What Schools are Worth Paying For Over UVA In-State Tuition?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:As a UMC family we can fortunately afford to send our son to whatever college he likes the most, but from a practical standpoint if he was to get an offer from UVA what schools might be worth to pay for over the in-state discount?

Based off of US News' Peer Assessment Scores (2022 Edition):

Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Chicago, Penn, Duke, Northwestern, Brown, Cornell, Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, MIT, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, & Bowdoin.

Virginia has the same "peer assessment score" (4.3) in US News as Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Claremont McKenna, Carleton College, Middlebury College, & Davidson College.

Lol what is the value of a “peer assessment” score?

Somewhat like a prestige ranking. Prestige is very important to management consulting firms.

UVA does extremely well for management consulting recruiting. According to https://www.peakframeworks.com/post/consulting-target-schools, the undergrad schools that send the most kids to top consulting firms are:

1. Harvard (no surprise)
2. UPenn (mostly Wharton)
3. UMich (go Blue!)
4. Yale
5. Stanford
6. Duke
7. Princeton
8. MIT
9. Berkeley
10. Northwestern
11. Columbia
12. UT Austin
13. UVA
14. Dartmouth
15. Notre Dame
16. Vanderbilt
17. UChicago
18. Brown
19. Georgetown
20. Georgia Tech (honestly a bit surprised by this)

Not surprised at all about Georgia Tech. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1085366.page

Schools that don't go to the "other schools" pile for McKinsey:

Ivy League
Top flagships: Berkeley, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UT-Austin, Georgia Tech
Limited number of other privates: MIT, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, WashU, Notre Dame, Emory, Georgetown - that's it, that's all, no more.

If you don't want your DC going to school in flyover country, you can eliminate some of these save for MIT, Stanford, Duke, Georgetown, and Emory. Emory loses cross-admit battles with both UVA and GT by 20% and 22% margins, respectively, according to Parchment. Georgetown's peer reputation score is lower than UVA's, albeit by only 0.1 (UVA tied with Vanderbilt, CMU, GT; Georgetown tied with WashU, Emory, Notre Dame, UNC), and its dorms have a serious black mold problem, so it's probably not worth the 40k premium (soon to be 50k due to tuition hikes). So if we eliminate those two schools, we're back to exactly where we started: Ivies, MIT, Stanford, and Duke. Comes out the same way every time if you're logical about things.

Parchment is useless as no one uses the site anymore. Also the management consultanting ranking posted is only for MBB not any of the big 4 and beyond. Georgetown and Emory are better schools than UVA but not better enough for the cost.

Lol, what an idiot. The big 4 are for MBB REJECTS. And UVA is a hard target for MBB.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If they want engineering, Purdue out of state is about the same as instate UVA.

Yes. Purdue is very affordable, even out of state. Purdue’s engineering program is the 9th best in the country. UVA is 37th. Purdue would be the easy choice.

UVA is 25

Not in engineering. It's 42nd, as has already been linked here.
DP

UVA is 25th in the nation across the board. And ranks third in the nation for national public universities. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/uva-6968/overall-rankings#:~:text=your%20college%20needs%3F-,University%20of%20Virginia%20Rankings,about%20how%20we%20rank%20schools..

I guess that’s great to brag to your friends. My kid goes to the 25th best school in the country. For engineers hiring engineers, your kid is not getting the job over the other 41 schools that are ranked higher. Engineering ranking matters to people who hire engineers and to other engineers in your field.

DP. Engineering rankings are largely a function of research output. They have nothing to do with the quality of engineers out of college. Statistically UVA engineering graduates will likely have a higher SAT score than of a Purdue student. For undergraduates, overall rankings matter much more.

LOL. Rankings are *really* important, except when a certain discipline doesn’t rank as high.

[Anonymous]

MIT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MIT

Agree

MIT Engineering is only one worth full pay over UVA in-state

[Anonymous]

H and S for the name brand alone

Almost any of the T10 if they are the right fit for your hard working and talented kid. It likely won’t change their outcome (they’ll end up at the same grad school) but it might be an important (though costly) experience as they grow into adults.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Oh dear God, the UVA/Rhodes scholar/Oxford poster is back, repeating exactly the same things.

Hate to burst your bubble, Michigan booster, but that's straight from Wikipedia: The university's alumni, faculty, and researchers have included several U.S. presidents, heads of state, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Rhodes Scholars, Marshall Scholars, and Fulbright Scholars. Some 30 different governors of U.S. states have attended the university, as have numerous U.S. senators and congresspeople. UVA has produced 55 Rhodes Scholars, eighth highest in the United States, while its alumni have founded numerous companies (such as Reddit, CNET, and Space Adventures) which together produce more than $1.6 trillion in annual revenue and have created 2.3 million jobs.

Not a Michigan booster - I have no connection to the school. You do realize different people are posting here, right? And we have ALL read your zillion posts in a variety of threads about UVA and your weird obsession with Rhodes scholars. You sound silly. Find a new shtick.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If they want engineering, Purdue out of state is about the same as instate UVA.

Yes. Purdue is very affordable, even out of state. Purdue’s engineering program is the 9th best in the country. UVA is 37th. Purdue would be the easy choice.

UVA is 25

Not in engineering. It's 42nd, as has already been linked here.
DP

UVA is 25th in the nation across the board. And ranks third in the nation for national public universities. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/uva-6968/overall-rankings#:~:text=your%20college%20needs%3F-,University%20of%20Virginia%20Rankings,about%20how%20we%20rank%20schools..

I guess that’s great to brag to your friends. My kid goes to the 25th best school in the country. For engineers hiring engineers, your kid is not getting the job over the other 41 schools that are ranked higher. Engineering ranking matters to people who hire engineers and to other engineers in your field.

DP. Engineering rankings are largely a function of research output. They have nothing to do with the quality of engineers out of college. Statistically UVA engineering graduates will likely have a higher SAT score than of a Purdue student. For undergraduates, overall rankings matter much more.

This is wholly untrue. I spoke with dozens of practicing engineers. They all were adamant that school does matter. Schools that are known for engineering matter. It’s not saying you can’t get a job out of UVA. Purdue is vastly better for engineering. Considering the cost out of state is very comparable to UVA instate, I don’t understand why an engineering student would pick the much lower rated school.

Engineering rankings are not by research output. They are mostly reputation rankings. From US News “The undergraduate engineering programs rankings were based solely on peer assessment surveys.”

UVA is a fine school, but not the best choice for some majors.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:My parents gave me the cash and asked if I wanted to spend it on a private school or if I wanted it for a downpayment after graduation. I went instate and purchased my first home after graduation with that money. I had roommates who paid the entire mortgage.

My sister also chose instate but then used the money to start a business after graduation.

Faced with the decision, I don't know that many kids would choose the private college. I had gotten into a few good schools, but not ivy league, so maybe the calculus would have been different if it was Harvard vs a downpayments.

Because every kid has parents that offer them the luxury of such choices! You are so smart! /s

Nah this pp is right. Given the choice, kids would take money over out of state or private school. And even if your parents aren't giving you this option, kids who take out 50k+ have to realize they're taking money away from their future downpayments. Money is fungible.

More kids need to be taught about the value of money. They only get it when you explain it in terms they understand. I'd only choose Ivy League over a top instate flagship college. UVA is wonderful. A lot of states wish their flagship were as good.

Actually 48 wish they had as good a flagship. UCLA and Berkeley come in no. 1 and 2 (but OOS can no longer get in) and Michigan and UVA are tied for third best public in the united states. California is no longer accessible and Michigan has only the flagship so that makes VA and its 33 colleges and universities the most accessible and varied for all sorts of students. That's why we moved there and why our kids went to UVA and GMu. https://www.cbs19news.com/story/47267644/uva-ranks-no-3-among-all-public-universities-in-the-country-according-to-us-news-and-world-report

Michigan over UVA all day, everyday. I don’t care what USNWR says; Michigan is simply a better overall school. It has strengths across the board in all of its academic offerings.

UMich and UVA are close enough that UMich is NOT worth the OOS costs for most programs. UMich is NOT worth $35K more. No large State school is, and I'm not really a UVA fan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents gave me the cash and asked if I wanted to spend it on a private school or if I wanted it for a downpayment after graduation. I went instate and purchased my first home after graduation with that money. I had roommates who paid the entire mortgage.

My sister also chose instate but then used the money to start a business after graduation.

Faced with the decision, I don't know that many kids would choose the private college. I had gotten into a few good schools, but not ivy league, so maybe the calculus would have been different if it was Harvard vs a downpayments.

Because every kid has parents that offer them the luxury of such choices! You are so smart! /s

Nah this pp is right. Given the choice, kids would take money over out of state or private school. And even if your parents aren't giving you this option, kids who take out 50k+ have to realize they're taking money away from their future downpayments. Money is fungible.

More kids need to be taught about the value of money. They only get it when you explain it in terms they understand. I'd only choose Ivy League over a top instate flagship college. UVA is wonderful. A lot of states wish their flagship were as good.

Actually 48 wish they had as good a flagship. UCLA and Berkeley come in no. 1 and 2 (but OOS can no longer get in) and Michigan and UVA are tied for third best public in the united states. California is no longer accessible and Michigan has only the flagship so that makes VA and its 33 colleges and universities the most accessible and varied for all sorts of students. That's why we moved there and why our kids went to UVA and GMu. https://www.cbs19news.com/story/47267644/uva-ranks-no-3-among-all-public-universities-in-the-country-according-to-us-news-and-world-report

Michigan over UVA all day, everyday. I don’t care what USNWR says; Michigan is simply a better overall school. It has strengths across the board in all of its academic offerings.

UMich and UVA are close enough that UMich is NOT worth the OOS costs for most programs. UMich is NOT worth $35K more. No large State school is, and I'm not really a UVA fan

+1.

[Anonymous]

Are engineering (not SWE or CS) majors at top schools actually going to work as engineers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm always amazed at these threads and no one takes the time to analyze the cost differences. to wit:

For my DC it came down to Northwestern, an Ivy and UVA. Northwestern is now $88K a year. UVA instate Arts & Sciences is $38K a year. That's $352,000 versus $152,000. In our tax bracket we would have to make $500,000 to pay for Northwestern in after-tax dollars (and no, no merit aid and zero help from FAFSA from any school we applied to - don't believe it when a school says 88 percent of our students are gettings aid. That figures includes the FAFSA loan that anyone applying can get so its a false brag). Most readers on DCUm will be full freight payers unless they drop down in selectivity. It's disingenous to come on here and say in fall of senior year "We didn't plan! we need merit aid". That ship has sailed unless you are willing to apply to schools in the second and third tier. You have to start saving from birth - which we did - but it still wasn't enough.

So DC picked UVA. We banked the $200K and it compunded and now can pay for grad school at Oxford and hopefully law school. We could not have done this if he had picked a private. YRMD.

On LinkedIn there are only women, not men, who are UVa engineering -> Oxford. Maybe such personal information isn’t wise to post?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are engineering (not SWE or CS) majors at top schools actually going to work as engineers?

That's a good point, a lot of them go into business-facing roles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm always amazed at these threads and no one takes the time to analyze the cost differences. to wit:

For my DC it came down to Northwestern, an Ivy and UVA. Northwestern is now $88K a year. UVA instate Arts & Sciences is $38K a year. That's $352,000 versus $152,000. In our tax bracket we would have to make $500,000 to pay for Northwestern in after-tax dollars (and no, no merit aid and zero help from FAFSA from any school we applied to - don't believe it when a school says 88 percent of our students are gettings aid. That figures includes the FAFSA loan that anyone applying can get so its a false brag). Most readers on DCUm will be full freight payers unless they drop down in selectivity. It's disingenous to come on here and say in fall of senior year "We didn't plan! we need merit aid". That ship has sailed unless you are willing to apply to schools in the second and third tier. You have to start saving from birth - which we did - but it still wasn't enough.

So DC picked UVA. We banked the $200K and it compunded and now can pay for grad school at Oxford and hopefully law school. We could not have done this if he had picked a private. YRMD.

On LinkedIn there are only women, not men, who are UVa engineering -> Oxford. Maybe such personal information isn’t wise to post?

did she say engineering? I don't think so, but I do think it's creepy that you're trying to stalk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm always amazed at these threads and no one takes the time to analyze the cost differences. to wit:

For my DC it came down to Northwestern, an Ivy and UVA. Northwestern is now $88K a year. UVA instate Arts & Sciences is $38K a year. That's $352,000 versus $152,000. In our tax bracket we would have to make $500,000 to pay for Northwestern in after-tax dollars (and no, no merit aid and zero help from FAFSA from any school we applied to - don't believe it when a school says 88 percent of our students are gettings aid. That figures includes the FAFSA loan that anyone applying can get so its a false brag). Most readers on DCUm will be full freight payers unless they drop down in selectivity. It's disingenous to come on here and say in fall of senior year "We didn't plan! we need merit aid". That ship has sailed unless you are willing to apply to schools in the second and third tier. You have to start saving from birth - which we did - but it still wasn't enough.

So DC picked UVA. We banked the $200K and it compunded and now can pay for grad school at Oxford and hopefully law school. We could not have done this if he had picked a private. YRMD.

On LinkedIn there are only women, not men, who are UVa engineering -> Oxford. Maybe such personal information isn’t wise to post?

did she say engineering? I don't think so, but I do think it's creepy that you're trying to stalk.

It’s creepy that you give personal information about your child & finances, constantly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm always amazed at these threads and no one takes the time to analyze the cost differences. to wit:

For my DC it came down to Northwestern, an Ivy and UVA. Northwestern is now $88K a year. UVA instate Arts & Sciences is $38K a year. That's $352,000 versus $152,000. In our tax bracket we would have to make $500,000 to pay for Northwestern in after-tax dollars (and no, no merit aid and zero help from FAFSA from any school we applied to - don't believe it when a school says 88 percent of our students are gettings aid. That figures includes the FAFSA loan that anyone applying can get so its a false brag). Most readers on DCUm will be full freight payers unless they drop down in selectivity. It's disingenous to come on here and say in fall of senior year "We didn't plan! we need merit aid". That ship has sailed unless you are willing to apply to schools in the second and third tier. You have to start saving from birth - which we did - but it still wasn't enough.

So DC picked UVA. We banked the $200K and it compunded and now can pay for grad school at Oxford and hopefully law school. We could not have done this if he had picked a private. YRMD.

On LinkedIn there are only women, not men, who are UVa engineering -> Oxford. Maybe such personal information isn’t wise to post?

did she say engineering? I don't think so, but I do think it's creepy that you're trying to stalk.

It’s creepy that you give personal information about your child & finances, constantly.

I am the person who posted that you quoted but am not the original PP of the Oxford info, but you ARE creepy.