Virginia parents do not have many good in-state options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA is definitely in the top 3 as far as public education at the college level. Its second tier schools JMU, GMU, etc, are better than a number of state flagships.

Berkeley, UCLA, and Michigan are clearly the top three. UVA is number 5 now, below UNC. Try to keep up.

Try to read. The state of Virginia is in the top 3 states in the US with respect to public education options. Schools like JMU and GMU are better options than Ole Miss or Mizzou.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA is definitely in the top 3 as far as public education at the college level. Its second tier schools JMU, GMU, etc, are better than a number of state flagships.

Berkeley, UCLA, and Michigan are clearly the top three. UVA is number 5 now, below UNC. Try to keep up.

Try to read. The state of Virginia is in the top 3 states in the US with respect to public education options. Schools like JMU and GMU are better options than Ole Miss or Mizzou.

Is JMU really better than Mizzou?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with OP. The good schools kids want to go to are too hard to get into. They’re also expensive for in-state.

How is $37K a year at UVA expensive?

Compare it to UNC in state, Clemson in state, Georgia in state, Florida in state...

UCLA and Berkeley are $40K a year for residents. That's the better comparison. UVA at $37K all in is a steal compared to SLACs now surpassing $90K a year.

Why is that a better comparison? COL in Charlottesville is comparable to Chapel Hill, not Westwood or Berkley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU right now has both football and basketball ranked in the top 25 for Division I. That kind of high profile success will have an impact. I know many of you will scoff about it, but it’s true. Soon enough we will be talking about the Big 4 in VA and not just the Big 3.

Unless they can convince a power conference to take them, the biggest impact will be on the coaching staffs who get poached

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU right now has both football and basketball ranked in the top 25 for Division I. That kind of high profile success will have an impact. I know many of you will scoff about it, but it’s true. Soon enough we will be talking about the Big 4 in VA and not just the Big 3.

Unless they can convince a power conference to take them, the biggest impact will be on the coaching staffs who get poached

You really have to be in a Power conference to make a big time athletic budget work. Even then, many run significant deficits. JMU has run one of the highest athletic department deficits (which must be made up by student fees) in all of the NCAA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU right now has both football and basketball ranked in the top 25 for Division I. That kind of high profile success will have an impact. I know many of you will scoff about it, but it’s true. Soon enough we will be talking about the Big 4 in VA and not just the Big 3.

Unless they can convince a power conference to take them, the biggest impact will be on the coaching staffs who get poached

You really have to be in a Power conference to make a big time athletic budget work. Even then, many run significant deficits. JMU has run one of the highest athletic department deficits (which must be made up by student fees) in all of the NCAA.

I agree with the excessive student fees, but JMU finances will improve once they receive a full member allotment from the Sun Belt and are bowl eligible.

[Anonymous]

After California or maybe Texas, Virginia may be the best state for in-state options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is nuts. Virginia has a lot of good public colleges for only 8.6M residents. Way more options on a per capita basis than vast majority of states of a similar size.

Pennsylvania has 12.9M residents.

How many decent public colleges/universities for a state of that size? Penn State and Pitt. That's it. Neither of which hold a candle to UVA, W&M, and VT. Pitt is a slightly better version of JMU. Penn State doesn't have an analogue in VA, it's more similar to UMD-CP.

So yeah, VA has an amazing public university system given the moderate size of the state. Sure, the UC system is the best in country but those schools are ENORMOUS. And "best" is really just a measurement of research dollars. If your kid wants a classic liberal arts education prior to going to law school, they are better off at UVA than UCLA or Berkeley.

UMD is ranked ahead of VT across the board, particularly in CS and engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After California or maybe Texas, Virginia may be the best state for in-state options.

Florida has five public schools in the top 125 on USNWR, just like Virginia.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
UVA
Richmond
JMU
W&M
George Mason
Va Tech
VCU
Christopher Newport
ODU
Washington and Lee
Liberty
Mary Washington
Radford
Bridgewater
Averett
Hampton Sydney
Longwood
Norfolk State
UVA -Wise
Eastern Mennonite
Hollins
Roanoke
Bluefield
VA State
Hampton Univ
Emery and Henry
Randolph Macon
Regent
Lynchburg Univ
Southern Va Univ
Ascent College
VA Union
Sweet Briar
Shenandoah Univ
Ferrum Univ
Marymount
Mary Baldwin
VA Wesleyan

NP. Another NOVA parent. I agree with OP. Yes. You rattled off a bunch of schools most of which are private with enrollment of around 1,500. DS is currently at UMD studying CS. Accepted to WM and WL at UVA. Didn't bother with Tech considering the admission process referenced by OP. Child number 2 is not as strong academically, but will be reluctantly applying to Radford and ODU. Wants to attend in the Carolinas.

There is not a single person alive that would pick Maryland over UVA or WM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU right now has both football and basketball ranked in the top 25 for Division I. That kind of high profile success will have an impact. I know many of you will scoff about it, but it’s true. Soon enough we will be talking about the Big 4 in VA and not just the Big 3.

Unless they can convince a power conference to take them, the biggest impact will be on the coaching staffs who get poached

You really have to be in a Power conference to make a big time athletic budget work. Even then, many run significant deficits. JMU has run one of the highest athletic department deficits (which must be made up by student fees) in all of the NCAA.

I agree with the excessive student fees, but JMU finances will improve once they receive a full member allotment from the Sun Belt and are bowl eligible.

Low level bowls (the kind sun belt members get invited to) cost schools money. If JMU wants to keep top tier athletics, they need to follow the UCF template and move up fast

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is nuts. Virginia has a lot of good public colleges for only 8.6M residents. Way more options on a per capita basis than vast majority of states of a similar size.

Pennsylvania has 12.9M residents.

How many decent public colleges/universities for a state of that size? Penn State and Pitt. That's it. Neither of which hold a candle to UVA, W&M, and VT. Pitt is a slightly better version of JMU. Penn State doesn't have an analogue in VA, it's more similar to UMD-CP.

So yeah, VA has an amazing public university system given the moderate size of the state. Sure, the UC system is the best in country but those schools are ENORMOUS. And "best" is really just a measurement of research dollars. If your kid wants a classic liberal arts education prior to going to law school, they are better off at UVA than UCLA or Berkeley.

UMD is ranked ahead of VT across the board, particularly in CS and engineering.

I think you mean PSU, not VT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is nuts. Virginia has a lot of good public colleges for only 8.6M residents. Way more options on a per capita basis than vast majority of states of a similar size.

Pennsylvania has 12.9M residents.

How many decent public colleges/universities for a state of that size? Penn State and Pitt. That's it. Neither of which hold a candle to UVA, W&M, and VT. Pitt is a slightly better version of JMU. Penn State doesn't have an analogue in VA, it's more similar to UMD-CP.

So yeah, VA has an amazing public university system given the moderate size of the state. Sure, the UC system is the best in country but those schools are ENORMOUS. And "best" is really just a measurement of research dollars. If your kid wants a classic liberal arts education prior to going to law school, they are better off at UVA than UCLA or Berkeley.

UMD is ranked ahead of VT across the board, particularly in CS and engineering.

I think you mean PSU, not VT?

US News grad school ranking. UMD is literally ranked ahead of VT in virtually every major, including everything STEM. Take a look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
UVA
Richmond
JMU
W&M
George Mason
Va Tech
VCU
Christopher Newport
ODU
Washington and Lee
Liberty
Mary Washington
Radford
Bridgewater
Averett
Hampton Sydney
Longwood
Norfolk State
UVA -Wise
Eastern Mennonite
Hollins
Roanoke
Bluefield
VA State
Hampton Univ
Emery and Henry
Randolph Macon
Regent
Lynchburg Univ
Southern Va Univ
Ascent College
VA Union
Sweet Briar
Shenandoah Univ
Ferrum Univ
Marymount
Mary Baldwin
VA Wesleyan

NP. Another NOVA parent. I agree with OP. Yes. You rattled off a bunch of schools most of which are private with enrollment of around 1,500. DS is currently at UMD studying CS. Accepted to WM and WL at UVA. Didn't bother with Tech considering the admission process referenced by OP. Child number 2 is not as strong academically, but will be reluctantly applying to Radford and ODU. Wants to attend in the Carolinas.

There is not a single person alive that would pick Maryland over UVA or WM.

PP. You're silly. We sure did. I guess we are just foolish like the 30+ TJ kids that end there each year too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
UVA
Richmond
JMU
W&M
George Mason
Va Tech
VCU
Christopher Newport
ODU
Washington and Lee
Liberty
Mary Washington
Radford
Bridgewater
Averett
Hampton Sydney
Longwood
Norfolk State
UVA -Wise
Eastern Mennonite
Hollins
Roanoke
Bluefield
VA State
Hampton Univ
Emery and Henry
Randolph Macon
Regent
Lynchburg Univ
Southern Va Univ
Ascent College
VA Union
Sweet Briar
Shenandoah Univ
Ferrum Univ
Marymount
Mary Baldwin
VA Wesleyan

NP. Another NOVA parent. I agree with OP. Yes. You rattled off a bunch of schools most of which are private with enrollment of around 1,500. DS is currently at UMD studying CS. Accepted to WM and WL at UVA. Didn't bother with Tech considering the admission process referenced by OP. Child number 2 is not as strong academically, but will be reluctantly applying to Radford and ODU. Wants to attend in the Carolinas.

There is not a single person alive that would pick Maryland over UVA or WM.

For CS UMD is T10 but VA's best is T30+. It's no contest.