VA residents - how do you know if UVA is the right fit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our NOVA public, UVA is seen as the be-all, end-all.

My kid is already getting subtle pressure from his alumni parent to do early decision next year. He's rebelling a little bit because he feels like it would be like all the teachers' pets, super-striving people from his high school and other northern Virginia high schools in one place (in his words).

At the same time, it's apparently a great school and it's in-state tuition, etc etc. How does a kid figure out if it's the right fit? Go stay overnight with a friend who is there?

We've been on campus plenty over the years and did a formal tour last spring. My son says right now it's below other schools he's toured, including some big west coast schools and east coast Jesuit/Catholic schools like BC and Villanova. But some of that may be normal teen pushback to the conventional wisdom.

FWIW he is a mainstream, extremely extroverted and social person who does well in school but is not a super-academic intellectual. He loves to play and watch sports.

ED?!? Geez, that has to be a school you would attend without reservation.

[Anonymous]

DC liked a couple of ivies, BC, W&M and Davidson. Hated UVA because it was a completely different than that ivy-ish vibe they wanted. Final two were ivy and WM.

[Anonymous]

What is an “ivy-ish” vibe?

[Anonymous]

You have 20 shots via common app. Apply and if you get in then compare and decide. Why decide up front. Vibe this fit that. First get accepted.

[Anonymous]

Fit really matters.

[Anonymous]

UVA is for the high stat kid that can hack it socially. It’s very competitive in class and out of class. Exclusivity is the vibe, the brand, it’s what UVA is all about. Be ready to apply to clubs and party hard with intense drinking and drugs. This is the truth that others won’t tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is an “ivy-ish” vibe?

It's what people tell themselves when the school isn't an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a first year at UVA now.

Naturally I don’t think he was a “teachers' pet, super-striver” and his friends there now don’t seem like that to me either. Yes, of course they all did well academically and scored well on tests but that’s to be expected.

He says some of the strivers went to UVA but also W&M, Brown, Cornell, NYU, Amherst, etc.

“How does a kid figure out if it's the right fit? Go stay overnight with a friend who is there?”

In our case it was more a matter of touring lots of other colleges and not feeling super excited about them. We toured a lot of the ones you’re thinking about like Villanova, Boston College, Holy Cross, etc. In the end, we didn’t find anything he was much more excited about than UVA and we kept coming back to the idea that UVA was the right choice. He did like William and Mary and would’ve applied there if he hadn’t gotten into UVA.

I’m not sure that staying overnight really tells you much unless you already know someone who is there.

The thing that has surprised him the most since he got there is the amount of drinking and how drinking is central to the social life of lots of other people. He’s not really into that (yet).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA is for the high stat kid that can hack it socially. It’s very competitive in class and out of class. Exclusivity is the vibe, the brand, it’s what UVA is all about. Be ready to apply to clubs and party hard with intense drinking and drugs. This is the truth that others won’t tell you.

We know students there right now and this is not true at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is an “ivy-ish” vibe?

It's what people tell themselves when the school isn't an Ivy.

UVA is actually better. Some would say perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has he thought about any of the other in state publics? W&M, Tech, JMU, GMU, VCU -

These are the schools where your kid ends up if he doesn’t strive hard enough to get into UVA. 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA is for the high stat kid that can hack it socially. It’s very competitive in class and out of class. Exclusivity is the vibe, the brand, it’s what UVA is all about. Be ready to apply to clubs and party hard with intense drinking and drugs. This is the truth that others won’t tell you.

We know students there right now and this is not true at all.

Right on cue lol you have to understand most of the “nice” kids you know grow up very quickly at UVA. They’ll still be pleasant around you, but a smug confidence will begin to emerge.

[Anonymous]

UVA- smart kids, exclusive entertainment
VT- smart kids, inclusive environment
W&M- smart kids, introverted environment
JMU- semi-smart kids, extroverted environment

[Anonymous]

UVA was able to get a couple of Fairfax Co NMSF to attend. Just be prepared to be around the highest achievers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA- smart kids, exclusive entertainment
VT- smart kids, inclusive environment
W&M- smart kids, introverted environment
JMU- semi-smart kids, extroverted environment

I wouldn't describe W&M as introverted - and in fact I think someone is going to have an easier time being introverted at a larger school than a smaller one - you can't avoid people you know on campus so easily.