Jeannine Lalonde
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uvadeanj.bsky.social
Jeannine Lalonde
@uvadeanj.bsky.social
Personal account of the one who started the UVA admission blog 20 years ago.

NJ ➡️ RI ➡️ MA 🦅➡️ VA 🏛️

More active on IG and TT until this place takes off with higher ed and admission.
Hey #UVA, has anyone successfully registered for the Ketanji Brown Jackson lecture?
August 27, 2025 at 1:02 PM
GPAs aren’t standardized.
GPAs aren’t standardized.
GPAs aren’t standardized.

That number doesn’t show grades, courses, or trends. That info is found on the transcript and is reviewed in the context of what the student’s school offers and how assessments are made there.
August 8, 2025 at 6:27 PM
JJ Davis just started her segment of the faculty meeting by acknowledging that some know her for her snow day announcements.

(I love those emails!)
July 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
There’s nothing more frustrating than working with a vendor who doesn’t think they’re a vendor.

This vague message brought to you by a product webinar with no data. We don’t buy things off ✨vibes✨.
June 24, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Three of my staff members were just treated abominably at the pizza place on the Corner.

After a litany of outrageous comments, the guy behind the counter said “we serve men first” as he rung up a man who arrived after them and gave him something for free.

Never going there again.
May 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
I’ve been doing and “AI vs human” writing exercise with students for the last two years. The first year, when AI was new, they had a hard time. Last year, after one year of exposure, they all spotted the AI immediately. (1/3)
May 9, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Came across this @virginiasports.bsky.social video on youtube. THAT VOICE has a big smile on my face. If you know, you know.

(If you don't, it's a beloved Hoo, Dawn Staley.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZoe...
VIRGINIA ATHLETICS: "Our Place"
YouTube video by Virginia Sports TV
www.youtube.com
May 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The only way to get next year's pricing for a product we already use is to book a zoom meeting with them or watch a 30 minute, scripted webinar. This from a vendor almost every high school and all colleges work with.

I'm exhausted. Just email the info.
March 27, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Celebrity endorsements don't prompt any reaction from me with the exception of Dawn Staley. Do I need supplemental insurance after all?
March 12, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The student member of the UVA Board of Visitors, Lisa Kopelnik, just quoted her acceptance letter in her farewell remarks. 🥹
March 7, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The UVA BOV is going to discuss testing policy this afternoon. Live stream: www.youtube.com/live/AGVsRvL...
Meeting of the Board, March 7th - Afternoon Session
YouTube video by UVA Board of Visitors
www.youtube.com
March 7, 2025 at 6:32 PM
The Garden Room/Hotel E was a faculty dining room when I first got to UVA. I went once and was intimidated.

Feast, a sandwich/food market took over the space recently.
March 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
How does an admission officer know it’s March? The eye twitch comes back.
March 5, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Petition to start #UVA Spring Break today.
March 3, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Admission friends, @nacac.bsky.social’s Angel Perez is on @pbsnews.org right now talking about the Dear Colleague letter.
February 28, 2025 at 12:24 AM
The older I get, the shorter I want my bio to be when I'm introduced.
December 19, 2024 at 4:02 PM
Jamie Luckie isn’t even there. What is this? #uva
December 19, 2024 at 1:39 AM
A student posted on another social channel that they wrote to my office and a bot replied. We don't have a bot. Our staff answers every email (though they have templates to use for the most common inquiries).

Is formal communication suspicious now?
December 11, 2024 at 3:19 PM
A local reporter just did a live spot from the #UVA Lighting of the Lawn. He said there will be a dance performance and an a capella group.

He’s new in town, so doesn’t know he’s about to see an absolute spectacle.

It’ll be live streaming 7-9 PM: www.lightingofthelawn.com
Lighting Of The Lawn
Stay tuned for information about the 22nd annual Lighting of the Lawn!
www.lightingofthelawn.com
December 6, 2024 at 11:13 PM
Just getting these ready for any trash talk texts. 💙⚔️🧡
December 1, 2024 at 12:24 AM
If you're at Oxford and didn't post the little foxes playing in the snow, who are you?
November 22, 2024 at 8:09 PM
I've been watching a student group called Cosplaying, Costuming, & Crafts show off things they've created in our Makerspace for a few weeks now. Such a cool resource!
And if you're around next week, there's a Monday 11/25 makerspace workshop that'll train you to use our lasercutter to cut, etch, and burn wood, acrylic, & more. Zero experience needed, & you'll come away w/a personalized creation: scholarslab.lib.virginia.edu/events/maker...
Makerspace Workshop: Laser Cutting Workshop
Learn the basics of laser cutting and explore the different applications that it has in various industries! We’ll begin by creating a design in Adobe Illustrator and then using the Universal Laser Sys...
scholarslab.lib.virginia.edu
November 18, 2024 at 4:40 PM
This is interesting. I think I had a little more than 11,000 followers on Twitter when I left in 2023. I just checked my profile and I'm down to ~9700 followers.

College admission people, if you're here, say hello!
November 15, 2024 at 7:10 PM
I set up "reading sprints" for my staff, during which we commit to read files with no interruptions. We sign into zoom to chat for a moment, then turn off mics to read. Later, we discuss interesting files before ending the session.

Thanks to bookstagram/booktok for the idea!
November 15, 2024 at 3:07 PM
Something I learned to do for my own peace of mind is stunt the engagement on viral posts.

Going viral feels awesome at first because it means your content is interesting to your followers. Once followers have engaged, algorithms show your content to more people and things can get weird.
November 14, 2024 at 4:46 PM