VA residents - how do you know if UVA is the right fit?

[Anonymous]

Neither of my sons liked UVA. It kind of surprised me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA- smart kids, exclusive entertainment
VT- smart kids, inclusive environment
W&M- smart kids, introverted environment
JMU- semi-smart kids, extroverted environment

I wouldn't describe W&M as introverted - and in fact I think someone is going to have an easier time being introverted at a larger school than a smaller one - you can't avoid people you know on campus so easily.

Would you prefer “bookish” to describe W&M?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA- smart kids, exclusive entertainment
VT- smart kids, inclusive environment
W&M- smart kids, introverted environment
JMU- semi-smart kids, extroverted environment

The kids at JMU are smart, many of them very smart. No need to call them "semi-smart".

[Anonymous]

Re: UVA, too impressed with themselves. Too impressed for what it is. Boastful, in an ugly way. Seem out of touch and running scared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA- smart kids, exclusive entertainment
VT- smart kids, inclusive environment
W&M- smart kids, introverted environment
JMU- semi-smart kids, extroverted environment

I wouldn't describe W&M as introverted - and in fact I think someone is going to have an easier time being introverted at a larger school than a smaller one - you can't avoid people you know on campus so easily.

Would you prefer “bookish” to describe W&M?

I don't think that really captures it. I've always thought of the students I've known there as real "plays well with others"-types. So I've always thought of UVA as "work hard, play hard" and W&M as "work hard, play nice". Both are great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA is for the high stat kid that can hack it socially. It’s very competitive in class and out of class. Exclusivity is the vibe, the brand, it’s what UVA is all about. Be ready to apply to clubs and party hard with intense drinking and drugs. This is the truth that others won’t tell you.

My UVA kid says that's in the sorority and frats, which is only 26% of the campus. He chose other activities and says drinking depended upon the activity and the individual. He never did drugs (yes, he said that - so jeer away, but that's what he said). He chose the Jefferson Society debating. It's hard to debate when you are drunk out of your mind. There are over 700 clubs at UVA to pick from

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind that per SCHEV stats, about 80 freshman students at UVA scored above a 1550 on the SAT so you will encounter quite a few bright kids.

No. 80/3900 freshman is 2%. That means quite unlikely a 1550+ will meet another similar kid.

That SCHEV stat doesn't exist. SCHEV states the kids entering this past fall had a 1510 SAT, a 4.5 GPA and a 35 ACT at the 75th percentile, so 25% of the class had higher than a 1510. That would be 1,000 kids with SATs higher than a 1510. Many of my UVA kid's friends said they had perfect SATs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First you have to figure out if he has the stats to get in. Look it up on your HS scatterplot. But I personally think every high achieving VA high school student should visit UVA and W&M, and also Tech if they are interested in Engineering.

I also think you and your spouse need to have a frank discussion without your son present about whether or not you are willing to pay for somewhere like Villanova if he gets into UVA or W&M. The price difference is quite substantial and only you know if that matters to you: but don’t act like you are indifferent on cost to your child if that is not accurate.

We let our kids know that we thought UVA AND W&M were both excellent values and that if possible they should pick the one that better suited them. We were open to arguments against this, but thankfully our kids both felt drawn to one of them.

OP, the above is very sound advice. UVA is around $40K all-in. Some privates like USC are now $99K. That's a $54K difference = $216K difference. That's even greater if you don't have 100% savings to pay for this and are paying in after-tax dollars. You andyour husband need to figure out what you can afford first, then have the Talk with your kid about affordability and expectations BEFORE you start looking at colleges.

Both of my kids went in-state VA. We are very lucky to have such great options in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]Re: UVA, too impressed with themselves. Too impressed for what it is. Boastful, in an ugly way. Seem out of touch and running scared.

[/b]

Must be sad to be you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind that per SCHEV stats, about 80 freshman students at UVA scored above a 1550 on the SAT so you will encounter quite a few bright kids.

No. 80/3900 freshman is 2%. That means quite unlikely a 1550+ will meet another similar kid.

That SCHEV stat doesn't exist. SCHEV states the kids entering this past fall had a 1510 SAT, a 4.5 GPA and a 35 ACT at the 75th percentile, so 25% of the class had higher than a 1510. That would be 1,000 kids with SATs higher than a 1510. Many of my UVA kid's friends said they had perfect SATs.

Must be a UC San Diego grad...only 1,805 enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT. Of those, 25% scored above a 1520, about 377 freshman. There is enough data out there that shows going from 1520 to 1550 will halve the number of scorers. So at most 100 freshman score ABOVE a 1550.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA- smart kids, exclusive entertainment
VT- smart kids, inclusive environment
W&M- smart kids, introverted environment
JMU- semi-smart kids, extroverted environment

The kids at JMU are smart, many of them very smart. No need to call them "semi-smart".

JMU’s stats are clearly lower than the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA was able to get a couple of Fairfax Co NMSF to attend. Just be prepared to be around the highest achievers.

I was once a Fairfax Co NSMF at UVA and I barely did anything once I got there. The hard part was getting in. If you want to keep “achieving” there, you can. But it’s also pretty easy to coast.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes schools aren't a great "fit". Work through it. Get your degree and get out. Its only 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep in mind that per SCHEV stats, about 80 freshman students at UVA scored above a 1550 on the SAT so you will encounter quite a few bright kids.

No. 80/3900 freshman is 2%. That means quite unlikely a 1550+ will meet another similar kid.

That SCHEV stat doesn't exist. SCHEV states the kids entering this past fall had a 1510 SAT, a 4.5 GPA and a 35 ACT at the 75th percentile, so 25% of the class had higher than a 1510. That would be 1,000 kids with SATs higher than a 1510. Many of my UVA kid's friends said they had perfect SATs.

Must be a UC San Diego grad...only 1,805 enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT. Of those, 25% scored above a 1520, about 377 freshman. There is enough data out there that shows going from 1520 to 1550 will halve the number of scorers. So at most 100 freshman score ABOVE a 1550.

+2 Funny how they forget the percent accepted test optional to UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA was able to get a couple of Fairfax Co NMSF to attend. Just be prepared to be around the highest achievers.

I was once a Fairfax Co NSMF at UVA and I barely did anything once I got there. The hard part was getting in. If you want to keep “achieving” there, you can. But it’s also pretty easy to coast.

I have a 1550+ who is working very hard at UVA, much harder than a sophomore sibling who is at an Ivy. Kids were equally high achievers in high school but chose different paths. The UVA classes my kid is taking are all structured as weed-out and getting straight As is not easy at all. In comparison my Ivy kid is still getting As in year 2 with ease.