Crazy to take big merit money at JMU over UVA full price?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

the ones who went to UVA ... they are still talking how they went to UVA

So true. And a reason many are turned-off. When I'm in a room w/grads from Michigan, Ivies, UVA, it's UVA making sure you know they went to UVA.

Not true IMHE but the green-eyed monster has gotten ahold of this thread so bash away JMU moms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In all honesty there’s no justification for overpaying for a UVA degree when the desired career tops out at $100k after grad school. Any “connections” will be of little or no use. Essentially, your fellow alumni would likely look down on the graduate for their chosen profession. It’s sad but true.

It’s not true. OP has no idea where her child will end up or in what major. 80% of all
students change their major at least once. UVA gives the child the greatest springboard in almost every field. If we are talking about in $13,000 in full tuition at JMU, that’s nothing compared to what a UVA experience could give this kid.

DP. You are a broken record with your “80%” claim on every thread. You seem to mistakenly think UVA is the only school that could possibly offer other majors should the student decide to change. Please stop the delusions. JMU offers a fantastic experience and education in myriad majors. There’s no way I’d pay for UVA if I had a full ride to JMU, or to many other schools, for that matter.

Is the National Center for Education Statistics good enough for you. Please read and learn.

“Based on various reports from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and academic studies, it is highly common for college students to change their majors.
Around 80% of college students in the U.S. change their major at least once.

On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career.

While some data indicates about 30% of undergraduates change their major within the first three years, others show 50-75% or up to 80% change their major at some point before graduation.

It is often considered a normal part of the college experience for students to explore new interests and refine their career goals.

Contrary to the belief that this delays graduation, some research suggests students who switch majors can have a higher graduation rate (82-84%) when they find a better fit. “

The quibble isn't about whether kids change their majors - of course they do! The issue is that you are constantly trying[url] to tout UVA as the *only* school one should attend if there's even a chance the student will need to change their major. [b] You just sound utterly absurd every time you post this. JMU is a great school with a wide variety of majors to choose from. My own kids changed their majors while attending JMU with no problem. Please stop repeating yourself.

I have never said that but it is true that one should not pick a school based upon a major they may change from. You don’t go to Georgia Tech to study political science. So yes if looking to a specific program, as OP’s kid thinks they are, all else equal, they should pick the school that gives them the most options. That could be UCLA. In the case of this post OP specifically asked about JMU versus UVA.

First of all, GT doesn't have a political science major. It does, however, have International Affairs, History, Global Economics, Public Policy, Languages, Economics, etc. In short, it has an excellent Liberal Arts College, as does JMU, Virginia Tech, Purdue, MIT, etc.

Secondly, in the case of JMU, we still don't even know what major the OP's kid is interested in, but JMU offers a wide range of majors to choose from. It offers just as many options as UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I would focus on fit. If your kid is someone who will thrive almost anywhere, JMU could be great choice. The kids we know there (or recent grads) are happy and have strong affinity for the university. UVA is great choice too. Good luck to your student!

This. As a parent of a Freshman in college I am seeing the fallout of when kids do not pick schools that are good fits. We know many kids already transferring after their first year because the college wasn't a good fit. UVA and JMU are very different in terms of campus size, feel, student body. Go tour when classes are in session, start following social media accounts. Let your child pick based on where they're excited to go, what is a good fit. Then they're more likely to stay. Fit matters.

They're actually not very different at all...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

the ones who went to UVA ... they are still talking how they went to UVA

So true. And a reason many are turned-off. When I'm in a room w/grads from Michigan, Ivies, UVA, it's UVA making sure you know they went to UVA.

+100
They have really convinced themselves that they’re somehow more special than everyone else. Honestly, not sure I’d want my kids around people with such chips on their shoulders and delusions of grandeur.

I don’t see that at all. PPs are giving honest responses. You may not want to hear it, but that’s your problem there was no “grandeur” exhibited here

I'm sorry, but you can't be serious. Either you haven't bothered to read the whole thread or you're trolling. The usual UVA boosters have been making fools of themselves by insisting UVA offers some kind of rarefied atmosphere. It's beyond cringeworthy. And if those are "honest answers," then even more so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not at all! Graduating without debt is such a gift.

What's more, if the student wants to go to graduate school, they'll be thankful that money was saved during undergrad.

This is the most reasonable answer. Other replies to uva are emotional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

the ones who went to UVA ... they are still talking how they went to UVA

So true. And a reason many are turned-off. When I'm in a room w/grads from Michigan, Ivies, UVA, it's UVA making sure you know they went to UVA.

Not true IMHE but the green-eyed monster has gotten ahold of this thread so bash away JMU moms.

DP. Good grief. You're clueless.

[Anonymous]

I'm with the folks who say go to JMU and save the money for grad school ($15K to $20K x four). Not crazy to think the kid will have a higher undergraduate GPA from JMU when applying for grad schools---yet another benefit.

[Anonymous]

Save the money and go to JMU. Graduating without debt is wonderful.

[Anonymous]

JMU all the way. It’s a fabulous school.

[Anonymous]

Getting a full ride is absolutely awesome and JMU is a very good school and has a beautiful campus. If your dc wants JMU, it’s totally fine.

UVA equals prestige, is a Public Ivy, known much more widely.

It’s a hard choice between prestige vs practicality.

[Anonymous]

PP here,
I just read OP’s post about others have said its the kind of major that it doesn’t matter where they attend college.
If that’s the case JMU with paid tuition, is a no brainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting a full ride is absolutely awesome and JMU is a very good school and has a beautiful campus. If your dc wants JMU, it’s totally fine.

UVA equals prestige, is a Public Ivy, known much more widely.

It’s a hard choice between prestige vs practicality.

You are embarrassing yourself. Please stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting a full ride is absolutely awesome and JMU is a very good school and has a beautiful campus. If your dc wants JMU, it’s totally fine.

UVA equals prestige, is a Public Ivy, known much more widely.

It’s a hard choice between prestige vs practicality.

“Public Ivy” is such a cringe coping mechanism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a full ride is absolutely awesome and JMU is a very good school and has a beautiful campus. If your dc wants JMU, it’s totally fine.

UVA equals prestige, is a Public Ivy, known much more widely.

It’s a hard choice between prestige vs practicality.

“Public Ivy” is such a cringe coping mechanism.

Moms who use "cringe" are so cringe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a full ride is absolutely awesome and JMU is a very good school and has a beautiful campus. If your dc wants JMU, it’s totally fine.

UVA equals prestige, is a Public Ivy, known much more widely.

It’s a hard choice between prestige vs practicality.

“Public Ivy” is such a cringe coping mechanism.

Moms who use "cringe" are so cringe.

Public Ivy is a desperate plea for validation.