University of Virginia

Thank you so much for your heartfelt email.  It is clear that the situation in China with respect to SAT testing and AP scores is only going to increase in the coming years. Our entire staff takes this issue seriously and many contributed comments about what we as a University should do,. In other words, your letter has made us evaluate the fairness of what we do.

There is some good news and some bad news that I can share with you. First of all, it is true that many of the Chinese students who come to our university are from major cites like Shanghai and Beijing. This year, however, we have made a great effort to enroll students from across China. We have students from Yunnang, Chengdu, Hubei, Shenyang and many other cities that are not close Hong Kong. We understand that Chinese students do not represent a monolithic group. There are as many differences among Chinese students as there are, in some case, between Chinese and American students. In other words, we do not characterize Chinese students as simply a group of people who are alike in background, talents, and opportunities.

From what you write you are clearly a strong student who would add to most any college or university. You will need to make sure that your essays, recommendations, and activities support your academic strengths. You should include and define the level of any academic awards you have won. You need, therefore, to come across as a student who will add both in and out of the classroom. If our committee can evaluate you as one who can be a significant participant in the larger intellectual conversation that is the American University, then you will have a chance of being admitted.

That being said, it is also true that the vast majority of students who are admitted to UVA from China have been able to take the SAT, iBt, and SAT II tests. Usually it is to their advantage as students do very well on the math, physics, and chemistry parts of these exams. IBt results are also quite high, usually above 100. Your email would indicate you have strong English skills so I think the iBt would be something you could do well on.

It is true that if 2 students look similar in terms of academic performance and activities and essays and one has very high scores and one does not have high scores, then the one with high scores will stand out., On the other hand, if you can convince the committee that your academic performance is superior or that you are a person who can add both in and out of the classroom, then we can make the decision to offer to the student without SAT.

Few students will have AP tests this year. This will grow into a problem in perhaps two or three years but it is not something that will make a significant impact on our evaluation system.

Is it harder to gain admission without SAT scores? The answer is yes. But it is not impossible. We also use interviews to determine who is admitted and these interviews have a significant bearing on our decisions.

Last year we conducted over 250 interviews and some students with perfect testing made it through our process positively and some did not. So too with students without testing.

I wish the SAT were available to students across China but this will not happen this year.

Your willingness to raise this question indicates that you are someone who advocates for positive change--a trait we very much value at our University.

We are grateful that you have brought up this issue in such a clear and forthright way. I can promise that our committee will take your words seriously and try to create a holistic evaluation that takes into consideration the discrepancies that exist among Chinese students and testing.

I wish you luck this year and hope that if you have additional concerns that you will let me know.