UVA with Jefferson Scholarship vs Harvard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Harvard unless it's not financially viable for you at all. I went to UVa for undergrad and Harvard for grad school, so while I understand how prestigious the Jefferson scholarship is, Harvard is in its own league.

There's a big difference in the maturity, motivation and experience of undergrad and graduate student populations, not to mention the expectations that professors have of those populations. It doesn't seem like comparing one vs. the other would give a true feeling for any differences in the quality of universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Harvard unless it's not financially viable for you at all. I went to UVa for undergrad and Harvard for grad school, so while I understand how prestigious the Jefferson scholarship is, Harvard is in its own league.

I would do the opposite. At Harvard it is really hard to stand out. Being a Jefferson Scholar gives you a leg up from the get-go and is an accolade that will be on your resume forever.

Also fwiw, my kid’s HS nominates kids no matter where they want to go college bc I think the process starts pretty early. I have seen kids selected as finalists but then end up elsewhere such as Ivies (granted very small sample size bc so few make it to finalist round. Def not a yearly occurrence).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Harvard unless it's not financially viable for you at all. I went to UVa for undergrad and Harvard for grad school, so while I understand how prestigious the Jefferson scholarship is, Harvard is in its own league.

Going that route would save a kid over 300k. Harvard is better, but is it 300k better (especially if the goal is grad school)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Harvard unless it's not financially viable for you at all. I went to UVa for undergrad and Harvard for grad school, so while I understand how prestigious the Jefferson scholarship is, Harvard is in its own league.

I would do the opposite. At Harvard it is really hard to stand out. Being a Jefferson Scholar gives you a leg up from the get-go and is an accolade that will be on your resume forever.

Also fwiw, my kid’s HS nominates kids no matter where they want to go college bc I think the process starts pretty early. I have seen kids selected as finalists but then end up elsewhere such as Ivies (granted very small sample size bc so few make it to finalist round. Def not a yearly occurrence).

This is true. My DS was considered for the schools nomination but they ended up going with the girl who ended up being valedictorian. She did not attend Uva. My DS had already applied ED - so clearly he’d have been a better choice Hahha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1 The question is not whether Harvard is "better" than UVa. The question is whether your kid wants to be a regular student student at Harvard or one of the top 20 in the class at UVA. Jefferson Scholarship is more than just a free college education. For example, at UVA, Jefferson Scholars hold the prestige positions such as the student representative to the Board of Visitors and the best research positions. From a job perspective, Jefferson Scholars attend private events with UVa's most successful alumni. Also, Jefferson Scholars are all Echols Scholars and have no area/major requirements and have priority in scheduling classes, which allows students get into classes with desired professors and get better recommendations for graduate schools.

Or the question is whether your kid wants to be surrounded by 6,000 students more intelligent than Jefferson Scholars, with far more opportunities presented than to Jefferson Scholars, or bump it with 20,000 other, most from some underdeveloped rural county in Virginia.

I am a Jefferson Scholar in the class of 2027. Every single Jefferson Scholar was accepted to multiple schools like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, and MIT. The notion that every student at Harvard is more intelligent than Jefferson scholars is just not true as despite there only being 30 Jefferson scholars, they still are a force of nature on Wall Street. There is a 4th year who received an offer for an internship at both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley without taking a single finance course because she had transferred out of pre-med only a week prior. Luckily one of the heads of investment banking at Goldman is a Jefferson scholar who gave her an offer on the spot after a zoom call and a few emails. If you look at the percentage of Jeff scholars who go to top IB firms like MS, GS, JP Morgan, there is not a single college in the country with such high success rates. Not to mention that the Jefferson scholarship sends more students to T5 law schools by percentage of applicants than any school in the country 3 times over. The fact is the Jefferson scholarship connects you with an alumni network which will instantly respond and go insane lengths to help you do anything you could possibly want to do in ways that going to a college can’t do. The Jefferson Scholarship is the right choice is you are personable and have social skills, but if you are a more STEM type who is not interested in making connections than it may not be for you.

[Anonymous]

I turned down Harvard for another elite school many years ago and often regret it from a professional perspective. Do not underestimate the sheer power of that name. As stupid as focusing on name alone may seem, unfortunately we live in a stupid world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1 The question is not whether Harvard is "better" than UVa. The question is whether your kid wants to be a regular student student at Harvard or one of the top 20 in the class at UVA. Jefferson Scholarship is more than just a free college education. For example, at UVA, Jefferson Scholars hold the prestige positions such as the student representative to the Board of Visitors and the best research positions. From a job perspective, Jefferson Scholars attend private events with UVa's most successful alumni. Also, Jefferson Scholars are all Echols Scholars and have no area/major requirements and have priority in scheduling classes, which allows students get into classes with desired professors and get better recommendations for graduate schools.

Or the question is whether your kid wants to be surrounded by 6,000 students more intelligent than Jefferson Scholars, with far more opportunities presented than to Jefferson Scholars, or bump it with 20,000 other, most from some underdeveloped rural county in Virginia.

I am a Jefferson Scholar in the class of 2027. Every single Jefferson Scholar was accepted to multiple schools like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, and MIT. The notion that every student at Harvard is more intelligent than Jefferson scholars is just not true as despite there only being 30 Jefferson scholars, they still are a force of nature on Wall Street. There is a 4th year who received an offer for an internship at both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley without taking a single finance course because she had transferred out of pre-med only a week prior. Luckily one of the heads of investment banking at Goldman is a Jefferson scholar who gave her an offer on the spot after a zoom call and a few emails. If you look at the percentage of Jeff scholars who go to top IB firms like MS, GS, JP Morgan, there is not a single college in the country with such high success rates. Not to mention that the Jefferson scholarship sends more students to T5 law schools by percentage of applicants than any school in the country 3 times over. The fact is the Jefferson scholarship connects you with an alumni network which will instantly respond and go insane lengths to help you do anything you could possibly want to do in ways that going to a college can’t do. The Jefferson Scholarship is the right choice is you are personable and have social skills, but if you are a more STEM type who is not interested in making connections than it may not be for you.

I've been thinking about this - it's such a waste that so many of our smartest kids are going into banking now, instead of careers where they could make a difference in the world. It's just about who can make the most money. That's sad.

[Anonymous]

OP, your kid bought a winning lottery ticket. If you're set on turning it down, fine. But don't assume that he'll have the same opportunities or that "he can just go to HBS for grad school."

Harvard opens doors many for its average students, doors that are firmly shit for all but a handful of UVA students. The road to being in that handful is uphill and rocky, and full of landmines. Mental health issues or even a few tough professors can be GPA killers. Going to Harvard is a hedge against these risks.

[Anonymous]

Pre Claudine Gay Harvard, post Claudine Gay UVA.

[Anonymous]

Harvard is Harvard.

It will change your child’s life and generations to come. People posting otherwise are jealous.

[Anonymous]

Harvard College is way more prestigious than HBS. One does not need to go to business school if you attend Harvard College. You can be recruited to a top bank or consulting firm right out of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would go with Harvard unless it's not financially viable for you at all. I went to UVa for undergrad and Harvard for grad school, so while I understand how prestigious the Jefferson scholarship is, Harvard is in its own league.

Going that route would save a kid over 300k. Harvard is better, but is it 300k better (especially if the goal is grad school)

Yes it is.

[Anonymous]

If money is no object AND your kid is supremely self-confident, highly ambitious, and ready to be a leader, choose Harvard. Harvard is a mindset as much as a university. Everyone is an arrogant a**hole, and for mental health reasons, you need to be ready to punch.

If money is important OR your kid has more mundane ambitions, like to become a successful professor, doctor, lawyer, or business person, in the conventional sense, go to UVA. UVA will provide a great education and the scholarship will open many doors, but the average kid at UVA and the overall environment is not as intense as that at Harvard. At Harvard, everyone BELIEVES they are a god; at UVA that viewpoint would seem overly aggressive and a bit manic. At UVA, people play nice; at Harvard, people play for keeps. You get the idea.

Of course, your kid may not have the Harvard mentality, but be open to it. That’s fine, but people tend to be what they are. I am an introvert. Though I admire some extroverts, I always feel exhausted when I try to play one. It’s not that a “normal” person can’t survive at Harvard, but it probably won’t be fun.

[Anonymous]

Ask those who say Harvard is the clear choice what non-anecdotal or for-profit rankings evidence they have to support their claim. There is none. Read Kruger and Dale's study of income over time. Compare their Common Data Sets. Look at the lists of who's working where on Less High School Stress.

Both are excellent places to get an education. Neither choice will limit anyone's ability to reach their full potential, despite those who say otherwise.

Congratulations!

[Anonymous]

Someone wrote this on another page….

You get into Harvard, You go to Harvard.