Family says UVA is "too prestigious" for me...are they wrong?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>I am a first generation student. My parents do not have degrees and neither grew up in this type of atmosphere, so they do not understand the importance of going to a four year university. All they see is the cost (which I know is reasonable) and the ever-appealing community college that just happens to be 5 minutes down the road. I really wanted to see UVA so my brother and I drove the several hours to visit it and this no doubt finalized my decision that I wanted to go there. However when I spoke to my parents about it they told me not to get my hopes up about applying and gave a spiel about how we’re on different ends of some spectrum! I know this isn’t true, that colleges look at people from ALL backgrounds but I still couldn’t help but wonder…are these schools too prestigious for me?</p>

<p>First Generation Student
Gender: F
College Class Year: 2012
High School: Public
High School Type: sends some grads to top schools
Will apply for financial aid: Yes</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.80
GPA - Weighted: 4.25
Class Rank: top 10%…my rank has varied this year from but usually around #12-20.
Class Size: 497</p>

<p>Scores:</p>

<p>SAT I Math: 600
SAT I Critical Reading: 630
SAT I Writing: 620
ACT: 25
WILL TAKE US HISTORY SAT II and MATH IIC</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Significant Extracurriculars: School Newspaper-Contributing writer(9th and 10th), Reporter (11th), and Features Editor (12th).
National Honor Society Member (11th), Secretary (12th)
Beta Club Member (11th, 12th)
Academy of Fina
Leadership positions: National Honor Society Secretary
Academy of Finance Head of Newsletter Committee
Features Editor of School Newspaper
Athletic Status - list sport and your level: Varsity Tennis-2 years top 6 player
PTPA Tennis Junior League Member (11th,12th)
Volunteer/Service Work: Riverside Hospital Volunteer Emergency Room(11th, 12th)
Elementary School Mentor/Tutor
Honors and Awards: Academic Letter (all four years)
Academic Athlete(11th, 12th)
Best All Around in school yearbook (does this count lol??)</p>

<p>Courseload:
-Never had a C.
-Take hardest courseload available except Calculus.</p>

<p>Junior year:
English 11 AP: B 1st Semester A 2nd, 4 on AP test
Pre Calc Honors: A
Chemistry: A
US History Dual Enrollment: A 1st sem, B 2nd
Spanish 4 Honors: A
Journalism II: A
Economics: A
Printmaking/Photography: A</p>

<p>Senior Schedule(predicted grades…1st quarter!!):
US Govt AP: A
Chemistry II AP Lecture: B
English 12 AP: A
Statistics AP: A
Journalism III: A
Biology II DU*: B
Spanish V AP: A
Chemistry II Lab: really high B, so could go either way.</p>

<p>Colleges of Interest:</p>

<p>University of Virginia
William and Mary ( Had a summer interview AND this is a kind of cool story…When I was working at food lion this guy came through my line who had a class ring on and I asked what school it was from and he said WM and I told him how I was applying there and how I liked the school and then he asked me to write my name down and and then said he was on the admissions board and would put a good word in for me! I like WM but it is too close to home :-/)
James Madison University
Virginia Tech
Virginia Commonwealth University</p>

2

<p>oh and am retaking ACT in DEC. I took the SAT twice and studied hard for that score so don’t think I can raise it up anymore…</p>

3

<p>To be honest, I think you have a very good shot at UVA, even though your SAT is a bit low for them. If you could get your scores up a bit (say, 2000+), I’d say you’re a lock for UVA.</p>

4

<p>Your SAT scores are a little below UVa’s average, but everything else is solid-excellent, so UVa is probably a low reach for you.</p>

5

<p>Hey im applying to all those schools besides VCU but I think you have a good shot at UVA but that SAT score could drag you down, i guess you cant do anything about it now except hope for a good ACT score, good luck</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the responses! I’ve run out of test dates for the SAT :-/ but the ACT should go up. So is my rank okay, even if it is 20, i’m trying very hard to boost it some more. Also I’ve written 2 out of 3 essays…if anyone wants to read and help critique it would be appreciated.</p>