Which DC, MD, and VA colleges or universities gave you pause/made you hesitate because of concerns?

[Anonymous]

I'd stay away from any place with less than a B safety rating.

https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/safest-colleges/s/virginia/?type=public

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd stay away from any place with less than a B safety rating.

https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/safest-colleges/s/virginia/?type=public

Lots of bullets have been flying around the UVA campus. Their C+ rating is grade inflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reports of jet noise over Georgetown have made me want to look more into the quality of life there.

The jet noise was really noticeable to me when DD and I toured Georgetown in January. Planes right overhead on the regular!

I asked her if it would bother her and she said it would not.

Now the rats, though...

DS is an animal lover (all creatures, big and small) and attends Georgetown. The rats didn't bother him at all, reminds him of Ratatouille, his favorite movie. The jet noise, on the other hand, drives him crazy - so he always wear his headphones.

[Anonymous]

Gender imbalance at W&M was very disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reports of jet noise over Georgetown have made me want to look more into the quality of life there.

You can't be serious.

I doubt you have heard of Georgetown's participation in multiple lawsuits regarding the noise. But I can hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU is a drunken party, from Wednesday to Sunday every week. For students who are able to balance things, it can be a great place. But if your student might go bananas with the freedom, think twice. It seems like it checks all the boxes for kids shut out of UVA/W&M/VaTech (and UMD), but it has its negatives too.

You are grossly overexaggerating - not to mention, all of the other schools you mentioned have parties several nights a week - most schools do. I've had two kids at JMU, one currently there, and your description is simply not accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reports of jet noise over Georgetown have made me want to look more into the quality of life there.

The jet noise was really noticeable to me when DD and I toured Georgetown in January. Planes right overhead on the regular!

I asked her if it would bother her and she said it would not.

Now the rats, though...

Don’t worry. She won’t get in, especially with the move to common app. Hardly anyone ever gets in from our VA public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd stay away from any place with less than a B safety rating.

https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/safest-colleges/s/virginia/?type=public

Lots of bullets have been flying around the UVA campus. Their C+ rating is grade inflation.

There are shootings pretty frequently in the city of Charlottesville. I’d guess though that the C+ is due to strong reporting culture. Schools were kids report crimes tend to have higher crime rates than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:American gave me pause. Didn’t offer any merit aid and seems to have fallen in quality.

LOL. You weren't good enough for merit yet it has fallen in quality?

Not PP but the acceptance rate is at like 60% now. It was far more selective or felt that way when I graduated in 2004.

It wasn’t.

[Anonymous]

Some of the neighborhoods around VCU in Richmond seem sketchy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU is a drunken party, from Wednesday to Sunday every week. For students who are able to balance things, it can be a great place. But if your student might go bananas with the freedom, think twice. It seems like it checks all the boxes for kids shut out of UVA/W&M/VaTech (and UMD), but it has its negatives too.

What a dumb post. Every school has kids who party several nights a week. Not everyone at JMU is out getting drunk every night. And kids that "might go bananas with the freedom" will have issues wherever they go to school, not just JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reports of jet noise over Georgetown have made me want to look more into the quality of life there.

Do you not live in this area? We have military and commercial flights over all of us all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd stay away from any place with less than a B safety rating.

https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/safest-colleges/s/virginia/?type=public

Lots of bullets have been flying around the UVA campus. Their C+ rating is grade inflation.

Nah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d love to know which local colleges gave you pause after you researched or read up on them?

(Local used broadly meaning anywhere in the DC, MD or VA areas)

What did you learn or find out that caused this pause in your consideration?

VA Tech after learning nearly all move off campus sophomore year, meaning you have to find roommates and housing October of freshman year. And the off campus housing isn't even walkable to campus, so you have to take a bus or have a car. The bus depot was a huge turnoff.

Didn't think my kid was ready to cook, grocery shop, live off campus etc so early on. And huge stress to have to find housing just after arriving at college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reports of jet noise over Georgetown have made me want to look more into the quality of life there.

the dorms at Georgetown gave me pause. Reports of mold, etc. sounds like a health hazard.