Why do UVA and Michigan attract such affluent student bodies?
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Anonymous
That is very true. And Michigan and UVA have long been regarded as very good schools. Plus, Michigan has enjoyed the rise in the popularity of STEM over the past couple of decades. Plus the school spirit, Ann Arbor, and football. And 50 percent of their students are OOS, so that creates both a wealthy vibe and a national alumni base. UVA has a more genteel atmosphere but it's long been regarded as a public elite. It's one of the oldest universities in the nation. Penn State, Illinois, and Wisconsin are in a different tier. Though UIUC is very desirable for engineering and CS. I don't know what happened to Wisconsin. It was more of an it school in the 80s and early 90s, but then I guess Scott Walker happened. Florida under DeSantis really needs to be aware of the Wisconsin experience. Right wing politics - even for a few short years - can really hurt the state schools. And it can take decades for reputations to come back. Then there is UNC and the UCs. But both systems are very, very instate focused, and it's difficult to see how they maintain their high national reps for undergrad in the years to come when very few OOS can get in, no matter how wealthy. And that already creates distortions. An OOS student at UNC tends to be much more accomplished than their instate counterparts. And who knows how things are going to play out at the UCs with their insistence on never looking at test scores again and having so few OOS students. But CA is a giant state so they can do their thing for longer than any other state. |
Anonymous
Since when is Virginia not on the east coast? |
Anonymous
Michigan has been popular for decades with wealthy coasties. This is nothing new at all. Michigan has nearly as many OOS undergraduate students as the entire undergraduate population of UVA. It is in a league of its own in that regard. |
Anonymous
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“UVA has a more genteel atmosphere but it's long been regarded as a public elite. It's one of the oldest universities in the nation.”
Fun fact. Michigan is older than UVA. |
Anonymous
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It’s called tuition, people: UVA and Michigan have the highest oos tuition of any public universities in the country. People who are value conscious realize that the same price for a private is a better value. People who are cost conscious go to another oos (or in-state) public or go down a prestige rung and get merit at a private (saving 10-20 per year over UVA or Michigan).
People who don’t care are rich…hence the demographic. |
Anonymous
Nice try, but not really. UofM officially dates itself from 1837. UVA officially dates itself from 1819. Prior to Michigan’s official date, it was some weird primary school located in Detroit. In contrast, when UVA opened, students could immediately study in one of eight university-level schools, including sophisticated subjects, like law and medicine. |
Anonymous
So is Wisconsin |
Anonymous
Not as much aid and lesser academic requirements than top colleges? |
Anonymous
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Most of these posts don’t really get at what attracts the wealthy to them. However, the few that highlight the history of UVA get closer to the point. As much as some may not like to admit it, UVA has been held in high regard by the NE corridor (Boston to Washington DC) elite since its founding. Consequently, there is a longstanding relationship between the wealthy and the school. The earlier links to articles about Virginia enrolling members of the NYC social index and relationships with Yale are just some examples.
I don’t know much about Michigan, but its connection to the wealthy doesn’t appear to be as long or as tradition-bound as that of UVA. |
Anonymous
| UMich was a haven for top Jewish students, many of whom went on to build wealth, at a time when the Ivies limited their acceptance. This helped build not only its academic reputation plus its connection to the NYC area. My in-state UMich grad husband made friends with NYC area kids and moved East after graduation, where he could watch Big 10 games at a Michigan bar on the UWS of NYC. |
Anonymous
lol |
Anonymous
+1 And Michigan is hardly where top 15 coastal rejects go as a consolation. It’s some top kids’ first choice for all the reasons stated in this thread. |
Anonymous
Thanks! This is actually an answer to the question, which is WHY does Michigan and UVA appeal to wealthy people. I too know a number of Jewish people who went to Michigan and have significant ties to NYC. |
Anonymous
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You would be surprised to know that UVa was popular for Jewish students -- going back to the 1950s.
https://makehistory.substack.com/p/stanfords-secret-jewish-quota |
Anonymous
Have a kid who has been in both of those cities for the last 8+ years. The wealth there simply does NOT compare to Chicago or a DCUMland. Yes it exists but not nearly at the level of other states. And have you been to the rest of WI? Largely rural, smaller towns. SO as a state, there is NOT as much wealth as say a Va |