Declining UVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nice subtle dig. UVA isn't a "safety" for any kid, almost by definition.

UVA was a safety for my kid. She did two years at NVCC and got a perfect GPA. SAT of 1550. She had guaranteed admissions to UVA, W&M and VT.

She chose a selective SLAC. Wanted a smaller campus.

DD had a similar experience. Went to a high acceptance rate in state school out of high school but did poor in high school because of mental health issues. Dropped out of said state school. Took a break and worked for a few years, went to NOVA, kicked butt, and got into UVA, W&M, and a couple T25 LACs. She’s now at a T10 LAC and loves it.

UVA was free with a mix of grants from the state, Pell Grant, and small merit but, she visited twice and disliked the atmosphere as a POC student. The LAC was one of her dream schools and although she’s taking out debt she wouldn’t change her decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be real, not everyone that is admitted will enroll. If your DC rejected UVA, can you share why and where they went?

VT

[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.

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.

I think it’s much more about readiness for a high-ranking college. So if you go to a mediocre high school (much more likely for low socioeconomic kids), the same AP classes may be dumbed down a lot to adjust for the average quality of students (vs. a selective magnet, where they teach much deeper than what’s needed for a 5 in AP). The benefit of going to a much higher-ranking college is the quality of your peers, in addition to the quality of faculty/grad students.

You’re forgetting that high-ranking colleges admit athletes, donor kids, legacy kids, kids of famous people, political VIP kids, etc all the time. I wouldn’t assume the teaching at selective colleges is different being under qualified kids are in those classes.

Sadly, the reality is that the recruited athletes, and the kids of donors, legacies, and political VIPs are much less unprepared than those with lower grades scores and from grossly dumbed down schools, as the former kids tend to go to much better private high schools. Ask me how I know!

[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.

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.

I think it’s much more about readiness for a high-ranking college. So if you go to a mediocre high school (much more likely for low socioeconomic kids), the same AP classes may be dumbed down a lot to adjust for the average quality of students (vs. a selective magnet, where they teach much deeper than what’s needed for a 5 in AP). The benefit of going to a much higher-ranking college is the quality of your peers, in addition to the quality of faculty/grad students.

You’re forgetting that high-ranking colleges admit athletes, donor kids, legacy kids, kids of famous people, political VIP kids, etc all the time. I wouldn’t assume the teaching at selective colleges is different being under qualified kids are in those classes.

Sadly, the reality is that the recruited athletes, and the kids of donors, legacies, and political VIPs are much less unprepared than those with lower grades scores and from grossly dumbed down schools, as the former kids tend to go to much better private high schools. Ask me how I know!

Perhaps you have an anecdote to offer, but you’ll need a cite if you are suggesting anything beyond a personal anecdote. That’s quite the claim, I’d love to see the peer-reviewed research.

[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.

I think it’s much more about readiness for a high-ranking college. So if you go to a mediocre high school (much more likely for low socioeconomic kids), the same AP classes may be dumbed down a lot to adjust for the average quality of students (vs. a selective magnet, where they teach much deeper than what’s needed for a 5 in AP). The benefit of going to a much higher-ranking college is the quality of your peers, in addition to the quality of faculty/grad students.

You’re forgetting that high-ranking colleges admit athletes, donor kids, legacy kids, kids of famous people, political VIP kids, etc all the time. I wouldn’t assume the teaching at selective colleges is different being under qualified kids are in those classes.

Sadly, the reality is that the recruited athletes, and the kids of donors, legacies, and political VIPs are much less unprepared than those with lower grades scores and from grossly dumbed down schools, as the former kids tend to go to much better private high schools. Ask me how I know!

Perhaps you have an anecdote to offer, but you’ll need a cite if you are suggesting anything beyond a personal anecdote. That’s quite the claim, I’d love to see the peer-reviewed research.

This is a moot point, as we’re not comparing Harvard vs. Cal here, but UVA vs. another unranked college. I don’t believe that person lied about someone choosing that unranked college over UVA, but let’s not argue with the fact that the quality of classes is like night and day at each school.

[Anonymous]

Undergrad students at smaller schools like CNU are likely to be taught by full professors rather than teaching assistants or part-time instructors. Some students prefer that. The connections one can get from actually having a mentoring relationship with a professor vs just being a butt in a seat is invaluable. First jobs are often the result of recommendations from faculty who know you as an individual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Undergrad students at smaller schools like CNU are likely to be taught by full professors rather than teaching assistants or part-time instructors. Some students prefer that. The connections one can get from actually having a mentoring relationship with a professor vs just being a butt in a seat is invaluable. First jobs are often the result of recommendations from faculty who know you as an individual.

No true at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Undergrad students at smaller schools like CNU are likely to be taught by full professors rather than teaching assistants or part-time instructors. Some students prefer that. The connections one can get from actually having a mentoring relationship with a professor vs just being a butt in a seat is invaluable. First jobs are often the result of recommendations from faculty who know you as an individual.

Not true at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be real, not everyone that is admitted will enroll. If your DC rejected UVA, can you share why and where they went?

Troll post baiting UVA haters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

I think it’s much more about readiness for a high-ranking college. So if you go to a mediocre high school (much more likely for low socioeconomic kids), the same AP classes may be dumbed down a lot to adjust for the average quality of students (vs. a selective magnet, where they teach much deeper than what’s needed for a 5 in AP). The benefit of going to a much higher-ranking college is the quality of your peers, in addition to the quality of faculty/grad students.

You’re forgetting that high-ranking colleges admit athletes, donor kids, legacy kids, kids of famous people, political VIP kids, etc all the time. I wouldn’t assume the teaching at selective colleges is different being under qualified kids are in those classes.

Sadly, the reality is that the recruited athletes, and the kids of donors, legacies, and political VIPs are much less unprepared than those with lower grades scores and from grossly dumbed down schools, as the former kids tend to go to much better private high schools. Ask me how I know!

Ok, how do you know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Undergrad students at smaller schools like CNU are likely to be taught by full professors rather than teaching assistants or part-time instructors. Some students prefer that. The connections one can get from actually having a mentoring relationship with a professor vs just being a butt in a seat is invaluable. First jobs are often the result of recommendations from faculty who know you as an individual.

Not true at all.

Definitely true in my experience. Professors at my small, “unranked” undergrad helped me get into a more prestigious grad school and helped me get my first real job. I’m so glad I picked that little college back in the day!

[Anonymous]

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.

People do it all the time for cars, purses, vacations, watches etc. Why are people surprised that people do it with colleges?

[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.

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.

I think it’s much more about readiness for a high-ranking college. So if you go to a mediocre high school (much more likely for low socioeconomic kids), the same AP classes may be dumbed down a lot to adjust for the average quality of students (vs. a selective magnet, where they teach much deeper than what’s needed for a 5 in AP). The benefit of going to a much higher-ranking college is the quality of your peers, in addition to the quality of faculty/grad students.

You’re forgetting that high-ranking colleges admit athletes, donor kids, legacy kids, kids of famous people, political VIP kids, etc all the time. I wouldn’t assume the teaching at selective colleges is different being under qualified kids are in those classes.

Sadly, the reality is that the recruited athletes, and the kids of donors, legacies, and political VIPs are much less unprepared than those with lower grades scores and from grossly dumbed down schools, as the former kids tend to go to much better private high schools. Ask me how I know!

Perhaps you have an anecdote to offer, but you’ll need a cite if you are suggesting anything beyond a personal anecdote. That’s quite the claim, I’d love to see the peer-reviewed research.

This is a moot point, as we’re not comparing Harvard vs. Cal here, but UVA vs. another unranked college. I don’t believe that person lied about someone choosing that unranked college over UVA, but let’s not argue with the fact that the quality of classes is like night and day at each school.

You must not have a cite. Noted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Undergrad students at smaller schools like CNU are likely to be taught by full professors rather than teaching assistants or part-time instructors. Some students prefer that. The connections one can get from actually having a mentoring relationship with a professor vs just being a butt in a seat is invaluable. First jobs are often the result of recommendations from faculty who know you as an individual.

Not true at all.

Definitely true in my experience. Professors at my small, “unranked” undergrad helped me get into a more prestigious grad school and helped me get my first real job. I’m so glad I picked that little college back in the day!

You realize professors at top colleges all know each other? They literally pick up the phone to call their friends/co-authors? That said, I have no issue with anyone choosing an unranked college. Heck, I never think it’s a great idea to go to a top college if you’re clearly below average there. That’s why admitting an unprepared kid to a top college may be doing them a disservice.

[Anonymous]

Original CNU poster here. My son liked the school better. The size was a big part of it. The vibe was a big part - he was high stats in high school and wanted to be around people that did not study 24/7. The kids that he knew that went there a year ahead of him fit that mold. Not all kids fit that mold and he is aware.

CNU has been the best for for him. He is in the honors program and some other programs I won’t mention so I don’t “out” him.

His freshman year has allowed him to have a 1-on-1 with a school superintendent from the Tidewater area. Same thing with a large developer from VA Beach. Same thing with a large well known realtor from NOVA. He has been in a cocktail party with multiple state senators (about 8 students so not one in one but pretty intimate.). He has been to the capital for a school event and met with two of his local reps. He has had a one to one meeting with an executive from Raymond James. He will receive money from CNU to study abroad next year. He has been offered to sit in on a court case (current, I will not name it) and write an opinion, for the court. Lots of other examples of meeting folks in small settings, but I will stop.

Does UVA has more “prestige”? Yes.
Is my son happy at CNU? Yes.
Is he making connections that I think are unusual for a freshman? Yes. And I doubt he would have made these connections as a freshman at UVA.

He is the proverbial big fish in a small pond. And I am fine with that. More importantly, he is happy and thriving. That is what I want for my kid.