The Other Virginia Colleges: VCU, ODU, GMU, CNU, UMW . . . .

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Black people make up 12% of the US population. I personally wouldn't send my black children (I'm white) to a school that has less than 10% of black people. I'd like the school to reflect the country. Plus we are from NoVA where the black population is about 19%

I'm the PP, I'm black and think you are misguided but you do you. For what it's worth Harvard's black population is roughly 7% so I guess that would be out.

Yes. It would. Not sure why that's hard to believe. My children's experience at college will affect their ability to learn. TJ is a very sought after (albeit hot button) HS in our area. My black child was accepted before the admissions changes. We declined due to lack of diversity. I didn't even want DS to apply but he wanted to see if he could get in. Representation is important so yes, Harvard would be out. We wouldn't apply to places like Harvard because they don't give merit and we don't qualify for financial aid so it's moot ,anyway.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I graduated from VCU in 2010, and was lucky to find a decent job right after graduation, which turned into a great career (Financial Analyst with a Fortune 500 company). I graduated with a 3.53 overall and a 3.73 in my majors (doubled in Finance and Real Estate), that being said, I am still stigmatized because of my VCU degree, particularly by graduates of top tier schools (UVA, W&M, UNC, UoR, etc...), and before landing my current position, potential employers. Maybe 10 years from now my degree might carry more weight (VCU is improving relatively quickly), but if I had to do it over again I would choose a different path. Community colleges offer guaranteed admissions programs to UVA or W&M, given you take the program's courses and maintain a high GPA, a 3.5 in most cases. You'll save money and end up with a degree from a top 40 university, which may open doors that VCU, GMU, JMU, or CNU could not. I know this is an unpopular choice with many high school graduates (I definitely did not want to go to community college), but it is a great alternative. Although, you do miss out on the freshman/sophomore social experience that were some of the best times of my life.

Bypassing the community college route, I would never select CNU over JMU or GMU. CNU was a community college not to long ago, but then a new president built a ton of new buildings and arbitrarily raised the admission requirements. Also, CNU is in Newport News (aka "Bad News"), a filthy suburban "city" where shopping malls are the most popular attractions. At least VCU and GMU offer urban perks and JMU offers beautiful mountains vistas...........................................................................

So, if you are living in NoVa, I'm guessing that you either work for Freddie Mac or Capital One.

No, Richmond, and I prefer not to name the company. Grew up in Hampton Roads, but spent summers in Washington DC. Worked in Washington DC for a year after college. Sometimes its better to have a perspective outside the NoVa eyeglass.

capital one. not that many dude

Altria, MeadWestVaco, Dominion Resources, CarMax, Owens and Minor...

how many of those are F500?

Carmax is for sure. CEO is a JMU Duke-class of '91.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

There are 6.48% AA students at UVA. 3-4% makes that 1.5 times as many. It's a big difference. 3-4% more also means 3-4% less of the dominant group.

This attitude is exactly why things will never change. Diversity goes way beyond race and color, maybe people need to start focusing on other things beyond color of skin.

For AA students, it's not about diversity or "skin color" it's about a sustained experience of racism for their cultural group.

Speak for yourself, I'm black, my spouse is black and our kid's are black. This paradigm is not what we teach our children.

So you don't teach your kids about racism?

Everyone should learn about racism- regardless of color. Everyone should also be nice- don’t be mean- don’t expect anything on basis of color. Behavior counts.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

There are 6.48% AA students at UVA. 3-4% makes that 1.5 times as many. It's a big difference. 3-4% more also means 3-4% less of the dominant group.

This attitude is exactly why things will never change. Diversity goes way beyond race and color, maybe people need to start focusing on other things beyond color of skin.

For AA students, it's not about diversity or "skin color" it's about a sustained experience of racism for their cultural group.

Speak for yourself, I'm black, my spouse is black and our kid's are black. This paradigm is not what we teach our children.

So you don't teach your kids about racism?

We don't teach it as an impediment to success and a reason to not try your hardest to succeed in life. You can understand that something is present and have enough pride and resilience to rise above it, not sure why this is a hard concept.

Did anyone else say something that differs from that? You can know that there is sustained racism, prefer to attend institutions that have robust programs to support the Black community at a school, and still know it's on you to deal with it individually and that you are fully capable of it. Not sure why that's a hard concept either.

What am I saying that is so offensive? If you prefer to attend an institution that has robust programs to support the black community than do it. That is simply not a prerequisite for our family and that is our journey, you live your life and raise your kids accordingly and we'll do the same.

To me, you seemed to imply that teaching your kids about racism in institutions was not the paradigm you taught your kids-- when I responded that people who think about the race percentages represented aren't just thinking about diversity and "skin color" but rather the experiences of sustained racism in our country.

And to me it seemed that you then you indicated that somehow pride and resilience are at odds with caring about how an institution handles the fact that we are in a society with sustained racism (when you asked "not sure why that's a hard concept either" when you posted it in response to my comment about sustained racism). I think people are more likely to experience pride and resilience by acknowledging racism, fighting it, selecting institutions that show they are interested in and capable of supporting you and your community, and working hard and doing your best despite all this. Personally, I'm not like the poster who has a firm line of not above 10% --a lot of factors go into choosing a school--but when I see 6% at a flagship state university with a Black population of more than 3x that in the state, it raises questions for me and is a mark against it. So I'm fine with you thinking different, but your comments seemed antagonistic. Sorry if I misinterpreted.

For the record, every society has sustained racism. USA cares to change it, while most others don’t.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

+1
I looked that up too. So absurd.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

There are 6.48% AA students at UVA. 3-4% makes that 1.5 times as many. It's a big difference. 3-4% more also means 3-4% less of the dominant group.

This attitude is exactly why things will never change. Diversity goes way beyond race and color, maybe people need to start focusing on other things beyond color of skin.

For AA students, it's not about diversity or "skin color" it's about a sustained experience of racism for their cultural group.

Speak for yourself, I'm black, my spouse is black and our kid's are black. This paradigm is not what we teach our children.

Very thankful to hear this.
DP

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

Maybe you need to retake basic math. 3% is a big difference. Would you want a 3% raise or a 6% raise? Also, I don't have kids at either school but Google says it's a 4% difference. Again, a lot! Congrats to your son OP. My DD wants to go to Vandy. She's not a minority but it's her dream school.

Is it???

3% DIFFERENCE in the percentage of AA students is NOT big.

There are 6.48% AA students at UVA. 3-4% makes that 1.5 times as many. It's a big difference. 3-4% more also means 3-4% less of the dominant group.

This attitude is exactly why things will never change. Diversity goes way beyond race and color, maybe people need to start focusing on other things beyond color of skin.

What a privileged thing to say.

URM don't want to be around a large majority of people like you.

DP. You do not speak for all URM. Not by a longshot.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

+1
I looked that up too. So absurd.

I looked it up too. The profiles are almost identical. Considering how much more black Nashville is, I would say UVA is doing very well acting as a flagship in a state that doesn't have the demographics that Nashville does.

The enrolled student population at Vanderbilt University is 52.2% White, 11% Asian, 9.49% Black or African American, 8.63% Hispanic or Latino, 4.49% Two or More Races, 0.34% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.236% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
UVA: Is UVA diverse?
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

The enrolled student population at University of Virginia-Main Campus is 56.8% White, 13.1% Asian, 6.48% Black or African American, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.52% Two or More Races, 0.0897% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0702% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

+1
I looked that up too. So absurd.

I looked it up too. The profiles are almost identical. Considering how much more black Nashville is, I would say UVA is doing very well acting as a flagship in a state that doesn't have the demographics that Nashville does.

The enrolled student population at Vanderbilt University is 52.2% White, 11% Asian, 9.49% Black or African American, 8.63% Hispanic or Latino, 4.49% Two or More Races, 0.34% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.236% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
UVA: Is UVA diverse?
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

The enrolled student population at University of Virginia-Main Campus is 56.8% White, 13.1% Asian, 6.48% Black or African American, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.52% Two or More Races, 0.0897% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0702% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

Vanderbilt is a private school that draws nationally (i.e. not locally from Nashville) not a public school that is meant to be supported by, and as a resource for the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:URM Female with high stats wants to go to GMU for CS. Everyone, including her teachers, discourages her. They tell her she is better suited for UVA and VT (we have to stay in-state) but she has no desire due to their low diversity. Not everyone looking at GMU is a poor student. People select schools for several reasons. Her stats put her in the top percent of admitted students but she really liked GMU. She doesn't view the quiet weekend feel as a drawback. She loves the program, internship opportunities and diversity.

How are schools like UVA and VT supposed to become more diverse if URMs reject them out of hand for lack of diversity?

They invest in cohort programs, support services and actively recruit and convince students rather than just assuming they will come and thrive.

+1. My black son isn't going to be a guinea pig. He turned down UVA due to lack of diversity and opted for Vanderbilt. He received merit scholarships from both but we would have liked him to be in VA and closer to home. He is starting hid sophomore year this year and is very happy there.

So your kid made a decision based on a 3% difference in black students at one school vs another? 🤔 might be time to stop patting yourself on the back.

+1
I looked that up too. So absurd.

I looked it up too. The profiles are almost identical. Considering how much more black Nashville is, I would say UVA is doing very well acting as a flagship in a state that doesn't have the demographics that Nashville does.

The enrolled student population at Vanderbilt University is 52.2% White, 11% Asian, 9.49% Black or African American, 8.63% Hispanic or Latino, 4.49% Two or More Races, 0.34% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.236% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
UVA: Is UVA diverse?
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

The enrolled student population at University of Virginia-Main Campus is 56.8% White, 13.1% Asian, 6.48% Black or African American, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 4.52% Two or More Races, 0.0897% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0702% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.

Vanderbilt is a private school that draws nationally (i.e. not locally from Nashville) not a public school that is meant to be supported by, and as a resource for the state.

Correct. It has more marketing resources and more money to throw at admissions but it’s also in a city and state that has more URM demographics so if course it’s easier to pull in whatever category you want to buy. So comparing it to a state school with a very different demographic is just absurd

[Anonymous]

Which one of these is on a strong upward trajectory?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which one of these is on a strong upward trajectory?

I think the only VA college that has made a jump in ranking over the last decade is Virginia Tech. And it’s not a subject of this thread.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why name recognition is such a big issue for you rich white mommas. The vast majority of children in this country are at universities you've never heard of and most of them will end up very successful. I know many Ivy and top state grads who are plugging away at the same average boring jobs as people who went to no name schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black people make up 12% of the US population. I personally wouldn't send my black children (I'm white) to a school that has less than 10% of black people. I'd like the school to reflect the country. Plus we are from NoVA where the black population is about 19%

I'm the PP, I'm black and think you are misguided but you do you. For what it's worth Harvard's black population is roughly 7% so I guess that would be out.

Yes. It would. Not sure why that's hard to believe. My children's experience at college will affect their ability to learn. TJ is a very sought after (albeit hot button) HS in our area. My black child was accepted before the admissions changes. We declined due to lack of diversity. I didn't even want DS to apply but he wanted to see if he could get in. Representation is important so yes, Harvard would be out. We wouldn't apply to places like Harvard because they don't give merit and we don't qualify for financial aid so it's moot ,anyway.

Admissions statistics for AA for Harvard is 15% of acceptances for class of 2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why name recognition is such a big issue for you rich white mommas. The vast majority of children in this country are at universities you've never heard of and most of them will end up very successful. I know many Ivy and top state grads who are plugging away at the same average boring jobs as people who went to no name schools.

Curious why you felt it was necessary to label others with the bolded.