Few days to decide: U of Virginia or U of Chicago?

[Anonymous]

Totally different experiences. Different kids will fit in at different schools.

My friends who went to Chicago studied a lot and had a very intense academic experience. They loved it.

My friends who went to University of Virginia played a lot of softball and drank beer. They loved it.

[Anonymous]

In state UVA hands down. Not even a question.

[Anonymous]

U of F's student body is nearly 10% international. Love their Honors Program and Benacquisto award attracting out-of-staters. Love the low in-state tuition.

UVA only has the extremely selective Jefferson and Echols (no merit money offered). It's a shame that the institution can't offer more but I guess that why they love out-of-staters paying those big bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:U of F's student body is nearly 10% international. Love their Honors Program and Benacquisto award attracting out-of-staters. Love the low in-state tuition.

UVA only has the extremely selective Jefferson and Echols (no merit money offered). It's a shame that the institution can't offer more but I guess that why they love out-of-staters paying those big bills.

U of F?

[Anonymous]

What I like @ U of Chicago is that it is very diverse and that the students - different races & nationalities - all seem to mix pretty seamlessly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I like @ U of Chicago is that it is very diverse and that the students - different races & nationalities - all seem to mix pretty seamlessly.

That’s a huge price to pay for something nearly every college in America offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I like @ U of Chicago is that it is very diverse and that the students - different races & nationalities - all seem to mix pretty seamlessly.

That’s a huge price to pay for something nearly every college in America offers.

Nope. You see a lot of segregation at many colleges, especially the elite ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I like @ U of Chicago is that it is very diverse and that the students - different races & nationalities - all seem to mix pretty seamlessly.

That’s a huge price to pay for something nearly every college in America offers.

Nope. You see a lot of segregation at many colleges, especially the elite ones.

From the Duke thread. Taking in a few minorities or students from different races doesn’t really make those people comfortable in that environment.
This is too common at US Universities.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/500213.page

Part of my problem with Duke was the racial tension. I am surprised no one else ever mentions this. White students and black students really did not mix much socially, and even my parents noticed it when they visited campus. People did not seem to mix much with people who were demographically much different. For example, I am middle eastern and most of my friends, like me, were first-generation upper-middle class children of immigrants. Sometimes I felt like white kids on campus didn't really want to acknowledge anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In state UVA hands down. Not even a question.

It’s obviously a question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:. Sometimes I felt like white kids on campus didn't really want to acknowledge anyone else.

Because the white kids at these colleges are raised to see everyone as equal so they don't make a fuss about where so and so is from. What did you want? For them to treat you as Middle Eastern? Or just another student? By asking to be singled out as of Middle Eastern heritage you are separating yourself from the pack by demanding this kind of attention. Did you want to be introduced as "This is Larla, she's from Washington, DC, she's a cool girl but never forget that her family's heritage is Middle Eastern so you need to be careful about that" or would you rather be "This is Larla, she's a cool girl from DC."

You know, "white" kids will have diverse heritages too. Polish, Italian, Czech, English, German, Jewish of multiple regional backgrounds.

The AA kids at the elite schools all segregate themselves the most of all the non white groups. South Asians/Middle Easterners the least and are the most integrated. Asian-Americans are somewhere between the two with half very integrated and the other half segregated but they seem to segregate because they live literally in the library and that forms their social life rather than cultural urges. That's been my observation.

[Anonymous]

Says the 50+ poster. Do you even have a kid in college? AA kids at NE schools (top 30) do not segregate expects for a few first gen kids. Most of the AA kids outside the first gens grew up in white or integrated neighborhoods and went to integrated/white high schools. The rest have AA and other friends. I don’t know about the southern schools. As an AA parent I would EXCEPT Duke, Rice and UVA to be extremely segregated!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:. Sometimes I felt like white kids on campus didn't really want to acknowledge anyone else.

Because the white kids at these colleges are raised to see everyone as equal so they don't make a fuss about where so and so is from. What did you want? For them to treat you as Middle Eastern? Or just another student? By asking to be singled out as of Middle Eastern heritage you are separating yourself from the pack by demanding this kind of attention. Did you want to be introduced as "This is Larla, she's from Washington, DC, she's a cool girl but never forget that her family's heritage is Middle Eastern so you need to be careful about that" or would you rather be "This is Larla, she's a cool girl from DC."

You know, "white" kids will have diverse heritages too. Polish, Italian, Czech, English, German, Jewish of multiple regional backgrounds.

The AA kids at the elite schools all segregate themselves the most of all the non white groups. South Asians/Middle Easterners the least and are the most integrated. Asian-Americans are somewhere between the two with half very integrated and the other half segregated but they seem to segregate because they live literally in the library and that forms their social life rather than cultural urges. That's been my observation.

This is not what the middle eastern poster was saying at all. She felt ignored as a person.

When students form group (like PP said--she hung around other middle eastern first gen Americans) other students may think they already have their clique and not think to include them as much. I think that happened back when I was in college. I always envied the students who had a pretext to form groups based on culture or nationality. We white Americans don't have that and it can be harder to form connections. Even for adults this is true, e.g., my friends from Argentina have an instant social/support network in other people from Argentina. We moved her at the same time and it was harder to form bonds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In state UVA hands down. Not even a question.

My colleague's very pretty daughter transferred out of UVA and into Chicago. They're in-state. UVA is great for oblivious frat and sorority kids who want to get into sales/lobbying/PR. Kids with depth prefer an elite private ethos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In state UVA hands down. Not even a question.

My colleague's very pretty daughter transferred out of UVA and into Chicago. They're in-state. UVA is great for oblivious frat and sorority kids who want to get into sales/lobbying/PR. Kids with depth prefer an elite private ethos.

Not sure what being “pretty” has anything to do with the topic here. All the ugly ones stay at UVA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In state UVA hands down. Not even a question.

My colleague's very pretty daughter transferred out of UVA and into Chicago. They're in-state. UVA is great for oblivious frat and sorority kids who want to get into sales/lobbying/PR. Kids with depth prefer an elite private ethos.

Not sure what being “pretty” has anything to do with the topic here. All the ugly ones stay at UVA?

I always thought of Chicago as a booky school for frumpy nerds. Seeing an attractive outgoing gal like her transfer out of UVA and into UC changed my perspective, I suppose.