If WM instate is the target, where else is your DC applying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

If you want the academic peers of William and Mary and want similar size(4k-9k), it is Emory, Wake, WashU, Vanderbilt. If you want hardest academics for the size, add Duke and the ivies. There are no other true academic peers in that size range for the in-state price. The ones that offer lots of merit are NOT academic peers. Not close. You get what you pay for: virginia residents get a huge deal for a near-T15 type experience and peers.

Sorry - these are not peers of W&M. They are several steps UP.

Whatever you need to tell yourself to write $400k in checks.

My kids attend other excellent in-state universities.

So you have no experience with any of the schools mentioned in this thread. Let me guess, your opinions are based on USNWR rankings.

Like 99% of all Americans?
DP

No, many of us know better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

If you want the academic peers of William and Mary and want similar size(4k-9k), it is Emory, Wake, WashU, Vanderbilt. If you want hardest academics for the size, add Duke and the ivies. There are no other true academic peers in that size range for the in-state price. The ones that offer lots of merit are NOT academic peers. Not close. You get what you pay for: virginia residents get a huge deal for a near-T15 type experience and peers.

Sorry - these are not peers of W&M. They are several steps UP.

Whatever you need to tell yourself to write $400k in checks.

My kids attend other excellent in-state universities.

So you have no experience with any of the schools mentioned in this thread. Let me guess, your opinions are based on USNWR rankings.

Like 99% of all Americans?
DP

No, many of us know better.

Sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

It is difficult. No other state offers a slac-like experience like W&M. Think about UVA. The class is only 4400, so, yes, not small like W&M but same caliber of student and, if your child winds up in humanities (bear in mind some 80% of students change their majors ar least once), the smaller seminar courses start very soon. My UVA history kid had seminar courses starting second year. I was very impressed by the small courses and topics he was having from third year on. He received a far better education and experience than I did at my slac.

Not a Virginia parent. I’m envious that Virginia has a great public mid-size SLAC option like W & M. Wish other states had the same.

Same. Virginia families are extremely lucky. I would never pay OOS tuition if I had the choices you have.

We sent both kids to instate VA: UVA and GMU. We wake up every morning to thank God for VA schools. They enabled us to bank the difference between VA instate and other options and were able to send one off onna career and the other to grad school and now law school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CNU is about 4,000 students. Great dorms, almost entirely residential, small classes, liberal learning core. Greek life and football games but neither overwhelm those uninterested. And low tuition. A nice school. I think it gets really overlooked on this website.

Kids of two people I worked with went there and spoke highly of what a recent president did to really upgrade that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU is about 4,000 students. Great dorms, almost entirely residential, small classes, liberal learning core. Greek life and football games but neither overwhelm those uninterested. And low tuition. A nice school. I think it gets really overlooked on this website.

Kids of two people I worked with went there and spoke highly of what a recent president did to really upgrade that school.

Yeah Paul Trible. It was William and Mary’s junior college and then a commuter school before Trible. First dorms were built in early 1990s.

Next presidents mandate will be to improve academic quality. But will be more difficult with the baby bust and flight to quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

It is difficult. No other state offers a slac-like experience like W&M. Think about UVA. The class is only 4400, so, yes, not small like W&M but same caliber of student and, if your child winds up in humanities (bear in mind some 80% of students change their majors ar least once), the smaller seminar courses start very soon. My UVA history kid had seminar courses starting second year. I was very impressed by the small courses and topics he was having from third year on. He received a far better education and experience than I did at my slac.

Not a Virginia parent. I’m envious that Virginia has a great public mid-size SLAC option like W & M. Wish other states had the same.

Same. Virginia families are extremely lucky. I would never pay OOS tuition if I had the choices you have.

Agree. My siblings and I all attended in-state VA schools. Our parents did not allow us to apply elsewhere.

It's a bit of a 'golden hand-cuffs' situation. While it is fantastic--if the kid really wants to get out of state and experience elsewhere--it makes it harder to justify.

With our kids, we looked at his list and agreed upon what schools we'd be willing to pay private/full-pay over in-state VA. Some were due to his program (not STEM), etc.

He was accepted into an Ivy and now we are full-pay there. It makes me pause at times, but in his case I truly think it is worth it. It seems to be the right choice. He is incredibly happy. On a club sports team and very involved, never in his dorm room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

It is difficult. No other state offers a slac-like experience like W&M. Think about UVA. The class is only 4400, so, yes, not small like W&M but same caliber of student and, if your child winds up in humanities (bear in mind some 80% of students change their majors ar least once), the smaller seminar courses start very soon. My UVA history kid had seminar courses starting second year. I was very impressed by the small courses and topics he was having from third year on. He received a far better education and experience than I did at my slac.

Not a Virginia parent. I’m envious that Virginia has a great public mid-size SLAC option like W & M. Wish other states had the same.

Same. Virginia families are extremely lucky. I would never pay OOS tuition if I had the choices you have.

Agree. My siblings and I all attended in-state VA schools. Our parents did not allow us to apply elsewhere.

It's a bit of a 'golden hand-cuffs' situation. While it is fantastic--if the kid really wants to get out of state and experience elsewhere--it makes it harder to justify.

With our kids, we looked at his list and agreed upon what schools we'd be willing to pay private/full-pay over in-state VA. Some were due to his program (not STEM), etc.

He was accepted into an Ivy and now we are full-pay there. It makes me pause at times, but in his case I truly think it is worth it. It seems to be the right choice. He is incredibly happy. On a club sports team and very involved, never in his dorm room.

^oh and a big part of it is that since I was in his situation--being told to go in-state when I had the stats to go anywhere--I didn't want him to make the choice on that. We can afford it--though saving that additional $ would have been really nice. It is something we budgeted for a long time ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

It is difficult. No other state offers a slac-like experience like W&M. Think about UVA. The class is only 4400, so, yes, not small like W&M but same caliber of student and, if your child winds up in humanities (bear in mind some 80% of students change their majors ar least once), the smaller seminar courses start very soon. My UVA history kid had seminar courses starting second year. I was very impressed by the small courses and topics he was having from third year on. He received a far better education and experience than I did at my slac.

Not a Virginia parent. I’m envious that Virginia has a great public mid-size SLAC option like W & M. Wish other states had the same.

Same. Virginia families are extremely lucky. I would never pay OOS tuition if I had the choices you have.

We sent both kids to instate VA: UVA and GMU. We wake up every morning to thank God for VA schools. They enabled us to bank the difference between VA instate and other options and were able to send one off onna career and the other to grad school and now law school

VA residents are extremely lucky at the depth and breadth of college choices. Yes, UVA/Tech/WM are steps above the others but the middle portion are still excellent choices (GMU/JMU/VCU). if your kid is a candidate for the first 3, then they will get into the next 3. Unless you can afford to easily pay more, I don't know why you would go OOS (unless you do private and chase merit---there are good options in the 60-120 range that can be affordable). At the next 3, your kid will likely get some merit as well, making it more affordable. Nothing better for a kid to not have loans and to have help with grad school or a new car or a house downpayment (from the money saved by doing In-state).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both my kids applied and got in. One attended, on didn’t. Other school options were heavy on Midwestern LACs with merit.

Pitt (early yes was nice and the campus doesn’t seem as large as it is)
Kenyon
Oberlin
Wooster
St. Olaf
Macalaster
Grinnell.

The kid who went to WM got in ED (her GPA was borderline). The kid who didn’t got into all of the above with decent merit.

We are OOS (midwest) but my dd is interested in W&M and looking at just about all these schools you mentioned. We are trying to keep tuition + room and board to 65K. So chasing OOS publics (our state flagship is not great) and SLACs with good merit. She is also looking at Whitman, but that would be far from home for you all. She is looking at UW and UMN as well - UW because of their programs (and it is driveable for us) and UMN because it has a smaller campus for her major and may "feel" smaller. We have not toured schools yet, though.

[Anonymous]

If you are instate, there is no other public option anywhere that gives you the size of WM for the same price. It is truly singular. Yes, you can find similar schools, but not for the same instate price. And, yes, you can match WM’s price by attending a lower-quality school that provides merit. But, both of those options require significant trade offs. Best to ED to WM and hope for the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both my kids applied and got in. One attended, on didn’t. Other school options were heavy on Midwestern LACs with merit.

Pitt (early yes was nice and the campus doesn’t seem as large as it is)
Kenyon
Oberlin
Wooster
St. Olaf
Macalaster
Grinnell.

The kid who went to WM got in ED (her GPA was borderline). The kid who didn’t got into all of the above with decent merit.

We are OOS (midwest) but my dd is interested in W&M and looking at just about all these schools you mentioned. We are trying to keep tuition + room and board to 65K. So chasing OOS publics (our state flagship is not great) and SLACs with good merit. She is also looking at Whitman, but that would be far from home for you all. She is looking at UW and UMN as well - UW because of their programs (and it is driveable for us) and UMN because it has a smaller campus for her major and may "feel" smaller. We have not toured schools yet, though.

Please be sure to visit Whitman before deciding to attend. It is a great school. But small and very isolated in Walla Walla. Walla Walla is a fun town to visit for 2-3 days as a 21+ adult for wine tasting. But it can get boring really really fast. There is not much to do there outside of the college. So just make certain you visit and really really like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to find a balance of small school, good academics and not crazy expensive. I’m guessing we will have to sacrifice on school size for the other applications?

It is difficult. No other state offers a slac-like experience like W&M. Think about UVA. The class is only 4400, so, yes, not small like W&M but same caliber of student and, if your child winds up in humanities (bear in mind some 80% of students change their majors ar least once), the smaller seminar courses start very soon. My UVA history kid had seminar courses starting second year. I was very impressed by the small courses and topics he was having from third year on. He received a far better education and experience than I did at my slac.

Not a Virginia parent. I’m envious that Virginia has a great public mid-size SLAC option like W & M. Wish other states had the same.

Same. Virginia families are extremely lucky. I would never pay OOS tuition if I had the choices you have.

We sent both kids to instate VA: UVA and GMU. We wake up every morning to thank God for VA schools. They enabled us to bank the difference between VA instate and other options and were able to send one off onna career and the other to grad school and now law school

Not that cheap considering a few of my neighbors kids went to University of Maryland and commuted. and did the dual enrolment with Montgomery College in HS which is free and APs. But I want my kids to go away so not pushing that on them.