<p>Hey guys, I applied to 4 colleges this year.. i got waitlisted at UVa and UNC-CH.. UVa being my first college. I got accepted to VT but that was my safety school and it is the last school on my list. As of now, I am enrolling at VT. I checked out Dean J's blog and was torn to find out that UVa is over enrolled and CLAS was not likely to open any spots to waitlisters. :( I dont know what to do.. I visited tech a couple of times and I just don't like it. Any suggestions? If I don't get into UVa, I am thinking of transferring to UVa next year. It just sucks because I have always wanted to atten UVa since I was a child... any advice? I sent a letter of interest the week after I found out that I was waitlisted.</p>
<p>What is the fourth school?</p>
<p>VT is a beautiful and fun school with a lot to offer. I say give it a chance, you might wind up loving it, and as you say, you can always try to transfer.</p>
<p>Are you in state? Did you look at James Madison? They still have open spots for Freshman, FYI.</p>
<p>Go to Tech with an open heart and force yourself to not get distracted by freshman fun too much...make all As and work to get a good reference from a Tech prof...and apply to transfer....I know a couple people who did this, but they had to really bypass freshman parties and have great transcripts to pull it off...no surprises that UNC CH and UVA are waitisting scores of great people like yourself...but you do not have to give up. Go be your best self at Tech and seek out what it has to offer with gusto.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice guys.
barb- my 4th was UMD but i was rejected- i thought it was pretty weird but I didnt wanna go there anyways- parents made me apply.
2525- IF i didnt live in Harrisonburg, i would defiantly have applied to JMU.. I wanna get outta the burg. and yes im in-state
faline- i like how your so optimistic. ahh ive been so bummed out lately it helps to hear some good advice.
does anyone know how the transfer process works? are the essays similar to regular?</p>
<p>Tech has a great networking advantage for your future, and is a "what you make of it" school...you can dial it in, or make friends with your professors and find ways to make it a smaller college to suit your personality. My son at Duke did the following two things to make Duke more like a small college: He bonded with his foreign language dept and went abroad with them...it was a brand new language to him....and he joined a music organization...travels some with them. Going abroad one semester cost us less than the price of Duke...take a look at that option for a cozy liberal arts chapter at Tech...instant close friends with your teachers and students who go...do a great service summer with close friends far away, join up with whatever freshman pre-orientation programs they might offer so you have new friends from day one...in other words, find small groups that suit your need for a more intimate learning environment and join them.</p>
<p>I also did not get into my first choice college (OOS applicant to Wm and Mary decades ago) and went to my safety college. The whole first year I admit I had fun, but also was a pain in the ## telling people I wanted to transfer blah blah. Got the paperwork and realized that I didn't have the energy to pull it off...or the 4.0 to impress them with..and I burrowed into my college and got the absolute most out of it. I am now involved in alumni affairs, fundraising and talk to grads of my college three or four days a week....one contact just hired my son, another one hired my husband a few decades ago...so...I guess my point is...be a proud member of Va Tech, gravitate towards the most serious students, join a meaningful group of some kind (I know a guy who made it onto their heralded Rescue Squad..great friendship there), ask yourself in January if you are going to stay at Tech or transfer out. Open yourself up past UVa to other great colleges if transfer is still heavily on your mind. Think vocationally...perhaps two years at Tech and a clear vocational program choice at UVa or UNC or elsewhere will enhance your chances more than one year at Tech as transfer applicant. If so, make your two years at Tech last a lifetime in friendships made. I know someone who transferred into UVa but he also skipped the frat world and made all As and had a clear program choice at UVA he wanted to take on, so his application was focused (from another large state school OOS). Never underestimate the caliber of students at Tech, put on your best game. If you are a top student at Tech, you can always target UVa for grad school...the point is to be your best most evolved self at Tech, to open your heart to friendships, and to realize many kids you will meet don't want to hear that Tech was a last choice...when they made the decision to come, so keep your transfer wishes to yourself or one or two confidants. Looking back, I think my safety school did wonders for me..for one thing I was able to stand out, which I can assure you would not have happened at my first choice college back then. I was as close to faculty as possible, and am grateful even though it wasn't a perfect fit. I wish you happiness and fun next year, and believe me do not mean to diminish the reality that you are disappointed. But UVa and Chapel Hill have a way of waitlisting deserving in-state kids. Not a reflection on your potential. Tech can take you very far in life if you apply yourself. It has a great vibe and a lot of school spirit. all best</p>
<p>uvawhoo, I agree with the others who are telling you to be sure and give VT a chance. VT may grow on you, and will have the opportunity to apply for a transfer if you do well and you find that you still want to attend UVA. A friend of my son had wanted to go to UVA forever, but was flat out denied. He had even applied ED, was deferred to RD, and then got the denial. He was very upset and was sure he'd never like VT. Well, he made great grades, and had the support of his parents to apply for a transfer, but he decided he had found his perfect fit at VT. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you're able to start off the school year with an open mind. Get involved, join some clubs, and make good grades to keep your options open.</p>
<p>thank you all for the moral support :)... people say its not really about the college, its about the college experience. But i feel like i will have a better experience at uva than tech. I guess applying to uva again will keep me motivated at tech. In general, i just dont like the atmosphere at tech... its in the middle of nowhere, and you cant really get out of tech. uva is such a nice campus and its only 40 mins from where i live so like if i want to go visit home for a weekend then it wont be that much of a hassle. But i will make the best out of tech this coming fall. Hopefully i will do well at tech. i have a 4.1 gpa right now... but my SAT scores are low-- assuming thats why i got waitlisted. does anyone know how the transfer process works? is the common app going to be implemented next year for transfer students as well?</p>
<p>I went to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia for 2 years before transferring to UVA. Not to say that UMW was bad or anything, though, there were just a bunch of academic and personal problems for me. </p>
<p>Anyway, I didn't apply to UVA as a freshman, but I don't think I would have gotten in without going somewhere else for 2 years. I applied using their normal application, which was pretty easily completed. If I remember correctly, I didn't need to send high school transcripts or SAT scores. I think you need more than 30 credits in order to do this (that would be one year of classes if you start out with no credits). Also, I'm almost positive you don't need recommendations as well.</p>
<p>Basically, all UVA has to base you on is college grades and short answer (they weren't lengthy).</p>
<p>As for me, I took a lot of general education requirements as well as plenty psychology courses at UMW. My cum. GPA at UMW was 3.77, although before I sent my final transcripts I had something near 3.7. I applied OOS (to both UMW and UVA), but I think that attending a decent Virginia school helped me out with getting into UVA.</p>
<p>Hopefully this was helpful.</p>
<p>Mmm, VT to UVA transfer...thinking about that whole process still makes me quiver in fear somehow someone might go back and take it all away from me!<br>
Anyways, the transfer process is long and tedious, do not expect it to be easy, or "worthwhile" in the end (as in, you may not get in). Like above, go to VT and try to enjoy it. I went with heart wide open and loved it first and most of second semester. Personal (very personal) reasons forced me to leave. I only applied to UVA because I was so unsure with VT's e-school program, not because I had specific reasons nor did I get rejected, much less apply, in high school. However, as the process continued and I started looking into UVA's programs, I realized that UVA's e-school would be a way better fit for me (go search the threads, you can see my outbursts at times =P). It ended up pushing me to apply, as I figured I could always say no.</p>
<p>So, again, go with an open mind and open heart. You may very well find your niche and love it. Give it the first semester and try to forget UVA. Keep your grades up, but have fun. At the end of first semester, evaluate your situation. Ask yourself if you could spend four years there. If there is even the slightest doubt (again, I was TOTALLY unsure until I got more and more in the process), start planning to apply. Line up high school transcripts, start asking around for recommendations during winter break, and start researching(!!!!!!!) UVa and other programs. You may find during your research more reasons to apply or not apply to UVa and the other programs. Start early on your essays and put some thought, serious thought, into them. I know many transfers, including myself, swear our essays got us in. Show your intent to UVa or wherever you want to go. If you really do want to go, you have to show them, and if you do, they'll see. Plan on it due March 1st (although they'll post due dates when the app comes available). Plan on being done with it the day before (or day before whenever the due date is), this way you can avoid glitches in the system. Make sure you request transcripts EARLY (like, order them at the end of first semester as soon as you can. If they get it prior to your app, they'll file it away until your app is completed...too many missing transcripts seemed to pop up the last two years, and that can cause tremendous pain on your part). Then, the wait until May 1st begins. Throw yourself in your studies in case of waitlist. Continue to be active. Don't go crazy imagining life at another college ;) But again, try to enjoy VT. By application time though, I think you'll know...</p>
<p>Here's the skinny on transferring. It sucks at some times, trust me. I've been pointed out for "sugar coating" things (cough, Mech, cough =P) and transferring really can't be sugar-coated. I never regret my decision, I've looked back only a few times, but never let it slow me down. Yes, going around your freshman school for a month or two going "i'm trying to transfer out" is kind of depressing. If there is one thing different I could've done it would've been keeping my mouth shut to people around me. It's your life, you don't need support to make a decision about one of the most influential things in your life, your college education. I actually didn't tell my parents until the decision letter arrived. I didn't want them to be let down if I didn't get in, and it was my decision anyways. But the hurry up and wait sucks, especially when your college life starts to fall apart. April goes by ridiculously slow, and finals stress you out. Decision day is awful, to the point I gave up and took a nap (despite 5min after logging out of here Dean J came on announcing decisions were up). But hang in there if you decide to transfer. If you really want to go to UVA, you'll find a way in, and you'll love it. But if VT works out, let it. It's an amazing place, and it left a huge impact on my life.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>very good posts above. keeping in mind that no one got off the waitlist who wanted to go to Tech this year....it is wise to be very considerate when venting about your wish to transfer out, although perfectly understandable if this is a firm goal for you. Tech is definitely a school that rewards initiative and so dive in.</p>
<p>There is an article about waitlists in today's WSJ. </p>
<p>UVa is mentioned. I didn't realize that 150 students were taken off the 2007 waitlist. I thought the number was much less. Maybe I had CLAS in mine.</p>
<p>shoebox, thanks for that post. It really helped me with the whole situation. I appreciate your time for writing that post. Ahhhh! I guess i'll try tech. I will most likely transfer anyways because UVA is still my number one spot. What were the essays like this year? I want to get a head start on them during the summer so that way I don't have to stress about it during fall semester. Does anyone know how they weigh your high school transcripts? and how bout SAT/SAT II's and AP exam grades? I've heard from many people that those who did not get into UVa were really happy at tech. But if I am going to transfer, I feel like i'll miss some of the social aspect at tech because i will have to focus more on academics. Does any one know any essay questions that they'll be asking for 08-09 transfer application? Feedback will be greatly appreciated. im surprised at how many viewers this thread has, i guess a lot of people feel the same situation as me.</p>
<p>OHHH i have another question.. i heard that UVa has a guaranteed admission agreement with VCCS. I was wondering if they had something similar to that at Tech where you're guaranteed admission? or is it just VCCS?</p>
<p>Please, please do not go to VT assuming you'll transfer. Your year will be miserable, your grades will most likely suffer, and then there's the possibility you won't get in. Try to enjoy VT, and look at other options. I would wait until winter break to start the application. If you start it now, again, life will be miserable. You may end up loving VT. You may end up finding perfectly good reasons not to like VT and where UVA could make up for such short-comings. Again...please wait it out :)
As far as the questions, I remember a few of them... -why do you want to leave your current school? -any jobs held -one based on what school you're applying to -a "anymore info?" question -then an english composition-skill questions. I don't remember the others. They'll post them with the app in August.
High school grades are weighted ~50% while college first semester is ~50%. I think they take high school grades a bit more into account than 1st semester, just because its 4 years vs 1 semester. But, if you have a solid first semester, you should be good. SAT/ACT are still included, but again, they're not as important as your grades. Frankly, for transferring, I don't think the test scores will be a deciding factor. They have two sets of grades to look at. If you have great scores, cool. If not, don't sweat it, as long as they're near the average.<br>
Again, don't go to VT wanting to transfer. It'll kill you. I went out plenty but still devoted lots of time to studies. It's about balancing. Frankly, you should be trying for a 4.0 regardless of transferring or not. Try to meld with VT. It;s a great school.
It's just VCCS. Go for two years, get a 3.4 and fullfill reqs for either College or SEAS, and you're in. But, remember: VT is a GREAT school. I got in with a 3.2/3.8 mid-spring-semester grades, but I know others from less prestigious schools and they had a 4.0. I'm not saying you can slack and the name will fix it, but a 4.0 from VT is a lot more impressive than a 4.0 at a lesser school.</p>
<p>So was I completely wrong in my post? Because I really don't remember sending the SAT, SAT II's, recommendations, and high school transcripts in the transfer process.</p>
<p>I think it was just college transcripts and short answer essays such as "Why are you transferring."</p>
<p>really? I sent all of that except SAT IIs, but I think they send those with the SAT scores anyways.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice shoebox, but yeah ill give it a try, if it doesnt work out i can always transfer.. just sucks that they wont turn to the waitlist pool... but as far as grades, i have a 4.08 gpa weighted and like 28th/398? so i just gotta keep up the grades at tech. im starting to realize its ok to be at tech. its just not really convenient for me, but hey ill probably adjust. thanks again shoebox!</p>
<p>Good luck :) Feel free to PM me if you ever need any advice/support/opinion on things, VT or UVA.</p>