Friday, March 26, 2010

Here's the thing about course descriptions

Just for observation's sake, as we dig in with the transfer applications, we've discovered another reason why we ask you for course descriptions. Many of your colleges do not list Spring 2010 courses on their transcripts. Your current courses are very important because they help us determine how close or far you are from achieving the general ed requirements. If you haven't emailed us yet(especially if your courses are not on your transcript), there's still time. Email catalog descriptions to undergradadmission@virginia.edu

68 comments:

Katmd said...

Do we just copy and paste the descriptions of the courses into an email? Or is it supposed to be an official form?

thanks

Brittany said...

If I sent a mid-term report, does that count or do I still need to email a list of my courses?

Muhibullah said...

Hey I've sent an email with essentially an unofficial transcript that lists all of my classes (including spring 2010).
But I have a few questions.

Is this adequeate or do you need a specific description of each from the catalogue? My personal descriptions of the courses?

Also I applied for academic overload this past semester, do I need to indicate that on the list of course descriptions?

Confused/Worried said...

To Transfermer,

I applied to transfer last year, and I assumed that the admissions office kept standardized test score materials for one year, as well as applications. Is this not true? My SIS says that I have yet to have turned in standardized test scores. Please tell me if I'm too late!!

Confused/Worried

drey88 said...

Do we still need to have a list and descriptions of all of our courses if I havent taken any classes in the spring and they are all on my transcript?

J said...

how do we know if our course descriptions have arrived if we are rollover?
Since it shows nothing on our to-do list on our sis.

Hunter said...

My school has a trimester system and when I emailed my class descriptions on March 1st when the application was due, I did not yet know what class I was taking for my Spring Term. Now that we have registered should I send a follow up email with my Spring Term class?

Student X said...

I will be taking a prerequisite Commerce course during the summer. I listed the course name on the Common Application; however, now that I am actually enrolled into the class, should I send an updated transcript? Or is that not necessary?

Thanks!

Andy M said...

I'm first year trnasfer applicant, and my official transcript still shows up on my to-do list, even though I sent it over a month ago. I haven't gotten any emails about it though, so should I be taking any action?

CannotLiveWithoutBooks said...

Andy M,

I am in the same boat as you, my official transcript still appears on my to-do list. Not sure if I should contact the office, or if it's better not to bug them and let them contact me if they need me to resend.

WannabeHoo said...

I heard a rumor that transfer applicants for Fall 2010 are going to hear about their decision earlier than the date posted. Can anyone confirm this?

Morgan said...

I am a repeat applicant to the University but I received an email requesting my official high school transcript. Is it no longer true that they rollover?

Thanks,
Morgan

Anonymous said...

For those of you who posted about course descriptions...I called the school and they told me to just copy and paste the descriptions out of the course catalog.

Also, I heard the same rumor about decisions being released early- they were also released early for first year students so I imagine that is pushed everything up

Anonymous said...

On my application status page, it has changed from the complete circle to a check mark that says view status, but then re-directs me to a page which says decisions not released check back May 1st. Has anyone else noticed this on their admissions status site?

Brittany said...

Anon - mine says the same thing

DT said...

Thanks to my college councilor I have sent my midterm report without realizing that UVa does not require this form for transfers. Would this in any way interfere with my application?

Thanks.

Muhibullah said...

Anon,

mine says the same thing also. So I guess we either got accepted/rejected/waitlisted but we cant see it until they release the results.

can anyone verify that?

Transfermer said...

We are busily reading transfer applications and that tends to keep me from properly answering your posts.

Katmd, I wish we had an official form. This is make it more simple, but for now, you can just cut and paste into your own document or email.

Brittany, a mid-term report would help to see this semester’s courses, but if you could send a full list with descriptions, that would be most helpful.

Muhibullah, We can see your courses on your transcript. This is why we ask for descriptions as well. You do not have to tell us that you applied for academic overload.

Confused/Worried and Morgan,
If you haven’t already done so, all you have to do is email the office and we’ll check it out for you.

Drey88,
If you didn’t send in a document prior for your past courses, you still have to do it.

You’re right J,
It’s not on the to-do list. If we have questions about your courses, we’ll email you about it.

Yes Hunter,
That would be great.

No, Student X, as long as you put it on the application that will be fine. If you are admitted or waitlisted, please send the transcript as soon as you have your grade.

Andy M and CannotLiveWithoutBooks,
This is peculiar. We sent out a mass email to students last week about missing transcripts. Make sure you check your spam boxes. I would recommend that you email our office to check on it.

WannabeHoo and Anon who heard rumor,
The first year process has nothing to do with the transfer process. We did not start reviewing earlier, because no matter what the deadline was March 1 and then March 15. We still stand by May 1. If it comes out any earlier, I will let you know here.

DT, no, it will not interfere.

Transfermer said...

I know it can be tempting to look for signs, but as it is April 6, we have a lot of work ahead of us.

I swiped this entry from Dean J's January 29th post:
-Once your application is complete and it moves to the "ready to read" mode, you'll see a box pop up at the bottom of the status screen. "View decision" will appear in the box. It doesn't mean your decision is ready. That's just something that's built into the computer system that we can't change. If you hit "view decision", you'll just see a note about decisions not being ready at this point. http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2010/01/checking-your-status.html

J said...

What if we accidentally deleted the email about missing transcripts sent to us?
I never check my spam, so if it went there then i deleted it.
I'm a rollover if it makes any difference.

Do you resend them if no reply?

leesburg said...

will financial aid rewards be granted after we receive admission acceptance or is there a possibility that we will be notified before we get accepted to UVa? For instance, i'm planning on taking summer courses, and need to know if financial aid for 2009-2010 will be awarded soon?

jackie said...

Leesburg,
Financial aid awards are rewarded after the decision is given.

Molli said...

I sent in my course descriptions for fall '09 and spring '10 to uvaapplicationinfo@virginia.edu back in december and received confirmation of their being forwarded, then again to undergradadmission@virginia.edu when I saw this post and again received a confirmation. But today when I received an email requesting my course descriptions. I called the office and they did not have them. I sent them again but I am so worried that they will not find their way to my file for the third time. Should I call tomorrow to see if they are with my file?

WahooHopeful2012 said...

Transfermer,

Just a random question but how long do you all (the team that reviews applications) usually spend going over and reading each single application? Just curious..Thanks! =D

Transfermer said...

J,
I don’t think our staff will send another email, but it depends. What’s most important is that we have your transcripts.

Leesburg, Jackie is right. They tend to come out a few days after the decision comes out. If you haven’t received your financial offer by the time you need to give us your decision, we’ll work with you on it.

Molli,
I worry that whoever was answering the phone did not know where to look. I tell you what. Why don’t you email them again to undergradadmission@virginia.edu and put “Molli from the Transfer Blog” in your subject line. We’ll certainly put them in your file, but I can’t promise that our email staff will be able to reply to you.

WahooHopeful2012,
It really depends on the application. I can tell you that there isn’t a set amount of minutes or hours we must or must not spend on an application.

Kris said...

If my application status never progressed to "view decision" does that mean that it still isn't ready to read? Should I call the admissions office and inquire about my application status?

WORRIED said...

Is it too late to send course descriptions from NVCC? I did not receive an email from admissions requesting for course descriptions. I am panicking because I misunderstood and did not send them in. I figured they would contact me if something was missing. I JUST sent mine to admissions via email and expressed how I had misunderstood. I had turned everything before March 1st including all transcripts, but misunderstood about sending in course descriptions.

Transfermer, would admissions have sent me an email resquesting my course descriptions? I am even more worried now.

molli said...

I've been unable to sign into sis since last night, and I even got a new password a couple of times. Is the server that deals with transfer applicants down? Or is there something else...

Morgan said...

molli,

SIS appears to be working fine for me.

Morgan

Cavalier girl said...

Is there any chance decisions will be posted before May 1? I saw where the "View Decision" link had been activated in SIS. Thanks! We're all just really anxious.

molli said...

Thank you so much Morgan. It's working for me now.

Cav girl,
The view decision link is making antsy as well!!! Wish we knew right now!

Anonymous said...

Is there any way for transfer students to get Echols status if they aren't awarded upon admission? I know that first years can apply after their first semester, do we never have the chance to apply if we aren't offered Echols with our admissions decision?

Also, do they ever offer Echols to students coming from out of state schools? On the Echols website it says that it is awarded to transfers from "sister schools." Does this mean we can't get it if we're coming from out of state?

Cav girl said...

Molli - What school are you transferring from? I'm hoping to meet others here on the blog and then get together once we get to UVa (hopefully!)

DT said...

I am hoping for Commerce + double major/minor at A&S.

molli said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Transfermer said...

Kris,
If everything has disappeared from your to-do list, your application is fine.

Worried,
Course descriptions were not a part of the ‘missing materials’ email. Thank you for sending them now.

Molli and Cav Girl,
Sometimes the server is down unfortunately. I think they were doing a lot of work before course registration for our current students began this week.

Anon Echols,
We consider all rising 2nd years applying to Arts and Sciences for Echols. Students who fall into this category can come from in or out of state, residency or current college.

Apologies Molli, but I’ve erased the post containing your email address in order to protect you. We recommend refraining from putting up personal info on the blog. I hope you two can catch up on a third-party blog location.

Chris said...

Hey Transfermer,

My todo list still lists standardized tests scores although my status is also at "View Decision." I applied last year and sent in my SATs then, I'm under the impression that the office keeps the scores for a year or two and since I haven't received any emails yet (unless they got lost somewhere) I'm guessing that maybe you just missed taking it off my todo list? Any feedback would be really appreciated.

By the way, thanks for running this blog. It's really great to be able to communicate with the seemingly-detached and exotic peoples of admissionsland.

Grendel said...

Transfermer,

Current students are already registering for classes this fall. As we potential transfers will not be notified regarding our acceptance until 5/1, how will we go about registering and meeting our requirements? -I assume one registers for classes online, but my concern is if we will be able to get into classes we want/need, and if we will be advised about that.

Thanks,
Grendel

Cavalier girl said...

I have a follow up question to Grendel. I have applied and have been accepted to summer school. Since I don't have an advisor yet, how can I be sure that the class I want to take will fulfill a requirement in my major?

WahooHopeful2012 said...

I also have a question regarding the filling up of classes we want to take; such as Larry Sabato's Intro to American Politics. I know that enrollment for this class is extremly competitive; as well, are there ever any spots reserved for transfers? Thanks!

Unknown said...

Transfermer,

I also misunderstood the course descriptions requirement, and sent them until last week. As an international transfer, I sent a direct translation of the courses’ syllabi for the courses I am currently taking only. Is it necessary that I send descriptions of previous courses as well? Should I send translations of the syllabi for previous courses or would abbreviated descriptions be fine?

Thank you.

hbo said...

Is there any way decisions will come out early this year?

Also, if we are accepted, is there a way to register for classes prior to the orientation date? I ask because I am seeing classes that I need for my major are already almost full...

WahooHopeful2012 said...

How many people on here are VCCS Students and will recieve an associates next month? Anyone applying under the guaranteed admissions agreement? Thoughts about the agreement?

m0k0na said...

@WahooHopeful2012 I am a VCCS student and I applied under the GAA. Honestly, it seems pretty straightforward, less complicated than W&M's or Georgetown's. It also parallels a lot of your Associate's Degree requirements.

Cavalier girl said...

hbo - How are you seeing class enrollments? WahooHopeful - I am a VCCS transfer and am hopefully coming in under the GAA. From everything I've read, if we've met all the requirements, admission is a given. Here's hoping! It would be great if the VCCS students could somehow meet up.

WahooHopeful2012 said...

yeah I agree Im just really stressing over this Applied Calculus class i'm taking to finish out the math part of the GAA, and I'm wondering if, God forbid, I got a D and the class didn't transfer if, they would cancel my entire admission offer because of one snag in the GAA.

m0k0na said...

That's funny :) I am also taking Applied Calculus this semester.

leesburg said...

I applied under the GAA as well to get into the arts and sciences school. My only concern was whether MTH 241 and 242 (Statistics) will satisfy the 'Natural Science and Math' requirement. I also had to take a philosophy class (PHI 115) to satisfy one of the two humanities requirements.

UVAfan said...

Transfermer,

My Standardized Test Scores have yet to be checked off of my "to do list"
on my UVA SIS/status page. It is getting closer to May 1st. Should I be worried about this? I called the office of admissions maybe about 3 weeks ago and they said that they would eventually get to it and it would come off. Should I call them again? I'm kind of worried.


Thank you!

WahooHopeful2012 said...

@Leesburg, I know stats will satisfy one of the math requirements for the GAA, but I know you also have to have 12 credits total between math and science, and Admissions advised me to take a Calc.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
molli said...

Transfermer,

Will our admission decision be available for viewing at midnight or is there a specific time on may 1st when we should check?

leesburg said...

To Wahoohopeful2012, I have taken 3 different Bio classes that will satisfy the science and math. I plan on taking Calc in the fall because I believe, as a psych major, it is required. I took stats to prepare me for the psych statistics classes that I will be taking sooner or later. What is your major, if you do not mind me asking? And if you are coming from NVCC, which campus do you usually go to? Just trying to get to know the people on this blog. :)

jackie said...

two more weeks guys..lets try and relax ( although my status is still at complete) . Let's not loose sight of our faith.

WahooHopeful2012 said...

@Leesburg, Yeah I took two BIO classes with labs and a stats and calc. so it sounds like we should both be good =) Nah, Im not from NOVA, Im from Blue Ridge in Weyers Cave, about an hour and a half from U.Va. Oh, and my major is Political Science/Government. The Batten school seems really appealing to me.

jrw132 said...

Hi Transfermer,

I just checked my SIS, and my To Do list says that I still need to send in my FAFSA. Thing is, I'm positive that I already did that. I applied for Spring 2010 and had my application rolled over, then submitted my FAFSA in late February. My To Do list had been empty since then, until I checked just a few minutes ago. The FAFSA To Do on my SIS tells me that the due date is 5/16/10. I'm going to resubmit my FAFSA as soon as possible, just in case, but I'm worried that this might threaten my financial aid should I be accepted. Thanks so much.

Morgan said...

@Armando Gonzalez

I don’t think they are looking for class syllabi, more of short descriptions of each class, like the ones found:

http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/content.php?catoid=11&navoid=190

I do believe UVA wants descriptions for both present and past college courses.

@hbo

There is always a possibility for decisions to come out early, for instance, two years ago they came out early. See post:

http://uvatransferadmission.blogspot.com/2009/04/decisions-are-not-coming-out-this-week.html

@UVAfan

At this point if admissions have not contacted you about missing information you are probably fine and have nothing to worry about.

@molli

From my experience last year, decisions were posted at an arbitrary time during the day. I think last year’s were posted sometime in the afternoon.


Morgan

Unknown said...

Thanks Morgan.

leesburg said...

Wahoohopeful2012, That's cool. Good luck to ya. Anyone else transferring under the Guaranteed Admissions Agreement between VCCS'? Just curious.

WahooHopeful2012 said...

I know this may seem like an arbitrary and random question, but do transfer students purchase College rings? And if so, when should we order them, and when will the ring ceremony take place and everything? Or is this only for students that have been there all four years?

UVAfan said...

Thanks a lot Morgan! Greatly appreciated :)

Cavalier girl said...

WahooHopeful - I asked the question about the rings on another blog, and Transfermer said yes, transfers get a class ring just like anyone else. Info will come out once the fall semester starts.

Leesburg - I'm a VCCS student coming in under the GAA. I'm from Patrick Henry C.C. in Martinsville. Where is everyone else from?

Jackie said...

@ Leesburg and all ...i'm from NVCC..and I'm coming under the guaranteed admissions but i dnt know if that works for the School of Nursing? I graduate from NVCC in the spring...this semester.

WahooHopeful2012 said...

@Jackie,
I'm pretty sure the GAA will only get you admittance to the Col. of Arts & Sciences.

jrw132 said...

Nevermind, my FAFSA issue appears to have been resolved. It was replaced with a few other financial aid forms that I had to fill out.

WahooHopeful2012 said...

Transfermer, is there ANYYYY hope that the decisions will come out early?? I know your probably just going to tell me that if you all decide to release them early that you'll post here first...But I thought it was worth a shot ;-)

Jackie said...

@ Wahoohopeful2012...my status still says complete so I doubt they have finished reviewing applications...hopefully if they get done early then am sure it'll be out early..

Transfermer said...

Hi Chris,
If you applied last year, your scores were probably not picked up in automated search of the archives, but because we’re human, we found it while looking at your application. If you would like to have it removed, you can email the general email address.

Grendel,
The school to which you transfer has experience in taking in transfer students each year. During the first semester, it can sometimes be difficult to get all the classes you want, but if there is anything you need, you will likely be able to get into that class. The bottom line is, you will be advised about the ins and outs of registering as as an incoming transfer.
Cavalier girl,
You should consult the Undergraduate Record and the department if you have further questions.

WahooHopeful2012,
We don’t reserve spots for transfers in particular classes, but there is a lot of moving and shifting in the summer and especially in early fall. Let’s hope you don’t get a D in math. This would be a major problem, not just a snag in the GAA. Transfers are not transfers after they transfer. This means, you are entitled to all things like class rings once you get settled. Most students buy rings in their third year, but you can buy one whenever you like after that time.

Armando,
We are looking for descriptions. Syllabi are something you might want to work on for summer orientation. If you are admitted and you choose to come, your credit will be evaluated before orientation. Normally, you don’t need syllabi, but in the event that there is a discrepancy between what you think will transfer and what transfers, syllabi will aid the registrar in seeing if your credit is valid.

Hbo,
Your transfer dean and advisor will help you in getting into necessary courses.

Leesburg,
Those stats and philosophy courses are fine.

Molli,
Decisions are usually posted in the afternoon of a particular day.

Morgan,
Thanks for the help and expertise, but I should be on here daily now.