I have heard a lot about both of these schools and will be touring them later on. I was curious what people think of them in terms of their “vibe”, student attitude, reputation, distinct features, really any information… I was also curious about how difficult they are to get admitted into, (Profile snapshot: ACT 30 GPA: 4.32 Strong EC’s, no hooks, good essays and recs)
Much appreciated!
Are you out of state for both or just for one?
I am outside of state for both @twogirls
Due to your OOS status both of these schools will be a significant reach. That does not mean you should not apply… But it does mean that you should have realistic expectations. Will your parents spend full price ( $50,000 + ) if you don’t qualify for financial aid?
Unweighted: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.32 (end of junior year)
Rank: 2/275
Act composite: 30 (planning on retaking)
SAT: 1290 (taken last year)
SAT II: 750 APUSH, 720 Chem, (will take math II)
AP Scores: Human Geo: 5 APUSH: 5 Calc AB: 5 Psych: 4 English Comp: 5 Chem: 4 Macro: 5
Planned course load for next year: AP Spanish, AP Lit, Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Gov, AP Econ
Asian-American
Proficient in English and Spanish, highly limited knowledge of Latin and Korean
- Won Korean War essay contest (local/regional)
- Writes for school paper
- 2 varsity sports
- Intern on a foundation that raises money for the school district
- Producer of 2 Podcasts (on Itunes) host for 1 of the shows
- Editor in Chief of the broadcast club's news website
- On the Board of Directors of the Broadcast club
- 4 year student council member
- 2 term elected National Honor Society officer
- Soccer referee
- Scholastic photography award, honorable mention
- Third place district photography award
- AP Scholar with distinction
- Tutored some students in math who had limited english ability for one semester
Above is the rest of the profile, it’s probably the ACT that is lacking right? @twogirls Thanks for the comments!
You are a strong student… But even if you increase your ACT these schools will still be a reach given your OOS status. Will your parents spend $200,000 + for these schools if you don’t qualify for aid?
Does your school have Naviance? What have acceptances been like over the past 2 years? What state are you from?
Both schools are great- we visited them multiple times. I can discuss one in depth but I hesitate to do so until I know if the finances are realistic.
Please sit down with your parents and complete the net price calculators for these schools. If the cost sounds reasonable …then these schools are “only” academic reaches. If the cost is not reasonable …then the schools are not only academic reaches… but also financial reaches.
On the plus side, these are (I believe) the only two public colleges that meet full demonstrated need for OOS students. The question is, does their opinion of what your family can pay come close enough to what you think you can pay. My D recently got an instate package at UVa which was a couple of thousand better than the NPC, so hopefully the NPC is reasonably accurate and also not overly optimistic. (Though some people have more complicated financial situations that can make results less reliable.)
Also on the plus side, UVa considers strength of courses and grades (where you are very strong) significantly more than test scores. On the down side, UVa accepts about 25% OOS and has a lot of applicants with excellent grades and slightly higher ACT scores. This doesn’t mean you can’t make the cut, but just that your essays and recs will have to help a lot, and getting a 32 would really help too.
UVA and UNC are excellent schools and anyone would be lucky to get an acceptance to either, regardless of in-state or out-of-state status. They’re a bit different in terms of campus culture, however. UVA has the feel of an old private school. It’s a bit more conservative politically and the student body tends to be a little more moneyed and pre-professional. Lots of prep-school kids there from wealthy families. Certainly not everyone is like that, but it has much more in common with schools like Princeton and Duke than it does with, say, UMich or UCBerkeley. UNC is, in my experience, more laid-back, more liberal (though still pretty moderate), with larger contingents of hippies, hipsters, goths, artists, etc. You’ll find more creative types at UNC, though you will also find the preppie contingent on a smaller scale. A student who felt comfortable at places like Oberlin, Brown, Wesleyan, and Vassar would probably prefer UNC, while someone who favored Duke, Princeton, Amherst, and UPenn would probably prefer UVA.
@sheepskin00 great description!
Essentially the out of state cost would be similar for me whether its UVA or something else of that caliber. Financially these schools are possible, but if I were offered better scholarship at a different school or state school I would have to consider them. I am also going to try for the Jefferson Scholarship or Morehead-Cain scholarship, even though they are serious long shots. Also I am from Oregon! My school does have Naviance, and only one person has been admitted to UVA and no one has been accepted to UNC (it is my brothers good friend who is at UVA). I think these two schools would be my reaches, and I am intrigued by your insight into one of them! @twogirls
Thank you for the excellent description, it was very insightful! @sheepskin00
It’s good to hear UVA weights GPA and courses a little more! I will try to raise my ACT this September. Thanks for the help! @Wilson98
@“WVOR357$” try and raise your ACT score. Both schools have OOS legal caps. 82% of students at UNC must be from NC… meanwhile the majority of applications come from OOS (about 25,000 OOS vs about 10,000 in-state). UVA is legally permitted to take more OOS students… The cap is a little higher but it still exists.
@sheepskin00 gave an excellent description- not sure if I could do better other than to restate the vibe at UNC- it is pretty “chill,” laid back and pretty liberal ( according to my liberal kid). It is a very energetic campus with a lot going on. If you have any specific questions about classes, etc please ask.
Good luck to you!
First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to help me out! Your advice has been very helpful for me and hopefully many others. My final question for you is about the Jefferson scholarship. I think I noticed your name in a different thread and thought you may have some information. I was mostly wondering whether it is selected by stats, personality, EC’s or other things? I guess I was mostly curious about the selection process and what interviews are like. If I have mistaken you for someone else, that’s my mistake, but I thought I’d ask! @twogirls Thank you again!
Is your school a nominating school for Jefferson Scholars?
Yes, I’ve checked with their search thing! To the best of my knowledge no one has been nominated, and I don’t think anyone in my class even knows about it. @twogirls
You would have to ask your guidance counselor to nominate you.
You fill out the application and write the essays… then you wait and see if the committee calls you. My D was called and interviewed at a home by 3 alumni. They asked her about school, her activities, her goals, etc.
A week later she received a second call asking her to come back for another interview. They chose 5 or 6. Once again they spoke about her classes, goals, etc. She did not make it to Virginia for the third and final interview. They took 1 from her original group of 19. Once in Virginia you go through a series of tests, interviews, essays, etc… Then they make their decision.
My D was #1 in her class with ACT/SAT into the 99th %. She had excellent activities and leadership, but … so did everybody else… and some of these kids had activities etc that were incredibly impressive ( selling their own line of clothing to major dept stores… for example). All of these kids were amazing.
My daughter found the whole experience to be very humbling and was happy she made it through 2 interviews.
If you are nominated I wish you luck… it’s very exciting! Just remember it is highly, highly competitive and most don’t make it.
Once again… Thank You! @twogirls