Why is UVA rated as high as it is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question. We are in-state for UVA and DC is deciding between UVA and another state school (don't want to name it because that's not the point). All of their focus seems to be on "the college" and STEM education is an afterthought. Career services seem to be quite sucky compared to the other school we are looking at. I'd love for DC to pick UVA given the substantial cost advantage but after every information session DC attends for both schools, they walk away more convinced that UVA is not going to give them what they want. Wondering how other STEM kids are picking UVA if there's a "better" STEM choice. Also wondering why that is not factored into the rankings? For eg. UCB, UCLA, Michigan and UNC have really strong STEM offerings while UVA does not..

Because Virginia has Virginia Tech

this^^

This. And if you want serious undergrad research opportunities in STEM (outside of engineering), that's something William & Mary is better known for since they are more focused on undergrads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question. We are in-state for UVA and DC is deciding between UVA and another state school (don't want to name it because that's not the point). All of their focus seems to be on "the college" and STEM education is an afterthought. Career services seem to be quite sucky compared to the other school we are looking at. I'd love for DC to pick UVA given the substantial cost advantage but after every information session DC attends for both schools, they walk away more convinced that UVA is not going to give them what they want. Wondering how other STEM kids are picking UVA if there's a "better" STEM choice. Also wondering why that is not factored into the rankings? For eg. UCB, UCLA, Michigan and UNC have really strong STEM offerings while UVA does not..

Because Virginia has Virginia Tech

this^^

This. And if you want serious undergrad research opportunities in STEM (outside of engineering), that's something William & Mary is better known for since they are more focused on undergrads.

OP. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are boring me.

Just hit that bottle sooner today and you won't be.

[Anonymous]

Wondering how other STEM kids are picking UVA if there's a "better" STEM choice. Also wondering why that is not factored into the rankings? For eg. UCB, UCLA, Michigan and UNC have really strong STEM offerings while UVA does not..



Are STEM kids picking Brown, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Wake Forest (for example) over "better" STEM choices? All the time. Because there's more to a college education and experience than the ranking of a specific program. But if STEM is so important and you want in-state, VA Tech is a great option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

PP you replied to. Sure, I can agree with you that there are some quality differences among state schools. But vast differences? No. Equating any state school to prestigious world-renowned universities? Not by any stretch of the imagination. UVA is not the Holy Grail. It's pointless to bicker about a state school, is my point. They're not important enough.

What an idiotic post. While not related to UVA, when it comes to some fields, particularly STEM-related, many of the "prestigious world-renown universities" are state schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wondering how other STEM kids are picking UVA if there's a "better" STEM choice. Also wondering why that is not factored into the rankings? For eg. UCB, UCLA, Michigan and UNC have really strong STEM offerings while UVA does not..

Are STEM kids picking Brown, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Wake Forest (for example) over "better" STEM choices? All the time. Because there's more to a college education and experience than the ranking of a specific program. But if STEM is so important and you want in-state, VA Tech is a great option.

This, each of the top colleges in VA has a different personality. Neither of my kids thought UVA was a good fit for them. Both are interested in different aspects of STEM. One is at VT in the CMDA program (their "data science" program, UVA doesn't have an undergrad data science major). The other is going to W&M because she's really interested in doing research in chemistry and felt she'd have more opportunities for that there and liked the smaller LAC-type vibe (of course, W&M is a lot bigger than a traditional LAC)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question. We are in-state for UVA and DC is deciding between UVA and another state school (don't want to name it because that's not the point). All of their focus seems to be on "the college" and STEM education is an afterthought. Career services seem to be quite sucky compared to the other school we are looking at. I'd love for DC to pick UVA given the substantial cost advantage but after every information session DC attends for both schools, they walk away more convinced that UVA is not going to give them what they want. Wondering how other STEM kids are picking UVA if there's a "better" STEM choice. Also wondering why that is not factored into the rankings? For eg. UCB, UCLA, Michigan and UNC have really strong STEM offerings while UVA does not..

Because Virginia has Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is strong in engineering, not necessarily science, math, and technology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A top school may teach you have to analyze The Illiad in 200 different ways but what's the point in that if you end up working at Starbucks after that (extreme example of course).

Yes, an extreme one. Also a false one, and an anti-intellectual one. A bad one all around.

+2 College is not trade school. It is designed make you knowledgeable and conversant across a broad range of subjects so you are an interesting, well educated, contributing member of society.

[Anonymous]

I think people use success in stem as a way to show everyone how smart their kid is. TJ=my kid is smarter than yours. Algebra in 7th or 6th grade=my kid is smarter than yours. It was never about stem, but about prestige. College decisions are viewed through the same prestige lens, and for many UVA>>VT, regardless of stem offerings. I don’t think a lot of these kids are even interested in stem, they were just pushed into advanced courses at a young age.

[Anonymous]

UVA is "above average" in that, sure, there are plenty of state schools that tend to be rated below it. But is it "prestigious" or "elite" as the UVA boosters on here so aggressively demand it is, to the detriment of other schools? Certainly not. It doesn't have the cachet of Michigan or UNC or Georgia Tech, let alone Berkeley or UCLA. The vast majority of Americans wouldn't be able to tell you whether UVA or UFlorida was better (and before you balk, UFlorida is a fine school in its own right).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Let's set the record straight. UVA is a perfectly fine state school, but at the end of the day, it's a state school like any other. Nobody outside of the mid-Atlantic thinks of UVA as being particularly interesting or prestigious. Locals always think their own backyard is well-known to outsiders, it's a common bias.

And yes, there is more to life than STEM. I'm a research scientist, and even I know this

well at the risk of devolving into a UVA fight as usual, all state schools are NOT created equal and people know that. I don't know who you all talk to, but UVA, UNC, Michigan, UCLA etc all are considered to be a step above other state universities. That's just a fact. I'm in the executive recruiting business and I talk to hiring managers all over the country sand they know what the top state schools are and what they aren't.

I'm not sure what you mean by "executive recruiting business", but to say UVA, UNC etc. are looked more highly than schools like UIUC, University of Washington, Texas, Minnesota, etc. in the business world for executive recruitment i.e. Fortune 500 is incorrect.

Whats true though is that Michigan and UVa have significant alumni bases in NYC metro area because wealthy students use them as "good enough state schools" for back-up to the Ivies.
Because NYC is the hub of finance, high-end consulting and media - all prestige-obsessed industries - this generally helps graduates from Michigan and UVA through recruiting, networking, etc. UNC, despite being a far stronger STEM and research school than UVA, does not gain the same benefits.

You will be hard-pressed to find anyone that thinks UVA is a "step above" University of Washington, UT-Austin, etc. in Silicon Valley though. Most will either have never heard of the school, think it's just another Southern flagship like UGA (weak in research, academic rigor and STEM, focused on antebellum-type college societies), or consider it a weaker school than the likes of University of Washington & UT-Austin.

In terms of prestige with the top privates like Harvard, MIT, etc., Berkeley is the only school that stands out in that regard internationally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA is "above average" in that, sure, there are plenty of state schools that tend to be rated below it. But is it "prestigious" or "elite" as the UVA boosters on here so aggressively demand it is, to the detriment of other schools? Certainly not. It doesn't have the cachet of Michigan or UNC or Georgia Tech, let alone Berkeley or UCLA. The vast majority of Americans wouldn't be able to tell you whether UVA or UFlorida was better (and before you balk, UFlorida is a fine school in its own right).

The og Tiger Mom’s daughter applied to two schools, UVA and Yale. So yea, UVA is pretty darn prestigious for academics whether you choose to believe it or not.

[Anonymous]

That UVA Club in SV seems quite active. Just sayin’.

[Anonymous]

I swear there are more uva haters on this forum then boosters. uva is the most prestigious public on the east coast along with unc.

[Anonymous]

The thing that is so annoying about these posts is that no one (NO ONE) is saying that UVA is an "elite" or "prestigious" college compared to Ivy league etc. All we are every trying to argue is that is it a stop state school. It is. and therefore, it's a great option for instate and a solid option for those out of state who want a mid size school with great sports and academics in a temperate climate.

I am the executive recruiter and I'm talking about executives, not new hires. By the time you are a CEO, no one cares where you went to undergrad but some names do stand out as a good "pedigree".