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577 second-year applicants submit Commerce School applications

Only 56 percent of students will gain acceptance into elite undergraduate business program

Last Monday marked the deadline for second-year College students to apply to the Commerce School. The McIntire Undergraduate Admissions Committee will consider applications and expects to notify students of their decision sometime in mid-March.

In total, 577 students applied this year, marking a 14 percent increase from last year and the largest amount of applicants in the school’s history. The estimated acceptance rate for this year’s applicants is 56 percent.

Applicants to the Commerce School face rigorous competition, with a mean GPA of 3.53 and a mean combined reading and math SAT score of 1390. In 2001, applicants had a mean GPA of 3.22 and a mean SAT score of 1304.

Students completed an application made up of both short essays and a section listing accomplishments.

“It’s not a difficult application,” said second-year College student Tania Ermak, who applied for admission. “It’s a matter of having the most impact. They’re short essays, so you want to make them good. But as far as the format and the structure, it’s not hard.”

Second-year College student Ryan Vosburgh said the application took him three to four hours to complete.

“[It was] not very difficult; three short essays plus your accomplishments and some was filled out already through SIS,” Vosburgh said. “I feel like they take your grades into account a lot more since the essays were pretty short.”

To be considered for admission into the Commerce School, students must complete extensive pre-requisites during their first two years at the University.

“All this work having to be consolidated in an application was introspective and somewhat anti-climactic,” Ermak said. “It’s relieving to be done, but at the same time it feels surreal because it’s been such a build-up.”

Tim Davis, director of the University Counseling and Psychological Services department, encouraged applicants to take advantage of counseling resources if they are feeling excessive amounts of stress.

“Academic stress is endemic at competitive universities like U.Va.,” Davis said in an email. “Across the country, anxiety recently surpassed depression as the most frequent presenting concern among college students who request services at university counseling centers.”

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