We're grateful to the roughly 10,000 students who logged in between 5 am and 10 pm on January 31 to view their decisions. Thanks also for the patience of those who tried to view their decisions but for one reason or another could not.
We will reconvene early on February 1 to continue working through the issues that our first notification date with our new system revealed. If you called the Help Desk and left your name, and if we haven't already been able to resolve your status or contact you by email, we will do so as quickly as we can.
Please note: Because of the weekend snow and the prospect of ice in the early morning, classes will be cancelled on Monday, February 1, until 10 am. Our office will be open during our normal hours of 8 am to 5 pm. But since many of our staff members may have a difficult time getting to work until the roads are cleared, our phone service may be slower than usual through the early morning. We expect to be fully staffed by 10 am.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
MyUNC Portal Service Restored
The MyUNC portal is again up and running. To log in, please visit MyUNC.
The Green Circle on Your Student Center
If you see a green circle in the Admissions section of your Student Center, it means that your application is complete and is currently under review. As soon as your decision is available, you will see a "Click here to view your decision" link next to the green circle.
Update on Problems with Online Decisions
Between 5 am and 3 pm today, 9,408 applicants logged in to view their decision letters. We've learned that at least 200 of these students weren't able to view their decisions after logging in, at least on the first try. Staff members from Information and Technology Services (ITS) have been working since midnight to resolve this and other problems, and I believe they're doing their very best. At the same time, I know that these bugs in our new system have made this a very frustrating day for many of you. I am sorry for this frustration and grateful for your continued patience.
Here's what we know:
1. The MyUNC portal has been down since around 1 am. We don't know when we'll be able to restore it. In the meantime, if you haven't viewed your decision already, please try logging in at ...
****Please note that MyUNC service is now restored. To log in, please visit MyUNC.****
2. Through 3 pm today, the ITS Help Desk (919-962-HELP or 866-962-4457) has received calls from roughly 200 students who'd been able to log in but not see their decisions. ITS is working to resolve the technical problem that seems to be preventing the decisions from loading; we will post an update when we hear that the problem has been resolved. In the meantime, if you've logged in without seeing your decision but haven't notified the Help Desk, please feel free to call.
3. Some students have reported on this blog that they were only able to see their decisions after they disabled popup-blocking software. ITS hasn't confirmed that this approach works, but it might be worth a try.
4. We mailed traditional decision letters on Friday. The weekend snow may delay their delivery, but they are in the mail and should begin to land on Monday.
5. Several hundred first-deadline applications -- most of them only recently completed -- are still being reviewed by our admissions committee. Beginning tomorrow, we'll notify students daily as decisions are made.
The University's new information system will in time make life much easier for all of us, and especially for students. But in the interim, there's no denying that it's made things harder, despite the best efforts of many people who are working around the clock. For the frustration and worry we've caused you, we are all deeply sorry. And we remain grateful for your interest in Carolina.
Here's what we know:
1. The MyUNC portal has been down since around 1 am. We don't know when we'll be able to restore it. In the meantime, if you haven't viewed your decision already, please try logging in at ...
****Please note that MyUNC service is now restored. To log in, please visit MyUNC.****
2. Through 3 pm today, the ITS Help Desk (919-962-HELP or 866-962-4457) has received calls from roughly 200 students who'd been able to log in but not see their decisions. ITS is working to resolve the technical problem that seems to be preventing the decisions from loading; we will post an update when we hear that the problem has been resolved. In the meantime, if you've logged in without seeing your decision but haven't notified the Help Desk, please feel free to call.
3. Some students have reported on this blog that they were only able to see their decisions after they disabled popup-blocking software. ITS hasn't confirmed that this approach works, but it might be worth a try.
4. We mailed traditional decision letters on Friday. The weekend snow may delay their delivery, but they are in the mail and should begin to land on Monday.
5. Several hundred first-deadline applications -- most of them only recently completed -- are still being reviewed by our admissions committee. Beginning tomorrow, we'll notify students daily as decisions are made.
The University's new information system will in time make life much easier for all of us, and especially for students. But in the interim, there's no denying that it's made things harder, despite the best efforts of many people who are working around the clock. For the frustration and worry we've caused you, we are all deeply sorry. And we remain grateful for your interest in Carolina.
MyUNC Performance Problems
We apologize for the inconvenience, but the high traffic on MyUNC is causing significant slowdowns. If you are unable to access MyUNC at this time, please try again later. We appreciate your patience.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thank You and Good Luck
I'm taking a break from shoveling snow -- yes, it's snowing in Chapel Hill -- to say thank you to all our first-deadline candidates, and good luck.
We know that you've been waiting for a long time, and we're sorry that we've had to presume upon your patience. For reasons that we've described elsewhere on this blog, we've needed more time this year than usual. But we've never forgotten how hard it can be to wait, and we hope this blog has helped.
The decisions we're releasing on January 31 are the culmination of many months of work on the part of many people here at Carolina. But we know who's worked the hardest: all of you. Thank you again, and again, good luck.
****CORRECTION ABOUT TRANSFER NOTIFICATION DATE****
In my haste yesterday, I misstated the date by which we'll notify transfer candidates of their decisions. We'll notify transfer candidates in April, not in August. I'm sorry for this error and the confusion I've caused.
We know that you've been waiting for a long time, and we're sorry that we've had to presume upon your patience. For reasons that we've described elsewhere on this blog, we've needed more time this year than usual. But we've never forgotten how hard it can be to wait, and we hope this blog has helped.
The decisions we're releasing on January 31 are the culmination of many months of work on the part of many people here at Carolina. But we know who's worked the hardest: all of you. Thank you again, and again, good luck.
****CORRECTION ABOUT TRANSFER NOTIFICATION DATE****
In my haste yesterday, I misstated the date by which we'll notify transfer candidates of their decisions. We'll notify transfer candidates in April, not in August. I'm sorry for this error and the confusion I've caused.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
How To View Your Decision Online
To view your decision, please follow these steps:
Helpful Links:
Admitted Student Website
FAQs for Deferred Students
- Log into my.unc.edu.
- Under the "AS Bachelor, 2010 Fall” header, click on the "View Official Test Scores, Outstanding Items, and Application Status" link.
- Your Student Center will appear. Under Admissions, click on the “Click here to view your decision" link.
Helpful Links:
Admitted Student Website
FAQs for Deferred Students
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tour Scheduling System
We're sorry but we're experiencing technical issues with our tour scheduling system on MyUNC. We are currently working to address these issues, but in the meantime, if you experience any difficulty signing up for an information session and tour, please contact our office at (919) 966-3621 and we'll gladly assist you.
For a our 2009-2010 tour schedule, please view our Visit Page.
We apologize for any inconvenience. We look forward to meeting you and sharing more about Carolina.
For a our 2009-2010 tour schedule, please view our Visit Page.
We apologize for any inconvenience. We look forward to meeting you and sharing more about Carolina.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Final Deadline Reminder and Space-Available Status
As a reminder, the final deadline for first-year admission is tonight, January 19, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. If you do not submit your completed application by this time and wish to apply on a space-available basis, please call us at (919) 966-3621 and we will update your application accordingly.
About Merit Scholarships
Hi all. I asked my colleague Dave Meredith to write a bit about how students are selected for merit scholarships and the Honors Program. Dr. Meredith is the liaison in our office who works with the various faculty, offices, and selection committees who award merit scholarships and select students for the Honors Program. I hope this information is helpful, please let us know in the comments below what additional questions you might have. Thanks, Julie
It is about that time of year when we start getting a lot of questions about scholarships (including the Morehead-Cain and Robertson) and the Honors Program. I want to explain how the Admissions Office works with these offices to select students. To learn more about the characteristics and qualities each scholarship seeks, please visit their websites (Robertson, Morehead-Cain, University-awarded scholarships, Pogue, Honors Program).
When the Admissions Committee in our office reviews applications, we are looking for characteristics including academic excellence, impactful leadership, writing ability, and more. As we make decisions about which students we feel would be a good fit for Carolina, we also nominate students for further review by a number of other offices for scholarships and the Honors Program.
Each deadline, the Admissions Office receives between 10,000 and 13,000 applications. From this pool, we select about 600 students for further review by a team of faculty members. How do we select these 600 or so students, you ask? Great question! I can tell you it isn’t based on your SAT, class rank or even GPA. Of course the students we’re considering in this review are all incredibly accomplished students but all of the students we admit have a strong academic record. So for scholarship consideration, rather than focus on numbers, we look very closely at the essays and recommendation letters to find evidence of what I like to call “being a mental wrestler.” A mental wrestler is someone who likes ideas, is curious, and approaches topics from different angles. A mental wrestler has probably said something in class that caused the whole class to stop and say “Hmmm, I never thought about it like that.”
From this pool of 600-ish nominated students, a team of faculty will select about 300 students to invite to the Honors Program and 130 students to participate in Scholarship Day. Some students may be invited to both, but they are independent invitations. This process repeats itself in late winter for our second-deadline applicants.
We also nominate students for two external scholarships: the Morehead-Cain and Robertson. We are fortunate to be able to nominate about 40 out-of-state applicants for consideration by the Morehead-Cain committee and about 150 students (both NC residents and out-of-state) for the Robertson Committee to review. Once these committees have reviewed our nominees, they directly contact the students they select.
Beginning in 2010, we began nominating students for the Pogue Scholarship. We will nominate about 60 NC residents and about 15 out-of-state students for this scholarship. The Pogue Committee will then contact these students directly with further information about the review process.
Please note that all of the numbers I’ve included are averages over the past two to three years. We do not have strict quotas.
I hope this information clarifies how the Admissions Office assists with the selection process for these opportunities. Thanks.
It is about that time of year when we start getting a lot of questions about scholarships (including the Morehead-Cain and Robertson) and the Honors Program. I want to explain how the Admissions Office works with these offices to select students. To learn more about the characteristics and qualities each scholarship seeks, please visit their websites (Robertson, Morehead-Cain, University-awarded scholarships, Pogue, Honors Program).
When the Admissions Committee in our office reviews applications, we are looking for characteristics including academic excellence, impactful leadership, writing ability, and more. As we make decisions about which students we feel would be a good fit for Carolina, we also nominate students for further review by a number of other offices for scholarships and the Honors Program.
Each deadline, the Admissions Office receives between 10,000 and 13,000 applications. From this pool, we select about 600 students for further review by a team of faculty members. How do we select these 600 or so students, you ask? Great question! I can tell you it isn’t based on your SAT, class rank or even GPA. Of course the students we’re considering in this review are all incredibly accomplished students but all of the students we admit have a strong academic record. So for scholarship consideration, rather than focus on numbers, we look very closely at the essays and recommendation letters to find evidence of what I like to call “being a mental wrestler.” A mental wrestler is someone who likes ideas, is curious, and approaches topics from different angles. A mental wrestler has probably said something in class that caused the whole class to stop and say “Hmmm, I never thought about it like that.”
From this pool of 600-ish nominated students, a team of faculty will select about 300 students to invite to the Honors Program and 130 students to participate in Scholarship Day. Some students may be invited to both, but they are independent invitations. This process repeats itself in late winter for our second-deadline applicants.
We also nominate students for two external scholarships: the Morehead-Cain and Robertson. We are fortunate to be able to nominate about 40 out-of-state applicants for consideration by the Morehead-Cain committee and about 150 students (both NC residents and out-of-state) for the Robertson Committee to review. Once these committees have reviewed our nominees, they directly contact the students they select.
Beginning in 2010, we began nominating students for the Pogue Scholarship. We will nominate about 60 NC residents and about 15 out-of-state students for this scholarship. The Pogue Committee will then contact these students directly with further information about the review process.
Please note that all of the numbers I’ve included are averages over the past two to three years. We do not have strict quotas.
I hope this information clarifies how the Admissions Office assists with the selection process for these opportunities. Thanks.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Final Application Deadline Extended to January 19
If you're still working on your application for admission, you may be relieved to know that you've got a little bit longer. We've extended our final application deadline to Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. If you plan to apply with our paper application through the mail, please note that your application must be postmarked by January 19.
As you put the finishing touches on your application, if we can answer any questions or help you in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us through email or by calling (919) 966-3621.
As you put the finishing touches on your application, if we can answer any questions or help you in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us through email or by calling (919) 966-3621.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Update on Deadline 2 Applicants
To our deadline 2 applicants, thank you for your applications. We look forward to reading them and getting to know you. Currently, in preparation for reading, we are matching materials with your applications. For the latest updates on your application and any missing items, please check your MyUNC account.
Please note that if you applied through the College Foundation of North Carolina (or CFNC), it may take 4-6 weeks to update your MyUNC account to show that your materials are received.
Again, thank you for your patience and your interest in Carolina.
Please note that if you applied through the College Foundation of North Carolina (or CFNC), it may take 4-6 weeks to update your MyUNC account to show that your materials are received.
Again, thank you for your patience and your interest in Carolina.
Update on First-Deadline Decisions
To all of our applicants, we thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to implement an improved student administrative system. We plan to post first-deadline decisions on Sunday, January 31. Please continue to visit this blog for the latest updates from our office.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Missing Items - Please Read
Earlier in the week we emailed all Deadline 1 applicants with missing items. If you received this email, please give it your prompt attention. We cannot review your application until this information has been received. To check on the status of the materials you have sent to us, please log into MyUNC and view your "To-do List. "
If your list shows any outstanding items, please arrange to send the missing material to us as soon as possible. If this material was sent to us before December 15, we apologize that we must ask you to send it to us again. Please rest assured that your application will receive a very thorough review and that space in the first-year class is still available.
School transcripts must be official copies received by mail; all other items may be emailed to Andrea Felder or faxed to (919) 966-3979. Please be sure all correspondence includes your full name, your birth date, and the deadline for which you are applying.
We appreciate your interest in us, and we look forward to reading your complete application and getting to know you. If you have any questions, please email us or contact us at (919) 966-3621.
If your list shows any outstanding items, please arrange to send the missing material to us as soon as possible. If this material was sent to us before December 15, we apologize that we must ask you to send it to us again. Please rest assured that your application will receive a very thorough review and that space in the first-year class is still available.
School transcripts must be official copies received by mail; all other items may be emailed to Andrea Felder or faxed to (919) 966-3979. Please be sure all correspondence includes your full name, your birth date, and the deadline for which you are applying.
We appreciate your interest in us, and we look forward to reading your complete application and getting to know you. If you have any questions, please email us or contact us at (919) 966-3621.
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