Comments that disparage other students are unkind and unhelpful in this forum. I hope this discussion can maintain a commitment to talking about what we actually know.
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I know the kid personally, and heâs a great kid. I have no idea if he applied TO, my point was more that, when a school names dozens of valedictorians, it doesnât seem to benefit students like one may think. There was also a Wake Co valedictorian who was not accepted at UNC CH recently, and he got into Harvard. We know a top 3% kid who didnât get into UNC. All of these kids had great extracurriculars. I know our top 3% who we knew went TO (and regrets it, as their score was in the bottom 25th of UNC accepted, and likely would have made the difference). In competitive districts, most strong students in the top 10% who submit scores get in. But a rare few donât, even when all data indicates they will, and that is the game of college admissions.
What is TO?
test optional
The Supreme Court case also exposed that their admissions process was not entirely merit based.
For many years, UNC has always publicly maintained that its application review and selection process is holistic, and not based solely on merit.
STATEMENT ON THE EVALUATION OF CANDIDATES
In evaluating candidates for undergraduate admission, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to shape the entering class so that its collective strengths will foster excellence within the University community; enhance the education of everyone within it; provide for the leadership of the educational, governmental, scientific, business, humanistic, artistic, and professional institutions of the state, nation, and world; and enrich the lives of all the people of North Carolina.
In so doing, we aim to help the University fulfill its stated mission: to serve âthe people of the state, and indeed the nation, as a center for scholarship and creative endeavor,â and to be âa community engaged in original inquiry and creative expression, while committed to intellectual freedom, to personal integrity and justice, and to those values that foster enlightened leadership for the state and nation,â and indeed the world.
The qualities we seek in each class are those that foster such a community, including intellect, talent, curiosity, and creativity; leadership, kindness, and courage; honesty, perseverance, perspective, and diversity. Although we expect each successful candidate to demonstrate strength in many of these areas, we do not expect every candidate to be equally strong in all of them. Just as there is no formula for admission, there is no list of qualities or characteristics that every applicant must present.
In shaping the class, we evaluate individual candidates rigorously, holistically, and sympathetically. We seek to assess the ways in which each candidate will likely contribute to the kind of campus community that will enable the University to fulfill its mission. This assessment requires not only that we note the achievements and potential of each applicant but also that we understand the context within which achievements have been realized and potential forged.
These comprehensive and individualized evaluations, taken together, do not aim to maximize any single, narrow outcomeâfor example, the average SAT score or the average eventual GPA of the entering class. Rather, they aim to draw together students who will enrich each otherâs education, strengthen the campus community, contribute to the betterment of society, and help the University achieve its broader mission.
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I did not mean to imply that it was a secret. Rather, the very public case showcased the squirreliness of the practice. The actual student-by-student admissions decisions are/were still a black box. (The links you included really donât tell you much and give plenty of margin for deicsion making.) Holistic admissions and âshaping the classâ mean some kids who look like shoo-ins on paper are not.
ââŠrespondentsâ admissions programs fail to articulate a meaningful connection between the means they employ and the goals they pursue.â - SCOTUS
DD got email to fix error in Residency Classification. apparently she missed a number. good sign?
They likely just noticed it in review and need to confirm if sheâs oos or in state.
âHolisticâ is a pretty word that allows schools to favor the preferred groups/identities of the moment.
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There are so many high merit applicants (strong SAT and grades) that the university needs to look below the surface to determine who would bring something truly special to campus. Below the surface is the ECs and essays where applicants can show their unique talents, motivations, character qualities that are not evident in grades and rigor alone. That is what I think holistic review means.
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It also can be the mix. You canât admit 4000 A+ students who all present as math and science profiles when you have humanities subjects to fill, art majors, language majors, etc. You also canât fill the entire OOS population with NY, NJ and CA. The issue overall is that it isnât just pure merit that gets you into these schools itâs a level of acceptable merit + what unique circumstances intersect to make you a great possible addition to the population theyâre putting together at the time you apply.
Another factor is so many of these higher end kids are applying to 12 top schools and I suspect at some point some of these schools say you know what theyâll be fine somewhere else theyâre probably not coming here anyways. You see this at times with schools that yield manage more aggressively with waitlists â lets see how badly they want to be here⊠The yield on OOS kids is lower than in-state and this is partially why. So I think that if youâre not the highest merit, but your mix of subject areas and grades and essay, background is interesting and they think you might actually have a higher chance of enrolling that can make the difference for a bubble kid who is A-/1350 SATs but looks like theyâd be a great history major or teaching candidate.
The way I explain to my kids and others is once youâre A- (4-5 aps) or better 1300 or better (if not TO) then you get a lottery ticket to apply to schools like UNC, but like a lottery there are other kids who get to buy more than one ticket. So maybe my kid has 1 ticket and the valedictorian has 10, but thereâs still a chance to hit and you still did well enough to deserve a ticket even if you donât win.
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Looks like they are trying to prepare everyone for some disappointing news.
I have one kid there and one waiting for a decision. Itâs an amazing school.
Good luck everyone.
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Think itâs unlikely for my out of state son. At this point, keeping my fingers crossed for the waitlist 
My OOS daughter is so anxious to hear. Her dad and I are both UNC alums, and she would be over the moon to get in. She is top of her class and has amazing stats and great ECs, but so does every other applicant! Such a special school. Based on previous EA decision dates, I canât figure out if weâll hear next Friday or the 31st. Anyone have any insight? I think itâs usually the Friday before the end of the month, but this year the last day of the month is on a Friday!
According to UNCâs website EA decisions will be released on January 31.
I got stuck on a really boring conference call yesterday and went back through CC looking for the release dates for UNC for the past several EA cycles. (Donât tell my boss!) Hereâs what I found.
| Fall of Year | Release Date | Day of Week | Time of Day (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1/26/2024 | Friday | 3:50pm |
| 2023 | 1/27/2023 | Friday | 3:50pm |
| 2022 | 1/27/2022 | Thursday | 3:50pm |
| 2021 | 1/27/2021 | Wednesday | 3:45pm |
| 2020 | 1/24/2020 | Friday | 3:30pm |
| 2019 | 1/25/2019 | Friday | 4:15pm |
Based on the history I am wondering if they target a 1/27 release, rather than a Friday release necessarily. In any event, they have not released results later than 1/27 any time in the past six EA releases.
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That would be wonderful, although the UNC webpage does state decisions will be released 1/31. (It actually states âDecisions Release January 31.â â not âBy January 31.â)
Curious if in the past the website stated January 31, but decisions actually were released earlier.
In the forum topics I went through to get the table it always said January 31. But to your point, I could not say there has been any tweaking to the wording or anything.
Same here, not even sure why she applied given the low oos acceptance rates. Hopefully they donât waitlist or defer and just give a final decision.