What is the obsession with UVA for out of staters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ last year. Many of her classmates withdrew their Michigan applications immediately after getting into UVA through EA.

But none of them dropped their UC Berkeley or UCLA applications.

For your information, UVA's EA decision was announced much earlier than Michigan's RD decision.

At least for high-stats kids, they do not think Michigan is comparable to UCLA, let alone UC Berkeley.

Anonymous wrote:Michigan is also a world-renowned university. UVA is not in the same league as either Berkeley of Michigan.

Sorry I didn’t include UCLA earlier. Let me fix the above sentence:

Michigan is also a world-renowned university. UVA is not in the same league as Berkeley, UCLA, or Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Parchment comparisons

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Berkeley

59% Michigan vs 41% Berkeley

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

56% Michigan vs 44% UCLA

And of course the most telling of all:

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

61% Michigan vs 39% UVA

[Anonymous]

Here’s good new for UVA boosters at parchment.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+North+Carolina+at+Chapel+Hill&with=University+of+Virginia

UVA 70% vs UNC 30%

The school ranked above yours as the #4 public at USNWR isn’t considered as desirable. So you have that.

[Anonymous]

Correction to the above Parchment figures:

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+Virginia

69% Michigan vs 31% UVA

More that 2 out 3 admitted students to both schools prefer Michigan. Regional bias at TJ just proves that UVA is a regional school. Nationally the desirability of Michigan is much greater.

[Anonymous]

In fairness I reversed order by placing UVA first in comparison to Michigan. Just to make sure of accuracy here are the results.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Virginia&with=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor

Same numbers, as expected. In desirability it appears that Michigan is the much more popular choice.

[Anonymous]

I went to UVa from out of state (but not MD). If you are looking for the best school for the least money, then an out of state flagship is a good choice. Our state didn't even have a flagship school, and we couldn't afford anything private that was good, and UVa was the best of the big state schools that I could get into. I tried Cal Berkeley (the best CA school at the time), and that was my first choice, but I didn't get in and ended up at UVa.

[Anonymous]

. . . wait. If this board says Cal Berkley is better than University of Michigan, and University of Michigan is so much more popular on Parchment than lowly, regional UVA. Then why does Cal only a 6% more popular choice over UVA on Parchment (53% to 47%)?

. . . it must be a mistake on Parchment. No out-of-stater in their right mind would choose to go to a well respected school with half the enrollment of Michigan with a beautiful campus without midwest winters (and ~$6K cheaper / year tuition and fees OOS). Haven't they done a deep dive on the ROI? Because really that's all college is about anyway - right?

. . . and it's well documented on this board that when employers see that UVA regional degree, they just assume this kid is just a jerky jerk who thinks they're better than everyone else. Not sure how any of them get jobs.

. . . so many questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to UVa from out of state (but not MD). If you are looking for the best school for the least money, then an out of state flagship is a good choice. Our state didn't even have a flagship school, and we couldn't afford anything private that was good, and UVa was the best of the big state schools that I could get into. I tried Cal Berkeley (the best CA school at the time), and that was my first choice, but I didn't get in and ended up at UVa.

I don’t think this is any longer the case: Virginia is 59k oos tuition and fees (not room and board) junior and senior year for an arts and sciences major (other majors are more).
https://sfs.virginia.edu/financial-aid-new-applicants/financial-aid-basics/estimated-undergraduate-cost-attendance-2023-2024

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from TJ last year. Many of her classmates withdrew their Michigan applications immediately after getting into UVA through EA.

But none of them dropped their UC Berkeley or UCLA applications.

For your information, UVA's EA decision was announced much earlier than Michigan's RD decision.

At least for high-stats kids, they do not think Michigan is comparable to UCLA, let alone UC Berkeley.

Anonymous wrote:Michigan is also a world-renowned university. UVA is not in the same league as either Berkeley of Michigan.

That's the California Effect. Kids from the meat-grinder culture of the East Coast get all dewy over the prospects of spending their college years in sunny Westwood or Berkeley, just a stones throw from the beach or the bay. So yeah, keep those apps outstanding and see if you hit a lottery ticket with admission to a UC.

[Anonymous]

59% Michigan vs 41% Berkeley

That is odd.

I have not known anyone who chose Michigan over UC Berkeley. I lived in Chicago for many years, and UC Berkeley is generally considered as good as (or a little bit lower than) Chicago or Northwestern. Michigan is far away, even though it is within driving distance.

Anonymous wrote:Parchment comparisons

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Berkeley

59% Michigan vs 41% Berkeley

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

56% Michigan vs 44% UCLA

And of course the most telling of all:

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

61% Michigan vs 39% UVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:59% Michigan vs 41% Berkeley

That is odd.

I have not known anyone who chose Michigan over UC Berkeley. I lived in Chicago for many years, and UC Berkeley is generally considered as good as (or a little bit lower than) Chicago or Northwestern. Michigan is far away, even though it is within driving distance.

Anonymous wrote:Parchment comparisons

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Berkeley

59% Michigan vs 41% Berkeley

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

56% Michigan vs 44% UCLA

And of course the most telling of all:

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+California%2C+Los+Angeles

61% Michigan vs 39% UVA

That is odd. I can understand why many 18 year olds would prefer attending Michigan over Berkeley just for the social aspect alone. Michigan is also not, “far away” (whatever that means) from Berkeley, Northwestern, or Chicago. They are all premier academic institutions.

[Anonymous]

I mean, the Parchment data is completely bogus. It's false information. Below Niche in quality. Everyone knows that.

[Anonymous]

Bringing up Parchment was in response to this brilliant comment:

“At least for high-stats kids, they do not think Michigan is comparable to UCLA, let alone UC Berkeley.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Michigan is also a world-renowned university. UVA is not in the same league as either Berkeley of Michigan.

UVA has produced far more Rhodes Scholars

Clearly it's a better school and Michigan is just overrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to UVa from out of state (but not MD). If you are looking for the best school for the least money, then an out of state flagship is a good choice. Our state didn't even have a flagship school, and we couldn't afford anything private that was good, and UVa was the best of the big state schools that I could get into. I tried Cal Berkeley (the best CA school at the time), and that was my first choice, but I didn't get in and ended up at UVa.

+1

This is actually still true, having recent applicants.