Happy February - we hope everyone enjoyed the snow this week, and it sounds like there’s more ahead!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

UVA EARLY ACTION DECISIONS RELEASED TONIGHT

So many of our Class of 2021 students are on the edge of their seats waiting for UVA early action decisions to come out tonight. Dean J already published the statistics, so you can check those out now - and don’t forget to let us know the results after you check your applicant portals this evening. Here are our initial observations when compared to last year’s statistics:

• The number of EA applications increased, but the year-over-year jump was nowhere near as high as some other peer schools have experienced - it was only about 13% (although I believe it’s closer to 20% when looking at their overall numbers, i.e. not just EA). The percentage of applicants that increased increases were about the same from Virginians and those applying out-of-state.

• On top of the increased number of in-state applicants, less in-state students were accepted this year than last year. This resulted in an acceptance rate drop from 35% to 30% for that applicant group (remember, this reflects the entire state of Virginia and is not meant to be representative of Northern Virginia).

• Interestingly, more out-of-state students were accepted than last year - about 40% more, if my math is correct! Wow. Even after accounting for the increase in applications, the out-of-state EA acceptance rate increased from 15% to 18%.

• Overall, the spread between in-state and out-of-state acceptance rates narrowed substantially, from 20 percentage points to 12. I know the cynics will say that this was an intentional decision meant to increase revenue, but I wonder if it’s more about the fact that UVA is predicting a bigger spread between in-state and out-of-state yields this year than last year? If I had to guess, I would say that’s probably it.

FCPS RETURN TO SCHOOL AND REDISTRICTING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Yes, you’ve read this before, but FCPS began to implement the return to school plan this week, with priority groups returning to school buildings. If the plan continues as scheduled, high school students will be returning to classrooms in early March.  Not five days per week, but something is better than nothing, right?

In other FCPS news, the school board voted last night to redistrict sections of the McLean HS boundary to Langley HS. My neighborhood was one of the ones impacted and I’m really happy about this! While I actually like McLean HS a lot and would have been very happy to send my children there for a variety of reasons, I think split feeders are so hard on the kids and I’m very glad that Colvin Run won’t be one anymore. Split feeder elementary schools, for those who don’t know, are ones that split the class among different middle and/or high schools.

MID-YEAR REPORTS

Our own seniors have already heard from us twice this week on the topic, but it’s important for all seniors to understand that they are responsible for ensuring that their mid-year grades (also known as “senior grades” or “mid-year reports”) reach all colleges on their list with applications still in play. In other words: unless you have been denied from a school, turned the school down, or were specifically informed that the school does not require mid-year grades, you need to make sure that the grades are submitted. Some schools want students to submit these, and most want counselors to submit them. Please check your individual school portals for more information about the individual school requirements and modes of submission, and then contact your school counselor as appropriate.

And if you are one of the unlucky students whose counselor quit this week (no, we aren’t going to name your school, but there’s a bunch of you…) we suggest reaching out to the Director of Student Services at your school until you are re-assigned a new counselor.

COLLEGE BOARD ANNOUNCES NEW AP EXAM FORMAT

After the struggles that many students had last year with the hastily-assembled digital AP exams, it is no surprise that the College Board has reworked the digital exam for this year. Some changes include security features that block students from returning to a question they have already answered or from toggling back and forth between questions. This is very different from the paper AP exam, and important for students to keep in mind as they prepare! 

GOVERNOR NORTHAM RELEASES EXPECTATIONS FOR VIRGINIA SCHOOLS

Governor Northam announced during a press briefing this morning that Virginia schools will be expected to have in-person learning options for students in place by March 15. He also announced a mandate for in-person summer learning options. Summer programs will not be required, but schools are expected to have them in place this summer for students who want to take advantage of them.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

The Virginia House passed a bill yesterday that requires public universities, including UVA and William & Mary, to identify and memorialize enslaved people who worked on institutional property. The bill also requires that the schools establish scholarships or economic development programs for individuals or communities with historic connections to slavery. Schools cannot use state funding for these projects, but must use private funds. This process has already begun at many Virginia schools, with William & Mary’s Lemon Project and UVA’s recently completed Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. 

An Indiana University professor wrote in The Atlantic this week about IU’s largely successful response to the coronavirus pandemic. While we’ve heard a lot of news (and featured it here) about the negative impacts of students returning to campus during COVID-19, this article shows how some schools were able to bring students back to campus successfully. IU’s example may offer insights for other schools as well as cities and towns across the country about how to manage the pandemic safely. Other schools, like UC Davis, have also provided important services to keep their communities safe.

This NBC News report provides a lot of useful information about how the merit aid system works at many colleges and universities. Keep in mind that super-selective schools, like Harvard and Stanford, will not offer merit aid at all. But for mid-tier schools, merit aid is an important enrollment management tool, and families should know how the process works.  

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Shannon presented this week at William & Mary’s Center for Gifted Education annual conference. In addition to a session on finding the right college fit, she also spoke with middle school students about academic planning for high school and beyond. We’ve said before that the best money you’ll ever spend on the college admissions process is our one-hour strategy session for 8th grade students - and we stand by it! Starting off on the right foot will ensure that you ultimately begin the active stage of the admissions process in a position of strength, because you won’t be frantically trying to make up for mistakes you didn’t even know you were making.

I discovered Clubhouse this week and got to sit in on part of a session yesterday afternoon between meetings (thanks for hosting, Bob!). I am obsessed! It’s sort of like a cross between twitter, slack, and a podcast, and I love it so far, although I’m still figuring out how the clubs work vs. the chats. Either way, it’s fun to listen in while working at my desk and I highly recommend it!

Enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend!