Anyone know families OBSESSED with getting into UVA, period?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would anyone be obsessed with going to a middle of the road state school?

Value (best college under $30k yr in USA) & best college in the commonwealth.

Source?

Seriously? you need sources. OK, I'll start - this week, No. 3 in American public universities bested by only UCLA and Berkeley. Also no. 25 amongst all colleges and universities (there are 3,000) in the USA. https://www.streakingthelawn.com/2017/9/12/16294636/uva-named-top-three-public-university-top-25-overall-us-news-and-world-report-university-of-virginia

[Anonymous]

More UVA rankings. Kiplinger rates it a top school for value. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/uva-6968/overall-rankings

[Anonymous]

12th in the country by Princeton Review. https://news.virginia.edu/content/uva-receives-top-rankings-2018-princeton-review

[Anonymous]

Niche: UVA no. 2 best public university in America. https://www.niche.com/colleges/university-of-virginia/rankings/

[Anonymous]

Money Magazine: UVA best value at no. 11 amongst all colleges and universities. http://new.money.com/money/best-colleges/rankings/best-colleges/

[Anonymous]

TIME: UVA no. 7 for best value in USA. https://thetab.com/us/uva/2016/07/12/uva-ninth-best-value-college-america-says-time-4996

[Anonymous]

Newsplex: UVA best value college in Virginia. http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/UVA-listed-as-having-best-value-in-Virginia-419058474.html

[Anonymous]

Yup. We got it. Cheap. Enjoy that kitchen renovation.

[Anonymous]

It's good enough such that one should really only turn it down for an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Look, it's clear that Maryland is superior to VA in so many ways--aesthetically, culturally, etc. But VA has better state colleges--by a mile. If you've chosen your forever home based on the (somewhat realistic) possibility of your kids going to UVA, well, yeah, sure, you're going to be overinvested.

[Anonymous]

The value lists are a little misleading. They don't take into account super super general financial aid at top privates & most LAS colleges give good merit awards too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The value lists are a little misleading. They don't take into account super super general financial aid at top privates & most LAS colleges give good merit awards too.

That's rarely true anymore because OOS and SLACs have priced themselves to absurd levels. My DD received two "full freight" scholarships out of the blue by small privates you have probably never heard of. Each was for $28,000. Both wanted her for his ACT score. In fact, the amount offered went up when she went from a 34 to a 36. It's easy to do the figures. UVA at the time was $26,000 inclusive. The SLACs were at $70K, which still left $44,000 for us to fund per year in after-tax dollars even with the $28,000 full tuition grant. The other option was an Ivy at $72,000 inclusive, and a top Tech school at $65,000 per year. Fortunately, she picked UVA and it has been a wonderful experience. It was her decision but she was aware of the "delta" difference between the choices. Also the SLACs that sought her out didn't have the major she was interested in.

[Anonymous]

^^ Alabama would have been $0 for your dd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ Alabama would have been $0 for your dd.

No, we're in the donut hole. FAFSA gives us nothing. Ivies gave us nothing. UVA gave us nothing. Didn't even think of applying to Alabama when selecting the top ten to apply to, nor would I pay for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The value lists are a little misleading. They don't take into account super super general financial aid at top privates & most LAS colleges give good merit awards too.

That's rarely true anymore because OOS and SLACs have priced themselves to absurd levels. My DD received two "full freight" scholarships out of the blue by small privates you have probably never heard of. Each was for $28,000. Both wanted her for his ACT score. In fact, the amount offered went up when she went from a 34 to a 36. It's easy to do the figures. UVA at the time was $26,000 inclusive. The SLACs were at $70K, which still left $44,000 for us to fund per year in after-tax dollars even with the $28,000 full tuition grant. The other option was an Ivy at $72,000 inclusive, and a top Tech school at $65,000 per year. Fortunately, she picked UVA and it has been a wonderful experience. It was her decision but she was aware of the "delta" difference between the choices. Also the SLACs that sought her out didn't have the major she was interested in.

How can SLAC cost 70K and give 28K "full tuition" scholarship. 48K room and board? I'd love to see those dorms.