Virginia parents do not have many good in-state options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just an aside, OP... I DO get it. I wish there was a traditional college big-state U that pretty much admitted everyone with a 3.0 and above. That's the missing piece in VA. We have VT and UVA -- but they have become so selective that even a 4.0 student cannot expect to be admitted to VT. And forget about UVA.

Isn't that basically JMU? It's got an 80% acceptance rate, and fits the archetype of the school for kids who are a step down academically from the state flagship.

The thing with JMU is that it's a regional university. Other states have XXX State Univ. and Univ. of XXX. The two big name powerhouses. JMU just doesn't compare with name recognition. I'm sure JMU is just as good academically as the big state U types of schools (except in the CS and Engineering majors). It's just the name recognition that is a negative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just an aside, OP... I DO get it. I wish there was a traditional college big-state U that pretty much admitted everyone with a 3.0 and above. That's the missing piece in VA. We have VT and UVA -- but they have become so selective that even a 4.0 student cannot expect to be admitted to VT. And forget about UVA.

Isn't that basically JMU? It's got an 80% acceptance rate, and fits the archetype of the school for kids who are a step down academically from the state flagship.

Sun Belt conference not SEC/Big10/Big12 and it's not close to a flagship. I think the thing we're missing is a Ohio State/Nebraska/Alabama - a huge flagship that takes almost every qualified in state applicant. I think VT is actually the closest that we have to big-state U here. It's relatively easy to get into outside of STEM majors but still has a good reputation, they have major sports and the school itself is pretty big

I'm kind of confused- PP was looking for a big school with fairly easy admission standards that provides the traditional college experience. I think JMU kind of fits that bill. I went to University of Michigan (in-state), and I see JMU playing a similar role in the Virginia college system that Michigan State plays in Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Would you rather go to JMU or WVU? Name recognition and all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just an aside, OP... I DO get it. I wish there was a traditional college big-state U that pretty much admitted everyone with a 3.0 and above. That's the missing piece in VA. We have VT and UVA -- but they have become so selective that even a 4.0 student cannot expect to be admitted to VT. And forget about UVA.

Isn't that basically JMU? It's got an 80% acceptance rate, and fits the archetype of the school for kids who are a step down academically from the state flagship.

The thing with JMU is that it's a regional university. Other states have XXX State Univ. and Univ. of XXX. The two big name powerhouses. JMU just doesn't compare with name recognition. I'm sure JMU is just as good academically as the big state U types of schools (except in the CS and Engineering majors). It's just the name recognition that is a negative.

I can't really think of a state where this is the case, other than California. Florida, Michigan, Texas etc. have big-name flagship colleges with national and international standing, but the rest of the schools in those states are much more regional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
UVA
Richmond
JMU
W&M
George Mason
Va Tech
VCU
Christopher Newport
ODU
Washington and Lee
Liberty
Mary Washington
Radford
Bridgewater
Averett
Hampton Sydney
Longwood
Norfolk State
UVA -Wise
Eastern Mennonite
Hollins
Roanoke
Bluefield
VA State
Hampton Univ
Emery and Henry
Randolph Macon
Regent
Lynchburg Univ
Southern Va Univ
Ascent College
VA Union
Sweet Briar
Shenandoah Univ
Ferrum Univ
Marymount
Mary Baldwin
VA Wesleyan

Boom. 38 options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you rather go to JMU or WVU? Name recognition and all.

That's too broad a question. The answer is going to depend on things like, what major you're going into, and where you expect to end up after college.

[Anonymous]

This is hilarious because most states have, at best, one decent flagship option and then a handful of tiny options with very limited offerings and no reputation at all. And the flagship will be less well regarded than JMU.

Like just total ignorance here.

[Anonymous]

"Yes, Virginia has UVa, W&M and VT."

Add JMU and GMU and those 5 provides plenty of options for most VA residents- from average to elite.

You're not going to get a "one-size-fits-all" college option in VA without sacrificing selectivity.

Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Whomever is posting has to be a non-Virginian trolling. Virginia is blessed with public and private options. Look at these schools! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_Virginia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland parents often complain about the lack of instate public options other than UMCP.

Guess what, Virginia is not that much better in my opinion.

Yes, Virginia has UVa, W&M and VT.

But Virginia is more populous than Maryland and W&M undergraduate enrollment is tiny. In addition, more Maryland parents are willing to send their kids to private colleges like many other parents in Northern states.

VT limits the number of in-state admission to get more OOS kids. So what if your kids don’t get in UVa, VT or W&M? That’s the big issue for many parents.

JMU is considered as the next best option. And I do think it’s a fine school and its business program is a solid choice. But what if your kids want to major in engineering or hard scinece? JMU doesn’t even have a proper engineering school (college of integrated science and engineering is not a real engineering school in my opinion).

GMU offers decent engineering and CS programs but not everyone in Northern Virginia wants to go to a school in Fairfax.

Too many good and ambitious Virginia kids don’t get in UVa, W&M, and VT. I think this is why there have been increased interest in some of OOS public school (pitt, IU, UDel, UConn, Tenn, Alabama, etc. ) among Virginia parents.

Cry me a river.
Signed,
DC resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland parents often complain about the lack of instate public options other than UMCP.

Guess what, Virginia is not that much better in my opinion.

Yes, Virginia has UVa, W&M and VT.

But Virginia is more populous than Maryland and W&M undergraduate enrollment is tiny. In addition, more Maryland parents are willing to send their kids to private colleges like many other parents in Northern states.

VT limits the number of in-state admission to get more OOS kids. So what if your kids don’t get in UVa, VT or W&M? That’s the big issue for many parents.

JMU is considered as the next best option. And I do think it’s a fine school and its business program is a solid choice. But what if your kids want to major in engineering or hard scinece? JMU doesn’t even have a proper engineering school (college of integrated science and engineering is not a real engineering school in my opinion).

GMU offers decent engineering and CS programs but not everyone in Northern Virginia wants to go to a school in Fairfax.

Too many good and ambitious Virginia kids don’t get in UVa, W&M, and VT. I think this is why there have been increased interest in some of OOS public school (pitt, IU, UDel, UConn, Tenn, Alabama, etc. ) among Virginia parents.

are you not aware of what a juggernaut GMU has become in engineering, computer science, cybersecurity? Look up the Volgenau school of engineering. It's huge and their kids get paid internships on the Dulles and I-270 corridor. My own kid is proof. And hired before graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just an aside, OP... I DO get it. I wish there was a traditional college big-state U that pretty much admitted everyone with a 3.0 and above. That's the missing piece in VA. We have VT and UVA -- but they have become so selective that even a 4.0 student cannot expect to be admitted to VT. And forget about UVA.

Isn't that basically JMU? It's got an 80% acceptance rate, and fits the archetype of the school for kids who are a step down academically from the state flagship.

The thing with JMU is that it's a regional university. Other states have XXX State Univ. and Univ. of XXX. The two big name powerhouses. JMU just doesn't compare with name recognition. I'm sure JMU is just as good academically as the big state U types of schools (except in the CS and Engineering majors). It's just the name recognition that is a negative.

I can't really think of a state where this is the case, other than California. Florida, Michigan, Texas etc. have big-name flagship colleges with national and international standing, but the rest of the schools in those states are much more regional.

This. In a lot of states, both the Univ. of XXX and XXX State Univ. options are regional schools.

Some states there is a flagship that is popular with out of state students for reasons unrelated to academics. Like University of Colorado (which is actually a great school, but it's very pricy for OOS kids and the main draw is skiing/setting + parties for them). But still Colorado State (also a great school) has a much more limited reputation and is really more of a regional school.

VA is very fortunate to have as many options as it does given its size. Of course most states can't compete with the UC system, which is massive. VA punches well above it's weight class when you account for population size and tax base.

[Anonymous]

Never has a post on this forum been so wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maryland parents often complain about the lack of instate public options other than UMCP.

Guess what, Virginia is not that much better in my opinion.

Yes, Virginia has UVa, W&M and VT.

But Virginia is more populous than Maryland and W&M undergraduate enrollment is tiny. In addition, more Maryland parents are willing to send their kids to private colleges like many other parents in Northern states.

VT limits the number of in-state admission to get more OOS kids. So what if your kids don’t get in UVa, VT or W&M? That’s the big issue for many parents.

JMU is considered as the next best option. And I do think it’s a fine school and its business program is a solid choice. But what if your kids want to major in engineering or hard scinece? JMU doesn’t even have a proper engineering school (college of integrated science and engineering is not a real engineering school in my opinion).

GMU offers decent engineering and CS programs but not everyone in Northern Virginia wants to go to a school in Fairfax.

Too many good and ambitious Virginia kids don’t get in UVa, W&M, and VT. I think this is why there have been increased interest in some of OOS public school (pitt, IU, UDel, UConn, Tenn, Alabama, etc. ) among Virginia parents.

Cry me a river.
Signed,
DC resident

Seriously, you get DC tag and nothing else. This is why we moved to VA. Both of our kids went in-state

[Anonymous]

I think it's a shame that people can't see past their snobbery and consider the "other" VA schools which are quite good.

It's either Ivy adjacent or big time football - nothing else will do, huh? /s