SUPER involved in ECs. Oh well, if I ever get involved with the development office perhaps I'll lobby for some cash from Paul Jones or someone like that so that Jack B and Dean J can start doing what every other near-elite does.</p>
<p>I'll just list the honors for the math exams. I didn't get over a 130 on the AMC, although I managed just over a 120 freshman year. I'd take credit for it but I'm really not that cool, and I didn't do as well in subsequent years.</p>
<p>And I'm not sure I have the math grades to back that up.</p>
<p>I think that merit aid for mathematically inclined people or hard sciences would help. At the same time, I don't fall into that category. The Jefferson Scholars program focuses on contribution/potential contribution to society -that's pretty amazing, I think that's what any college should focus on.</p>
<p>But it's harder to express that as a scientist or mathematician.</p>
<p>I don't advocate merit aid solely for applicants talented in math/science. I advocate merit aid for top applicants in general. Every other school in the top 25 outside of the ivies, Stanford and MIT does it (and really, the lower ivies aren't any better than most other t25s).</p>