VA in-state options for 3.4 u/w (3.8 w) GPA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Please go read the WaPo story at 00:39. I'm talking about the person who said it was "ridiculous" that students were taking 5 and 6 years to finish college. More than half of our nation's students are doing precisely that. Go read the article.

That was me, and what I was saying is that it's "ridiculous" to assume that a student with a B+ average (3.4) is going to take 5-6 years to finish. A 3.4 unweighted GPA is a decent GPA by most people's standards.

I am sure many other kids are taking longer to get through, but to suggest that only straight-A students will finish on time is an excessively negative prediction.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Please go read the WaPo story at 00:39. I'm talking about the person who said it was "ridiculous" that students were taking 5 and 6 years to finish college. More than half of our nation's students are doing precisely that. Go read the article.

That was me, and what I was saying is that it's "ridiculous" to assume that a student with a B+ average (3.4) is going to take 5-6 years to finish. A 3.4 unweighted GPA is a decent GPA by most people's standards.

I am sure many other kids are taking longer to get through, but to suggest that only straight-A students will finish on time is an excessively negative prediction.

+1

It would really help if you would read previous posts. You are out of touch with what is happening in higher ed in America. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/12/02/why-so-many-students-are-spending-six-years-getting-a-college-degree/?utm_term=.ddbb3eac1c76

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it is the same FCPS high school we went through, what you are not seeing in those stats is the overall size of the class and the degree of self-selection that goes on in the application process if you are in NOVA. The college counselor and those faculty writing letters are not going to help your B students apply to UVA. They just aren't. If I had suggested that for DC they would have laughed me out of the room. Only the very best of the 525 students in a class will be supported by the system to apply to those two schools. Those students are the same ones applying to HYPS. Our numbers for getting into W&M and UVA were much smaller than those above. It seemed like the same ten students got in everywhere but not for the rest of the class. You are much better off applying to a VA university from any other area than NOVA and especially FCPS.


Woodson?

The stats above were from McLean's Class of '16. Not sure if all the favoritism for the best and brightest goes on there, but it probably does.

My DC actually completely bypassed VA schools, counselor recommendations, and the Common App and only applied to OOS publics. The whole process just seemed really weird - parents have to write multi-page essay about their child for the counselor, child needs to give teachers a professionally done resume to get a recommendation, etc. If you just have a nice, regular kid who is a solid student but more of a late bloomer, forget about it. She just looked for schools that base their decision on the essay, transcript and test scores and did fine in the process.

Wish we could afford OOS publics.

We can afford in-state rates but DD has a B+ GPA so I guess we are shut out (except for CCs).

Surely you're joking. A B+ GPA will get you into most VA publics.

We were so impressed by Mary Washington which seems to admit a wide variety of students. Also vcu in richmond. Our child actually liked umw better than w and m. To me they seemed a lot alike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Please go read the WaPo story at 00:39. I'm talking about the person who said it was "ridiculous" that students were taking 5 and 6 years to finish college. More than half of our nation's students are doing precisely that. Go read the article.

That was me, and what I was saying is that it's "ridiculous" to assume that a student with a B+ average (3.4) is going to take 5-6 years to finish. A 3.4 unweighted GPA is a decent GPA by most people's standards.

I am sure many other kids are taking longer to get through, but to suggest that only straight-A students will finish on time is an excessively negative prediction.

+1

It would really help if you would read previous posts. You are out of touch with what is happening in higher ed in America. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/12/02/why-so-many-students-are-spending-six-years-getting-a-college-degree/?utm_term=.ddbb3eac1c76

Where in the linked article does it state that Complete College America found students with a B+ average in high school are going to take 5-6 years to finish college?

[Anonymous]

Where in the linked article does it state that Complete College America found students with a B+ average in high school are going to take 5-6 years to finish college?

It doesn't - I think PP is assuming that the B+ students are the ones who have to take reduced course loads, take "remedial" classes, and repeat classes multiple times. My B+ student (graduated with a weighted 3.4), got a 3.5 her first semester in college and took 16 credits. She did take one credit of "remedial" pre-Calc but I don't think that will set back her graduation date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it is the same FCPS high school we went through, what you are not seeing in those stats is the overall size of the class and the degree of self-selection that goes on in the application process if you are in NOVA. The college counselor and those faculty writing letters are not going to help your B students apply to UVA. They just aren't. If I had suggested that for DC they would have laughed me out of the room. Only the very best of the 525 students in a class will be supported by the system to apply to those two schools. Those students are the same ones applying to HYPS. Our numbers for getting into W&M and UVA were much smaller than those above. It seemed like the same ten students got in everywhere but not for the rest of the class. You are much better off applying to a VA university from any other area than NOVA and especially FCPS.


Woodson?

The stats above were from McLean's Class of '16. Not sure if all the favoritism for the best and brightest goes on there, but it probably does.

My DC actually completely bypassed VA schools, counselor recommendations, and the Common App and only applied to OOS publics. The whole process just seemed really weird - parents have to write multi-page essay about their child for the counselor, child needs to give teachers a professionally done resume to get a recommendation, etc. If you just have a nice, regular kid who is a solid student but more of a late bloomer, forget about it. She just looked for schools that base their decision on the essay, transcript and test scores and did fine in the process.

Wish we could afford OOS publics.

We can afford in-state rates but DD has a B+ GPA so I guess we are shut out (except for CCs).

Surely you're joking. A B+ GPA will get you into most VA publics.

We were so impressed by Mary Washington which seems to admit a wide variety of students. Also vcu in richmond. Our child actually liked umw better than w and m. To me they seemed a lot alike.

My high-stats kid prefers UMW over W&M too for many reasons, and the price is lower to boot. It's all about the fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Where in the linked article does it state that Complete College America found students with a B+ average in high school are going to take 5-6 years to finish college?

It doesn't - I think PP is assuming that the B+ students are the ones who have to take reduced course loads, take "remedial" classes, and repeat classes multiple times. My B+ student (graduated with a weighted 3.4), got a 3.5 her first semester in college and took 16 credits. She did take one credit of "remedial" pre-Calc but I don't think that will set back her graduation date.

Thank you for replying and proving PP supposed assumption is not correct for all (most?) students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it is the same FCPS high school we went through, what you are not seeing in those stats is the overall size of the class and the degree of self-selection that goes on in the application process if you are in NOVA. The college counselor and those faculty writing letters are not going to help your B students apply to UVA. They just aren't. If I had suggested that for DC they would have laughed me out of the room. Only the very best of the 525 students in a class will be supported by the system to apply to those two schools. Those students are the same ones applying to HYPS. Our numbers for getting into W&M and UVA were much smaller than those above. It seemed like the same ten students got in everywhere but not for the rest of the class. You are much better off applying to a VA university from any other area than NOVA and especially FCPS.


Woodson?

The stats above were from McLean's Class of '16. Not sure if all the favoritism for the best and brightest goes on there, but it probably does.

My DC actually completely bypassed VA schools, counselor recommendations, and the Common App and only applied to OOS publics. The whole process just seemed really weird - parents have to write multi-page essay about their child for the counselor, child needs to give teachers a professionally done resume to get a recommendation, etc. If you just have a nice, regular kid who is a solid student but more of a late bloomer, forget about it. She just looked for schools that base their decision on the essay, transcript and test scores and did fine in the process.

Wish we could afford OOS publics.

We can afford in-state rates but DD has a B+ GPA so I guess we are shut out (except for CCs).

Surely you're joking. A B+ GPA will get you into most VA publics.

We were so impressed by Mary Washington which seems to admit a wide variety of students. Also vcu in richmond. Our child actually liked umw better than w and m. To me they seemed a lot alike.

My high-stats kid prefers UMW over W&M too for many reasons, and the price is lower to boot. It's all about the fit.

Is UMW considered in the same grouping as CNU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it is the same FCPS high school we went through, what you are not seeing in those stats is the overall size of the class and the degree of self-selection that goes on in the application process if you are in NOVA. The college counselor and those faculty writing letters are not going to help your B students apply to UVA. They just aren't. If I had suggested that for DC they would have laughed me out of the room. Only the very best of the 525 students in a class will be supported by the system to apply to those two schools. Those students are the same ones applying to HYPS. Our numbers for getting into W&M and UVA were much smaller than those above. It seemed like the same ten students got in everywhere but not for the rest of the class. You are much better off applying to a VA university from any other area than NOVA and especially FCPS.


Woodson?

The stats above were from McLean's Class of '16. Not sure if all the favoritism for the best and brightest goes on there, but it probably does.

My DC actually completely bypassed VA schools, counselor recommendations, and the Common App and only applied to OOS publics. The whole process just seemed really weird - parents have to write multi-page essay about their child for the counselor, child needs to give teachers a professionally done resume to get a recommendation, etc. If you just have a nice, regular kid who is a solid student but more of a late bloomer, forget about it. She just looked for schools that base their decision on the essay, transcript and test scores and did fine in the process.

Wish we could afford OOS publics.

We can afford in-state rates but DD has a B+ GPA so I guess we are shut out (except for CCs).

Surely you're joking. A B+ GPA will get you into most VA publics.

We were so impressed by Mary Washington which seems to admit a wide variety of students. Also vcu in richmond. Our child actually liked umw better than w and m. To me they seemed a lot alike.

My high-stats kid prefers UMW over W&M too for many reasons, and the price is lower to boot. It's all about the fit.

Same here. UMW is very appealing, for many reasons.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone speak to the student diversity of the Virgina schools? I don't mean the diversity you simply see, but diversity of viewpoints, interests, richness of programs and student activities. I would really like to pay in-state tuition, but also see college as a time to get outside of the world you've been living in and try on new perspectives. Out of state anywhere seems a better option for thatkind of change. Which Colleges draw more fiercely questioning students, not simply high achievers? Thanks for sharing your perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone speak to the student diversity of the Virgina schools? I don't mean the diversity you simply see, but diversity of viewpoints, interests, richness of programs and student activities. I would really like to pay in-state tuition, but also see college as a time to get outside of the world you've been living in and try on new perspectives. Out of state anywhere seems a better option for thatkind of change. Which Colleges draw more fiercely questioning students, not simply high achievers? Thanks for sharing your perspective.

How does one measure "fiercely questioning students"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone speak to the student diversity of the Virgina schools? I don't mean the diversity you simply see, but diversity of viewpoints, interests, richness of programs and student activities. I would really like to pay in-state tuition, but also see college as a time to get outside of the world you've been living in and try on new perspectives. Out of state anywhere seems a better option for thatkind of change. Which Colleges draw more fiercely questioning students, not simply high achievers? Thanks for sharing your perspective.

How does one measure "fiercely questioning students"?

One doesn't. It's a request for perception or experience. Is there a predominant culture (say: focused on preprofessional or Greek life, etc.) or is there a balance and variety that extends beyond suburban HS part 2. JMU looks like a really fun place, but also very status quo. I've talked with profs from selective LACs who say they've seen a change in the past 10 years from questioning to"just tell me what's going to be on the test." So, I'm curious about experiences at affordable VA colleges and universities.

[Anonymous]

W&M take 60% from in state
UVA takes 75% from in state
and so on

You can look these numbers up.

Chances are, if 40% of the students are from out of state, instead of 25% of them, you'll have greater diversity (as defined by you, above).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it is the same FCPS high school we went through, what you are not seeing in those stats is the overall size of the class and the degree of self-selection that goes on in the application process if you are in NOVA. The college counselor and those faculty writing letters are not going to help your B students apply to UVA. They just aren't. If I had suggested that for DC they would have laughed me out of the room. Only the very best of the 525 students in a class will be supported by the system to apply to those two schools. Those students are the same ones applying to HYPS. Our numbers for getting into W&M and UVA were much smaller than those above. It seemed like the same ten students got in everywhere but not for the rest of the class. You are much better off applying to a VA university from any other area than NOVA and especially FCPS.


Woodson?

The stats above were from McLean's Class of '16. Not sure if all the favoritism for the best and brightest goes on there, but it probably does.

My DC actually completely bypassed VA schools, counselor recommendations, and the Common App and only applied to OOS publics. The whole process just seemed really weird - parents have to write multi-page essay about their child for the counselor, child needs to give teachers a professionally done resume to get a recommendation, etc. If you just have a nice, regular kid who is a solid student but more of a late bloomer, forget about it. She just looked for schools that base their decision on the essay, transcript and test scores and did fine in the process.

Wish we could afford OOS publics.

We can afford in-state rates but DD has a B+ GPA so I guess we are shut out (except for CCs).

Surely you're joking. A B+ GPA will get you into most VA publics.

We were so impressed by Mary Washington which seems to admit a wide variety of students. Also vcu in richmond. Our child actually liked umw better than w and m. To me they seemed a lot alike.

Minus the far better caliber of students, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it is the same FCPS high school we went through, what you are not seeing in those stats is the overall size of the class and the degree of self-selection that goes on in the application process if you are in NOVA. The college counselor and those faculty writing letters are not going to help your B students apply to UVA. They just aren't. If I had suggested that for DC they would have laughed me out of the room. Only the very best of the 525 students in a class will be supported by the system to apply to those two schools. Those students are the same ones applying to HYPS. Our numbers for getting into W&M and UVA were much smaller than those above. It seemed like the same ten students got in everywhere but not for the rest of the class. You are much better off applying to a VA university from any other area than NOVA and especially FCPS.


Woodson?

The stats above were from McLean's Class of '16. Not sure if all the favoritism for the best and brightest goes on there, but it probably does.

My DC actually completely bypassed VA schools, counselor recommendations, and the Common App and only applied to OOS publics. The whole process just seemed really weird - parents have to write multi-page essay about their child for the counselor, child needs to give teachers a professionally done resume to get a recommendation, etc. If you just have a nice, regular kid who is a solid student but more of a late bloomer, forget about it. She just looked for schools that base their decision on the essay, transcript and test scores and did fine in the process.

Wish we could afford OOS publics.

We can afford in-state rates but DD has a B+ GPA so I guess we are shut out (except for CCs).

Surely you're joking. A B+ GPA will get you into most VA publics.

We were so impressed by Mary Washington which seems to admit a wide variety of students. Also vcu in richmond. Our child actually liked umw better than w and m. To me they seemed a lot alike.

Minus the far better caliber of students, yes.

Not really. Plenty of very smart kids choose UMW, JMU, Tech, etc. over UVA/W&M. As has been stated over and over on this forum, it's all about fit. I feel sorry for the kids of parents (probably like you) who insist they go to certain schools because of perceived "prestige." What a miserable experience for the kids who would be happier at so many other good schools.