Declining UVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:For starters, UVA is not strong in engineering. There was a thread asking (a month ago?) about choosing between UVA cs in state vs. UIUC cs+math oos, and the overwhelming response was the latter. The mom creating the thread was so surprised that she had to clarify a couple of times, but the response remained the same!

USNWR ranks UVA 39 in engineering so the idea it’s “not strong” is very stupid. Not being MIT or CMU does not mean you’re not strong ffs.

39 is considered lowish and not strong by engineering students with better options.

You are an idiot. It is absolutely strong by any standard. I assure you that employers (such as the engineering company I work for) regard it as a strong program.

The PP is correct. No one is touting UVA as a "strong engineering school."

You are dumb. You know nothing. Stop babbling nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For starters, UVA is not strong in engineering. There was a thread asking (a month ago?) about choosing between UVA cs in state vs. UIUC cs+math oos, and the overwhelming response was the latter. The mom creating the thread was so surprised that she had to clarify a couple of times, but the response remained the same!

USNWR ranks UVA 39 in engineering so the idea it’s “not strong” is very stupid. Not being MIT or CMU does not mean you’re not strong ffs.

39 is considered lowish and not strong by engineering students with better options.

You are an idiot. It is absolutely strong by any standard. I assure you that employers (such as the engineering company I work for) regard it as a strong program.

The PP is correct. No one is touting UVA as a "strong engineering school."

+100

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My DC chose CNU over UVA. He liked the fit better and the vibe. UVA was larger than he wanted as well. 10K was his goal but other than Radford and WM not many schools in that range. He is thriving at CNU and (from my biased view) is a big fish there. He made a great decision. He also wants to be closer to the beach than the mountains.

What a bizarre decision, sorry.

You’re a jerk, sorry. DP

DP

The average GPA at CNU is about 1200 with an acceptance rate over 80%. If your kid got into UVA, then your kid isn't a big fish in a little pond, your kid is a whale in a fishtank. This does seem a little bit unusual.

NP and I've never been to CNU so I don't know the vibe. My kid decided not to apply to UVA so I shouldn't even be responding. But for this kid here, it could be about fit. My senior will be attending a small OOS school you haven't heard of with a very high acceptance rate. When we were on the tour his junior year, I remember looking at him during the tour and realizing how it was the perfect place and he fit right in. It was like he finally found his people. So who knows, maybe this kid just loved CNU for whatever reason. Some don't care about prestige or rankings.

Not familiar with CNU. Just looked it up, are you referring to Christopher Newport University?

Yes. I was responding to the other poster who couldn’t imagine how anyone could pick that. We didn’t tour it but my son is going to a school where they would be equally horrified. It’s all about fit.

[Anonymous]

Many people on DCUM are prestige seekers. Kid will have submitted to UVA and higher and lower ranked schools. Get admitted to one or more schools higher ranked than UVA and they decline at UVA.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:For some kids attending UVA is a lifelong dream, for some kids it is a target and for others a safety.

Kids apply to a number of schools, and in most cases get acceptances from more than one school but in the end can only attend one school. So yield won’t be 100%.

Fit matters and believe it or not UVA may not be the best fit for everyone.

We are OOS and UVA is very popular with our high school. DD’s good friend (class of 2025) chose UVA over Penn/Wharton. All comes down to fit.

OOS? That is a terrible decision. Zero way they had the Penn admit. Same with the CNU over UVA pick when both are in state. Not logical and not believable

You better not venture out to other parts of the country. You’d have a heart attack if you knew how many kids in the US don’t attend the highest ranked college they got into.

[Anonymous]

Has nobody mentioned it’s high school 2.0 for some students? Or some people just want to experience a different part of the country?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My DC chose CNU over UVA. He liked the fit better and the vibe. UVA was larger than he wanted as well. 10K was his goal but other than Radford and WM not many schools in that range. He is thriving at CNU and (from my biased view) is a big fish there. He made a great decision. He also wants to be closer to the beach than the mountains.

What a bizarre decision, sorry.

You’re a jerk, sorry. DP

Preferring the beach to the mountains? Sorry, that's one bizarre reason for picking CNU over UVA.

That’s your opinion.

It’s ridiculous. That’s what it is. Who turns down one of the top universities in the country in favor of a no name school based on proximity to Virginia Beach?

Holy smokes. In all honesty, step back for a minute and try to understand that your posts are the type that make UVA look bad. Seriously.

I am a new poster but I totally hear where others are coming from. I can fully understand why a student would pick W&M or VT over UVA, but I am having a really hard time understanding the CNU over UVA decision. Barring a cost factor (not sure if CNU is materially less expensive), 99.9% of people would not choose CNU. I always considered it similar to a community college. The academic experience and outcomes are very different from the other Virginia schools. I do not think this is snobby at all. It is just a realistic assessment of the differences in the quality of the education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC chose CNU over UVA. He liked the fit better and the vibe. UVA was larger than he wanted as well. 10K was his goal but other than Radford and WM not many schools in that range. He is thriving at CNU and (from my biased view) is a big fish there. He made a great decision. He also wants to be closer to the beach than the mountains.

What a bizarre decision, sorry.

My old neighbor would make up stories like this and say their child wanted to be a big fish so they could pretend their average children were above average and justify whatever mediocre option their kids had to choose from. Incredibly jealous narcissistic woman in reality who just couldn't accept her offspring was anything but the best and they passed on this view to their children. If they had gotten into UVA, which the mom attended, it would have just been that their child was a big fish. Don't expect all people who go to places like CNU to be more down to earth.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC chose CNU over UVA. He liked the fit better and the vibe. UVA was larger than he wanted as well. 10K was his goal but other than Radford and WM not many schools in that range. He is thriving at CNU and (from my biased view) is a big fish there. He made a great decision. He also wants to be closer to the beach than the mountains.

What a bizarre decision, sorry.

You’re a jerk, sorry. DP

Preferring the beach to the mountains? Sorry, that's one bizarre reason for picking CNU over UVA.

That’s your opinion.

It’s ridiculous. That’s what it is. Who turns down one of the top universities in the country in favor of a no name school based on proximity to Virginia Beach?

Holy smokes. In all honesty, step back for a minute and try to understand that your posts are the type that make UVA look bad. Seriously.

I am a new poster but I totally hear where others are coming from. I can fully understand why a student would pick W&M or VT over UVA, but I am having a really hard time understanding the CNU over UVA decision. Barring a cost factor (not sure if CNU is materially less expensive), 99.9% of people would not choose CNU. I always considered it similar to a community college. The academic experience and outcomes are very different from the other Virginia schools. I do not think this is snobby at all. It is just a realistic assessment of the differences in the quality of the education.

DP. I have worked for several different universities in Virginia and attended the one in question myself, and I really believe a highly capable and motivated student can get the same quality education at any of them. Better outcomes are often associated with socioeconomic factors that students at UVA arrive with on day one. Some very bright kids just won’t thrive there, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC chose CNU over UVA. He liked the fit better and the vibe. UVA was larger than he wanted as well. 10K was his goal but other than Radford and WM not many schools in that range. He is thriving at CNU and (from my biased view) is a big fish there. He made a great decision. He also wants to be closer to the beach than the mountains.

What a bizarre decision, sorry.

You’re a jerk, sorry. DP

Preferring the beach to the mountains? Sorry, that's one bizarre reason for picking CNU over UVA.

That’s your opinion.

It’s ridiculous. That’s what it is. Who turns down one of the top universities in the country in favor of a no name school based on proximity to Virginia Beach?

Holy smokes. In all honesty, step back for a minute and try to understand that your posts are the type that make UVA look bad. Seriously.

I am a new poster but I totally hear where others are coming from. I can fully understand why a student would pick W&M or VT over UVA, but I am having a really hard time understanding the CNU over UVA decision. Barring a cost factor (not sure if CNU is materially less expensive), 99.9% of people would not choose CNU. I always considered it similar to a community college. The academic experience and outcomes are very different from the other Virginia schools. I do not think this is snobby at all. It is just a realistic assessment of the differences in the quality of the education.

DP. I have worked for several different universities in Virginia and attended the one in question myself, and I really believe a highly capable and motivated student can get the same quality education at any of them. Better outcomes are often associated with socioeconomic factors that students at UVA arrive with on day one. Some very bright kids just won’t thrive there, though.

+1 There is nothing magical about UVA or any college. Yes most students would choose UVA over CNU and many UVA kids go on to earn more money. But, that’s not because of UVA. It’s because UVA tends to attract wealthy kids and the kids that are chasing prestige. If an equally motivated kid and wealthy chose CNU the outcomes likely wouldn’t be very different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL, so your kid didn't get in?

Exhibit A of why some people wouldn’t want to go to UVA even if admitted. Imagine spending four years with you or your kid, yuck.

Didn’t answer the question.

Dp

[Anonymous]

OOS people might turn down UVA for their own state flagship- cost, specific program, vibe, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar situation.. My DC picked UMD over Michigan and GTech. Didn’t make sense to spend extra money for a slightly higher ranking..
People forget that Michigan and UVA accept lower stats students from instate. Going to an out of state flagship for some perceived prestige based on rankings doesn’t justify the dollars. But yes some people will spend a ton for the sake of prestige.

Keep in mind that a lot of "lower stats" students are just kids who:

Didn't have any paid math or ELA tutoring
Didn't have paid SAT prep
Didn't take the SATs multiple times
May still believe that SATs measure what you know
Don't have parents monitoring their apps

This is a rationalization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar situation.. My DC picked UMD over Michigan and GTech. Didn’t make sense to spend extra money for a slightly higher ranking..
People forget that Michigan and UVA accept lower stats students from instate. Going to an out of state flagship for some perceived prestige based on rankings doesn’t justify the dollars. But yes some people will spend a ton for the sake of prestige.

Keep in mind that a lot of "lower stats" students are just kids who:

Didn't have any paid math or ELA tutoring
Didn't have paid SAT prep
Didn't take the SATs multiple times
May still believe that SATs measure what you know
Don't have parents monitoring their apps

This is a rationalization.

Your privilege is showing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has nobody mentioned it’s high school 2.0 for some students? Or some people just want to experience a different part of the country?

I'm not addressing HS 2.0, but I know several kids from went elsewhere b/c they wanted to experience life outside of this area. One is happy in Athens and another in Ann Arbor.