Good morning! I have one of these "Keep Calm" posters hanging in my office and this is the kind of week when I try to take its message to heart. We've gotten about 1,000 phone calls from students in the past two days and many of you are a bit stressed out. Please don't stress out. It will all work out in the end, I promise.Regular Decision Applicants: Our application deadline is tonight at 11:59 pm ET. You'll want to submit your application online by that time. If you're applying through the Common Application, there are three things you need to submit: your application, the UNC-Chapel Hill Supplement, and your payment method. (Look for the little green triangle next to each item in your "My Colleges" section.) So long as you indicate how you will be paying, it's fine if the actual payment is processed later. You can send your transcripts, test scores, etc in the weeks after the deadline if necessary.
Now, all that said, if you have technical difficulties or extenuating circumstances, it's not the end of the world. We will work with you. We want to receive your application and have the chance to consider you for admission. If you run into any issues as you submit your application, just send us an email to unchelp@admissions.unc.edu and we'll work with you.
Early Action Applicants: Many of you are calling with questions about the status of your application. At this point, there are only a very few EA applicants who still have incomplete applications, and we've been in touch with these students by email. If you're not sure we've received everything, you can log into your MyUNC account and check your To-Do List. If there's nothing on your To-Do List, then you're all set and we have all the information we need.
We are on schedule to release EA decisions, as promised, by the end of January. I'm sorry that we can't be more specific about the date, but the truth is we just don't know yet. If we're able to provide any more information later in the month, you can be sure that I will post it here.
Please let me know what other questions you have. If you would rather speak to a live person, please give our office a call. We are here to help! And we'll do our best to answer your call as quickly as we can.
Is there a chance an email may go out or the MyUNC site will display the decisions before you post on this blog? Just trying to decide which I should be checking most :) thanks!
ReplyDeleteHey Julie!
ReplyDeleteI have a question about merit scholarships. When will UNC evaluate applications for these and around when will they be awarded? And how would I be notified? Thanks!
Hi Anon #1,
ReplyDeleteWe don't send decisions by email--you'll receive a letter in the mail and your MyUNC account will also display your decision letter when we release decisions. Thanks!
Anon #2,
All students are considered for merit scholarships on the basis of their application for admission. We'll send out invitations to Scholarship Day to the students selected for these scholarships (by email and U.S. Mail) about 2 weeks after decisions are posted. Thanks!
Julie, Admissions
Just curious...how many "Early Action" applications did UNC receive for Fall 2016?
ReplyDeleteMake that Fall 2012.
ReplyDeleteHi there, We had about 13,000 applications for Early Action this year. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJulie, Admissions
I took the SAT Subject Tests a couple of months ago, but did not send them to Carolina because it wasn't listed as a requirement. Do you suggest still sending these scores, even though I applied early?
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteI am one of the parents that posted last month as an inquiry to the EA process. I can certainly appreciate your message about remaining calm, but I still do not believe your group truly understands the implications of this process for families during the current economic situation in which we find ourselves. Yes, our children have a strong desire to attend UNC, which is their primary reason in applying for EA; and we obviously believe it is the best opportunity for their future. However, as parents who have to find ways to budget and pay for the education, the amount of time it takes is most stressful and I am sorry, but I just don't sense that is understood by your group. Then to note that you are still waiting on some EA applicants' application materials when the deadline was over 2 months ago, is a bit concerning. Frankly, in my line of work, not getting the information in for a project of this type by the deadline would be most indicative of the individual's potential, and there would be no waiting. I do not mean to sound harsh, but there has been ample time for these folks to submit their information, yet it seems the process is being impacted by same. Just simply concerned and trying to make this work.......
I can only begin to imagine the amount of time and effort it takes to read through 13,000 applications and not go bleary eyed or a little batty. I appreciate the fact that you work on giving each application the same level of attention. And, in the meantime, as you know, it is hard to be patient....for prospective students and their parents.
ReplyDeleteDear Julie and UNC Admissions,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to post this blog. It is very much appreciated as we await your decisions.
With all due respect, I agree with the angry parent
ReplyDeleteI am a senior at UNC and I am about to embark on my last semester of my undergraduate career. I remember the day very vividly when I received my decision from UNC and I can say that it was one of the most exciting of my life. I remember being literally sick with nerves waiting for the decision and I can certainly empathize with anxious prospective students and parents. If it is any consolation, since I have matriculated at UNC, I have formed a relationship with the UNC Undergraduate Admissions department and can say that they work tirelessly to do everything they can to select the greatest undergraduate students. Best of luck to everyone and a huge thank you for the hard work that UNC Undergraduate Admissions does. My classmates are the most incredible, brilliant, energetic young people and I am grateful that Undergrad Admissions did such an amazing job in their selection process.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI greatly appreciate this update and any future updates as we excitedly await the admission decisions. I am curios to know, what steps of the admissions process are currently in progress? Are all of the decisions made and now is an organization period? Or are there still a great number of decisions yet to be finalized?
Thank you!
As a Carolina Freshman, I can definitely understand what you parents and students are going through right now, seeing as I was in your shoes a year ago today! The acceptance letters for the Class of 2015 are dated January 21 for anyone wondering about when in january they came out, however I know that this can vary widely every year. You can go back through this blog to get and idea of when they were released each year. On another note, as a current student, I respect the time that our admissions officers put into reviewing our applicants. We want Carolina to be the best it can be! and that means looking carefully at each and every application to get an idea of who will excel here at UNC, not just how great your kids may be in general. I personally am madly in love with this University and am continuously amazed by my peers and the work we are doing here (GO HEELS!) continued....
ReplyDeletecontinued... Lastly, imagine every time your child's teachers have to read a classful 10 page essays - probably about 150 for a normal teacher. Now multiply that by about 80 more students and 3 times more pages. THATS A LOT OF TIME AND COMMITMENT! With all that said, Ill have you know that the staff and faculty here at Carolina are absolutely AMAZING in every possible way, and you won't regret the wait or the decision to apply. Its worth every dollar and every second (coming from an out-of-state student too! phew). Good Luck to our Class of 2016 and Congratulations in advance for those of you coming to join us next semester! Until then, stay smart guys. Time to go to sleep to be ready for classes tomorrow! :)
ReplyDeleteKEEP CALM AND TAR HEEL ON
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteI do like "Keep calm and Tar Heel on." That gave me a good chuckle this morning! Thanks for all your comments and feedback.
SAT II taker,
Those scores are entirely optional. I'm afraid that it's too late for us to consider additional information for EA applicants, though, so the scores won't be reviewed at this point even if you send them in. But you're not at any disadvantage without them--they really are purely optional. Thanks.
Concerned parents,
Again, thanks for your feedback. We really do take it to heart and try to improve both our process and communications each year. We're on schedule to release decisions as we promised--by the end of January. Right now, we're reviewing decisions to make sure they are the best ones we can make. We also need to be sure that everything is prepared for students to begin enrolling. The incomplete applications are not delaying our process--we only have a small handful of these students.
Current Tar Heels, Thanks for your comments! It's great to hear your words of encouragement for this year's applicants.
Thanks again,
Julie, Admissions
Do you expect to email or post on here a few days before you will be releasing decisions to give applicants a notice so they know a day/time to check their accounts for a decision?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Bridget,
ReplyDeleteIf the SATII scores were sent in and weren't as good as the SAT, will that count against a student in the evaluation process?
My daughter applied for EA and has received her first semester grades for her senior year. Is there a way to report those?
ReplyDeleteMy son applied Early Action. Along with his mid-year report card, can he also submit his up-to-date Activities Resume, and his up-to-date Piano supplement & cd?
ReplyDeleteIn response to questions about midyear grades, we'll all get an email after every school's semester is over that asks us to self report our grades. Bothe EA and RD kids do this. As long as you check your email on a semi-regular basis, you'll be fine. Just by reading other comments from Julie, there's probably no way they can consider additional information. If, by chance, you are deferred, I think you can send additional information then.
ReplyDeleteIf my SAT's were not as strong as I would like in high school and am transferring after sophomore year of college should I retake them or are they not really looked at?
ReplyDeleteQuestion: When will early action decisions be available??? Will it be only online or both online and mail??
ReplyDeleteHi Anon #1, We'll do our best to keep the blog updated as we move through January. I know it is helpful, so I will definitely do my best to give you all the information I can!
ReplyDeleteHi Anon #2, If you send SAT II scores, they'll be reviewed with your application. Like AP scores, these can help us understand your mastery of a class/subject. But we know that a test score can't tell the whole story, so we always look at them within the context of your entire application.
Anon 3 & 4, Yes, BlueandWonder94 is right, we won't be able to consider additional information for EA applicants at this point. For midyear grades, we'll ask deferred EA and all RD applicants to self-report their midyear grades through MyUNC. If we need your grades, we'll let you know by email. Thanks.
Anon transfer,
If you're applying as a junior transfer, you don't have to submit SAT/ACT scores at all if you don't want to. They're only required for sophomore applicants. Thanks.
Final Anon, By the end of January. Decisions will be available on MyUNC and you'll get a paper letter in the mail.
Thanks all and have a great evening!
Julie, Admissions
Can you give some insight on the Pogue scholarship? Have the nominations for the Pogue already been made? If not, when might we hear if we were nominated? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to get a ballpark estimate of the date? Could we expect it to be within the next couple weeks or should we plan on closer to Jan. 31?
ReplyDeleteHi there, All Early Action applicants are considered for the Pogue on the basis of their application for admission. The admissions committee nominates students, who are then invited to fill out an application. We'll be notifying these nominees by the end of the month. Thanks for the question.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry but I can't estimate a date for decision release. We just don't know yet. Thanks.
Julie, Admissions
Hello Julie,
ReplyDeleteIs there a definite date established yet for the Scholarship Day this year? I realize that the notification of invitation for that Day is sent out about 2 weeks after the EA notification, and I'm trying to plan with a calendar in advance in case I'm blessed with the chance to attend that. I appreciate your help, you are an amazing communicator.
I also applied EA and I am obviously just as nervous as every other applicant. I was wondering if you could give any insight as to if having a brother or sister currently enrolled at UNC would help with admission chances or if it does not matter.
ReplyDeletethanks
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer everyone's questions.
Now, I have a question regarding transcripts. I'm a sophomore in college, and I'm in the process of applying to UNC-CH as a junior. The thing is, I moved a lot during high school. My freshmen and sophomore year of high school were completed in Canada. My junior year was completed at high school in the United States, then my senior year at another school in the United States. So I attended a total of 3 high schools.
Should I contact each of those schools and have them send my transcript to UNC admissions? Or is it only necessary to send in the transcripts from the high schools I attended for junior and senior year?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI applied early action and my guidance counselor told me that I should only send my AP scores to the school I will ultimately go to. I guess it's too late to send them now...will this hurt my chances since they weren't submitted?
Thanks!
Good morning Julie,
ReplyDeleteTo add to the last comment, my son's guidance couselor told him the same thing about submitting AP scores. He only took one AP class last year and got a 4 on the exam and is taking 3 AP's senior year.. all of his other classes have been honors since he started high school. He is oos so will not submitting his score affect his chances and is only taking 4 AP classes total going to put him out of the running?
Thanks!
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI know that we are supposed to send in our first semester grades in the beginning of January. I haven't gotten any emails or notifications so do you know when we will be contacted about this?
Thanks
Anon #1,
ReplyDeleteWe'll have two Scholarship Day events this year. This first, for Early Action students, will be February 10. The second will be March 30. Thanks!
Hi Nick,
We only consider students as alumni applicants if one or more parent attended UNC. We take note of whether you have a sibling who attends, but it's not a factor in the admissions review. Thanks.
Hi Tony,
We will need a record of all four years of high school. If your graduating high school lists out the courses and grades from your earlier years, then we won't need the official transcripts from those other schools. If, however, they only list the courses you took while enrolled in your junior/senior year, then we'll need the other transcripts. Thanks for the question.
Anon AP tester,
We don't require AP scores, so you won't be at a disadvantage without them. If a student submits those scores, we consider them supplemental information. These scores can be helpful, but we don't penalize students who don't submit them. Thanks.
Parent of OOSer,
The rigor of a student's curriculum is an important factor in our review, so we're definitely looking to see that the student has taken full advantage of the most challenging coursework his/her school offers. We don't require AP scores, so that won't disadvantage your son, though. Thanks for the question.
Last Anon,
We ask deferred EA applicants and all RD applicants to self-report their midyear grades through MyUNC. If we need your grades, we'll send an email with instructions for reporting your grades online at the beginning of February. Thanks!
Julie, Admissions
Response from parent of OOSer..
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response Julie...So it sounds like my son doesn't have much of a chance with only 4 AP classes and all others honors?
Thanks!
Hi Parent, I wouldn't want to make any kind of prediction on his chances of admission with so little information. There are so many other factors that are also important--his grades, essays, extra-curricular involvement, teacher recs, etc. Our review really is holistic, so all of these other types of information can be really important.
ReplyDeleteFor students that are attending a school that offers a full AP curriculum, I would say the average for our admitted students is 6+ AP classes by the time they graduate. But please know that we will give your son every consideration and curriculum is not the only thing we're looking at. I hope this is helpful. Good luck to you both!
Julie, Admissions
Julie,
ReplyDeleteIf we get deferred from EA, when will we hear back for the final decision?
Thanks
Hi, Deferred early action applicants will get a final decision at the same time we notify our regular decision applicants, by the end of March. Thanks!
DeleteJulie
I heard today that a student from Gaston County, North Carolina has received her acceptance letter from UNC. According to your website and this blog, everybody will hear the same day. Is someone giving false information? Have any students been notified of there acceptance to UNC? As a taxpayer in North Carolina and a donor to the UNC alumni association, I am disappointed in the length of time it is taking to get a decision. All other North Carolina colleges have notified applicants and UNC is still weeks away...if you take until January 31 as reported.
ReplyDeleteCan we PLEASE stop with the criticism... seriously. For one, the university is already doing you "taxpayers" a favor by practically giving you a free education at these rates. Secondly, if you don't like the wait, then don't apply. We want the best and the brightest and the only way to be sure is to take the time to look at your apps! Lastly, of course all other NC schools have notified their their applicants. They aren't THE University of North Carolina AT CHAPEL HILL! Carolina has posted a date by the end of January, you've known about it, and you chose to ask for a chance to attend their university, so show some respect! Please and THANKS! Go Heels. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to see how people still don't know how to use "there, their" correctly!
ReplyDeleteI want to thank Julie and all the other folks in the admissions office for all their hard work this season. Julie, thanks so much for updating the blog and for patiently answering questions. You all make this process a lot less stressful for prospective students and their parents. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlum parent, I can understand your frustration, but please know that we're working hard to get decisions to students as soon as we can. EA decisions will be available, as promised, by the end of January. All students will receive their decision at the same time. Thanks for your feedback.
ReplyDeleteMillie, thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad the blog has been helpful for you!
Julie, Admissions
Julie,
ReplyDeleteWhen can we expect another blog update?
Julie,
ReplyDeleteIf a student is accepted as an Early Action applicant, when would they expect to hear about Scholarship Day? How would a student be notified if they were/were not nominated for the Carolina Scholars program or the Colonel Robinson program, for instance?
Thanks so much.
Hi Paige, Invitations for Scholarship Day will be sent within about a week after decisions are released. Thanks!
DeleteAs I read the comments in this blog, I am embarrassed by the words of a few parents. Stop the criticism people. I am a graduate and parent of a child that has applied to this great institution. When my child applied, we had a FULL understanding that EA applicants would not receive decisions until near the end of January. My child has applied to a number of universities and has already received several acceptances. The deadlines are what they are.....deadlines set by each university. Why worry if other NC schools have released decisions? Why does that have any impact on waiting to hear from UNC? My child has applied to two other universities that will not release EA decisions until mid-late February, but you won't find me on their blog complaining about the timing.
ReplyDeleteTake some pride that UNC-CH thoroughly reviews each applications to find the overall best students to represent this great university.
Lastly, it is easy to complain behind an 'Anonymous" post. How about attaching a name next time? You might think again before you post.
To Jullie and the admissions staff; keep up the good work and thanks for the info in the blog posts!
Hey Julie!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the hard work you all have been putting in to make sure that you give everyone an equal opportunity to be a potential freshman in the class of 2016. The end of January is coming up rapidly, and I am both excited and nervous to hear my decision!
When I sent in my transcript, it stated that I was taking AP Statistics this year. This is an online class, and due to some personal reasons, I've been talking to my counselor/principal about dropping the class without it saying fail or incomplete. If I am to be accepted into the freshman class, will dropping this course hurt my chances of being able to enroll when you receive my final transcript?
Thank you!
Hi there, The rigor of your curriculum is an important part of our review, so if you're planning a change to your schedule, you'll need to let us know. And yes, it could potentially affect your admission decision. I'd recommend that you email us before you make any changes. Just send an email to schedule@admissions.unc.edu and list your current schedule, how you'd like to change it, and your reasons for changing. We'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks!
DeleteLast year decisions were posted on Friday, Jan 21st.....I would guess MAYBE we could get lucky & hear this Friday.
ReplyDeletePATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
If anyone wants to talk about their decisions and such, I made a forum to do so...italkiphone.com/college/forum.php
ReplyDeleteSomebody requested this, so hear ya go!
this is awesome
DeleteHi, Julie,
ReplyDeleteCould you tell me how many people were selected as Pogue Scholarship nominees this year?
Thank you,
Jessica