What Schools are Worth Paying For Over UVA In-State Tuition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ivies or geographically preferable/desirable schools like Georgetown or Northeastern

I think you meant Northwestern?

you can include Northwestern too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Wharton are no-brainers to me even with extra cost.

You could make a case for Yale, Duke, Caltech, Columbia, Dartmouth

Interesting elevation of Wharton and demotion of Yale from the pantheon. I tend to agree with all of this, minus, perhaps, Columbia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would also make the case for Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Pomona. It is hard to replicate that level of high caliber intensity at most colleges.

Just Amherst and Williams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Wharton are no-brainers to me even with extra cost.

You could make a case for Yale, Duke, Caltech, Columbia, Dartmouth

Interesting elevation of Wharton and demotion of Yale from the pantheon. I tend to agree with all of this, minus, perhaps, Columbia.

Wharton is definitely top-tier, best undergrad business school by a mile. Yale has slipped IMO, their humanities is still good but they aren't as well rounded in STEM as the other top-tier schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also make the case for Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Pomona. It is hard to replicate that level of high caliber intensity at most colleges.

Just Amherst and Williams

Swarthmore and Pomona are more selective than Amherst and Williams and both have better STEM programs and access too.

[Anonymous]

Wharton is definitely top-tier, best undergrad business school by a mile. Yale has slipped IMO, their humanities is still good but they aren't as well rounded in STEM as the other top-tier schools.

People on this thread have noted UVA is not good for engineering. If that’s the case and therefore UVA is valued for humanities, and that is Yale’s strength, then a kid focused on humanities should include Yale on the list of schools worth paying for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child wants to pursue engineering, UVA is not a great choice. I can think of tons of schools - GA Tech, UIUC, Michigan, Purdue, UT, Wisconsin, northwestern. UVA is not even a top 25 program.

But they're not worth the added cost if you're in state. The question was - what schools might be worth to pay for over the in-state discount?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bizarre thread. I attended UNC from out of state and didn’t apply to UVA. My kid had no interest in applying to UVA, nor, as far as I know, did any of his friends. It’s a great school, and a good value in state, but it’s not for everyone. The assumption that it should be is just bizarre to me. I certainly wouldn’t expect most kids to have any interest in the tiny LAC my kid attends.

Presumably OPs DS likes UVA, based on her post, so the question is not, should we force him to go there against his will, but rather, what would be worth the extra money. Your experience is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wharton is definitely top-tier, best undergrad business school by a mile. Yale has slipped IMO, their humanities is still good but they aren't as well rounded in STEM as the other top-tier schools.

People on this thread have noted UVA is not good for engineering. If that’s the case and therefore UVA is valued for humanities, and that is Yale’s strength, then a kid focused on humanities should include Yale on the list of schools worth paying for.

But why would anyone pay up for humanities? Like if you want to go to Wall Street then there is a case to be made to invest in Wharton or Princeton over UVA. But what are you going to accomplish with your Yale comp lit degree that you cannot with your UVA comp lit degree?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also make the case for Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Pomona. It is hard to replicate that level of high caliber intensity at most colleges.

Just Amherst and Williams

Swarthmore and Pomona are more selective than Amherst and Williams and both have better STEM programs and access too.

Swarthmore also has an engineering degree, and Pomona has the added benefit of being in a totally different part of the country--both of which are qualities that might be worth paying the extra $$$ for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bizarre thread. I attended UNC from out of state and didn’t apply to UVA. My kid had no interest in applying to UVA, nor, as far as I know, did any of his friends. It’s a great school, and a good value in state, but it’s not for everyone. The assumption that it should be is just bizarre to me. I certainly wouldn’t expect most kids to have any interest in the tiny LAC my kid attends.

It's not bizarre. Not everyone is no question full play. A family may have some assets and a high annual HHI yet need to cover expenses for their older parents in their later years. Or maybe they have four kids at home. They may be able to pay but it also may come at the expense of something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also make the case for Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Pomona. It is hard to replicate that level of high caliber intensity at most colleges.

Just Amherst and Williams

Swarthmore and Pomona are more selective than Amherst and Williams and both have better STEM programs and access too.

Swarthmore also has an engineering degree, and Pomona has the added benefit of being in a totally different part of the country--both of which are qualities that might be worth paying the extra $$$ for.

The Swats and the PoMos are out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bizarre thread. I attended UNC from out of state and didn’t apply to UVA. My kid had no interest in applying to UVA, nor, as far as I know, did any of his friends. It’s a great school, and a good value in state, but it’s not for everyone. The assumption that it should be is just bizarre to me. I certainly wouldn’t expect most kids to have any interest in the tiny LAC my kid attends.

GDTBATH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bizarre thread. I attended UNC from out of state and didn’t apply to UVA. My kid had no interest in applying to UVA, nor, as far as I know, did any of his friends. It’s a great school, and a good value in state, but it’s not for everyone. The assumption that it should be is just bizarre to me. I certainly wouldn’t expect most kids to have any interest in the tiny LAC my kid attends.

It's parochial thinking. People want to believe what they want to believe. On DCUM, if you dare to suggest UVA is not a quasi-Ivy, it's like you spat on all the gods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ivies or geographically preferable/desirable schools like Georgetown or Northeastern

In fact, my kid chose Northeastern over UVA.

Received some scholarship/aid, and the cost was just little bit higher than UVA In-state