<p>Wahoomb, as a parent of one UVA grad and another soon-to-be student, I’m asking that you please give it a rest. It’s exactly your kind of attitude concerning UVA – that no other school can possibly be as good – that turns so many prospective applicants and their parents against the school. </p>
<p>Your sister’s credentials are similar to my younger daughter’s credentials. My younger daughter just got into UVA off the waitlist (we, too, are in state), but did NOT get off of BC’s waitlist – or William and Mary’s either. Our older daughter (also in state) got into UVA (directly, not off the waitlist), but was waitlisted at Richmond, William and Mary, and Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>It’s great that your sister got into Cornell, but I’d hazard a guess that her test scores were closer to the bottom of the admitted class than they were to to top. What likely happened – not that there’s anything wrong with it – is that your sister’s status as a latina from beyond the tri-state area played a major role in the decision. Also, your having gone to UVA doesn’t make your sister a legacy, nor is it uncommon for native Spanish speakers to score 800 on the Spanish SAT II. </p>
<p>In short, to suggest that your sister might have gotten into BC’s honors program is a stretch. Moreover, there’s simply no question that in state students on the lower end of the scale at UVA would probably have had trouble getting into BC, just as there’s no question that students at the high end of UVA’s scale are as well qualified as any students anywhere in the country. UVA is great. BC is great. Cornell is great. To each his own, ok?</p>