UVA 2010, RD Forum

[becauseimaddicted]

According to the curt response I received from the dean when I sent a scholarship reconsideration request, there won't be any more merit money going out until after they receive their first round of deposits on April 30th. So I suppose in that sense people on the waitlist do have a chance at getting money, but not necessarily OVER people who were already accepted (so long as those RD people are willing to put down a deposit and turn down other merit offers just to wait and see if UVA feels like being generous!)

This doesn't make sense, why would they offer more money after the deposit is placed and other scholarship offers are turned down? There would be no leverage on the applicant's part and no incentive for UVA to offer scholarship.

MAYBE if someone placed deposits at multiple schools this would potentially happen, but I don't see why the school would wait until after the deposit deadline.

+10000

I am still waiting to hear from UVA (at this point, I would pay sticker and I really regret not doing ED) but I am experiencing the same at William and Mary. Maybe its a state school thing or a Virginia thing?

[r6_philly]

I was waitlisted today, pretty quick decision, I was kind of pleasantly surprised.

[Apple Tree]

Well it's official. Just finished withdrawing from other schools and sent in my seat deposits.

Congrats!!! I didn't receive a comparable scholarship after all, but if I were in your shoes, I would definitely have made the same choice! I still may end up at UVA, but my decision may come down to cost over rankings.

Thanks, number twin! Have you considered Vanderbilt? Before I got my offer from UVA, I was leaning heavily towards Vandy. It's such a great school, and it has an incredible reputation down the south.
Good luck!

[hannah87]

Well it's official. Just finished withdrawing from other schools and sent in my seat deposits.

Congrats!!! I didn't receive a comparable scholarship after all, but if I were in your shoes, I would definitely have made the same choice! I still may end up at UVA, but my decision may come down to cost over rankings.

+1!!! i didn't get the merit scholarship either. sounds like the perfect situation for you, apple!

[Apple Tree]

Well it's official. Just finished withdrawing from other schools and sent in my seat deposits.

Congrats!!! I didn't receive a comparable scholarship after all, but if I were in your shoes, I would definitely have made the same choice! I still may end up at UVA, but my decision may come down to cost over rankings.

+1!!! i didn't get the merit scholarship either. sounds like the perfect situation for you, apple!

Thanks! That was a bummer that you didn't get any scholly. But you are still going to the UVA ASW, right?

[hannah87]

Well it's official. Just finished withdrawing from other schools and sent in my seat deposits.

Congrats!!! I didn't receive a comparable scholarship after all, but if I were in your shoes, I would definitely have made the same choice! I still may end up at UVA, but my decision may come down to cost over rankings.

+1!!! i didn't get the merit scholarship either. sounds like the perfect situation for you, apple!

Thanks! That was a bummer that you didn't get any scholly. But you are still going to the UVA ASW, right?

yep. i at least want to see it before i make a final decision- otherwise, i'd kick myself forever.

[gwgirl]

According to the curt response I received from the dean when I sent a scholarship reconsideration request, there won't be any more merit money going out until after they receive their first round of deposits on April 30th. So I suppose in that sense people on the waitlist do have a chance at getting money, but not necessarily OVER people who were already accepted (so long as those RD people are willing to put down a deposit and turn down other merit offers just to wait and see if UVA feels like being generous!)

This doesn't make sense, why would they offer more money after the deposit is placed and other scholarship offers are turned down? There would be no leverage on the applicant's part and no incentive for UVA to offer scholarship.

MAYBE if someone placed deposits at multiple schools this would potentially happen, but I don't see why the school would wait until after the deposit deadline.

Yup I guess that's what they're expecting you to do (place multiple deposits). In the words of Trujillo, "We are not going to be in a position to reevaluate scholarships until we count our first deposits which are due on April 30. Thus, you will have to make your decision with the offers you have in hand." Wow.

[wackjickham]

I don't think its all that uncommon to ask for that. NYU told me basically the same thing. Its tough to basically lose that deposit for what you're almost positive will be exactly what you have right now, but I also think if you REALLY want to go there its worth it to try.

I don't blame these guys at all. Their jobs are tough. Everyone wants money and they have a finite amount to allocate, all while we're all frantically changing our minds.

[JIsaacSmith]

So, I also got wait-listed yesterday.

My only question is: How should I approach writing my LOCI?

I'm not sure how exactly I should go about this, but I definitely have a strong desire to attend UVA (as I'm sure hundreds of other WLers do)

e-mail an essay? call the admissions office? send them a snail mail letter?

What do you guys think is the most effective way to get off this damned list?!

[r6_philly]

I wouldn't be surprised if the waitlist is 1000 person long.

I think the best way to get off THIS list is to have luck. Seriously. 7900 out of state apps? Gosh! If I knew that I wouldn't have sent one to help them out.

[astro1819]

So, I also got wait-listed yesterday.

My only question is: How should I approach writing my LOCI?

I'm not sure how exactly I should go about this, but I definitely have a strong desire to attend UVA (as I'm sure hundreds of other WLers do)

e-mail an essay? call the admissions office? send them a snail mail letter?

What do you guys think is the most effective way to get off this damned list?!

Visit campus, and follow up with a formal LOCI? Very expensive I know, so it depends on how bad you want it, how good your other offers are, and how far away from Charlottesville you are. Otherwise, make it formal -- since UVA is so paperless, I would say emailing a PDF attachment of a formal letter would be the quickest and best way to do it.

[astro1819]

According to the curt response I received from the dean when I sent a scholarship reconsideration request, there won't be any more merit money going out until after they receive their first round of deposits on April 30th. So I suppose in that sense people on the waitlist do have a chance at getting money, but not necessarily OVER people who were already accepted (so long as those RD people are willing to put down a deposit and turn down other merit offers just to wait and see if UVA feels like being generous!)

This doesn't make sense, why would they offer more money after the deposit is placed and other scholarship offers are turned down? There would be no leverage on the applicant's part and no incentive for UVA to offer scholarship.

MAYBE if someone placed deposits at multiple schools this would potentially happen, but I don't see why the school would wait until after the deposit deadline.

Yup I guess that's what they're expecting you to do (place multiple deposits). In the words of Trujillo, "We are not going to be in a position to reevaluate scholarships until we count our first deposits which are due on April 30. Thus, you will have to make your decision with the offers you have in hand." Wow.

Wow, that's crazy, and sucks. Were you trying to negotiate upward a current scholarship or negotiate from no scholarship to scholarship?

[astro1819]

Well it's official. Just finished withdrawing from other schools and sent in my seat deposits.

Congrats!!! I didn't receive a comparable scholarship after all, but if I were in your shoes, I would definitely have made the same choice! I still may end up at UVA, but my decision may come down to cost over rankings.

Thanks, number twin! Have you considered Vanderbilt? Before I got my offer from UVA, I was leaning heavily towards Vandy. It's such a great school, and it has an incredible reputation down the south.
Good luck!

Yeah, I'm considering it heavily. I'll be visiting for the ASP this weekend. I LOVED Virginia Law, so I can't imagine liking Vandy more, but I've heard some really great things, and cost is important to me. I've also heard that Vandy and Virginia have a somewhat similar feel and attract similar students. That said, I think I'm worried about turning down UVA because it seems to have a larger and deeper reach for placing graduates, especially in the markets I'm interested in. I'll know better after this weekend, but thanks for the advice and support!!

[gwgirl]

According to the curt response I received from the dean when I sent a scholarship reconsideration request, there won't be any more merit money going out until after they receive their first round of deposits on April 30th. So I suppose in that sense people on the waitlist do have a chance at getting money, but not necessarily OVER people who were already accepted (so long as those RD people are willing to put down a deposit and turn down other merit offers just to wait and see if UVA feels like being generous!)

This doesn't make sense, why would they offer more money after the deposit is placed and other scholarship offers are turned down? There would be no leverage on the applicant's part and no incentive for UVA to offer scholarship.

MAYBE if someone placed deposits at multiple schools this would potentially happen, but I don't see why the school would wait until after the deposit deadline.

Yup I guess that's what they're expecting you to do (place multiple deposits). In the words of Trujillo, "We are not going to be in a position to reevaluate scholarships until we count our first deposits which are due on April 30. Thus, you will have to make your decision with the offers you have in hand." Wow.

Wow, that's crazy, and sucks. Were you trying to negotiate upward a current scholarship or negotiate from no scholarship to scholarship?

I wasn't offered anything and was trying to negotiate SOMETHING--even if they could have just throw 5 or 10K a year at me I would have felt better!

[astro1819]

I wasn't offered anything and was trying to negotiate SOMETHING--even if they could have just throw 5 or 10K a year at me I would have felt better!

Yeah, I was in the same boat. Got almost the same response from Dean T.

5k per year to them must be next to nothing (the small difference between in and out of state), but it would've been a huge psychological boost to me. They could've had me and my 200k+ (and I like to think that I offer some things of value beyond my cash $$$)

Are you going there anyway?

[vanwinkle]

So, I also got wait-listed yesterday.

My only question is: How should I approach writing my LOCI?

I'm not sure how exactly I should go about this, but I definitely have a strong desire to attend UVA (as I'm sure hundreds of other WLers do)

e-mail an essay? call the admissions office? send them a snail mail letter?

What do you guys think is the most effective way to get off this damned list?!

In direct conversations with the adcomms, the thing I have heard repeated most bluntly is that they look most at people who are most convincing that they want to attend. "I will attend if accepted" is the strongest thing you can say in a LOCI, but you'd better mean it.

Also, multiple LOCIs and other contacts are appropriate, as long as you can draw a line between "maintaining interest" and "being really annoying". You want to show them you remain interested, and that can mean more than one LOCI. Don't start doing this daily, but maybe once every couple weeks or so would be good.

Also, consider visiting. Find out if you can schedule a particular day to meet with them in person while you're visiting, and come here.

There are ways to convince them to take you off the WL, but they're methods reserved for only the truly dedicated. It is not at all about luck, and in many ways it's the opposite. You must have 1) appropriate stats (if they're short in an area, they may be covered and just need to fill a seat) and 2) a level of dedication that shows them you'll attend and appreciate the opportunity if given one. Because they've likely been shoring up their median support all cycle long, #2 is going to be the bigger factor, unless they unexpectedly fall really short in one area.

[LSHPFL10]

Is a LOCI "every couple of weeks" really not considered annoying?

And here I was concerned with sending more than one LOCI and an additional LoR...

So is it correct to assume that several LOCI updates of your intention to attend would do you more good than one well-timed, thoughtfully written LOCI?

[vanwinkle]

Is a LOCI "every couple of weeks" really not considered annoying?

And here I was concerned with sending more than one LOCI and an additional LoR...

So is it correct to assume that several LOCI updates of your intention to attend would do you more good than one well-timed, thoughtfully written LOCI?

This is what I believe. I've heard comments from the adcomms that they like people who keep showing interest, and that to me implies multiple contacts. You don't want to mailbomb them, though, because that'll just get on their nerves. You have to find a careful balance between showing interest often enough to stay noticed and not becoming a nuisance. I'm suggesting that you wouldn't want to do it more often then every couple weeks, but if you can keep finding reasons to send them updates every couple weeks, that could be good for you.

I should point out that's probably important. Try to have new things to say every time you update them. If you're still in school, use your spring grades as a reason to send a LOCI. Use whatever experience you're gaining over the summer to write a LOCI. Use the fact that you have time in the summer to visit and would like to meet them in person while you're there if possible as a LOCI. (They may not grant this, I honestly don't know how they handle that for WL'd folks, but asking does show interest.) If you're in a job, talking about new experiences in your job can be a reason to write a LOCI. Second seat deposit deadlines coming up elsewhere and you hoping to commit to UVA instead of another school by June 15 is a reason to write a LOCI.

See how this works? Write a LOCI every time you have a reason to, but keep in mind there can be many good reasons. This applies elsewhere in the world, too. The one job offer I got for this summer, I got after sending two post-interview E-mails: A thank-you followup to the interview and then a LOCI about volunteer work I was doing during Spring Break and how it reaffirmed my commitment to the type of PI work they do. A day after that second LOCI was sent, I got an E-mail job offer from them.

You can't annoy people, but if you keep having valid reasons to talk to them, then by all means do so.

[gwgirl]

I wasn't offered anything and was trying to negotiate SOMETHING--even if they could have just throw 5 or 10K a year at me I would have felt better!

Yeah, I was in the same boat. Got almost the same response from Dean T.

5k per year to them must be next to nothing (the small difference between in and out of state), but it would've been a huge psychological boost to me. They could've had me and my 200k+ (and I like to think that I offer some things of value beyond my cash $$$)

Are you going there anyway?

Yeah exactly, $10k a year would have felt like massive difference even though it's nothing to them. But nope, they lost me

[JasonCG]

I am currently WL, and am planning to visit the school in a couple of weeks. Any suggestions on people I should look for to talk to, and what I should be asking them? I have a couple of questions in mind to ask, but I'm not sure how these visits usually go. How formal is it? I don't have anything new to update them with, so what reason do they have to talk to me? UVA is one of my top two choices, but I'm not willing to commit to withdrawing other applications until I have heard back from my other schools. Any input is welcome.

[SweetrollStealer]

Sooo I haven't heard a peep from UVA since January. I'm more or less set on where I'm going, but I'd like to be 100%. WTF Virginia, I liked you so much. Now, I just don't know anymore...

[tommytahoe]

I am currently WL, and am planning to visit the school in a couple of weeks. Any suggestions on people I should look for to talk to, and what I should be asking them? I have a couple of questions in mind to ask, but I'm not sure how these visits usually go. How formal is it? I don't have anything new to update them with, so what reason do they have to talk to me? UVA is one of my top two choices, but I'm not willing to commit to withdrawing other applications until I have heard back from my other schools. Any input is welcome.

I don't have advice on how to go about the campus visit (although, since I am a near-broke student in California, anything you say that drops my name into the conversation would be great ).
If there's nothing new to say, perhaps you could just weave into any conversations you have some things you have already expressed about the school, or your "story," or ask very targeted question(s) about, say, the Appellate Litigation Clinic, or something about how great Charlottesville is. They are big on their town and community, I hear... Just a few thoughts.

Re: withdrawing applications: Couldn't you just whittle your other choices down to one school, with the safe assumption that you will not be accepted to UVA, and when you choose that other school, put down the deposit, and wait out UVA and the other WLs?

[doinmybest]

Wow 138 pages about Cooley. There sure are a lot of people stressing about Cooley.

[beef wellington]

Wow 138 pages about Cooley. There sure are a lot of people stressing about Cooley.

UVA seems to be quite the numbers whore judging by this thread.

[D-hops]

Wow 138 pages about Cooley. There sure are a lot of people stressing about Cooley.

Well, it is the largest law school in the US...