VT - what is is like currently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT acceptance rate - almost 70%
W&M acceptance rate - just over 40%
UVA acceptance rate - just over 20%

none of them are comparable apart from all being from the same state in which they are based

I have a friend who works there in admissions.

This is old data you're referencing. VT's admit rate is going down every year due to common app. Admit rates are very much dependent on major. Each major has a seat limit.

It's a great school and our DS's top choice over the other 2 above. The "This is Home" motto is very real there and the students feel it.

this is TODAYs data based on 2022 admits

For Fall 2022, UVA is 19%, W&M is 33%, Virginia Tech 65%

[Anonymous]

why are you asking parents?????????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, this doesn’t sound anything like my child’s experience. He is currently a freshman there and VT was the most popular school for applicants from his high school last year. It’s become incredibly competitive to get in *because* so many high-stats kids are applying (and not just for engineering). The only kids from his school who were accepted last admission cycle were at the top of the class. It’s no wonder to me that some high-stats kids are being rejected - they’re competing with other, equally talented kids! VT can’t take them all.

My kid is having the time of his life there. Challenging academics plus tons of social activities is exactly what he was looking for. It’s my younger daughter’s top choice too.

If anything, VT seems to be the most popular university in VA.

A lot of that is probably self selection; many more kids have the stats for VT vs UVA or W&M

Correct. It’s safety for those who will get into UVA and W&M and there is a whole broad swath of people who apply for whom it will be a reach or a match. And it’s a much bigger school than the other two.

Lol no.
VT and WM are peer schools

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=College+of+William+and+Mary&with=Virginia+Tech

+1
Not sure who considers VT a "safety," but they would be sorely mistaken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tech is a really weird school right now. There is just no telling if kids are going to get in so it's hard to get excited about it. A place like UVA or W&M, you kind of know based on you stats if you will have a shot. With Tech, it a total crapshoot. I know kids who were WL there but got into UVA and i know kids who got into Tech who would never have been competitive for UVA (and they didn't even bother to apply). Just no telling really. That said, it's a good school. Alot of people do stick with their HS groups from what my kids say though.

This is just silly. I also know plenty of people who did/did not get accepted to UVA, W&M, and VT. There is often no apparent rhyme or reason, but I think a lot of parents like to think their kid was so "high-stats" that they *should* have been accepted. Well, they're competing with thousands of other equally qualified students, so no - they're not entitled to get into any school. VT is no different than the other schools in that regard. And there is plenty there to get excited about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is applying this year and I was surprised that the guidance counselor said it was a reach school. It has gotten really difficult to get into, even for non-engineering majors.

+1
Our DC received the same advice from the guidance counselor - and is applying to the liberal arts school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tech is a really weird school right now. There is just no telling if kids are going to get in so it's hard to get excited about it. A place like UVA or W&M, you kind of know based on you stats if you will have a shot. With Tech, it a total crapshoot. I know kids who were WL there but got into UVA and i know kids who got into Tech who would never have been competitive for UVA (and they didn't even bother to apply). Just no telling really. That said, it's a good school. Alot of people do stick with their HS groups from what my kids say though.

+1. It’s not that it’s a harder admit, it’s that it is unpredictable based on traditional metrics of gpa and test scores. They have different priorities. It’s not the “top” kids from each high school that get admitted.

They certainly were the top kids at our school who were admitted last cycle.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VT acceptance rate - almost 70%
W&M acceptance rate - just over 40%
UVA acceptance rate - just over 20%

none of them are comparable apart from all being from the same state in which they are based

Uh, no.

Virginia Tech admissions is selective with an acceptance rate of 56% and an early acceptance rate of 64.3%.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/virginia-tech-3754/applying

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, this doesn’t sound anything like my child’s experience. He is currently a freshman there and VT was the most popular school for applicants from his high school last year. It’s become incredibly competitive to get in *because* so many high-stats kids are applying (and not just for engineering). The only kids from his school who were accepted last admission cycle were at the top of the class. It’s no wonder to me that some high-stats kids are being rejected - they’re competing with other, equally talented kids! VT can’t take them all.

My kid is having the time of his life there. Challenging academics plus tons of social activities is exactly what he was looking for. It’s my younger daughter’s top choice too.

If anything, VT seems to be the most popular university in VA.

A lot of that is probably self selection; many more kids have the stats for VT vs UVA or W&M

Correct. It’s safety for those who will get into UVA and W&M and there is a whole broad swath of people who apply for whom it will be a reach or a match. And it’s a much bigger school than the other two.

Except that it’s not a safety at all. Plenty of high stats kids are rejected (and plenty accepted, as well). The point being, it’s a competitive school and anyone considering it a “safety” in any way clearly hasn’t done their homework. My own kid got into all three - VT, UVA, and WM. Chose VT (non-engineering).

VT non engineering is not even in the same universe as W&M or UVA in regards to academics

Looks like someone's kid didn't get into VT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pick VT over UVA for engineering and many do. Funny how people make comparisons based on overall admissions rate. Doesn’t mean much.

I would pick VT non-engineering over UVA - and many do. It's a great school with so much to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tech is a really weird school right now. There is just no telling if kids are going to get in so it's hard to get excited about it. A place like UVA or W&M, you kind of know based on you stats if you will have a shot. With Tech, it a total crapshoot. I know kids who were WL there but got into UVA and i know kids who got into Tech who would never have been competitive for UVA (and they didn't even bother to apply). Just no telling really. That said, it's a good school. Alot of people do stick with their HS groups from what my kids say though.

I don't think it's a good thing that VT admissions is so unpredictable. (Saying it's a "total crapshoot" is taking things a bit too far, however.) A lot of that unpredictability is VT playing games with its yield rate. For example, waitlisting unhooked students with very high stats for some majors, while accepting unhooked students with notably lower stats for the same majors, because VT believes the former will likely choose higher ranked options. What's more important to VT, having the highest yield rate possible, or being more straightforward in its approach?

DP. There is a reason ED exists. ALL schools favor ED applicants because they know they'll attend if accepted. If your kid really wanted to go there, s/he should have expressed that through ED. They aren't playing any games that *every single other school* is playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT acceptance rate - almost 70%
W&M acceptance rate - just over 40%
UVA acceptance rate - just over 20%

none of them are comparable apart from all being from the same state in which they are based

I have a friend who works there in admissions.

This is old data you're referencing. VT's admit rate is going down every year due to common app. Admit rates are very much dependent on major. Each major has a seat limit.

It's a great school and our DS's top choice over the other 2 above. The "This is Home" motto is very real there and the students feel it.

this is TODAYs data based on 2022 admits

For Fall 2022, UVA is 19%, W&M is 33%, Virginia Tech 65%

Actually, per USNWR, VT is 56%.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/virginia-tech-3754/applying

[Anonymous]

I would pick Virginia Commonwealth University over VT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ive read a ton on this board about the huge push for diversity at VT and the rejections of high stat kids (esp for engineering). Is this still a thing? It seems that fewer kids are excited about and applying to VT and choosing to apply to other schools for engineering instead (Pitt, UVA, W&M). My daughter has no desire to go to VT and/or apply but she seemed quite excited about the school when she was a Freshman. Any idea if the school environment has really changed?

parents cannot possibly tell you !!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VT acceptance rate - almost 70%
W&M acceptance rate - just over 40%
UVA acceptance rate - just over 20%

none of them are comparable apart from all being from the same state in which they are based

I have a friend who works there in admissions.

This is old data you're referencing. VT's admit rate is going down every year due to common app. Admit rates are very much dependent on major. Each major has a seat limit.

It's a great school and our DS's top choice over the other 2 above. The "This is Home" motto is very real there and the students feel it.

this is TODAYs data based on 2022 admits

For Fall 2022, UVA is 19%, W&M is 33%, Virginia Tech 65%

There's not a lot of difference in the gaps though, is there? The gaps remain the same. I think that's what PP was pointing out. Vast difference between UVA and VT, vast difference between WM and VT. You've kind of reinforced that here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tech is a really weird school right now. There is just no telling if kids are going to get in so it's hard to get excited about it. A place like UVA or W&M, you kind of know based on you stats if you will have a shot. With Tech, it a total crapshoot. I know kids who were WL there but got into UVA and i know kids who got into Tech who would never have been competitive for UVA (and they didn't even bother to apply). Just no telling really. That said, it's a good school. Alot of people do stick with their HS groups from what my kids say though.

This is just silly. I also know plenty of people who did/did not get accepted to UVA, W&M, and VT. There is often no apparent rhyme or reason, but I think a lot of parents like to think their kid was so "high-stats" that they *should* have been accepted. Well, they're competing with thousands of other equally qualified students, so no - they're not entitled to get into any school. VT is no different than the other schools in that regard. And there is plenty there to get excited about.

I’m the pp you responded to, my kid didn’t apply to Tech so no horse in this race. I know several kids from my kids class who are middle of the pack kids, maybe top 30-40%, who got in and I know several top students, top 10%, who were waitlisted. I’m not making it up. Granted those lower level kids are not engineering majors. My pre med dd was told by her counselor that the Tech rep told all pre meds to apply to the human development major and they would get in.

I remember my Dd running into a friend who attended VT during thanksgiving break at the good store and she said she hated it, because kids couldn’t seem to break out of the high school cliques. She ended up transferring. Only one person of course but have heard that many times in her group of friends. There were about 40 kids from my kids class that attended, second only to JMU who had over 50. UVA by contrast had about 12 from their class attend. Like I said, it’s a weird school. My kid didn’t want to go to a school with so many of her classmates, wanted to meet new people, so she didn’t apply.