Introducing the Pre-Comm Blog

 

Photo from the Pre-Comm Blog

I'm so excited to announce that there is now a blog dedicated to pre-comm students!

At UVa, we have two schools for students interested in studying business.  The McIntire School of Commerce is the school for undergraduates and offers Bachelor's and Masters degrees.  The Darden School of Business is the graduate school that offers M.B.A. degrees.  McIntire is located in Rouss and Robertson Halls on the Lawn in the middle of Central Grounds and Darden is located on the outskirts of Grounds.  Obviously, readers of this blog who want to study business are more interested in McIntire than Darden.

If you want to be a student in McIntire, you'll be applying to the College of Arts & Sciences on your first year application.  You'll spend your first two years getting ready for the move to McIntire (see the coursework you'll need on their website).  Applications to move into McIntire are filed in your second year and you'll spend a whole lot of your last two years at the University in Rouss and Robertson Halls if everything works out.

Here's a glimpse into the buildings, which were reopened after renovation in 2008:

And here's a more in-depth video about McIntire:

Some words about financial access

You've probably seen me mention that the Office of Admission is separate from financial aid, which is handled by Student Financial Services before. When I read applications, I'm not thinking about how the applicant is going to pay their tuition bill, which is something I like. Obviously, there are times when we find out about a student's financial background through their essays or recommendations and that's just fine.

You should know that we are committed to increasing financial access here. AccessUVa was the name of the initiative that started back in 2004 to make sure there is adequate financial support for low income students. AccessUVa is our pledge to:

• Meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduate students.
• Replace need-based loans with grants in the financial aid packages of low-income students — those whose family income is equivalent to 200 percent of the federal poverty line or less.
• Cap the amount of need-based loans offered to any student at approximately 25 percent of U.Va.’s in-state cost of attendance over four years, and meet all need above that amount with grants. All students, regardless of state residency, receive the in-state cap level.
• Offer additional one-on-one counseling to admitted students and their families, assisting them in the financial aid application process and presenting them with financing options outside of need-based financial aid.

I came across some financial aid statistics the other day and thought I'd share them with you:

• In 2004, we had 702 applicants from low-income families, described as those whose income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. In 2009, that number had more than doubled, to 1,599.
• Five years ago, 49.8 percent of low-income students accepted offers of admission. Last year, that number had jumped to 61.8 percent.
• In 2009-10, over 32 percent of the student body qualifies for financial aid, up from 27 percent in the previous academic year. As these numbers have risen, so have our Pell Grant recipients. The number is up 48 percent since 2005.
• Total need-based aid to undergraduates increased from $37 million in 2003-04 to $59.1 million during the 2008-09 academic year. Forecasts indicate that total need-based aid may top $73 million in 2009-10.
• The University's level of support for AccessUVa has risen each year to almost $30 million in the current academic year, even as state support has continued to dwindle.

Obviously, we're always trying to do better, but I think thought those show that there's been good progress here when it comes to access. I'm not a financial aid officer, so any questions about aid need to be directed to Student Financial Services.

If you're interested in current students' perspectives of AccessUVa and Financial Aid, check out the Hoos for Open Access blog. It's a great team blog that was started by and continues to be maintained by students. I'm sure they'd love to answer your questions!

Curious

Last week, I made this statement in a comment:

Most of the activity done from this point until May 1st (the National Candidate Reply Date) is focused on yield. We aren't alone in this sort of activity. We may be the only ones talking about what we are doing.

Which got this reply:

I have to tell you how much I agree with your statement "We may be the only ones talking about what we are doing." Sometimes I feel like the whole college admissions process is a game that you try to play and no one wants to tell you the rules! I find the UVA approach to be the most fair and it seems to me, the most ethical. Thank you for your transparent approach.

It was a very kind comment, which made me feel good about what I'm doing here. However, it has me wondering...

Have any of your other schools talked about this stuff on their blogs? Back when I started this blog in 2005, I followed all of the admission blogs I could find. There weren't all that many, so it was easy. I can't keep up with them all anymore, so I'm wondering what the other admission bloggers are saying. Do they talk about the same topics? Have you seen something on another blog that you wish I did on mine?

More UVa blog goodness!

While I was at the national conference for those of us who are in the admission world, I heard a speaker talk about students' expectations. He basically said that if other schools do something, students will expect it of you. If you manage to do that something, you aren't necessarily distinguishing yourself, but keeping current with others in the field.

It was an interesting idea and I started thinking about our student blogs during the discussion that followed. Most school have fairly formal student blogger programs. The students are usually given a schedule or goal with some sort of incentive to stay on task.

Between our small staff and the prominence of students self-governance here, we don't really keep tabs on our student bloggers. We don't enforce a schedule or establish goals for them. Our students started their blogs on their own and maintain them on their own. I think it makes them write authentically and with enthusiasm. I wouldn't want blogging to become a chore for them!

Anyway, when you're looking for a break from admission talk, go read the student blogs and ask some questions over there. They're writing some wonderful posts and I'm sure they'd enjoy interacting with you.

Hoo Stories
A team blog written by eleven students with a range of class years

AccessUVa
A team blog written by thirteen students, an activity of Hoos for Open Access, a student group that promotes awareness of financial resources available for UVa students


UVa Life
One student's life at UVa, including ups and downs, frustrations and celebrations


Transferring to Uva
Hints and updates from Transfermer, an admission dean who works with transfer students

UVa Today
The source for news and updates from around Grounds


There's a pretty comprehensive list of UVa blogs on the UVa Today website.

Some other blogs to read

It's time for us to get back to reading transfer applications, so blog updates might not come as quickly as in the past few weeks. For now, check out some of the student blogs. The AccessUVa student blog has some lighthearted videos up and the UVaLife student blog is in need of some incoming student comments. Wahoo World is run by international students and is an interesting addition to the student blogs.

The students writers created their blogs on their own and are not paid for their work. They are eager to answer your questions and chat with you!

A CavDog family photo to hold you over until next time
Can you guess which one is CavDog?

A surprise member of the admission blogsphere

I've been chatting about blogs with some parents on one of the college admission message boards today and came across a blog I never knew existed: The ACT student blog. Is anyone reading this? How do you like it? Is it useful?

I'm surprised (in a good way) to see that the ACT is doing this. To mean, it shows a student-centered philosophy and that they're in touch with real students. Nice touch!