Radford- go or no go

[Anonymous]

If I didn't know better, I would feel like I was reading comments on a Story in the Atlantic, not on DCUM. OP's kid got into Radford. Radford. Raqqua, Syria has better educational opportunities than Radford. I would NEVER send my kid there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I didn't know better, I would feel like I was reading comments on a Story in the Atlantic, not on DCUM. OP's kid got into Radford. Radford. Raqqua, Syria has better educational opportunities than Radford. I would NEVER send my kid there.

Why do you feel compelled to cut down a school that's less competitive? It could be exactly the environment the OP's DS needs to turn things around and get excited about learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I didn't know better, I would feel like I was reading comments on a Story in the Atlantic, not on DCUM. OP's kid got into Radford. Radford. Raqqua, Syria has better educational opportunities than Radford. I would NEVER send my kid there.

Insipid comment from someone up way past their bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I didn't know better, I would feel like I was reading comments on a Story in the Atlantic, not on DCUM. OP's kid got into Radford. Radford. Raqqua, Syria has better educational opportunities than Radford. I would NEVER send my kid there.

So what's your opinion about CNU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I didn't know better, I would feel like I was reading comments on a Story in the Atlantic, not on DCUM. OP's kid got into Radford. Radford. Raqqua, Syria has better educational opportunities than Radford. I would NEVER send my kid there.

F**K you!

[Anonymous]

If you (and ds as well? It is not clear) are so negative about Radford, why did he even apply? Surely there must have been another safety school in the same price range that you all liked better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course not going to college is worse than a degree from Radford. Radford has wonderful teaching and nursing programs.

Op here- that's nice, but DS isn't going to be nurse or teacher. We don't want to at for what we are concerned is in fact a scarlet letter, a badge of underachievement.

I just read through everything and was so glad to see all the encouraging words about Radford and other universities that accept a wider range of students. But I just saw this from the OP and now I feel compelled to sound in again to say shame on you. Shame. Your child earned this acceptance yet you view it as a badge of underachievement? You've pretty much set him up to enter Redford or wherever else he goes knowing full well how you feel about him and his prospects. I can see you on Parents' Weekend surrounded by supportive parents and cutting down their kids and the school. Your child who is likely a late bloomer needs someplace to grow and you're just concerned that your friends will see it as a "bad" school. You may be paying the tuition, but let's not lose sight of the fact that this isn't about you, and if you don't give your kid the tools to learn and succeed, he could be wearing the badge of drifting or unemployment.

Your kid is not going to slip in the back door of UVA, so brace yourself for embracing his own path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not attending college is definitely not better than Radford. One of my friends went there. He's not killing it on Wall Street, but he does just fine for himself and his family.

I'll add a +1. One of my friends too. This friend is doing great since their Radford graduation and still ten years later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I didn't know better, I would feel like I was reading comments on a Story in the Atlantic, not on DCUM. OP's kid got into Radford. Radford. Raqqua, Syria has better educational opportunities than Radford. I would NEVER send my kid there.

If Radford was the best school your kid got into, you would rather your kid stop his education at high school? Foolish.

[Anonymous]

Why can't people just tell OP the truth and stop trying to sugar coat it? His kid got into among the worst colleges in the country and it would be a waste of money to go there. I would send my kid to the university of Phoenix online school before Redford. Now I'm sure people will say Phoenix is a good school.

[Anonymous]

Community college. It's a no brainer. If he isn't cut out for college then a trade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Radford was recruiting for a business honors program when my kid was applying. According to the literature, it would have included generous merit aid, small classes and pipelines to good internships. It was also limited to a very small group, I'm thinking 20-30 tops. Compare that to GMU's honors program, which filled two auditoriums at the accept student event.

Yes, comparing Radford and GMU and really any other state school is apples to orangoutangs. I think Redford sounds like a great fit for your son. He may absolutely thrive there and find his tribe. I wouldn't send him with the intention of transferring to a "better" school in 2 years. It is great for the late blooming kids to find their footing and get to know their school and stick it out. They also don't want to view their school as a consolation prize.

For what it's worth, I can't see a kid who thrives in Radford's small, rural setting automatically loving urban VCU or big-10-esque JMU. I can't speak to ODU. They're very different environments. We are lucky in VA to have many different types of learning spaces for different kids.

We are indeed. Thank you for posting. - signed, parent of two kids in the VA system and loving it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't people just tell OP the truth and stop trying to sugar coat it? His kid got into among the worst colleges in the country and it would be a waste of money to go there. I would send my kid to the university of Phoenix online school before Redford. Now I'm sure people will say Phoenix is a good school.

I don't know anything about Radord, but ...

US NEWS 2017 Rankings:
#47 (tie) in Regional Universities South
#29 (tie) in Best Colleges for Veterans
#16 (tie) in Top Public Schools
#326 (tie) in Business Programs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't people just tell OP the truth and stop trying to sugar coat it? His kid got into among the worst colleges in the country and it would be a waste of money to go there. I would send my kid to the university of Phoenix online school before Redford. Now I'm sure people will say Phoenix is a good school.

+1

OP, if you don't want your kid to go to Radford, don't go! Gap year, CC, volunteering ... lots of options to choose from. Maybe one of these places will be more to your liking?

https://www.nacacnet.org/collegeopenings