UVa Admits 6907 for the Class of 2014

After months of deliberations, UVa admissions decisions were released online late Friday afternoon. Minutes later, reactions began pouring in to student discussion boards including CollegeConfidential.com. “Wow I’m sooo happy,” cheered one admitted student.

But the news wasn’t universally good. “I had a 2390 SAT and am waitlisted,” lamented an out-of state applicant. Another student summed up the sentiments of the disappointed, “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

In her wonderfully frank and helpful admissions blog, Dean J provided students and parents insight into how difficult these decisions have been. “With the number of applications we had, we were not able to admit all of the qualified students,” she explained. “Many of those who wind up on the waitlist and deny list are perfectly capable of doing the work at UVa. Our first-year class just isn’t large enough to accommodate everyone.”

Compounding the shock for some students was UVa’s decision to trim the waitlist this year. In the past, between 3000 and 5000 applicants were offered places on the waitlist. In fact, waitlist offers have outnumbered the entire incoming class by as much as 40%. “We have cut the waitlist down a lot this year for a few reasons,” explained Dean J. “This means there aren’t as many of you feeling like you are in limbo.” It also means that some students who might have ordinarily found a place on the waitlist were denied instead.

So here are some preliminary numbers from the UVa Office of admissions:

Total applications received: 22,516 (up from 21,839 last year)
Total number of Virginia resident applications: 7,964
Total number of out-of-state applications: 14,652

Overall offers: 6,907 total
Total instate offers: 3,380 (42.4% of resident applicants)
Total out-of-state offers: 3,527 (24% of nonresident applications)

Enrollment goal: 3,240 first-year students

The offers for residents and nonresidents are similar because historic yield—or percent of students accepting offers—for nonresidents is generally lower.

Dean J reports that the middle 50% SAT scores among admitted students ranged from 1300-1480. Over 93 percent of the students receiving offers of admission were in the top 10 percent of their class.

The UVa Office of Institutional Assessment is the source of all official statistics. Their website will be updated in time with additional data relative to this year’s admissions.

Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture & Design Ranks Highly with DesignIntelligence

The Virginia Tech School of Architecture & Design was among a select group of programs recognized in the 11th annual America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools study conducted by DesignIntelligence on behalf of the Design Futures Council.

In the only national college rankings focused exclusively on design, Tech’s Landscape Architecture undergraduate program ranked first among programs accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). Tech’s graduate program in Landscape Architecture—offered both in Blacksburg and the National Capital Region—ranked second directly behind Harvard in the same study.

The DesignIntelligence survey tapped professional practice leaders who have direct experience hiring and evaluating the performance of recent architecture and design graduates. A total of 381 practices were included in the study which analyzes which college and university programs have best prepared students for professional practice.

In addition to the best schools study, deans and chairs from 166 academic programs participated in a separate survey supplementing the information provided by design firms. Almost 2000 architecture students also completed surveys concerning their satisfaction with design education.

Tech’s architecture program ranked forth among undergraduate programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and tied for second in the survey of deans and program chairs for preparation of students, integrated design approach, and comprehensive balance of design and technology.

Both the interior design and industrial design programs also received recognition and high rankings in the DesignIntelligence study. Tech’s interior design program ranked second in computer applications and third in communication and sustainable design concepts and principles.

In addition to the program review, each year DesignIntelligence selects a team of educators and education administrators who exemplify excellence in design education leadership. Four Virginia Tech professors from the School of Architecture & Design were among 25 faculty members named Most Admired Educators of 2010.

There are approximately 148 accredited interior architecture/interior design programs, 151 accredited architecture programs, and 63 accredited landscape architecture programs in the U.S. More information on the DesignIntelligence study may be found on its website.

The Waitlist Scam

Hope springs eternal among college applicants. That’s why there are waitlists. And colleges are unapologetic about using the hopes of waitlisted students to further their objectives, which largely center on filling freshman classes with the best and brightest high school students.

In the hands of the average admissions office, the waitlist is little more than a tool used to shape a freshman class profile that is balanced between males and females, is geographically and racially diverse, meets legislated instate requirements, fills the needs of obscure departments or sports teams, and still covers some part of the college operating budget.

Schools that advertise “needs blind” admissions sometimes quietly convert to “needs aware” when it comes to plucking a few lucky students from the list. Consequently, most bets are off for financial aid if you come through the waitlist.

There’s usually no ranking, no money, and really little hope. And sometimes, the list is hardly more than a PR scam to keep upset parents, alums, and other interested parties at arm’s length.

Waitlisted is an uncomfortable place to be. If you’ve been accepted or rejected, at least your status is clear. But waitlisted is fuzzy. And if you really care about the specific college or university, the offer of a position on a college waitlist amounts to a very insecure lifeline.

Here are the facts. Most students never get off the list—very few waitlisted students are eventually invited to the dance. In some cases, especially at more selective colleges, no students get off the list. Check out these local statistics from last year:

College	Waitlist Offers	Accepted Waitlist	Admission Offers	Percent Admitted
American University	1138	201	0	0
George Mason University	1032	531	103	19
George Washington	2427	653	136	21
Goucher College	261	192	23	12
James Madison University	2867	1341	498	37
Towson University	2360	--	376	--
U of Richmond	2161	827	11	1
UMBC	246	246	112	45
UVa	4522	3883	420	11
VCU	1001	--	34	--
Washington & Lee	1870	543	97	18
William & Mary	2748	1273	17	1

And the numbers vary significantly by year depending on how accurately the admissions office pegged its “yield” or how desperate the need to control the composition of the freshman class. For example, last year UVa took 498 students or 9 percent of all those offered waitlist opportunities (11 percent of the actual waitlist). The year before, UVa took 60 students or 2 percent of everyone offered the waitlist. Talk about hedging your bets—UVa offered 4522 students positions on the waitlist or almost 40 percent more than the entire incoming freshman class which totaled 3239.

Being waitlisted can be more frustrating than simply being rejected. A candidate who is denied admission to his or her first choice school is free to accept other offers. S/he can move on with his or her life. But a waitlisted candidate who really wants to attend a particular school is stuck in limbo.

Sure there are steps you can take to try to get off the list, but there is an emotional cost which must be weighed against the slim possibility of winning the waitlist lottery. Is it worth it? Maybe, but not usually.

Nordstrom Invites High School Juniors to Compete for College Scholarships

Since 1993, Nordstrom has upheld a commitment to support communities by awarding fantastic college scholarships to high school students across the country. This year, Nordstrom is offering forty $10,000 scholarships to students in specific geographic areas, which include eight states and the District of Columbia.

To qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

• Be a high school junior
• Have and maintain a cumulative unweighted GPA of at least 2.7 (on a 4.0 scale)
• Have participated in community/volunteer activities
• Be planning to apply for financial assistance to attend college
• Attend an accredited 4-year college or university
• Live and attend school in one of the participating geographic areas, including Maryland, Virginia, and DC

Additional eligibility requirements and complete application instructions are available on the scholarship web page.

The Nordstrom Scholarship will be awarded to five students in the DC region. Key to winning will be the submission of an original essay, a list of community or volunteer activities, and a personal statement. It’s really not that hard for all that cash!

Note that applications will only be accepted by mail. Incomplete, emailed or faxed applications will NOT be accepted. And, all applications must be postmarked by no later than May 15, 2010.

This is a great opportunity for a high school student with a track record of service to his or her community. For more information or to download a copy of the application, go directly to the Nordstrom website.

The Common Application Adds 25 New Colleges and Universities

The Common Application is announcing the addition of 25 new member colleges effective July 1st, bringing the total number of institutions accepting the association’s standardized application forms to 414. Included among the new members are 8 public institutions and Columbia University—the last of the Ivies to come on board.

Membership in the association is open to undergraduate colleges and universities that are accredited by a regional accrediting association and are nonprofit members in good standing of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). All members must agree to promote college access by evaluating students using a “holistic” selection process.

Local Common Application members include American, George Washington, Catholic, Johns Hopkins, Goucher, Hood, Loyola University of Maryland, Stevenson, the College of William and Mary, Mary Washington, UVa, the University of Richmond, Randolph-Macon, and Virginia Wesleyan. New members include St. John’s of Maryland (and New Mexico) and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

The Universal College Application, an alternative to the Common Application, now has 87 members including several participating in both programs. Local colleges on the UCA roster include Hood, Johns Hopkins, Stevenson University, and Towson University.

The newest members of the Common Application association:

Alaska Pacific University (AK)
Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (NY)
Columbia University (NY)
Concordia University (OR)
DePaul University (IL)
Fontbonne University (MO)
Husson University (ME)
Jacobs University Bremen (Germany)
Johnson State College* (VT)
Maritime College (SUNY)* (NY)
Mount Saint Mary College (NY)
Morrisville State College (SUNY)* (NY)
Otterbein College (OH)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL)
St. John's College (MD/NM)
Stephens College (MO)
SUNY Potsdam* (NY)
University of Maryland Baltimore County* (MD)
University of Connecticut* (CT)
University of Michigan* (MI)
University of North Carolina Asheville* (NC)
Western New England College (MA)
Westmont College (CA)
Xavier University of Louisiana (LA)
Yeshiva University* (NY)

* Public Institutions

More Private Colleges and Universities Cross the $50K Mark for 2010-11 Tuition and Fees

Private colleges and universities are quietly announcing increases in tuition and fees crossing the $50,000 mark for the 2010-2011 academic year. Coupled with promises of increased financial aid, the boost in tuition is needed to cover continuing shortfalls in campus operating budgets.

This week, Harvard University announced that undergraduate tuition and fees for next year will total $50,724, an increase of 3.8 percent. According to a Harvard press release, financial aid for undergraduates will be increased by 9 percent, to a record $158 million for the upcoming academic year. “Harvard remains committed to a fully need-blind admissions policy that will enable us to continue attracting the most talented students, regardless of their economic circumstances,” said Michael D. Smith dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Harvard’s tuition increases remain roughly in line with other Ivies, including Yale, which announced tuition and fees totaling $49,800 or an increase of 4.8 percent; Princeton, which went up by 3.3 percent to of $48,580; Brown at $51,360 or 4.5 percent over last year; Penn at $51,944—3.9 percent more; Dartmouth to $52,275, up by 4.6 percent; and Cornell, which will increase by 4.4 percent for the university’s endowed colleges to $52,316.

Other private colleges and universities crossing the $50,000 threshold for the next academic year include Boston University at $51,120 (+3.7%), Carnegie Mellon University at $52,250 (+2.98%), Notre Dame at $50,785 (+3.8%), Washington University in St. Louis (+4.2%), and Stanford University at $50,576 (+3.5%).

Locally, both George Washington University and Georgetown have been over $50,000 for the past two years. This year, Georgetown tuition will go up by 3 percent and room and board will increase 2 percent for a grand total of $52,443. GW will remain true to tuition commitments leveling a 3 percent tuition increase only on incoming students leaving tuition and fees the same for all others.

While tuition increases at private colleges are not good news, they don’t approach the projections for public institutions. Florida college students could face 15 percent tuition increases for several years, and University of Illinois students will pay at least 9 percent more next year. Georgia’s 35 colleges and universities are planning a 35 percent tuition increase on top of a raise in student fees according to the Huffington Post online. The University of Washington will charge 14 percent more at its flagship campus, and in California, tuition increases of over 30 percent have sparked protests.

A four-year freeze on college tuition in Maryland is expected to end this year, but the increase is likely to be only in the range of 3 percent. Virginia schools so far remain mum on the subject, but increases are all but inevitable.

California Applications Skyrocket at Local Colleges

Reversing centuries of westward migration, California high school students have begun to look “east” for postsecondary educational opportunities. According to the Silicon Valley Mercury News, what started as a small group of pioneers has snowballed into a gold rush of talent as California’s college-bound seniors seek alternatives to the cash-poor University of California and California State University systems.

And where do they go? If application numbers are any indication, California students are definitely considering east coast schools including many in the DC area.

This year, the University of Virginia experienced a 24 percent uptick in California applications. By comparison, UVa’s total applicant pool climbed by only 4 percent. And California now ranks right behind Virginia in volume of applications received by Washington and Lee University. Four years ago, W&L received 159 applications from California. In 2010, the number shot up to 472.

Catholic University dean of admissions, Christine Mica, reports that California applications to CU have gone up 60% in five years. “We do send an admissions counselor to California each year for about two weeks,” said Dean Mica. “We have heard that families are worried that the budget impact on state schools in California will have a negative affect on the number of students those schools admit.”

The Public Policy Institute of California warns that the state’s knowledge-based economy cannot afford to lose its top students. “It’s a bad idea to have some of your most talented high school graduates leaving the state to go to college elsewhere—because it is less likely that they’ll come back to California once they leave,” said Hans Johnson of the Public Policy Institute in a statement to the Mercury News. “We need more college graduates to help build our economy.”


Californians applied in droves this year to:

Arizona State University: +24%
Catholic University: +25%
Colgate University: +15%
College of Wooster: +38
Swarthmore College: +16%
University of Delaware: +36
University of Pennsylvania: +22%
University of Virginia: +24%
University of Washington: +22%
Villanova University: +34%