<p>Hi, I’m from Northern Virginia and I attend a New England Prep School, one of the top 10 nationally ranked in the country. My school’s curriculum is much more challenging than the majority of typical high schools (every class is an advanced class), however my GPA is a 3.0 which would roughly translate to a 3.5 anywhere else I’m assuming. My EC’s are amazing (president and founder of a cancer club, head of prom committee, leads in the musical, etc) and my SAT scores are average (1800’s). Although my scores and GPA are not as high as most UVA applicants, since I am in state and go to an elite boarding school do I still have a chance of being accepted? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I’d say a low chance of acceptance. UVA takes many students from N. VA schools but they really are outstanding students at their given schools. Also, difficult courses at most public schools in N. VA are very challenging and the majority of students who get in to UVA are taking mostly honors/AP/IB courses and getting many A’s in classes. Having said that, maybe being a VA resident would be to your advantage but I think the 3.0 GPA and 1800 SAT are a problem.</p>
<p>The good news is that UVA will be easier than Prep School. </p>
<p>But to answer your question… I don’t know, and I’m not sure if anyone here does. My brother graduated from St. Marks (ISL) with a 3.0 and ended up on the waitlist. He had everything but the grades and that must of been the difference.</p>
<p>state schools - because of their larger size and the larger number of applicants - tend to be more data driven when assessing applicants</p>
<p>that said it might be a good dea to contact your school’s guidance people and use NAVIANCE or some other method to see how previous applicants (with their GPAs and SATs) have fared from your school when applying to UVA</p>
<p>whether UVA is a “match” or a "stretch " school for you, if you like it, apply!!!</p>
<p>As a reality check, from the college board site, here’s UVA’s mid 50 percentile SAT scores
Math: 630 - 730
Critical Reading: 600 - 710<br>
Writing: 610 - 710 </p>
<p>So there are others with your SATs that got in there.</p>
<p>Thanks so much guys! I know it’s definitely a reach, but it’s my dream school and I definitely don’t want to give up hope. It’s great hearing opinions and advice from people with an objective perspective.</p>
<p>Kei-o-lei, my school actually does have a NAVIANCE system but it’s so hard to read since the graphs don’t differentiate the in state students and out of state students. Most accepted students are above and beyond the averages, but then there are a few with GPA and test scores below 3.0 and 1800. Who knows though, maybe they were admitted for sports! Anyways, thanks again!</p>
<p>Excuse me, but how “easy” do you think a public school’s curriculum is? Especially when we have the option to take as many AP and honors classes as we can handle? Northern Virginia is home to some of the nation’s top public schools. For you to assume going to an “elite” boarding school will secure you a position is very ignorant.</p>
<p>Honestly though, you have a poor chance. It’s good to be well rounded, but GPA and test scores are the most important thing UVA considers (unless you’re a nationally ranked athlete or something of that nature). Sorry.</p>
<p>I believe the UVA admissions staff is smart enough to look at the school you are going to from the perspective of how hard are your courses are not just simply your GPA. A GPA of 3.0 at a school like Thomas Jefferson in NOVA would not be the same as a 3.0 somewhere else in Virginia and they understand the difference. Most schools in Virginia would be a no go with a 3.0, but not from a school like TJ which makes perfect sense when you factor in rigor. I believe the same can be said of class ranking since being top 50% at a school like TJ is certainly not grounds for being denied by itself. I think that is why they take a huge number of students from that school compared to any other school in Virginia whether they are in the top 50% or not. They factor in rigor when demonstrated. I would however recommend that you give the SAT another try ASAP to bring it up some. 1800 seems low to me for someone who is taking the most rigorous courses, whether at some prep school or anywhere else (just my opinion). I believe that puts you in the lower 25% when you look at the stats and I’m sure they will be going up once they factor in the class of 2014 stats. I also agree that if you want to go to UVA despite any stats apply and let them decide.</p>
<p>I always say apply where you want. College application today is such a crap shoot. That said, it is very very rare to be accepted to uva without at least a 4.0 GPA unless some thing else going for you like recruited athlete. Check all the students last year who were national merit finalists who got rejected!</p>
<p>I personally say you have a good chance, but that is just my opinion. DO work on your SAT’s, but other than that, scores are just scores, and hopefully your EC’s will be able to put you on the desk. Write great essays, too!</p>
<p>I wish the UVA thread were more active…</p>
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</p>
<p>There are some great resources available other than CC- hopefully you’re already aware of them but if not: </p>
<p>[Notes</a> from Peabody: The UVA Application Process](<a href=“http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com%5DNotes”>http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com) for starters; from that page you can link to any number of blogs with lots of helpful information.</p>
<p>@Gary614 - It’s a prep school, a private school. As in money is your way to getting in and staying in. TJ is a public school with a very difficult application process. Apples to apples, not apples to oranges :P</p>
<p>Prep School’s generally require the Secondary School Admissions Test or SSAT. It’s the same format as the old SAT. If your thinking of going to a Groton, an Exeter, or a place like Milton you need exceptionally competitive scores… or, as with many colleges, some sort of connection. I have no idea if any one school is better or worse than Thomas Jefferson but I would caution against forming a judgment based on parochial loyalties. </p>
<p>In my experience some were genuine islands of privilege. Others were academic sweatshops with chapel at dawn and classes to dusk. Six days a week. Some were easy to get into and others required scores in the 98th percentile.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>pinkpolkadots,</p>
<p>If you haven’t spoken with your college adviser go introduce yourself. They’ll make your life much simpler and they can easily compare your credentials to other students who’ve applied to UVA. Odds are there a couple of alums currently attending UVA if you wanted to talk with someone about their experience.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<p>Eliot</p>
<p>@laurora, Not sure what your point is but perhaps I need to make mine again. According to numerous CC posts and presentations in my school district, the Admissions staff looks at your entire secondary academic performance. That includes what school you go to, how hard you have challenged yourself, what extra- curricular activities you are involved in, your SAT score and intangibles like someone who was challenged for some reason outside the classroom (had to work/moved a lot/overcame difficult situation/etc.). Getting a low GPA at a school will not hurt you as much as if it were at another school that does not have a demanding academic core. I have no idea where this persons school falls with regard to difficulty, but Im pretty sure the Admissions staff at UVA can figure it out. As noted by the previous post some prep schools are probably more academically demanding then others. Just like a school like TJ is more demanding than others in NOVA.</p>
<p>I don’t attend prep school myself, but I applied to several for HS freshmen year. During my interviews, I was led to believe that, attending a prep school, you wouldn’t be considered as coming from your home state during the college application process. Instead, you’d be grouped with the students from the boarding school state.</p>
<p>Of course, like I said, this was a few years ago. I may be remembering wrong.</p>
<p>Also, I mainly agree with Kei-o-lei: large public universities like UVA tend to stress numbers. So I personally don’t believe you stand a great chance with your current stats (but apply anyways!–you never can know). However, raising your SAT score should significantly improve your chances, especially given your ECs.</p>
<p>
Residency is not determined by the school attended. It is determined by where the family is domiciled.</p>
<p>@Gary614 - I am aware that you are judged by your situation, your school, etc. A 3.0, B average, at one of the “top prep schools in the country” does not sound particularly convincing. While the default curriculum of a private school may be very difficult, public school students can make their curriculum just as demanding if they choose to. It could very well equal that of a private school’s, even that of TJ’s, if the student is motivated enough. I’m sure that this school’s curriculum is extremely rigorous, but so can any other public student’s. And plenty of those students are able to achieve 4.0’s and higher (assuming that those are very high GPAs in the way of the student’s particular situation) with great SAT scores to match. I would think that the majority of the student body at school like that would be extremely competitive, and, on the 4.0 scale, anything below a 4.0 would knock you waay out of the top ten percent. I may be wrong, as I don’t know this student’s school’s statistics either, but that’s the point I’m trying to make.</p>