<p>Another Early Decision program bites the dust.</p>
<p>Actually, this is a very low-risk decision for UVA, in my opinion. UVA's closest equivalent on the East Coast, UNC-Chapel Hill, dropped its early admissions program several years ago, and nothing horrible happened. So UVA has an example to follow, unlike Harvard and Princeton, which are venturing into uncharted territory.</p>
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Actually, this is a very low-risk decision for UVA, in my opinion. UVA's closest equivalent on the East Coast, UNC-Chapel Hill, dropped its early admissions program several years ago, and nothing horrible happened. So UVA has an example to follow, unlike Harvard and Princeton, which are venturing into uncharted territory.
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Excellent point, though I believe Harvard and Princeton doing this made the idea more agreeable to some who were reluctant to make the move before.</p>
<p>What are ya'll doing up there Dean J? :D.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what is the general feeling among the faculty about this issue? Does anyone care? Are people concerned that UVa will lose high caliber students because they will be tempted to apply more widely? Or do they look forward to actually matriculating stronger students?</p>
<p>We asked the faculty senate's chair to get feedback from faculty last week. I was told that even those faculty members who have students in high school were positive about the move (ED would probably benefit their children). I think they saw doing away with early admission as the right thing to do.</p>
<p>The vast majority of our students have come from regular decision, so I don't think anyone is worried about a change in quality here. Princeton fills half it's class with early applicants while we fill less than a third of slots with ED applicants.</p>
<p>Maybe next year you can actually enjoy Thanksgiving, Dean J.</p>
<p>Good for the faculty Dean J! I confess that my D benefitted from ED, and it was a good choice for her, but I can't help but wonder if she would have chosen the same school had she had another 5 months of maturing. Overall. I think ED is a bad idea for students, especially for the top 25 universities and LACs. Schools of lesser selectivity - that's a different issue.</p>
<p>But, I really don't understand how this change is going to stop the "feeding frenzy" at the top level schools - delay it to the end of the year, but not stop it. I'm not sure any power on earth is going to lessen the anxiety among the top students. I also think that you may end up with even more apps to read ;), but I applaud the change, because it genuinely seems to be in the best interest of the greatest number.</p>
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Maybe next year you can actually enjoy Thanksgiving, Dean J.
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My goodness! This didn't even occur to me while we were evaluating the pros and cons! </p>
<p>I'm going to eat a few years' worth of turkey next Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>if there is any truth to the fact that ED advantages the wealthy, then, IMO, no public school should have ED. Perhaps UVa's paltry number of Pell Grantees (<10% in comparison to other top state publics, and the UCs at 33%) could be related to its (former) reliance on ED?</p>
<p>Great to see them following UDelaware's lead.</p>
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Great to see them following UDelaware's lead.
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To be fair, UNC was the first of the publics. :)</p>
<p>Others will follow. I'm certain of it.</p>
<p>blue bayou - Uva does not have many Pell grantees because: 1) it is the overwhelming choice of the great students in the Commonwealth and many of them (particularly in No. Va.) are miles away from qualifying for any need based aid, - two parents who work for the federal government result in family incomes of well over 200k - a very common phenomena in Virginia ; 2) it is a very popular choice for out of state kids, many of whom come from well off homes and boarding school backgrounds; and 3) it is small compared to Berkeley and Michigan and the class fills up quickly with kids described above. </p>
<p>Early decision elimination likely will not affect Uva one iota...it is simply a great value for in-state students, many of whom because of its value will go to UVa come heck or high water, and even for out of state folks, it is a great value relative to what private schools charge. </p>
<p>My daughter's high school sends 150-175 kids to UVa...they get the experience of going to one of the best high schools in the country and then one of the best schools in the country, at relatively littel cost. Those of us who live in Virginia and are involved in higher education think it nuts, absolutely nuts, to live in Maryland if one has a choice (DC really never being an option, unfortunately). Virginia's system of higher education is just that good. (W & M and Va tech are great schools as well).</p>
<p>Absolutely correct. UVA doesn't have many Pell Grant kids because UVA doesn't accept 'em.</p>
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Those of us who live in Virginia and are involved in higher education think it nuts, absolutely nuts, to live in Maryland if one has a choice (DC really never being an option, unfortunately). Virginia's system of higher education is just that good. (W & M and Va tech are great schools as well).
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<p>Many of us who live in Maryland (for one reason or another) agree with you.</p>
<p>Virginia has a wonderful state higher education system. It's a kind of Baskin-Robbins of colleges -- different flavors for different kids. Besides the three you mentioned, some kids will find that George Mason or Mary Washington or James Madison or one of the others is exactly the school they're looking for. And if they live in Maryland, they will pay a premium to go there.</p>
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Great to see them following UDelaware's lead.
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<p>Would the true leaders not be the public schools that did not have an ED in the beginning?</p>
<p>mini:</p>
<p>small nit: UVa doesn't have many Pell Grantees bcos they don't look for them. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Mam: trust me, the competition for Cal and UCLA is just as fierce, if not more so, than that for UVa. The big difference is that the UCs give admissions preferences to low income kids to enable them to be accepted and attend our flagship Unis. Otherwise, Cal and UCLA would likely be less than 10% Pell Grantees as well.</p>
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Would the true leaders not be the public schools that did not have an ED in the beginning?
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<p>I would say not. I mean, I see your point, but it would go to far to say this was "leadership."</p>
<p>The reasons why many public schools don't have early programs are surely varied, and many of them may come down to sheer practicality. Therefore, you can't necessarily attribute lack of ED to noble ideals or some sense of leadership. Indeed, 20-30 years ago when all these "Early" models were starting, one wonders how many admissions people anticipated possible bad consequences and could have possibly eschewed ED for the reasons Harvard et al are dropping it now.</p>
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UVA's closest equivalent on the East Coast, UNC-Chapel Hill, dropped its early admissions program several years ago, and nothing horrible happened.
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<p>To the best of my knowledge UNC-CH dropped its ED program in favor of an "early notification" program. Two years ago the latter was still functional, because my daughter applied (and was admitted) that way. If the school has dropped the early notification process, this hasn't been reflected yet on the web site, which still refers to it.</p>
<p>"Mam: trust me, the competition for Cal and UCLA is just as fierce, if not more so, than that for UVa. The big difference is that the UCs give admissions preferences to low income kids to enable them to be accepted and attend our flagship Unis. Otherwise, Cal and UCLA would likely be less than 10% Pell Grantees as well."</p>
<p>Bluebayou, when it comes to Pell grantees Cal and Berkeley show truly fantastic statistics. Statistics that are so fantastic that they defy most national correlations between income, cost of living, and education of parents. The statistics of California are also highly skewed by a large number of highly educated immigrants who tend to have very low income, or at least tend to report very low income. </p>
<p>Ah, the many meanings of words!</p>
<p>xilggi:</p>
<p>If you wish to make a claim, please post statistics to back up your post, particularly given the dropout rate of 50% in out largest cities. :)</p>
<p>As DianeR said, UNC did not eliminate its early program. Their program is called Early Notification. You apply by a certain date and they notify you by the middle of January. Not your typical date but quite early none the less.</p>