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I'm all set to send off my UVA ED app- but would a "Why UVA" addendum be redundant? I've done all of the research (professors, focus, etc.) and even visited (loved it btw) to solidify my decision to ED, so I have all I would need to write one. Just not sure if that would be considered annoying/excessive.

I think it's pretty standard that they expect you to write the "why UVA" essay since it is an ED application. By all means if your numbers are high enough it may not matter, but why risk it? Since you have everything it won't take you too long. If your numbers aren't at least at UVA's medians write it for sure.

Edit: Just make sure you don't screw up on it.. proofread it.. then have someone else proofread it.. then repeat.. the letter shows true commitment if done correctly.. do it sloppily and you may be dinged for it

BlueDiamond wrote:I think it's pretty standard that they expect you to write the "why UVA" essay since it is an ED application. By all means if your numbers are high enough it may not matter, but why risk it? Since you have everything it won't take you too long. If your numbers aren't at least at UVA's medians write it for sure.

Edit: Just make sure you don't screw up on it.. proofread it.. then have someone else proofread it.. then repeat.. the letter shows true commitment if done correctly.. do it sloppily and you may be dinged for it

I would say that a legally binding ED application shows all the commitment you need. I say not to include, OP. I sent along what I thought was a relatively compelling Why X to the school I ED'd to, and I feel pretty confident that sending a document the admissions office probably saw as superfluous hurt me.

Helmholtz wrote:

BlueDiamond wrote:I think it's pretty standard that they expect you to write the "why UVA" essay since it is an ED application. By all means if your numbers are high enough it may not matter, but why risk it? Since you have everything it won't take you too long. If your numbers aren't at least at UVA's medians write it for sure.

Edit: Just make sure you don't screw up on it.. proofread it.. then have someone else proofread it.. then repeat.. the letter shows true commitment if done correctly.. do it sloppily and you may be dinged for it

I would say that a legally binding ED application shows all the commitment you need. I say not to include, OP. I sent along what I thought was a relatively compelling Why X to the school I ED'd to, and I feel pretty confident that sending a document the admissions office probably saw as superfluous hurt me.

I personally couldn't disagree more. There's no way a school would reject you for basically talking up the school and the surrounding area and expressing how you can be a beneficial member of the school. You have no way of knowing it is that document that hurt you and I highly doubt it was unless it was poorly written or you applied there ED for the wrong reasons.

Edit: also, OP, seeing your numbers would help to see if you'd even need it.. if the numbers are high enough you're likely in regardless

upalittletoolate wrote:Just not sure if that would be considered annoying/excessive.

Maybe not annoying, but definitely excessive and redundant. The ED contract speaks louder than any Why essay can.

Thanks for the replies this late- numbers are 166/164, 4.0. UVA really is my dream school- but ED really does assert that.

No harm in writing it. You are a reverse splitter and at least one person with worse numbers than you has gotten in ED this cycle, but I wouldn't risk it. I think you have enough to fill up a page double spaced.

BlueDiamond wrote:

Helmholtz wrote:

BlueDiamond wrote:I think it's pretty standard that they expect you to write the "why UVA" essay since it is an ED application. By all means if your numbers are high enough it may not matter, but why risk it? Since you have everything it won't take you too long. If your numbers aren't at least at UVA's medians write it for sure.

Edit: Just make sure you don't screw up on it.. proofread it.. then have someone else proofread it.. then repeat.. the letter shows true commitment if done correctly.. do it sloppily and you may be dinged for it

I would say that a legally binding ED application shows all the commitment you need. I say not to include, OP. I sent along what I thought was a relatively compelling Why X to the school I ED'd to, and I feel pretty confident that sending a document the admissions office probably saw as superfluous hurt me.

I personally couldn't disagree more. There's no way a school would reject you for basically talking up the school and the surrounding area and expressing how you can be a beneficial member of the school. You have no way of knowing it is that document that hurt you and I highly doubt it was unless it was poorly written or you applied there ED for the wrong reasons.

There was only one other person on TLS that I knew of beside me with similar numbers who sent in a Why X with their ED app. The numbers were pretty much where the similarity ended; we had quite different profiles. They too were straight rejected. Everybody with numbers close (hell, even significantly lower) to us were held at worst. I did not hear of one accepted person who also sent in an Why X. Coincidence? Eh, maybe. I had more than a dozen intelligent people proofread my Why X (a couple of them got into Yale Law - these weren't people I picked off the street), and they all really liked it. It was not poorly written. It did not give the adcomm any hint that I was applying ED for the wrong reasons. It just seems to me stronger than a coincidence when you have two people with very different profiles be treated differently than all of the people with similar numbers.

Q: Apart from maybe gut feeling, what are you basing your opinion on?

And, btw, I had your exact same opinion about a year ago when I was still a 0L.

I wouldn't write it. If history (i.e. the last few years) tells us anything, it's that UVA doesn't see their ED applicants as anything more than numbers. If you have the numbers (and I would assert that you do), then you're in. If not, you're waitlisted. I very much doubt a Why UVA? essay (regardless of how compelling and well written) is going to change things one way or the other.

One of the adcomms at UVA told me, basically, "ED is the strongest statement you can make for wanting to attend." I'm pretty sure he'd find a Why UVA addendum redundant. They know you want to go there more than any other school, just by virtue of EDing. You don't need to say anything more, and there's a small danger of shooting yourself in the foot by writing a bad one. Writing one is therefore no gain and possible loss, and you shouldn't write one.

(Yes, I have talked directly to UVA adcomms. I used to go there.)

vanwinkle wrote:One of the adcomms at UVA told me, basically, "ED is the strongest statement you can make for wanting to attend." I'm pretty sure he'd find a Why UVA addendum redundant. They know you want to go there more than any other school, just by virtue of EDing. You don't need to say anything more, and there's a small danger of shooting yourself in the foot by writing a bad one. Writing one is therefore no gain and possible loss, and you shouldn't write one.

(Yes, I have talked directly to UVA adcomms. I used to go there.)

This

The cynic in me says:

Desire to go to law school = how little scholarship money can we give you?
ED = STICKER ME BOYS

Hannibal wrote:The cynic in me says:

Desire to go to law school = how little scholarship money can we give you?
ED = STICKER ME BOYS

UVA is known to give scholarship money to ED admits. It's not a sure thing though, and of course you don't know if you're going to get anything until after you're committed to attending, so it shouldn't be an assumption you're going to get any.

Hannibal wrote:The cynic in me says:

Desire to go to law school = how little scholarship money can we give you?
ED = STICKER ME BOYS

I'm more won over by the argument that ED = borderline numbers = no scholarship money. I definitely know of people who ED'd at my school and still got a decent chunk of scholarship money, but then again, they had good enough numbers that they probably would have gotten money if they had applied RD.

Thanks for all the replies guys- I sent my app in this morning with no essay. Overnighting my ED statement tomorrow morning- here's hoping!