The Other Virginia Colleges: VCU, ODU, GMU, CNU, UMW . . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are uninformed about JMU, PP. Even in the 80's, the business school was developing a great name for itself, and recruiters from the large consulting firms and from major corporations were eagerly hiring Madison graduates. In the 2012 Businessweek rankings for undergraduate business schools, JMU's College of Business is ranked 32nd in the nation (compare to University of Maryland at 38 and VT at 52), and 12th among public universities in the nation. They also have an excellent job placement rate for business graduates. This is one reason the school has become such a popular option for VA students who aren't UVA material.

Yes. I am a JMU business school grad and had 7 offers coming out of college - almost everyone I know had multiple offers. Job market is much tougher now, but the business school there is very solid. I didn't even apply to UVA b/c my brother was there - I got into William and Mary but chose to avoid the pressure cooker vibe there. FYI - JMU also has an excellent music program, and I was very interested in taking some music courses on the side. Also it has a very low percentage of students who choose to join frats/sororities, and I was highly interested in avoiding that whole scene. There are lots of people that go there who ARE UVA material and perhaps just looking for something different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:generally speaking, if you think you might end up living and working somewhere else, I'd advise going to a shitty national type state school over a decent regional school. That means I prefer schools like WVU, NC State and Ole Miss over places like VCU, ODU and UMBC. If you apply in San Diego, at least they will have heard of where you went to school.

I actually think JMU falls into this category as well. I don't think it has the national name recognition that UVa, VT and W & M have.

I actually think that's the case for all of them (no national name recognition) except for UVA and W&M. I went to school in the Midwest and really, none of these schools are on anyone's radar screens out there. They would have heard about UVA and, maybe, W&M. They just have their own state schools which they are all consumed about and wrapped up in that these don't really penetrate through that regional parochialism. Which is totally fine, not criticizing them, we are the same way: not like we are all walking around thinking about Valparaiso or Marquette or perfectly fine schools like that. . . .just my two cents. . .

+1

People in this region don't understand how few schools have a reputation that is truly national. Even UVA and W&M have a largely regional appeal.

I remember in the early 1980's when Georgetown's basketball program reached national prominence -- many people I encountered in the Midwest assumed the school was a historically black college like Howard.

The elite state schools - Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin are dominant in their regions.

[Anonymous]

I stumbled across this post just casually researching schools. I am a senior in high school. According to this website you are all "moms and dads". Let me just say that I would not like to meet the children most of you have raised. You are petty, arguing over silly things about these schools. The students who choose these schools are usually not looking past the 4 years they'll be there to when they're employed. That's not how the high school counselors encourage us to think. We're supposed to figure out what school will provide the best fit and the right opportunities for us. For the majority of students choosing a college is not about the school's reputation but a combination of where we can get in and what we want. The "best" Virginia schools, UVA and W&M, are incredibly difficult to get into. I go to a Fairfax County high school and have seen our school's statistics from my counselor. If you don't have over a 4.0 and are not a minority you have to have something very special to get in to those schools. Therefore many students simply cannot get in. Transferring is always an option but many, including myself, see it as inconvenient...a final choice if nothing else is available. Schools like CNU, VCU, GMU, UMW, and Longwood offer great opportunities to students who didn't take all AP classes and have potential. If you really want to go on to be successful you can go to a "higher quality" grad school afterwards. Admittedly, I have less respect for schools like Radford and WVU simply because I have less respect for the people I know seriously applying/attending those schools. Basically, I hope you're all much kinder to your children when they go through the college process than you are on this website. Every school provides opportunities to students that are willing to look for them and everyone has somewhere that is the right fit for them, even if it's not a top 50 nationally ranked school or whatever statistic you prefer to cite.

Just trying to pull all of you down to a student's perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I stumbled across this post just casually researching schools. I am a senior in high school. According to this website you are all "moms and dads". Let me just say that I would not like to meet the children most of you have raised. You are petty, arguing over silly things about these schools. The students who choose these schools are usually not looking past the 4 years they'll be there to when they're employed. That's not how the high school counselors encourage us to think. We're supposed to figure out what school will provide the best fit and the right opportunities for us. For the majority of students choosing a college is not about the school's reputation but a combination of where we can get in and what we want. The "best" Virginia schools, UVA and W&M, are incredibly difficult to get into. I go to a Fairfax County high school and have seen our school's statistics from my counselor. If you don't have over a 4.0 and are not a minority you have to have something very special to get in to those schools. Therefore many students simply cannot get in. Transferring is always an option but many, including myself, see it as inconvenient...a final choice if nothing else is available. Schools like CNU, VCU, GMU, UMW, and Longwood offer great opportunities to students who didn't take all AP classes and have potential. If you really want to go on to be successful you can go to a "higher quality" grad school afterwards. Admittedly, I have less respect for schools like Radford and WVU simply because I have less respect for the people I know seriously applying/attending those schools. Basically, I hope you're all much kinder to your children when they go through the college process than you are on this website. Every school provides opportunities to students that are willing to look for them and everyone has somewhere that is the right fit for them, even if it's not a top 50 nationally ranked school or whatever statistic you prefer to cite.

Just trying to pull all of you down to a student's perspective. [/quote

It’s a very good post. But I’m paying the bills. So, you know, I get to have some say in the process.

(now many of those schools are just not worth going to, fit or no fit. )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I stumbled across this post just casually researching schools. I am a senior in high school. According to this website you are all "moms and dads". Let me just say that I would not like to meet the children most of you have raised. You are petty, arguing over silly things about these schools. The students who choose these schools are usually not looking past the 4 years they'll be there to when they're employed. That's not how the high school counselors encourage us to think. We're supposed to figure out what school will provide the best fit and the right opportunities for us. For the majority of students choosing a college is not about the school's reputation but a combination of where we can get in and what we want. The "best" Virginia schools, UVA and W&M, are incredibly difficult to get into. I go to a Fairfax County high school and have seen our school's statistics from my counselor. If you don't have over a 4.0 and are not a minority you have to have something very special to get in to those schools. Therefore many students simply cannot get in. Transferring is always an option but many, including myself, see it as inconvenient...a final choice if nothing else is available. Schools like CNU, VCU, GMU, UMW, and Longwood offer great opportunities to students who didn't take all AP classes and have potential. If you really want to go on to be successful you can go to a "higher quality" grad school afterwards. Admittedly, I have less respect for schools like Radford and WVU simply because I have less respect for the people I know seriously applying/attending those schools. Basically, I hope you're all much kinder to your children when they go through the college process than you are on this website. Every school provides opportunities to students that are willing to look for them and everyone has somewhere that is the right fit for them, even if it's not a top 50 nationally ranked school or whatever statistic you prefer to cite.

Just trying to pull all of you down to a student's perspective.

You sound like a great kid. Your parents raised you right.

The kids know the real deal and are more supportive of each other than some of the parents, who are both status-driven and unaware of the types of credentials you need to get into schools like W&M these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It’s a very good post. But I’m paying the bills. So, you know, I get to have some say in the process.

(now many of those schools are just not worth going to, fit or no fit. )

You sound exactly like the type of dick the PP was describing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It’s a very good post. But I’m paying the bills. So, you know, I get to have some say in the process.

(now many of those schools are just not worth going to, fit or no fit. )

You sound exactly like the type of dick the PP was describing.

Thanks. Higher standards perhaps. Wouldn’t pay a dime for some of those schools. And DC agrees BTW

[Anonymous]

“Fit” is getting to be a euphemism for can’t get into any of the better schools.
The only reason to even consider most of those schools is that you don’t have good grades and test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a biglaw partner and see hundreds of resumes at a time. Law school, law school grades, work experience and writing sample are most important. Undergrad, not so much.

But a person has a tough time going from a mediocre state school to a top grad school. Top law schools have many more applicants than spaces. the is s study about this in the NYT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It’s a very good post. But I’m paying the bills. So, you know, I get to have some say in the process.

(now many of those schools are just not worth going to, fit or no fit. )

You sound exactly like the type of dick the PP was describing.

Thanks. Higher standards perhaps. Wouldn’t pay a dime for some of those schools. And DC agrees BTW

Give yourself a cookie. You're a twit and your DC is, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a biglaw partner and see hundreds of resumes at a time. Law school, law school grades, work experience and writing sample are most important. Undergrad, not so much.

But a person has a tough time going from a mediocre state school to a top grad school. Top law schools have many more applicants than spaces. the is s study about this in the NYT.

Here are the entering class profiles for Yale and Harvard Law Schools - I'm seeing several "mediocre" colleges
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/profile.htm
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/undergrads.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a biglaw partner and see hundreds of resumes at a time. Law school, law school grades, work experience and writing sample are most important. Undergrad, not so much.

But a person has a tough time going from a mediocre state school to a top grad school. Top law schools have many more applicants than spaces. the is s study about this in the NYT.

Here are the entering class profiles for Yale and Harvard Law Schools - I'm seeing several "mediocre" colleges
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/profile.htm
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/undergrads.html

No one from W&M at Harvard? Oh no!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a biglaw partner and see hundreds of resumes at a time. Law school, law school grades, work experience and writing sample are most important. Undergrad, not so much.

But a person has a tough time going from a mediocre state school to a top grad school. Top law schools have many more applicants than spaces. the is s study about this in the NYT.

Here are the entering class profiles for Yale and Harvard Law Schools - I'm seeing several "mediocre" colleges
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/profile.htm
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/undergrads.html

No one from W&M at Harvard? Oh no!

I did not see any mediocre schools on that list, but OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a biglaw partner and see hundreds of resumes at a time. Law school, law school grades, work experience and writing sample are most important. Undergrad, not so much.

But a person has a tough time going from a mediocre state school to a top grad school. Top law schools have many more applicants than spaces. the is s study about this in the NYT.

Here are the entering class profiles for Yale and Harvard Law Schools - I'm seeing several "mediocre" colleges
http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/profile.htm
http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/jd/apply/undergrads.html

No one from W&M at Harvard? Oh no!

I did not see any mediocre schools on that list, but OK.

there are several but affirmative action may account for some of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:generally speaking, if you think you might end up living and working somewhere else, I'd advise going to a shitty national type state school over a decent regional school. That means I prefer schools like WVU, NC State and Ole Miss over places like VCU, ODU and UMBC. If you apply in San Diego, at least they will have heard of where you went to school.

DW went to NC State, wonder what she'll think of this assessment.....

NC State is not a shitty national school? of course it is. just like FSU, WVU, Louisville, etc. no shame in that.

In terms of reputation sure, but you can get a good education at any of these if you want to.

NONE of these schools are shitty. There are some state schools that are but these particular schools aren't. You folks are crazy and probably have kids who haven't applied to college yet so you are all still living at Lake Wobegon.

Right. fairfax County.