<p>Regarding that comment about your average GPA, please see #1 here:
[Notes</a> from Peabody: The UVA Application Process: Its the most wonderful time of the year
college fair season](<a href=“http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2009/09/its-most-wonderful-time-of-yearcollege.html]Notes”>Notes from Peabody: The UVA Application Process: It’s the most wonderful time of the year…college fair season)</p>
<p>Being a Virginia resident is great thing in this process. Right off the bat, the admit rates for in-state students are better than those for OOS students. On top of that, being a first generation college student is a good thing. Neither of those things put you at a disadvantage that requires you to do something extra.</p>
<p>Colleges ask for information in the manner in which they’d like to receive it. Instead of videos of you playing guitar or volunteering, we ask that you include information about those activities in a chart on the Common App. The three personal statements you are asked to write are ways that you can convey your personality, style, and tone.</p>
<p>While you are welcome to include links to things on the internet, understand that when we are reading files, we are engrossed in taking notes on the different components of the application and we might not spend the time that you expect us to on something like this. I fear you may think extra-curricular activities are more prominent in this process than academics. We definitely want to see that you are involved and will contribute to the community at UVa, but activities don’t overshadow academics in our process.</p>
<p>We really only encourage supplements from students who will be majoring in the performing or visual arts.</p>