Monday, February 27, 2012

Looking towards March 1st

You can see from the calendar that there are just a few days left until March 1.  If you are putting the finishing touches on your application, that's great. Please know that the application must be completed by the end of the day on March 1.   Please make sure you submit all three parts - Basic Application, Application Supplement, and the Application Fee.  If you do not do this, you run the risk of our not receiving your application.

Materials such as transcripts, testing and recommended parts are just beginning to be added to your files.  We received 28,000 first-year applications this year and we are still in the throes of that process. This will conclude on April 1st.  It is not until the end of February that we start to zero in on matching up documents/transcripts/etc for transfers.

Please use your SIS account to monitor whether we have received your required materials.  Please do not call the office to check to see if we've received your materials.  It will take time to scan and process your documents. I'll try to give an update on here about how our file services team is doing in a few weeks.

I will not have any statistics on the applicant pool until the application process is complete.  I hope to give you more information in April, but per usual, about 600-700 students will be admitted. 

Finally, I would request civility and respect on this blog. Our admission blogs and the information we give are a courtesy to our prospective students.   Again, please do not criticize others for their inquiries.  As I have said in the past, we have the right to delete disrespectful commentary.  Please do not answer questions of other commenters.  In addition to the work we do during this extremely busy admissions season, we will answer your questions as best we can and in a timely manner.   Thank you for reading and thanks for understanding.



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Rolling over the spring application for fall

This is quick reminder for those who were not offered admission for January and would like to try again for Fall 2012.  Please email undergradadmission@virginia.edu to let us know.  This is not automatic.  Please do this by March 1.

-You won't have to pay another application fee
-Please send us a list of your spring 2012 courses and course descriptions
-If you would like to add any new updates or short statements, feel free to include this in the same email
-Most importantly, you should mail us your most recent transcript with your Fall 2011 grades. Again, our mailing address is on the right panel of the front page of this blog. 

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Test Requirements for Admission

We had a blogpost request for clarification on testing.  Oh, by the way, the GAA = Guaranteed Admission Agreement.

-Testing is required for all students applying under the GAA, no matter your age or your time out of high school.  If English is your second language, you may substitute the TOEFL or the IELTS for the SAT or ACT.  We look for a 90 or above on the TOEFL; a 7.0 and above on the IELTS. We do not have specific requirements for the SAT or ACT, but if Verbal and Writing scores are low - typically, below 500, we may contact you and ask for more proficiency testing.

-If you are applying as a regular transfer without the GAA, testing is required for anyone who has been out of high school for less than five years.  If you graduated in 2007, to be on the safe side and to be more competitive, we recommend you report scores.  You can submit old test scores as there is no need to take them again.

-If you are applying to the Commerce school... they like to see testing.  We sometimes tell students whose first language is not English is that it's advisable to take the TOEFL and the SAT or ACT.  They are really big on quantitative(math) skills.

I understand we are very different in our testing requirements for transfers.  As a selective institution, we appreciate the information that standardized testing can give us and thus, that's why we require it for most parties applying.



Monday, February 6, 2012

A deeper look into course descriptions


If you are reading this, hopefully you have started working on your application. If you have not, others can tell you that we are looking for some background information and if you're not careful, it will sneak up on you.  On the Common App Supplement, you will find a little box that says:
In order for us to perform preliminary evaluations of your coursework, you must email a list of all of your college coursework (through the current term/semester) AND the course catalog description for each course to transferadmission@virginia.edu   

It is important for all students to do this, even GAA and/or VCCS students.  We have found that this task makes students quite anxious. I can tell you it is a lot easier and faster than any assignment you'll complete at UVA.  While it is tedious, it's easy and it will help us to better evaluate your application.  It will also help registrars evaluate your credit if you're admitted.  Usually students make a word or excel document/table with the information.  Here are some examples...
Fall 2011 - SOC 211 - Principles of Anthropology I
Inquires into the origins, development, and diversification of human biology and human cultures. Includes fossil records, physical origins of human development, human population genetics, linguistics, cultures' origins and variation, and historical and contemporary analysis of human societies. Lecture 3 hours per week.

 Fall 2011 - HST 111 - Europe and the Mediterranean World to 1500
This survey of major developments in the Mediterranean world begins with the ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations, continues through Greece and Rome and concludes at the end of the Medieval Age. The course will cover the rise and decline of civilizations, the transitions of great empires, change versus continuity in economic, political,
social and cultural institutions over time, and interactions and mutual influences among different people. 

The easiest way to do this is to simply cut and paste course descriptions from your course catalog.  Make sure to tell us if you've taken courses at different universities.  It's so easy, you can do it while watching TV or waiting for class to begin!     

Thank you!