How to get into UVA from Langley?

[Anonymous]

Hi, wondering what the normal stats, extracurriculars from kids at Langley that have gotten into UVA?

[Anonymous]

1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor. Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley. That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses. UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class. 95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%. Ask the counselor about where your student stands. If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it. (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA. This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA. Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots. Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class. UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility. That happened to my DS. That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply. Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor. Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher. That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall. a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile. Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024. who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year. Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt. Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important. National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024. Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year. It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools. William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller. Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm. Now I'm seeing 15. Make good use of the ED application. Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck. Post back with any questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor. Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley. That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses. UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class. 95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%. Ask the counselor about where your student stands. If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it. (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA. This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA. Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots. Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class. UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility. That happened to my DS. That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply. Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor. Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher. That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall. a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile. Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024. who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year. Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt. Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important. National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024. Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year. It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools. William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller. Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm. Now I'm seeing 15. Make good use of the ED application. Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck. Post back with any questions.

This is spot on. Nicely done.

[Anonymous]

If the kid is legacy and the parents donate a lot of money it helps a lot. Also, easier to get into school of education (Curry) then main school. Your welcome.

[Anonymous]

In non-covid days, the response would have been “check Naviance.”

[Anonymous]

Buy your child aderall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In non-covid days, the response would have been “check Naviance.”

That was addressed above. The fact that schools may be forced to go test-optional only means more pressure to get the GPA up and more ECs that demonstrate leadership. But if test-optional means they will still take tests, by all means, take them and submit. My DS submitted SAT subject matter tests to UVA as well although they are not required.

I, too, think more families that might have gone private or even Ivy will be looking harder at in-state options next year which means even more competition for in-state and OOS slots. There should also be a resurgence of interest in community colleges, especially the transfer programs.

[Anonymous]

OP - this question should be really submitted under "Colleges and Universities". "VA Public" is usually reserved for the k-12 public schools of Virginia. Ask the moderator to move the thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - this question should be really submitted under "Colleges and Universities". "VA Public" is usually reserved for the k-12 public schools of Virginia. Ask the moderator to move the thread.

Not OP, but disagree. If it moves to the other forum, you'll get scores of Maryland and DC posters showing up to bash UVA.

Which isn't to say they won't do it here as well, but it takes them a little longer to show up and they are slightly more restrained since it's a VA forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - this question should be really submitted under "Colleges and Universities". "VA Public" is usually reserved for the k-12 public schools of Virginia. Ask the moderator to move the thread.

Not OP, but disagree. If it moves to the other forum, you'll get scores of Maryland and DC posters showing up to bash UVA.

Which isn't to say they won't do it here as well, but it takes them a little longer to show up and they are slightly more restrained since it's a VA forum. [/quote]


All true. Haters got to hate. But those who know what's going on in the college world read only the college and university forum. I don't normally read "VA Publics" because that's fights about what FCPS and Arlington are doing right or wrong.

[Anonymous]

Just one quibble - there is not one single Langley counselor, but rather at least ten. Each takes a section of students, divided alphabetically. Most large high schools do it this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor. Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley. That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses. UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class. 95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%. Ask the counselor about where your student stands. If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it. (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA. This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA. Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots. Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class. UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility. That happened to my DS. That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply. Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor. Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher. That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall. a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile. Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024. who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year. Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt. Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important. National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024. Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year. It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools. William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller. Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm. Now I'm seeing 15. Make good use of the ED application. Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck. Post back with any questions.

Clearly you haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about this.

[Anonymous]

Go to a different high school.

[Anonymous]

OMG. This thread is eye-opening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just one quibble - there is not one single Langley counselor, but rather at least ten. Each takes a section of students, divided alphabetically. Most large high schools do it this way.

We not met with one and it was a she. I wasn’t aware there were ten. If I had to do it all over again I’ll would hire a private counselor. We made too many mistakes