I wrote this a short while ago as a comment to my latest post, but I thought I would also make it a new post, so here you go:
I think I have responded to all your questions as of right now, but I will continue to do so as we move forward. Remember to read the FAQ's, read the blog, and do not compare yourself against another applicant unless you know everything about them (and I mean everything!). In addition, please remember that if you contact our office, conduct yourself in a manner that shows why you (or your child) should be considered as a strong candidate for admission.
In the past, I have handled calls from people who screamed, cursed, threatened, and lied. As you can guess, these are not the best steps to take. I am sure you will conduct yourself in the appropriate fashion if you do contact us, but I thought I would alert you to these issues. As well, review the Urban Legends/Myths web page, as I would not want you to bring up an issue that is not true only to have us tell you the real situation.
Remember not to pay attention to rumors, as rumors are not reality. I have tried to give you insight into the UGA admissions process, and this is coming from 20 years of admissions and a great deal of experience in this process. Rumors are generally the product of an individual who is unhappy with a decision an lacks the correct data, but who is trying to guess about the reason for a non-admission decision. These rumors are generally the product of a lack of knowledge.
Lastly, know that a deferral decision is not the final decision (unless you do not complete part II), as we still have a long way to go before all decisions are made. EA decisions look at the academic side of a student as compared to the entire EA applicant pool, while the holistic read process looks at everything about a student in comparison with the overall pool. So keep hope (even though I know that deferral is not what you desired), stay strong, and finish up the Fall term well!
Just so everyone knows, the blog has had about 25,000 hits over the past day and a half, so I hope you have learned more about the EA process through this blog. I have tried to give as much information as possible, but remember that I am not always available to respond right away. I hope that you have found that I have answered your questions to the best of my ability, but please ask for more details if you are confused in any way.
ReplyDeleteI am confused. If I retake the SAT,ACT and improve my GPA will you re-evaluate my application and will I find out in February? Or will I find out in March? I have read different things on this blog and the UGA website.
ReplyDeleteHang in there D Graves. I am impressed with your grace and patience. Posters, please look at all the resources on this site and think a minute before you post or call. Admissions has worked very, very hard this week and I think we all can be respectful of their time.
ReplyDeleteHi D Graves. I have been deferred, and while I must admitt I am quite disappointed I have not lost faith just yet. I was wondering if I still sound like a strong candidate for UGA now that I am under RA. I have taken 3 AP classes and my school offers 6, my weighted GPA at the time of application was 98.45 I believe (though I'm sure it has changed slightly by now), I am in the top 10 of my class, and have SAT scores of 1090(CR+M) 1550(CR+M+W). I plan to take the SAT again in January because I know these are not very great scores but I am not the best test taker when I have to move fast.
ReplyDeleteAnon I: When we have finished doing the academic checks on all Reg. Decision applicants in early February, our office will then look at all of the complete applications from the RD and deferred EA group one more time in comparison with the EA criteria we set forth in Dec. Any of the students who meet the criteria then (an EA student could have raised their SAT/ACT, but we are not able to go in and recalculate all the GPA's), will be offered admission in mid/late Feb. Most of this small group of admits are RD, as deferred students already were reviewed for EA criteria and did not meet it. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteAnon II: thanks, and great advice.
Keeping Hope: You do sound like a strong applicant, and one that, depending on the other factors (activities, leadership, recs, acad. progress, essays, etc.), seems like a strong candidate during the next stage of review. I am guessing you can see from the press release where you might have been a bit lower in the EA review from the mid-ranges of EA admits, but I am glad you are keeping hope, as this next stage in admission looks at a much wider range of things.
Hello again, and thanks for your prompt response to my earlier post. I believe your guess is correct: my son never received a notification that his application was incomplete because his ACT scores had been received. The SAT and AP scores must have somehow fallen through the cracks... they were sent and received but didn't get attached to his name. I don't understand why this happened, but I suppose it's understandable that with 10,600 applicants, some information would be lost in the shuffle.
ReplyDeleteI do not intend to lie, threaten, or curse. However, I do have to ask you, as one parent to another, to consider how you would feel if your son worked tirelessly to compete in a tennis championship, awaited his placement with tremendous anticipation, and then, through no fault of his own, failed to be entered... and was then told that he had to wait until the next round. My son has done everything right. He is currently taking two AP classes and 4 college classes, on top of the 5 he took last year. His two best friends, childhood friends and fellow choral students with whom he planned to room, have both been accepted, and his scores in every category are higher than theirs. Now he faces another agonizing wait. Moreover, if I understand correctly, he will have to complete Part II of the application, because January 15 comes before February. He clearly meets the criteria for EA, so it seems unfair that he should have to do this.
As a teacher, I have occasionally lost a student paper. I don't blame or penalize the student when this happens, nor do I tell him that it was HIS responsibility to ensure that I didn't lose his paper. I don't tell the student "I have 10,600 papers, so naturally I'm going to lose some." I find a way to rectify the situation. I would go out of my way to do this if I happened to know that the student had worked VERY hard on his paper.
Please tell me how to proceed from here. Should I call the office tomorrow morning? One friend has suggested that I camp out in front of the Admissions building with my son's scores in hand. I will steadfastly avoid such behaviors -- I intend to remain cool-headed. Nevertheless, I can't help railing against this unfortunate twist of fate of which my son is the blameless victim.
Hope this post doesn't ruin your Sunday. I DO appreciate what you do...
Hi, I am also deferred because of lower scores (I think). I have a 3.83 Hope GPA with 7 honors and 3 AP's. I am taking the ACT again next week to improve my 23 score. I have a couple of questions
ReplyDeleteHow do we submit techer recommendations? I don't see a place on my regular application.
When this semester is over, I want to send my transcript again. Do I do that on the GA College411 page?
Thanks
DGraves,
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for this blog first of all. I know I would be going insane if I had the task of answering so many people. I would like to know, if I am deferred, will I be at a disadvantage at all to those who apply RD? Will the fact that UGA has already deferred me have a negative impact on my decision compared to that of an RD applicant? I am aware that there is still a possibility of getting accepted, but will RD applicants get reviewed first? I am aware that UGA can only accept so many students, and I was wondering if RD applicants filled up the available slots first.
Thank you!
Thank you DGraves! Your advice helped a lot. I am retaking the ACT on Saturday and the SAT in January. Hopefully I can improve my scores enough to get in then. Thank you for your help in the admission process. Go Dawgs!- AnonI
ReplyDeleteAnon: There are two ways to have a teacher send in a recommendation. You can direct them to the teacher recommendation online at https://www.admissions.uga.edu/teacherrec.html, or have them do a search on our site for the printable forms. As well, you can send in an updated transcript through your counseling office or through GA411 (for GA students).
ReplyDeleteDeferred: Deferred applicants are in the same pool as RD applicants. Deferral is not a negative, and does not have any negative impact. RD applicants do not "fill up" the rest of our class, as we treat EA deferred and RD the same.
Anon: Good luck on the SAT's.
Taking a deep breath: As I said earlier, the reason a test score would not be matched up would be due to the fact that your son did not put information on his test scores that matched the application information he submitted, and thus his action led to the scores not matching (I deal with a majority of test score issues, and thus have fixed a number of these issues over the years as students contact us when they do not see them on myStatus).
ReplyDeleteThere is no way for us to guess that the scores are his if we do not have matching information, and since he did not check on them on the myStatus page, he has to accept some responsibility. In addition, neither you or I could say at this time what impact these scores would or will have on his application. While you compare this to a teacher who looses a paper, I would compare it to a student who submits a paper with no name on it, and only a month and a half later does he alert you to the problem. You would review his paper, but it would be at a later timeframe, and it would have been his responsibility to write his name and check his PowerSchool account (or the appropriate online school grade tracker).
The best thing right now is for your son to email admproc@uga.edu and ask us to try and track down his test score. We will then search for them. Your neighbor is not correct in his advice, so I would not suggest this. You are doing well to be level headed, and I thank you for that.
I don't want to become your worst nightmare, so this will be my last post today. I am CONFUSED. If my son's scores were sent directly by the College Board / AP people, how could he be responsible for failure to put his name on them? When a student submits a paper with no name on it, I usually make an effort to ascertain whose paper it is -- I don't just toss it aside and expect that the student, who probably doesn't realize his error, will come forward of his own volition.
ReplyDeleteMy son will send an email tomorrow, as you have suggested. I still don't understand, though, whether this means that his application will now be tossed into some kind of "slush pile," (or even worse, a black hole), whether it will be buried under those of the other thousands of RD candidates who apply in January, and whether he will now have to submit Part II and get teacher recommendations...
I suppose we can't know how these scores would have impacted his application. I don't want to engage in the abhorrent behavior of "comparing" with other students who were accepted, but the best friend I mentioned has 200 points lower on his SAT, 3 fewer AP classes, and a similar GPA. My son has NEVER had anything even remotely resembling a disciplinary issue. He is a dual national, a trilingual, and a model of courtesy and respect.
Please enlighten me as much as you can, and I promise to leave you alone.
taking a deep breath: If your son did not put his SSN on the test score, we then have to match it up by name. If he then did not put the same name on the test score as on the application, it then cannot directly be matched up (Bill instead of William for instance). Since we have well over 100,000 scores come in every year, we cannot hand check every score that does not match, thus we have the myStatus page that we ask the student to check and make sure everything is in. This is our attempt to get the test score matched when the student did not give us the needed information to have it matched up.
ReplyDeleteHis application will not be dropped into a "slush pile" or "black hole", as UGA Admissions does not have either of these. He needs to complete part II and he will then be reviewed again in Feb. for EA criteria, and then if he does not meet the EA criteria, he will be considered during the holistic review process.
I am sorry that this is not how your son envisioned this situation, but since we did tell students to check their myStatus, and we did let them know what information was in their file 24/7, your son does need to accept some responsibility. If a student submits a paper without a name, and you tell the class to check online for the assignments to make sure they have them all in (in this case four items were all he need to check), then the expectations now fall to the student.
Again, I will look into the situation on Monday, and he will go through the process I have stated, as there are no black holes or slush piles. He will be treated as any other applicant, and we will review him and hopefully see his strengths when we review his entire file.
Taking a Deep Breath: I believe I have been able to track down your son's issue, and I have sent you an email to make sure it is the correct person. Please respond to the email so I know I am communicating with the correct individual, and we can then go from there.
ReplyDeleteI have been unable to log into housing and register. Should I be having this issue?
ReplyDeleteAnon: Housing is having a few issues with a new (and great!) sign-up system, so please be patient as they get the bugs fixed. It should not be long.
ReplyDeleteAre AP scores considered at all in the application process? (we have not yet sent them to UGA)
ReplyDeleteHow is it that some GPAs are over 4.0 if they are not supposed to be weighted? (my student sent his in unweighted, even AP, which lowered the GPA)
ReplyDeletecuriouskat: AP scores (if received) are looked at in the holistic file review process, and we re-weight the grades using our own calculation process. We actually look at the core grades from the transcript (not a GPA off a transcript), and we then we weight AP/IB grades by .5. I would suggest you review the labels section on the bottom right of the blog and select GPA for more information.
ReplyDeleteConfused
ReplyDeletei read the post about the criteria for those accepted early action and my son falls well within the GPA and test scores for those accepted- yet he was deferred- i don't understand as i thought the first round was based solely on academic performance and that his extra curricular etc did not come into effect- we are out of state- what % of those accepted are in state- was this a disadvantage for him- i really need some clarification here as we are both confused and very disappointed.
thanks
Confused: Early Action is based on a students core grades (not the GPA you see on the HS transcript, but the core grades that UGA then uses for our own GPA), a student's rigor of curriculum, and the SAT/ACT subscores. I have spoken to a number of people today that are still not understanding that the GPA on a transcript is not the GPA we look at or mention in our information. We are looking at a student's core grades in determining this factor. As well, we seriously look at rigor, both in EA and in the holistic review process.
ReplyDeleteI do not have an exact % of out-of-state students admitted, but since we do not differentiate between out-of-state and in-state in the review process, it would not be an impact.
All: As an example of a GPA on a transcript vs. one that we use, I saw a transcript with a HS GPA of about a 7.80 GPA. What this school does is take the GPA of each year and add them together to make the overall GPA. As such, the true GPA was a 2.60 approximately (X 3 years equals 7.8), not a 7.8 as the transcript says. In addition, the GPA on a transcript contains PE grades, Health course grades, Home Econ grades, etc. that UGA does not use. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteHey DGraves, I was deferred from the EA decision to Regular Decision. I plan on completing the essays and getting a teacher rec, but had heard some rumors I was wondering if you could confirm/dispell. A friend of mind told me that Regular Decision admits students in a "round" system, so the time I find out my RD from UGA could be as soon as February as opposed to waiting until April. Is this true? Or do all RD applicants have to wait until April?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Jo: During mid-February, our office will review any RD applicants, Incomplete EA applicants who then completed their file, and any EA applicants who have completed part II. We will look at these applicants to see if any of them meet the EA admit criteria that we used in Dec. (if an RD applicant has a 4.0 GPA, 10 AP and 1500/750 SAT's, or if a deferred applicant raised his/her test scores dramatically, for instance), and if they meet the EA criteria, we will then admit them in late Feb. This is usually not a large group, but we do have some who fall into this category.
ReplyDeleteThe students who do not meet the EA admission criteria will hear in late March after we have had a chance to read their files in detail, and look at them in comparison to the rest of the applicant pool.
I hope this helps explain it (and what is a "round" system?).
DGraves, I was deferred; I hope to get in RD and I feel like I probably will, given my EC's and my own confidence in my writing. But, even in the case that I will not earn admission, I want to thank you for this blog. You have the patience of a saint to answer everyone's questions, even answering questions that you have already answered on the same particular thread. I must be honest, I have received interest from schools that are more selective than UGA, but UGA is my number one by far, so getting deferred hurt a lot, although I expected it. Despite this, I just have to remember that each university evaluates students uniquely so I can't possibly consider myself worthy of admission at one school based on my admission to another. I hope some deferred applicants who are angry will read this and gain some perspective.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long winded comment. I just feel like you've given so much time and effort helping us out, I just want to give some appreciative feedback.
I do have a question about sending updated transcripts for RD: Does admissions want to see an actual increase in numerical GPA or do they want to see an improvement (high grades in an entirely AP/IB schedule)? Obviously both will be looked upon favorably, but I'm wondering what admissions is looking for on an updated transcript because even perfect A's wouldn't likely make a huge difference in GPA after 7 semesters in high school...
Thanks for everything!!
Alex: Thank you for the compliment. As far as the updated transcript, we just want to see how you have progressed from 9th-12th grade, how you are doing both overall and in your challenging classes 12th grade year, and if you are keeping up strong work or have taken a dive senior year. It is not about increasing your GPA, but instead one additional term to see progression in grades, challenge and at times maturity.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering.....I am deferred and will plan on sending in an updated transcript which should reflect all A's. My concern is that the AP classes I am going to take are on my schedule for next semester. I come from a small school and scheduling is a huge conflict at times as I am also getting a dual seal. I would go an extra hour a day if I could just to take more classes...especially AP. All my academic classes up to now have been honor classes. Also, hoping that my strong GPA, ACT score, activities, awards, teacher rec, and essay will show I am very capable of being a successful student at UGA. Just wanted your thought on my lack of AP classes and if this could hurt my chances for admission.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your time!
Anon: When we look at the rigor of an applicant, we are looking at the courses taken from 9th THROUGH 12th grade compared to what is offered at your school, so all of your senior courses will be taken into consideration. As such, your issue will not be seen as a negative.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much and I am ready to write some great essay's during my Christmas break.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling alot better now.
Take care and thanks again.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteI had a quick question, I was planning on attending UGA with a friend of mine who got accepted into EA. I was defferred from EA and hopefully will be accepted RA. She is applying for houseing now in order to get the best "first come first serve" deal, and I was wondering when (if) I get accepted RA will she be able to hold a spot for me?
Anon: From the Housing site: "The following conditions must exist before roommate preferences can be honored: (1) both students must request each other and (2) a double occupancy room must exist. When two students request each other as roommates and register at separate times, the assignment of the roommate pair will be based upon the LATEST registration date of both students."
ReplyDeleteI would suggest speaking with Housing if you have more detailed questions, as I am not the best resource on all things housing.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI was deferred from EA, and I am currently taking 3 AP's this semester and 2 more on top of those ones next semester. However, I am afraid I might end up with an 'F' or a 'C' in my AP Calculus class (My high school does not have "D's", 70%-79% is a C, and 69% and below is an F). I will end with "A's" in every other class this semester. Before this point the lowest grade I have ever gotten in a Math class was an 85%, and my lowest Grade was a 75% (this was a one time thing, everything else was a B or an A until this semester). I have a 1960 SAT score and have taken 2 subject SAT's (getting an 800 and a 760 on them). Additionally I have many leadership and extracurricular activities. Will getting a bad grade in AP Calculus really hurt my chances of getting into UGA?
Thank You, Anonymous Poster
Sorry for the double post, I also forgot to add that I have taken 3 AP's prior to this year and got A's in them and got 5's on all the AP exams
ReplyDeleteAnon: While I am glad to see you are doing well in your other classes, an F grade is taken very seriously. I would focus as hard as possible to avoid an F. If it should happen, though, I would suggest still sending in an updated transcript, and also send a note/letter explaining what happened. I have called a number of counselors to get the first semester grades when the transcript is not in, and the only thing worse than getting a low grade is getting caught not giving it to UGA. Hopefully, this will not be the case, and if you have all A's and a C, that is not as serious (and your other work will show us what you are like).
ReplyDeleteI have read your blog extensively(thanks so much for this, btw) so i made sure my teacher was given the exact name to match the name on my application, as well as the correct ssn.. she completed my recommendation online days ago..it is still not showing up on mystatus as being received. How many days should I give it before getting worried? My counselor evaluation and transcripts showed up within two days of being sent (for EA), so I'm getting concerned. What should be my next step to fix the problem if it doesnt show up soon?
ReplyDeletegetting worried: Be a little patient with us if it was only "days ago" as it does take a little while for us to match things up. If it does not show up by the middle of next week, email us at admproc@uga.edu . Remember, this is a busy time for us as far as materials, so please be patient.
ReplyDeleteHello. I was deffered from EA and was thinking about retaking my SAT and ACT. I previously made an 1860 on my SAT and 27 on ACT. If I retake the SAT January 22 and ACT Febuary 12th, and say I get higher scores, will this help improve my chances on being admitted? Will UGA take my scores even though they are passed RA admission dealine? Should I retake my SAT only since it is January 22?
ReplyDeleteAnon: The last test score date UGA will be able to use is the Jan. 22 SAT. The Feb. ACT is too late, especially since it takes longer for ACT to get the scores back than SAT (which usually gets us scores in under three weeks).
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, a higher score on the SAT can only improve your chance for admission.
ReplyDeleteI applied regular decision and I have already sent in my transcript. However, my gpa went up ans so my question is can I send my transcript again and if I can, how will it affect the self reported portion of the application
ReplyDeleteAnon: You can send in the new transcript and we will add it to your file for the read process, but it will not change your self reported grades.
ReplyDeleteI will be applying to UGA next school year and I was curious as to what exactly controls (as far as the students' statistics) the decision to defer or deny a student via the early action process. I am asking because I am scared that if I would be denied via early action and therefore not be able to apply at regular admission I would be left questioning whether the submission of my senior year first semester grades would have changed that decision.
ReplyDeleteI applied for EA and unfortunately I was deferred. I am pretty sure that it was because my SAT score was low. I re-took my SAT however, and my score increased 200 points. I submitted my new SAT score, but I was wondering if the new score I submitted was reviewed with my EA or if the one I submitted first was the one that was reviewed. Also, if my GPA is a 4.0, would my SAT score be the only reason I was deferred? Do you have any advice as to what would be most beneficial when I submit part II of my application? Thank you for your time!
ReplyDeleteCatherine: In Early Action, UGA is looking at your core academic grades over the first three years, the rigor of your curriculum from 9-12 grades, and the all of the subsections of the SAT or ACT. We are not able to look at first semester grades, as they are not complete by the time we release decisions. We do not deny a large number of applicants in EA, but if a student is denied, then that is the end of the process. EA is not better, easier or more advantageous, only an earlier review of your file. If you are truly worried, you can always apply Regular Decision.
ReplyDeleteAnon: If we had your new SAT by the about Nov. 20 (and it would have showed up on the myStatus page), then we would have used the new SAT in the Early Action review. If your GPA was a 4.00 (I am assuming you then had all A's), then we would also look at the rigor of your curriculum, and then all of the SAT subscores in the EA review, so no, the SAT may not be the only reason. As for part II of the application, just make sure you let us know more about you through your essays, get in your first semester grades, and make sure the teacher you select sends in the recommendation on time.
DGraves:
ReplyDeleteDo my teacher reccomendations have to follow UGA's format. The people that are doing mine are typing them up. I was not aware that they had to follow a specific format?
Kellie: Your recommendations do not need to follow a specific format.
ReplyDeleteDear DGraves,
ReplyDeleteI posted above in regards to AP Calculus. If I were to send a letter explaining the situation, where would I send it? Also would you reccomend it be by email or should I physically mail it. And to where?
Thank You, Anonymous
Anon: If you need to send in a letter explaining a low grade in a class (and you did not include it in the application or in part II), then send it as a pdf attachment to admproc@uga.edu .
ReplyDeleteHow would I attatch it to the application? I understand theres a 200 word extra part, would that be where I would put my letter in?
ReplyDeleteAnon: You would not "attach" it to the application. You would either have written it in the special circumstances section, or in the part II additional information section.
ReplyDeleteIf a student is deferred, and their 1st semester senior grades lower their original EA GPA, do they still have to send those grades in when they send in Part II of the application?
ReplyDeleteAnon: We do not require first semester grades, but since many times during the file reading process we call the school when we do not see first semester grades, it might be in your best interest to send them rather than to be seen as hiding them.
ReplyDelete