Tuesday, December 16, 2014

High School Transcripts

If you're applying for fall 2015 transfer admission, remember that we require final high school transcripts.  If you're home for the holidays, you could get a jumpstart on gathering materials and either pick up a sealed transcript from your high school, or simply take a break from the netflix queue, your video games, or that leisure reading you've been meaning to get to all semester, and order your transcript by phone or online.  You may send these transcripts now, ahead of your application, or if you feel more comfortable waiting, that's fine as well. Just do it by March 1 :)

For students who attended high school abroad, start working on getting those transcripts now, or maybe while you're home for the break.  In our experience, it can take weeks to get these kinds of transcripts, so our advice is to start early.

44 comments:

P Colburn said...

Transferring to UVA??? We're looking for a 4th roommate for the Spring Semester (Jan-June) at $599 per month. Email me at prc8bp@virginia.edu if you're interested! The apartment common rooms are fully furnished and stocked! You would have your own bedroom (queen size bed fits comfortably).

Tina said...

Can I submit my online application first and SAT score later? My SAT score won't be available until February :(.

Joe said...

For the Transfer Midterm Report, there are only five slots on the course list and I am taking 6 next semester. Do I just write in another spot for a class and have the professor fill that out?

Alina said...

I second Joe's question, as I am also taking 6 courses next semester. Also, is the Transfer Midterm Report due at the same time as the rest of the application? I know for some schools, like W&M, it's not due until later in March.

Heather said...

Hi! I am in my first year of college and hoping to transfer into UVA in the fall as a second year. On the Common App under activities, should I solely list college activities or include some high school activities as well?

Diana said...

Hello Transfermer,

I know the school I apply to matters in terms of admission, but what about area of academic interest? For example, would it be harder to apply as an Econ major versus a Sociology major? My last semester, I got a B in calculus and was wondering if it would hurt my chances to apply as a math major.
Thanks for all your help! Your blog is so beneficial.

Catherine said...

I noticed the transfer Common App doesn't have an "awards" section under Education. Should I just list awards that aren't tied to an activity under Additional Information? Thanks!

Transfermer said...

Tina,
Yes, you can send in your application and then the supporting documents later on. You’ll want all required documents to be postmarked by March 1.

Joe and Alina,
You may tack on another slot to the form seeing as you are taking six courses. No, the midterm report is not due on March 1. If you are sending it, wait until your grades are posted from mid-term exams, then consult with your professors.

Heather,
We are only looking at college activities.

Diana,
This won’t be an issue for the math major, but you bring up a great point. In most cases, your major within the College of Arts and Sciences won’t matter. However, there are some that are more difficult in which to be admitted. They are listed here - http://www.admission.virginia.edu/transfer/requirements. I’d recommend reading that entire page. The Econ department in particular has a great page for prospective transfer students.

Catherine,
Yes, this would be fine.

Thanks everyone, for not being anonymous!

Sharon said...

Transfermer, are the College Report, Secondary School Final Report, and Midterm Report on the Common App all required forms?

LM said...

I heard that transferring in the fall semester was easier, is that true?

Robb said...

You are only looking at college clubs and activities for transfers?

Hans said...

I am a freshman at my current college and I am trying to figure out who to get recommendations from. Would getting a recommendation from a high school teacher be acceptable?

Stacy said...

Is there any way for us to check to ensure you have received our high school transcript? My old high school was notorious for not sending them and I want to make sure you guys have everything you need from me.

Greg said...

My SAT scores in high school were okay but just below the average the bottom 25% who have been admitted got. Would taking the SAT again (and doing well on it) look favorable to you guys or should I just stick with my scores and see what happens?

Katie D said...

" Also, once matriculated at UVA, you may not satisfy any of the Biology major core course requirement (BIOL 3000, 3010, 3020) through transfer credit."

Does this mean I can't take any of these at a community college once/if I am admitted or does it mean these classes won't transfer over even if I take them at my current school prior to transferring?

HopeLee said...

Dear Transformer,

As I am now trying to transfer in the Fall after two years, the requirements state that I should have completed at least 60 semester hours.

Now when it says this, does it mean 60 transferable credits? There are some classes that I took at GWU that I could not find on the credit analyzer so I was wondering if they all needed to be 60 transferable credits for it to count.

Anonymous said...

Transfermer,
I am currently at JMU and was wondering what is the realistic change of me getting in as a transfer with a 2.7? I had a rough first 2 years but have bounced back well! Thanks

Tyler said...

Just to clarify a question about the Midterm Report; when exactly are we supposed to send it? Midterms happen multiple times a semester (3-4) with finals happening after May 1st.
Also, how come we are given the option to say 11th and 12th grade under years we did an activity if you don't want to see high school activities? Also finally, do we need to send AP scores from college board or will our transcripts cover that?

Sukanya said...

In terms of college transcripts, do we have our school send them to the P.O. Box address or the Peabody hall address? Both are listed at the bottom of the admissions page so I wasn't sure. Thanks!

Larry said...

Sukanya this is the address we should be sending things to!

Transcripts, Recommendations, Testing and Supplementary Materials can be mailed:
UVA Office of Admission
P.O. Box 400160
Charlottesville, VA 22904

Sharon said...

Just read the side column on the website about School Forms. For anyone else interested:

We are on the Common App! Don't let the school forms scare you. FYI:
1) The College Report is NOT REQUIRED
2) The Secondary School Final Report is NOT REQUIRED
3) The Mid-Term Report is RECOMMENDED
4) The Academic Evaluator Recommendation is RECOMMENDED.

Transfermer said...

LM,
The admit rate for fall is generally around 35% and for spring it’s 15%, if that’s what you mean. Of course, Commerce, Engineering and the Curry school are more competitive.

Rob,
Yes, that’s right. If there’s something you started in high school, and you’re continuing it college, we would like to hear about it.

Hans,
We would prefer a recommendation from a professor or TA, but if you are still in touch with your teacher, and he/she knows you well, we’ll accept it. An old recommendation from a high school teacher will not add.

Stacy,
Once you apply, you’ll be given a to-do list where you can keep tabs on when your materials are received. Thanks for sending it in early!

Greg,
SAT/ACT scores for transfers are a little different. Scores below 500 make us wary. If you were more in the 1200(1800) range, you don’t need to take it again.

Katie D,
It means, once you have started taking classes at UVa.

HopeLee,
Most of the credits need to be transferable. What’s most important is that you’ve taken four full-time semesters of work, if you want to be considered a third year. Even though your courses are not all listed on the analyzer, there is always a possibility they might transfer as electives.

JMU Anonymous,
Unfortunately, the average GPA of our admitted students is around a 3.4/3.5. In addition, if you are a junior, you are no longer eligible for transfer, the one exception being the engineering school. We are glad to hear you’re bouncing back. This might bode well for graduate school here.

Tyler,
Generally, we receive them in mid-late March. This is a function of the common application. We can’t change this because other member colleges might care more about those years in terms of activities.

Sukanya,
Either one is fine. Generally, the Peabody address is for “Overnight/Express Mail” which is more expensive. Larry has the right idea.

Thanks Sharon!

Sophie said...

Hi! Does the presence of a high-school transcript with average/a few lower grades accompanied by a college transcript with good grades make a difference at all? Getting worried that my high-school transcript may somehow affect the impression that my application gives. Thank you!

Megan M. said...

Are SAT scores listed on our high school transcripts an acceptable way to report our scores or do we need to send them directly from College Board?

Transfermer said...

Sophie, we will look closely at your high school transcript, especially if you graduated within the last year or two. We may wait list you to see more work from you in college.

Megan M, yes, we will allow this for our transfer applicants. Just make sure your scores are on your transcript before you have it sent to us.

Justin N said...

Is there any way to confirm that UVA received both my college and high school transcripts?

Joe said...

Justin N. once we apply we are given a to-do list that allows us to keep tabs on things they have received.

Jared said...

For inputting my classes into Common App, It says to include the official title and level. Now when I look on my official transcript it shows words in the class title are abbreviated. Should I just input my classes as I see them on my transcript or should I write it out completely for you guys? Also some of my classes I have taken are honors level classes at my school, is there any way i can denote those classes in the application for you guys?

Transfermer said...

Please write it out Jared. That will help us decipher your transcript. You can put "honors" in parenthesis: (honors) or (H) if you have limited space.

Jared said...

Thank you so much for the help!

LM said...

Hello, unfortunately I've been involved in an "accident" and received a concussion as a result. I'm seriously struggling to keep up in my classes because of my brain injury. I fear that I may not be able to handle my rigorous course load this semester and I may have to drop one or two classes (hnrs chem 2 and/or genetics) to maintain my GPA. This would put me below 12 credits after one class is dropped. If I did this, I would take the dropped classes at my local community college this summer so I wont be behind. But my real concern is my transfer chances. I would be devastated if this injury hindered my chances and caused me to not get accepted, then forcing me to stay at a school I did not like. Should I drop a class or two? Or should I try to push through it and maybe get more Bs than usual (god forbid any Cs)? I'm assuming this semester doesn't *matter* as much as the first since I'm really only sending in my grades from last semester. Could I get some advice?

Joe said...

Do the common app recommendations need to be done when I submit the common app. Or can I submit it and my assigned recommenders can submit their recommendations later (as long as its before March 1st)?

Hank said...

On a lot of the Common App papers we have to fill out it asks for "Institution / CEEB" what do we put in that spot?

Sarah said...

You said that you don't want to hear about high school activities we aren't continuing in college. Does that also mean you don't want to hear about awards we received while in high school? If you do where should we put it since there isn't a place to state what awards we've earned?

Monica said...

Do we have to resubmit SAT/ACT scores if we sent them to you the year before? Also, do we have to submit a secondary school report?

Transfermer said...

LM,
It would be up to your discretion. You should probably email or call us as this not the best forum for the situation. We hope you’re feeling better.

Joe,
They can submit later as long as it’s by March 1.

Hank,
That’s your school and your school’s CEEB code, which is sort of what the code number that the College Board gives each institution. For us, it would be University of Virginia/5820. This should help - http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-code-search

Sarah,
We’re primarily looking for more recent awards. If you earned a college scholarship back in high school, you can mention that, because you are still benefiting from it.

Monica,
You don't need to resubmit your test scores IF YOU APPLIED TO AND SENT YOUR SCORES TO UVA IN THE PAST. Sorry for the caps. We like to make sure that future readers understand.

Transfermer said...

Monica, as you'll see from the sidebar on the blog, the secondary school report is not required, just the high school transcript.

Anonymous said...

If we applied in the past, do we need to resend high school transcripts? If we do, do they have to be official- pay for them to the registrar's office?

Also, I saw from previous posts that we don't need a secondary school report. However, would you prefer it? Are our chances to get in better?

Anonymous said...

Do we have to resubmit high school transcripts if we applied last year?

Transfermer said...

Anonymous person1,
We have to be careful how we answer this. If you applied in the past as a transfer, you do not need to resend your high school transcript. If you applied in the past as a first-year, then yes you need to send another high school transcript. We most likely only have your transcript through the first half of your senior year. Yes, they have to be official. No, we don't need the Secondary School Report; it will not improve your chances.

Anonymous person2,
see above.




Anonymous said...

Hello Transfermer,
If there is one thing that I have realized about UVA as I read through the blog and based off of friends that go here, is that the university is looking for well rounded students. That being said, do you solely look at an applicants academic performance (which is obviously the most important part)? Or do you also put other aspects, such as overcoming of adversity and such into an applicants potential offer of admission? Also if one was looking to transfer as a second year student, is high school and college work looked at equally?

Youju said...

If I send the higher Toefl score for English proficiency test score requirement after the deadline, would it be considered as well? or just a score I send before the deadline would be accepted?

DA said...

i graduated high school in a foreign country more than five years ago. i am afraid that i wont be able to get the official transcript from them on time. so, can i send in an unofficial transcript right now and send the official one when i get it(after the deadline)?

Nguyen said...

I'm transferring as a third year. Do I have to submit my college transcript before March 1, or should I wait until May for the final transcript?