I get a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip in my RSS feeder every morning and this one came up a few days ago. I thought it might make you all laugh. If you're feeling stressed about college applications or impending AP exams, just remember: Few of us are prodigies, but at the very least we can all say that we're potty-trained.
We're working hard to review the applications of our Early Action candidates. We ended up receiving just under 13,000 applications for Early Action, which is slightly less than the 14,000 that we received last year for our first deadline. We think the decrease is mostly due to the fact that our deadline was two weeks earlier this year. We won't know until after our final application deadline on January 5 how many applications we'll get in all. In the meantime, we're continuing to read and re-read your applications carefully and thoroughly. We're on schedule to release EA decisions as planned by the end of January.
Today we are withdrawing the applications of approximately 200 students whose early-action applications were never completed (e.g., missing a teacher recommendation, transcript, test scores). We've attempted to contact these students by both phone and email, but please double-check your MyUNC account to make sure we aren't missing any materials from your application. If you have any questions about the status of your application, just give us a call.
Please just let me know if you have any questions!
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment on the last Early Action Update, but after I submitted my Early Action application, I realized I never made a myUNC account. Is it possible for UNC to resend me that email so I can make one now? Or is there some way of making a new one so I can see my application status?
Thank you!
By "end of January", what date would you estimate the early action decisions to be released?
ReplyDeleteHi Anon #1,
ReplyDeleteWe'll be happy to re-send the email with your login information for MyUNC. Just send us an email to unchelp@admissions.unc.edu from the email address on file and we'll get that right out to you. Thanks!
Hi Anon#2,
I'm sorry I can't be any more specific but we just don't know yet when decisions will be released. If we're able to provide any more information, we'll be sure to post it on this blog.
Thanks,
Julie, Admissions
I was curious how the Admissions Referral Program works for the Morehead Cain. Could you provide some insight please? Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie!
ReplyDeleteAt my school, everyone has been telling me that if you do not meet the middle 50% range of ACT/SAT scores, your UNC application is automatically disregarded for out of state students. I understand that it is harder for out of state students to be accepted because of the in state mandate that UNC must follow, but does this mean I do not have any shot at all because I have an SAT score that is a little on the low side? I know you've said that it is a holistic view, but I can't help but think my application was not given a fair chance because I am a poor standardized test taker.
Hi Anon,
ReplyDeleteAs the admissions committee reviews all Early Action applicants, they also look for good candidates for the Morehead-Cain, using the selection criteria set out by M-C. Those candidates are then reviewed by the M-C selection committee, who decide which students they would like to invite to fill out a M-C application. M-C is scheduled to notify those students tomorrow, Dec. 16. (The full schedule is here.) We love being able to nominate students for the M-C, as it's an amazing opportunity. We consider all Early Action applicants for this opportunity, but keep in mind if you're a NC student you can also self-nominate or you can be nominated by your high school if your school participates in the nomination process. Just let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi Anon 2,
We don't automatically disqualify anyone on the basis of numbers. Every single application is read thoroughly, and we would never deny a student on the basis of one test score alone. Standardized test scores are one measure that we use to determine a student's potential, but it's just one factor among many. The competition for out-of-state students is tough, but please rest assured that we will give you every consideration and we'll read your application from cover to cover. Thanks for the question.
Julie, Admissions
Hello! I was wondering if sending first quarter grades would be beneficial? In addition, do you offer alumni interviews, or any extra methods of showing admissions how much UNC means to us? Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteWill the decision be posted on your MyUNC account for Early Action applicants? If so, will that be the end of January as well?
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI applied Early Action. I recently won some awards that I would like to add to my application, but is it too late to submit this update?
Thanks.
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI applied for Early Action and am very anxious to hear as are my parents. My question is, because I signed the EA agreement, is it still permissible for me to apply to other schools for regular admissions since some of those deadlines are fast approaching? I very much want Carolina, but my parents are pushing me to consider other schools also.
Thanks.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering that communication system is like between the Morehead-Cain and the Admissions Office. I am an out of state applicant and was named a M-C semifinalist, but didn't make the final round. I was wondering if the Admissions Office will have this info about me and if will help increase my chances of admission. Thanks.
How long do u think it will take you guys to figure out the exact date that we will get our answers? A lot of other colleges have already released their decisions, so not knowing the specific date for this school makes me even more nervous
ReplyDeleteHey, I know that last year my friends got their answers by Jan 21st. Is it possible that since y'all had less applicants, we will get our answers on or maybe even before the 21st? January 30th seems to be a long time to wait for an early decision answer...
ReplyDeleteHi Anon1,
ReplyDeleteWe don't ask for first-quarter grades for EA applicants, and I'm afraid at this point it's too late for us to consider additional information. We rely on the materials you submitted with your application to consider you for admission. Thanks!
Hi Anon 2,
Yes, we'll post your decision on MyUNC and you will also receive a letter in the mail. Thanks.
Hi Jake,
I'm afraid it's quite late to be submitting additional information--I just don't think we'll have time to consider it. But if it's important, send it to us by email at uncsubmit@admissions.unc.edu and we'll do our best to include it in your file.
Hi Stewart,
Yes, you may apply to any other schools at any time. Our EA application is not a binding agreement. It's important for you to have options--for your and your parents' peace of mind. Thanks for the question.
Hi Alex,
Selection for the M-C is independent or our admissions process, so unless you notify us of your status we won't know. However, I'm sure that the qualities that made you stand out to the M-C selection committee will also be very evident to our admissions committee as they read your application. Thanks
Hi last two Anons,
I'm sorry I can't give you a specific date, but it's unlikely that we'll be able to be more specific. But we promise you'll have your decision by the end of January.
Thanks all for your questions.
Julie, Admissions
Has the M-C sent out admission referral decisions yet?
ReplyDeleteI read on an earlier comment that the decisions for the admission referral program would come out today. But on the Morehead Cain site, they have a statement that says,"On Wednesday, December 14, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Undergraduate Admission notified those students who were selected to participate in the Admissions Referral Program by e-mail." Does that mean that if we have not recieved an email, that we were not invited to apply?
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteYes, the students who have been nominated for the Morehead-Cain through the Admissions Referral Program were notified Wednesday, 12/14 by email. This year, we invited students to apply to either the M-C or the Robertson, whichever program was more interesting to them. The email came from our office rather than Morehead-Cain. This is a slight change in procedure from last year, and I misspoke in a previous comment. However, the end result is the same: those students who were nominated by the Admissions Committee were notified by email this week. Please just let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks.
Julie, Admissions
Hello Julie,
ReplyDeleteDoes UNC do deferral for EA applicants, or is it simply accept/reject? If you do defer, is there any sort of statistic from last year that shows how many EA applicants got deferred and how many ended up being accepted in the regular applicant pool?
Thanks,
Mary Kate
I'm a first generation college student and one of the few people in my entire family that will have finished high-school. I applyed early action and overall I think I'm pretty competitive and would do very well here. On the other hand, because I am the first, I wasn't savvy enough to join certain clubs that I found out have a lot of clout (like NHS). Will you guys take my situation into account, or will this negatively effect me?
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI had a question about withdrawing my application from UNC. I was accepted to another school ED so I'm required to withdraw my applications from all the other schools I applied to. However, I can't find anything about withdrawing on the UNC admissions website. Do I just email the unchelp email? If you could let me know what to do/whom to contact, that would be awesome.
Thanks so much.
Hi Mary Kate,
ReplyDeleteYes, we do defer a small portion of our EA applicants. These students will then receive a final decision along with our Regular Decision applicants in March. We'll include some statistics and other helpful FAQs with the letter that goes to deferred students. We'll also post that information on the blog when it's available. Thanks.
Hi Anonymous,
We're sensitive to the challenges that first-generation college students face, so we certainly take that into account as we review your application. Last year, about 18% of our enrolling class was first-generation college, and there's actually a student organization here on campus to help first-generation students transition to Carolina. Thanks!
Hi Kate,
We're sorry that we won't get to consider you for admission, but congrats on getting your early decision from your chosen school! Please just send us an email (from the email account we have on record) to unchelp@admissions.unc.edu and include your full name, date of birth, and mailing address. We'll then withdraw your application from consideration. Best of luck to you!
Julie, Admissions
Hey Julie... I was wondering what the odds were last year of being accepted from the first round of candidates? I'm very nervous about being accepted, and have not found much information available over the internet as to what my odds of being accepted are.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
-E
Hi, Julie
ReplyDeleteI applied for EA and selected only the top SAT scores from the College board and sent it. However, I found all of my test scores in my UNC account. Will this be disadvantage for the admission?
Thanks for your help in advance.
Julie
ReplyDeleteWhen I applied EA through Common Apps, I indicated I will submit supplement (music CD), but I did not do that yet. If I decided not to submit CD, will this be OK?
Are you going to wait for the admission decision until you get all the supplement materials?
Thanks,
Hi E,
ReplyDeleteOur class profile offers some information about our application numbers last year, as well as the academic credentials of our admitted students. Hopefully this information will help. Thanks.
Hi Anon,
We "super-score" your test scores, so we'll take your best subscores from all test dates and those are the ones that the admissions committee will review. So you don't need to worry. Thanks!
Hi Anon2,
No, we don't wait for that kind of supplemental information. Once we have received the materials that we do require, we'll go ahead and review your application. We recommend including all pertinent information in your application. Thanks!
Julie, Admissions
Oops! E, I forgot to add the link to the Class Profile for you. Here it is. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Hi Julie.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if the admissions committee does any kind of conversion of ACT scores to SAT like some other schools do. Also, if I sent both scores of SAT and ACT will you only consider the higher score comparatively?
Thanks for your time.
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you could shed some light on the length of your EA process and extended time it takes for prospective students to receive an answer, i.e. January 30th. Other similar size universities are already communicating their decisions. With the usage of all the electronic filing and standardized applications it truly seems that UNC is moving somewhat slowly on these decisions. As the parent of a prospective student and based on some of the other comments I have read in this blog, it does seem that there is a need to improve this process.
Thanks.
I have to agree with the last comment. I am a parent as well and have been reading comments in this blog. We appreciate any additional information on your EA decision. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the last two comments. The length of time in providing EA applicants a decision gives the appearance that UNC does not want to make an offer until after the regular decision deadline so it can compare all applicants. What is the point of the EA process if that is the case?
ReplyDeleteHi all, Thanks for your comments. We really appreciate your feedback. We know how difficult it is to wait for an admission decision, and we work very hard to get decisions to our applicants as soon as we can. That said, we also want to be sure we're giving each student a thorough, thoughtful review and that takes time. I'm sorry we can't be more specific about when EA decisions will be available, but rest assured you will have a decision by the end of January, as promised. We really appreciate your patience.
ReplyDeleteRyan, No, we don't do any conversion from ACT to SAT or vice versa. They're different tests and we understand that they measure a student's abilities in different ways. We are happy to accept either of these tests. If you do submit both, we'll review the higher of the two scores (your highest "superscore"). Thanks for the question.
Julie, Admissions
The wait is worth it, guys. This place is special. It's agonizing for parents and students alike, but the fact that there are 40 days until my future is decided is helping me push through my midterms and papers. Just remember, this is the most amazing school in the entire state of North Carolina. It's worth one extra month of counting down the days.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the the post above, as a current first year I remember just how agonizing it was waiting for UNC to give me an answer because I also applied EA. At first I felt a lot like the parents, but after doing more research on the admissions process I actually felt honored and important that the admissions office would take the time to read each application several times AND not have a set formula for admitting students. They really try to get to know you. I would rather have my application read a little too thoroughly than half heartedly. Cut UNC some slack. Take it from someone who goes hhere and is the product of two first generation college students that were blessed with a UNC education...we are truly the best university in the world and it's so worth the vague deadlines and obnoxious wait
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteWill all EA decision emails be sent on the same day or do you email the applicants as decisions are made with all applicants being notified by the end of January?
Anon above me- they release all EA decisions at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI'm an FGC student as well. I was wondering what the chances are of an FGC getting accepted. I know they make up about 20% of the campus overall and that this years incoming class is 18% FGC. But of the specific number of FGC students that applied last year, what was the percentage of those that got accepted?
Thanks
Yes, all early action decisions will be released at the same time. We'll post decisions on your MyUNC account (not by email) and a letter will follow through the mail. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Anon,
I don't have any specific statistics regarding admission rates for first-generation students, but you can see some general information about our latest enrolling class on our Class Profile.
We're sensitive to the challenges that first-generation students can face, and our holistic review takes into consideration all of the information we have about a student's background and their school and home environment. Thanks for the question.
Julie, Admissions
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI've taken the SAT twice. Both times I did pretty well in the math and reading portion (650 in both reading and math, adding up to a combined 1300), but did poorly on the writing. I sent my scores because the reading and math were great, but is the writing score (or even the SAT in general) weighed significantly in the admissions process? I really don't even think that the SAT is a very accurate measure of aptitude anyway but that's just my opinion lol
Thanks and happy holidays!
Goodness gracious, I am so ready to find out! I toured the campus independently yesterday and I can't see myself at any other university. I hope those of you deciding fates at the Office of Undergraduate Admission decide with me!
ReplyDeleteWesley
Hello! I was wondering if testing scores from the December ACT will be considred for Early Action admission. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie-
ReplyDeleteI realize it's late and admissions is probably swamped, but since Coca Cola Semi Finalists have been announced, would you recommend that I contact admissions and ask that this be considered for addition to my file?
Thanks!
Hello Julie,
ReplyDeleteHow will we know when our EA decision is posted? Should we just check our MyUNC regularly or will an email be sent to tell us our status has changed?
Thanks!
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI applied under the EA program as an out-of-state student. Many other students from my area have applied also. We all have very different resumes. My question is this, being out-of-state, how will admissions take into account that many of us attend the same school or are in the same area? Will this hurt our chances at being accepted? Thank you
Hi Anon, Standardized test scores are just one factor in our holistic review, and we understand that for some students they are an imperfect measure of academic potential. We'll be sure to review your test scores within the context of your entire application for admission. Thanks for the question!
ReplyDeleteHi Wesley! Great to hear that you had a nice visit to campus. I hope that you'll have a chance to go on an official admissions tour sometime, if you haven't already. Decisions will be out by the end of the month--hang in there! Good luck!
Anon2,
I'm sorry but we can't guarantee that December test scores will be considered for Early Action applicants. We'll do our best to consider them but given the tight timeframe it's not always possible. Thanks for the question.
Anon3,
If you're an Early Action applicant, I'm afraid it's a bit late to add information to your application. However, if you'd like to send it to us by email at uncsubmit@admissions.unc.edu we'll include it with your application as soon as possible. Thanks.
Hi Anon4,
We don't have any quotas by geographic region or school for out-of-state students, so the fact that there are more students applying from your school will not put you at any disadvantage. All out-of-state students are on the same level playing field in terms of admission. Thanks for the question.
Julie, Admissions
It doesn't matter how long you guys take to make EA decisions because I would wait eons for the opportunity to be considered for acceptance into Carolina! Thank you so much for your hard work!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Justin. This school is worth any wait. I have grown up in North Carolina, and for as long as I can remember UNC has been one of the most praised schools I have encountered. I know it is difficult to wait this long, but I have had many friends and peers who assure me that it is worth every second! Just a few more weeks everyone! And thank you Julie for answering everyone's questions, you have been so helpful!
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteI am from out-of-state and I've heard that UNC accepts only around 700 out-of-state applicants, and no more than 1 per school. If you could give me some kind of profile of the accepted out-of-state students from last year, that would be great! I am just worried that there are possibly cut-offs when it comes to SAT scores and GPA, so I would feel better if I knew what the average was for last year.
Thanks!
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any quotas by school or geographic region (except that we enroll about 82% North Carolina residents). There are also no automatic cut-offs by SAT, GPA, etc. We holistically review all applicants using all of the information provided. We offer some general data about the academic record of our latest class of enrolling students on our Class Profile. Hope this helps. Thanks!
Julie, Admissions
Will the scholarship award be included in the admission decision?
ReplyDeleteHi there, We'll notify students about merit scholarships separately, about 2 weeks after decisions are posted. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJulie, Admissions
If your parent attended college for two years, but didn't graduate are the children considered first generation by admissions, since they are the first to complete a degree?
ReplyDeleteHi, Yes, we consider a student first-generation college if neither parent completed a bachelors degree. Thanks!
DeleteQuick question. I am applying as a transfer student, but I submitted my application before the EA deadline. Will I find out if I am to be accepted along with the other EA applicants or will I have to wait for the transfer applicant decision deadline?
ReplyDelete