UVA c/o 2015 Applicants (2011-2012 cycle) Forum

[sandwiches5000]

Just popping in for the first time. Applied RD end of October... been complete since then. Numbers around median... So, a reach for me. I wrote a 'Why Penn' and 'Why Mich' but no 'Why UVA.' Should I send one in? I don't know why but I just didn't think about sending one.

[username08]

Just popping in for the first time. Applied RD end of October... been complete since then. Numbers around median... So, a reach for me. I wrote a 'Why Penn' and 'Why Mich' but no 'Why UVA.' Should I send one in? I don't know why but I just didn't think about sending one.

I was in the exact same position and after thinking it over for a bit ultimately I emailed a 'Why UVA' essay last week, asking if they could add it to my application as my optional addenda. Haven't heard back, though.

[JoeMo]

OT - so I was talking to someone and we were pondering, why is it that some of the top schools H, UVA, Mich etc... can start sending out decisions now but much lower ranked schools (say Golden Gate) wait until much later in the cycle to start churning them out? One would almost assume it would be the opposite.

[EMZE]

Just popping in for the first time. Applied RD end of October... been complete since then. Numbers around median... So, a reach for me. I wrote a 'Why Penn' and 'Why Mich' but no 'Why UVA.' Should I send one in? I don't know why but I just didn't think about sending one.

I was in the exact same position and after thinking it over for a bit ultimately I emailed a 'Why UVA' essay last week, asking if they could add it to my application as my optional addenda. Haven't heard back, though.

Sent a why UVA in 2+ weeks ago and have heard nothing back. I've called the admissions office before, and they are friendly, but that was earlier in the cycle. I am sure they are swamped now.

[Samara]

OT - so I was talking to someone and we were pondering, why is it that some of the top schools H, UVA, Mich etc... can start sending out decisions now but much lower ranked schools (say Golden Gate) wait until much later in the cycle to start churning them out? One would almost assume it would be the opposite.

I'm pretty sure Harvard and Golden Gate are not looking at the same group of applicants. I imagine why the lower-ranked schools wait is that they get a lot of safety school applications, so if they wait a while, a large swath of the applicant pool will get into a better school and withdraw their application. Then, you have a lot fewer applications to process, which saves you money and gives you a better idea of where your medians can be.

[JoeMo]

OT - so I was talking to someone and we were pondering, why is it that some of the top schools H, UVA, Mich etc... can start sending out decisions now but much lower ranked schools (say Golden Gate) wait until much later in the cycle to start churning them out? One would almost assume it would be the opposite.

I'm pretty sure Harvard and Golden Gate are not looking at the same group of applicants. I imagine why the lower-ranked schools wait is that they get a lot of safety school applications, so if they wait a while, a large swath of the applicant pool will get into a better school and withdraw their application. Then, you have a lot fewer applications to process, which saves you money and gives you a better idea of where your medians can be.

TITCR - that makes complete sense. And I wasn't suggesting they get the same pool of applicants, although admittedly I did apply to GGU as a safety school. To me, the whole admissions thing seems so random. For example, the first admission I received was from a safety school too and it was like a few days after my application went complete. So they don't subscribe to the theory above. It's all very interesting to me. You TLS'ers that are used to this might not be as fascinated by the whole thing but I am for whatever reason.

[Samara]

OT - so I was talking to someone and we were pondering, why is it that some of the top schools H, UVA, Mich etc... can start sending out decisions now but much lower ranked schools (say Golden Gate) wait until much later in the cycle to start churning them out? One would almost assume it would be the opposite.

I'm pretty sure Harvard and Golden Gate are not looking at the same group of applicants. I imagine why the lower-ranked schools wait is that they get a lot of safety school applications, so if they wait a while, a large swath of the applicant pool will get into a better school and withdraw their application. Then, you have a lot fewer applications to process, which saves you money and gives you a better idea of where your medians can be.

TITCR - that makes complete sense. And I wasn't suggesting they get the same pool of applicants, although admittedly I did apply to GGU as a safety school. To me, the whole admissions thing seems so random. For example, the first admission I received was from a safety school too and it was like a few days after my application went complete. So they don't subscribe to the theory above. It's all very interesting to me. You TLS'ers that are used to this might not be as fascinated by the whole thing but I am for whatever reason.

Oh no, I find it interesting. I do think, however, that a lot of people 'round these parts try to read way too much into every little thing that happens. Adcomms don't have the time or the desire to set up some complex system of optimal application processing. Sometimes, it's just how the cycle goes. Thinking things like "three people on the west coast who went complete on 10/28 received a decision today, but I haven't so I must be a rejection even though I'm over both medians, they must be sending out acceptances by geographic area, oh I'm going to get rejected and fail at life!" My favorite is when people post something like that then ten minutes later post "ZOMG!!!11 I'm in!!!! 4.0/180 I never thought this would happen!!!"

[JoeMo]

Oh no, I find it interesting. I do think, however, that a lot of people 'round these parts try to read way too much into every little thing that happens. Adcomms don't have the time or the desire to set up some complex system of optimal application processing. Sometimes, it's just how the cycle goes. Thinking things like "three people on the west coast who went complete on 10/28 received a decision today, but I haven't so I must be a rejection even though I'm over both medians, they must be sending out acceptances by geographic area, oh I'm going to get rejected and fail at life!" My favorite is when people post something like that then ten minutes later post "ZOMG!!!11 I'm in!!!! 4.0/180 I never thought this would happen!!!"

I agree... I played into that a little bit with the UVA ED thing too though. On day 11-ish I started saying I would get WL'ed. Sure enough, I did.

But I do totally hear where you're coming from because people do make it out to be much more of a game than it really is. When you meet the people in the adcomms you can tell that they have way too much going on to devise some sort of sinister plot where we all suffer and they get the last laugh.

[EMZE]

Update: Just called the admissions office to ensure that my application was updated with my why UVA. She said it was updated as of 11/9 with the essay one day after I sent it on the morning of 11/8. She also called it "the why I want to attend UVA essay." Mind you, that was not in my header or any where said so explicity that she should have been able to determine the content of the essay in the .2 seconds it took her to check. So, the fact that she named it that, and that UVA did not have a unique section of the application for attaching a why UVA essay IIRC, it leads me to believe that on their own checksheet or w/e they do take note of the presence/absence of said essay.

Nothing mindblowing here, TLS wisdom makes clear the importance of a why UVA for those of us very borderline candidates. But I kind of feel it even more so vindicated as something adcomms note.

On a different note, anyone notice the difference in stats on UVA law website vs TLS? Not significant, but 1xpt lower on LSAT 25% and about .05 on the GPA 25%. Not significant, but helpful in the right direction. The fact that their median is much closer to their 75% vs 25% would seem to indicate that there is some more play on the lower side for LSATs, which I surprises me based on the reported splitter friendliness of UVA. That said, I may also lack the stat interpreting prowess ever so prevalent on this site.

Again, good luck all.

[Zelda]

Random question (and sorry if it is in the thread earlier)...

Does the UVA Status Checker ever change after your application has gone complete? Just want to know if I am wasting my time checking it.

[JoeMo]

Random question (and sorry if it is in the thread earlier)...

Does the UVA Status Checker ever change after your application has gone complete? Just want to know if I am wasting my time checking it.

Mine did when I got waitlisted.

[addy11]

tag

[Nelson]

Have any RD people heard bad news (WL/ding) yet? Or have all of the WLs been ED?

[baconpuffs]

On a different note, anyone notice the difference in stats on UVA law website vs TLS? Not significant, but 1xpt lower on LSAT 25% and about .05 on the GPA 25%. Not statistically significant, so we probably shouldn't read too much into it. The fact that their median is much closer to their 75% vs 25% would seem to indicate that there is some more play on the lower side for LSATs, which I surprises me based on the reported splitter friendliness of UVA.

FTFY

[thelawyler]

On a different note, anyone notice the difference in stats on UVA law website vs TLS? Not significant, but 1xpt lower on LSAT 25% and about .05 on the GPA 25%. Not statistically significant, so we probably shouldn't read too much into it. The fact that their median is much closer to their 75% vs 25% would seem to indicate that there is some more play on the lower side for LSATs, which I surprises me based on the reported splitter friendliness of UVA.

FTFY

To be fair, they are really more splitter friendly for ED candidates. And to make up for it, they'd need high GPA / low LSAT reverse splitters to complete the deal for taking all those guys ED.

[jkpolk]

RD, In-State, went complete early October-In today with significant money via e-mail! Splitters have hope!

[Tiago Splitter]

RD, In-State, went complete early October-In today with significant money via e-mail! Splitters have hope!

RD, In-State, went complete early October-In today with significant money via e-mail! Splitters have hope!

In-State

But seriously, congrats!

[luxxe]

In-State

YUP.

But it is kind of encouraging to see UVA making some kind of movement....

[seahawk32]

RD, in-state applicant, submitted 11-30.

[DonnaDraper]

Oh, to be a resident of Virginia! That would be nice.

[Seneca]

RD, in-state applicant, submitted 11-30.

With a name like that I'd have figured you for a Seattleite, but that Virginia residency is a great thing to have. Good luck!

[seahawk32]

It is nice! My numbers are above their 75th percentiles (according to this, at least), so I think I have a good shot. UVA is number one on my list.

[Ernert]

But it is kind of encouraging to see UVA making some kind of movement....

+1

[ccmbr006]

Update: Just called the admissions office to ensure that my application was updated with my why UVA. She said it was updated as of 11/9 with the essay one day after I sent it on the morning of 11/8. She also called it "the why I want to attend UVA essay." Mind you, that was not in my header or any where said so explicity that she should have been able to determine the content of the essay in the .2 seconds it took her to check. So, the fact that she named it that, and that UVA did not have a unique section of the application for attaching a why UVA essay IIRC, it leads me to believe that on their own checksheet or w/e they do take note of the presence/absence of said essay.

Nothing mindblowing here, TLS wisdom makes clear the importance of a why UVA for those of us very borderline candidates. But I kind of feel it even more so vindicated as something adcomms note.

On a different note, anyone notice the difference in stats on UVA law website vs TLS? Not significant, but 1xpt lower on LSAT 25% and about .05 on the GPA 25%. Not significant, but helpful in the right direction. The fact that their median is much closer to their 75% vs 25% would seem to indicate that there is some more play on the lower side for LSATs, which I surprises me based on the reported splitter friendliness of UVA. That said, I may also lack the stat interpreting prowess ever so prevalent on this site.

Again, good luck all.

I had a similar experience; goofed and did not send a Why Virginia until a few days after my application was submitted, but it was before it went complete. The office was very nice about it.

[moshid]

I posted this question in another thread as well. I applied RD to UVA the first possible day I could. Would I be benefitted, this late in the game, to switch it to ED? People with my numbers (75th for GPA, below 25th for LSAT) usually get a boost when they apply ED early.