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Monday, January 23, 2012

FAQs for Denied Students

I'll start by saying we're so sorry to have disappointed you. We know how hard it is to receive this kind of bad news, and we really hate delivering it. The most important thing to remember is: it's not you, it's us. We have so many talented applicants--over 29,000 this year--and only space for 4,000 in our first-year class. We have to deny so many students who could do great things here.

Tar Heel Blogger Jacob wrote a great post last week. I'm going to quote him because his advice is so good:
No matter where you end up, there will be opportunities for happiness, growth, and learning. Your post-grad life is not dependent upon where you go to school, but rather what you do while you're there. So no matter what happens, remember that your hard work, successes, and educational value are not defined by your admissions decisions.
Jacob came to us as a transfer student, so he can attest that there are many paths to Carolina. Wherever you choose to enroll, you will probably have an outstanding experience there even if it was not your first-choice college. And if, after a year or two at another school, you decide you're still interested in Carolina, let us know. We'll be happy to consider you as a transfer applicant.

Is this a final decision?
Yes, I'm afraid it is a final decision for this year. We can't consider you for Regular Decision. However, if your heart is set on Carolina, there's always the option of transferring after a year or two at another school.

Why did you deny me?
There is never a simple answer to this question because our review is holistic. We don't deny any student on the basis of a single number or a single grade, but instead we consider everything we know about a student. We review your application multiple times and ultimately we just have to make a lot of hard decisions. We just don't have space for all the talented students who apply.

Please let me know what other questions you have.
Posted by at 8:13 AM

9 comments:

  1. Julie,

    Although I received a defer notice, I am still pursuing an education at UNC.
    Other than semester grades and test scores, should I be sending anything else? Also (roughly), how many OOS students am I competing with for the spots still open for OOS?

    Thanks for your insight,

    OOS Student

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    Replies

    1. Hi OOS student,
      It's really hard to predict how many deferred students we will be able to admit, and I'm afraid there really aren't any numbers I can give you that will help you determine your chances. We deferred just under 1,800 students, about half of whom are out-of-state students. We'll all just have to wait until March when final decisions are made. Thanks.

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  2. I am sorry to say that you can not possibly make a "holistic" evaluation on anybody based on the very limited ability to describe a candidate on the "common" application. In looking at the stats posted by those accepted/deferred/declined, it looks frighteningly obvious, especially for out of state students, that SAT score was the clear decision factor....not sure much else mattered after that. Disappointing for the many students that you will miss out on that are so much more than a test score. As competitive as UNC is, it is a shame to have a "common" application in which there is little way to distinguish yourself beyond the statistics. (at least statistics can be submitted within the requisite number of characters)

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    Replies

    1. As an applicant with a 2250 SAT score who was deferred, I'm going to have to disagree. There were clearly other factors that went into consideration.

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    2. Although I was denied admission, I'd just like to thank Julie and all of UNC admissions for taking the time to post on this blog and read through applications. It's not the easiest thing: kids are anxious and some parents can begin to act like they are the ones applying. I appreciate the fact that decisions were released a little later than other schools and I'm sure the wait was well worth it for those who were accepted. Even though it kills me that I will not be becoming a tar heel anytime soon, I hope this is not the end of my passion for the school. I'm still hoping for Carolina basketball to be national champs this year and I will continue to be a fan throughout my entire life. A sincerest congratulations to all who were accepted--you deserve it. To those deferred, hang in there. And to those denied alongside me, know that you're not alone & you will go on and be happy wherever you end up. We certainly don't get everything in life, but hey, you never get what you don't try for.

      Now for an admissions question: It may be a little too early to be looking at a year from now, but what is UNC's transfer acceptance rate? And is it easier to transfer to chapel hill from another UNC system school?

      Thank you,
      Hopeful

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    3. Hi Hopeful, Thanks for the kind words and the great attitude. We wish you every success next year. About transfer admission--check out this info about our latest enrolling class. And no, we don't give preference to students coming from other UNC-system schools. We get a lot of strong transfer applicants from a variety of schools, both 2-yr and 4-yr. I would recommend that you choose the best option for yourself right now--wherever you think you will be happiest next year. And if you're still interested in Carolina after a semester there, we'll be happy to consider your transfer application! Best of luck to you.

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  3. In response to the last reply.... I would agree had my son not been deferred. His scores were far less than the 2300/34 I read throughout the blogs. He did, however, write a sincere paper on the influences in his life the past 18 years. In addition, although he did not receive a copy of his academic letters, I am positive words such as character and integrity were frequently written.

    So yes, I do feel the anger in your post. However, if UNC was just about test scores my son would have been accepting letters elsewhere. By the way, he is not a college athlete or a prized musician... he is a young man interested in Science.

    Good Luck,

    Parent of OOS

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  4. Just a quick question on profiles of admitted students. I've seen other high-caiber schools provide a break-down of their Early Action results. Items such as number of Out of State applicants, offers awarded, general SAT/ACT profile, etc.. Obviously there are a lot of factors that lead to the final decision, but it would be interesting to see a sanctioned data point here - lots of various information on the internet concerning this topic. Does this information exist anywhere?

    Thanks!

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  5. Hi. We'll gather data for a press release later this year, when we have final numbers for our application cycle. You can view the 2011 Fact Sheet put out by UNC News Services to learn more about the students we admitted last year. Thanks!

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