<p>I assumed that UVA is highly selective because it is the best public university in the nation. So, I thought it’s a reach for everybody like Duke or Brown. Am I right? I’m asking this because everybody told me that I’m shoo-in and that UVA is my match. I thought UVA is very hard to get into. How selective is UVA? Is it a match for anyone?</p>
<p>It can definately be a match for instaters. If you’re a top student instate you have a great chance of being admitted. And if you go to TJ, you don’t even have to be a top student to have UVA be a match. If you are OOS, and you are admitted, you probably would be atleast in the running for any school in the country.</p>
<p>Are you a former TJ student jags?</p>
<p>yeah you’re right though…over 1/4 of the senior class ends up at UVA every year. and thats who GOES there…not who GOT IN.</p>
<p>I heard that UVA can be really odd when it comes to admissions. For example, knew in-state Val, 1500 SATs – rejected. Another student I know from a different school (in-state) was rejected by UVA but got into Harvard where he is now.</p>
<p>Like others are saying, it depends if you are instate or out of state. It is nowhere near as hard as getting into Brown or Duke if you’re an instate student. You do need better stats and a better application for an out of state student</p>
<p>UVA was my safety school. I’m an instater and I never had any doubt that I’d get in. If you’re instate and you’ve got numbers as good or better than the medians at schools like Duke and Brown, then you’re pretty much a lock at UVA, unless you’ve got a criminal record or something.</p>
<p>UVA is my “safety” only because I’d rather go to William & Mary. If I end up at UVA, then that is the school where I was meant to be and it will be a great experience. I am applying in-state btw.</p>
<p>I think a lot of top in state students get that mentality though and some might not put as much effort into the essays as what the send off to Harvard, which could explain why the kid who got into Harvard got rejected. I think the adcom can tell when something was thrown together last minute without much effort.</p>
<p>P.S. – If I get rejected from UVA, I won’t be shocked.</p>
<p>soccergrl, my 500 word essay was the same one that i sent out to ivies. and, to be honest, there’s a point where that “mentality” is justified - essays only mean so much. a kid with a 1500 who’s in the top 2% of his class is capable of doing extremely well at UVA, regardless of what he writes in some silly 250 word essay. that’s not to say that essays don’t have a purpose - it’s just that their importance varies from application to application.</p>
<p>PS - worldshopper - i forgot to send you feedback on your essay. i was kind of bogged down last weekend with other stuff and didn’t get a chance to sit down and look through it. however, it was pretty interesting and read well. it definitely shows that you’ve had some interesting experiences!</p>
<p>Thanks cavalier302. I thought it was introspective at first but a few days later I’m thinking-- carp, I didn’t say much about myself in the essay. But, if the adcoms see the connection between what I wrote about, one of my passions, my intended major and my non-profit organization – then perhaps it will ‘pass’. At least it was original, doubt anyone is going to write about that.</p>
<p>It was fine. Like I said, essays can have varying amounts of importance. They don’t have to be fruitcakey “windows into your soul.” At the day, it’s your stats that will get you in. As long as the essay is readable and shows you have some depth, you should be fine, assuming your stats are competitive.</p>
<p>i didn’t go to TJ, but, I was just stating that you’d have to be a complete moron to go there and get rejected. Its basicly UVA Prep. Everyone at UVA knows a bunch of kids from TJ - its almost impossible not to run into them hehe. But I’m an OOSer so I know some on OOS admissions :-)</p>
<p>Haha yeah. I think the cut off is like a 3.6ish GPA if you’re coming from TJ. I know that stats aren’t everything but basically everyone over a 3.6 or 3.5 gets in and everyone below gets rejected. A lot of kids have SATs in the 1500s and decent extracurriculars with a low GPA (low meaning closer to 3.0 than 4.0) and don’t get in while people with not so great ECs get it. It’s pretty clear the UVA will accept pretty much any kid from TJ that meets their cutoff GPA.</p>