Private Schools in VA for this kid - suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of admissions data available on the Internet is from the common data set and colleges have no specific guidelines for reporting GPA on their common data set. Some report weighted GPA, others report unweighted, or recalculated, or omit GPA data altogether. Stanford reports a 3.95. Comparing that to UVAs 4.23 is completely useless.

I agree there are no standards for GPAs. Prepscholar has UNC average GPA at 4.63, UVA at 4.23, and Stanford at 3.95. I doubt that that is the correct order for selectivity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of admissions data available on the Internet is from the common data set and colleges have no specific guidelines for reporting GPA on their common data set. Some report weighted GPA, others report unweighted, or recalculated, or omit GPA data altogether. Stanford reports a 3.95. Comparing that to UVAs 4.23 is completely useless.

I agree there are no standards for GPAs. Prepscholar has UNC average GPA at 4.63, UVA at 4.23, and Stanford at 3.95. I doubt that that is the correct order for selectivity.

And Harvard is 4.1. That would make the selectivity order 1) UNC Chapel Hill 2) UVA 3) Harvard and 4) Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son goes to Randolph Macon. He got an incredible offer but his SAT was higher and he is also an athlete. But, it’s a really great school (it’s very small but that’s an advantage for a lot of reasons). It’s a beautiful campus. He really likes it.

A “really great school”? Seems a bit of a stretch. Six year graduation rate in the high 50’s. Rankings, acceptance rate, test scores, salary metrics - none are very competitive. (Though I agree the campus is very nice.) That’s a long way from great. Not saying it doesn’t have a place in the spectrum of students but great is a term that gets thrown around a lot. If Macon is really great then that’s an extremely long list. And for the record, my less-than-studious son is looking at Macon so I’m no hater.

If your kid end up there, don’t embarrass him by calling it “Macon.” Randolph and Macon are the last names of the founders, not one guy called Randolph Macon. It’s not like Mason up here or Madison, as JMU used to be known. No reason to snub poor Mr. Randolph.

My brother and a close friend went there. They call it Macon, as do all of their alum friends. May not be a thing any longer. But really important post. Way to contribute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about University of Richmond? Small, gorgeous campus, well regarded. I don't know what kind of financial aid package they would have, though. A friend's child attends and loves it.

U of R is (based solely off percentages) harder to get into than UVA or W&M. It's a popular school for private school kids from the Northeast. And it's very expensive.

Wow, I had no idea it was that competitive. Thanks for the FYI. Like I said, our friend's child attends and he really loves it. He is very smart but honestly his grades in high school didn't always reflect it so his stats looked a lot like OP's daughter, which is why I suggested it as an option.

It's not. Average GPA entering class into U of R is a 3.83. UVA's average entering student is a 4.23. While you can't compare selectivity figures of a private university (more able to play games to rise in the U.S. News & World Report ranking than a public) to a public, still U. of Richard is at 32% of applications submitting, while UVA has dropped to 26%. You should be in the very top of your class to apply to UVA, not so with U of R. UVA is now the no. 2 public university in the United States. Also, the average SAT at U. of Richmond is a 1380 with 1300 being the bottom 25% of the class. ACT range an U. of Richmond is about 29-32. AT UVA it is 30-34. 93% of UVA's class of 2022 were in the top ten percent of their high school class. U. of R is rated "Moderately Selective"; UVA is rated "Most Selective". For U of Richmond, the SAT top 75%ile is 1430/median 1380 and bottom 25%ile is 1295. UVA's is 1480/1400/1320. ACT for Richmond is 32/31/29. UVA's is 33/32/29. UVA's 75th%ile GPA is 4.44, median 4.29 and 25%ile is 4.13, which mean just about everyone in the entering class of 2022 at UVA had a higher GPA than the average student at Richmond. http://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp

You post this repeatedly.

[Anonymous]

Has she thought about Randolph-Macon, Mary Baldwin, Hollins, Roanoke College, and Randolph College? These are the types of LACs where I received scholarship offers before.

I would look at small LACs in Virginia and PA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has she thought about Randolph-Macon, Mary Baldwin, Hollins, Roanoke College, and Randolph College? These are the types of LACs where I received scholarship offers before.

I would look at small LACs in Virginia and PA.

Great suggestions. Generally speaking, the more competitive the student in relation to the college, the more money they’ll throw the student’s way. (Though endowment and commitment to FA is another factor, and I’m way too lazy to look up those numbers for these schools.)

I’d also echo the concern about Sweetbriar. They are on life support. Definitely rooting for them but I’d worry that a shutdown is a distinct possibility, either during the four years or later, which would de-value the sheepskin. Plus they can’t have a ton of cash to hand to students. That said, wow those alums love their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd definitely look at Bryn Mawr College. A truly great school. All-women, which makes it less popular than it once was (and a little easier to get into than it used to be), but it has close relationships with nearby coed Haverford and Swarthmore. I have no idea on merit aid---my guess is it is more focused on financial aid, but worth applying.

For VA public colleges, are you underselling with CNU and JMU?

How so? I'd be thrilled for my kid with similar stats to go to either one.

You'd be thrilled for your kid with a 4.2 to go to CNU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd definitely look at Bryn Mawr College. A truly great school. All-women, which makes it less popular than it once was (and a little easier to get into than it used to be), but it has close relationships with nearby coed Haverford and Swarthmore. I have no idea on merit aid---my guess is it is more focused on financial aid, but worth applying.

For VA public colleges, are you underselling with CNU and JMU?

How so? I'd be thrilled for my kid with similar stats to go to either one.

You'd be thrilled for your kid with a 4.2 to go to CNU?

No kidding. And a 1350 SAT at CNU is a genius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd definitely look at Bryn Mawr College. A truly great school. All-women, which makes it less popular than it once was (and a little easier to get into than it used to be), but it has close relationships with nearby coed Haverford and Swarthmore. I have no idea on merit aid---my guess is it is more focused on financial aid, but worth applying.

For VA public colleges, are you underselling with CNU and JMU?

How so? I'd be thrilled for my kid with similar stats to go to either one.

You'd be thrilled for your kid with a 4.2 to go to CNU?

No kidding. And a 1350 SAT at CNU is a genius.

Both 4.2 GPA and 1350 SAT would be well above 75th percentile at CNU. 75th percentile SAT at CNU is 1280, which was the same as Virginia Tech for 2017.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd definitely look at Bryn Mawr College. A truly great school. All-women, which makes it less popular than it once was (and a little easier to get into than it used to be), but it has close relationships with nearby coed Haverford and Swarthmore. I have no idea on merit aid---my guess is it is more focused on financial aid, but worth applying.

For VA public colleges, are you underselling with CNU and JMU?

How so? I'd be thrilled for my kid with similar stats to go to either one.

You'd be thrilled for your kid with a 4.2 to go to CNU?

No kidding. And a 1350 SAT at CNU is a genius.

Both 4.2 GPA and 1350 SAT would be well above 75th percentile at CNU. 75th percentile SAT at CNU is 1280, which was the same as Virginia Tech for 2017.

Uh, no, the 75th percentile for VA Tech in 2017 was 1360, and I guarantee you it was higher in 2018. https://www.ir.vt.edu/data/cds.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd definitely look at Bryn Mawr College. A truly great school. All-women, which makes it less popular than it once was (and a little easier to get into than it used to be), but it has close relationships with nearby coed Haverford and Swarthmore. I have no idea on merit aid---my guess is it is more focused on financial aid, but worth applying.

For VA public colleges, are you underselling with CNU and JMU?

How so? I'd be thrilled for my kid with similar stats to go to either one.

You'd be thrilled for your kid with a 4.2 to go to CNU?

No kidding. And a 1350 SAT at CNU is a genius.

Both 4.2 GPA and 1350 SAT would be well above 75th percentile at CNU. 75th percentile SAT at CNU is 1280, which was the same as Virginia Tech for 2017.

Uh, no, the 75th percentile for VA Tech in 2017 was 1360, and I guarantee you it was higher in 2018. https://www.ir.vt.edu/data/cds.html

OK. Not trying to mislead. The SCHEV site has 1280 for VT and 1280 for CNU for 2017 (2018 is not on yet). http://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp I wonder if one is old SAT and the other is New SAT and a conversion would have to be made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son goes to Randolph Macon. He got an incredible offer but his SAT was higher and he is also an athlete. But, it’s a really great school (it’s very small but that’s an advantage for a lot of reasons). It’s a beautiful campus. He really likes it.

A “really great school”? Seems a bit of a stretch. Six year graduation rate in the high 50’s. Rankings, acceptance rate, test scores, salary metrics - none are very competitive. (Though I agree the campus is very nice.) That’s a long way from great. Not saying it doesn’t have a place in the spectrum of students but great is a term that gets thrown around a lot. If Macon is really great then that’s an extremely long list. And for the record, my less-than-studious son is looking at Macon so I’m no hater.

I mean, let’s face it. If you don’t go to a big name school, your college matters very little. Having the degree matters, but go anywhere in the country and any small private college is virtually unknown if it’s not relatively local. I get a ton of resumes every week and I have no clue about half or more of the colleges listed.

When I say it’s a great school, a lot of the things I’m talking about are caring professors, good operations, stuff like that. Kids graduate with a perfectly respectable degree.

I think the completion rate has a lot to do with how many kids transfer after freshman year. Ashland is not exactly a party town and Macon isn’t a huge party school.
My son finds the academics pretty easy, but some of his friends there disagree. There’s a mix of kids there.

But overall it’s a great experience, in our experience thus far!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son goes to Randolph Macon. He got an incredible offer but his SAT was higher and he is also an athlete. But, it’s a really great school (it’s very small but that’s an advantage for a lot of reasons). It’s a beautiful campus. He really likes it.

A “really great school”? Seems a bit of a stretch. Six year graduation rate in the high 50’s. Rankings, acceptance rate, test scores, salary metrics - none are very competitive. (Though I agree the campus is very nice.) That’s a long way from great. Not saying it doesn’t have a place in the spectrum of students but great is a term that gets thrown around a lot. If Macon is really great then that’s an extremely long list. And for the record, my less-than-studious son is looking at Macon so I’m no hater.

I mean, let’s face it. If you don’t go to a big name school, your college matters very little. Having the degree matters, but go anywhere in the country and any small private college is virtually unknown if it’s not relatively local. I get a ton of resumes every week and I have no clue about half or more of the colleges listed.

When I say it’s a great school, a lot of the things I’m talking about are caring professors, good operations, stuff like that. Kids graduate with a perfectly respectable degree.

I think the completion rate has a lot to do with how many kids transfer after freshman year. Ashland is not exactly a party town and Macon isn’t a huge party school.
My son finds the academics pretty easy, but some of his friends there disagree. There’s a mix of kids there.

But overall it’s a great experience, in our experience thus far!

If that many kids are transferring after freshman year then the school is doing something seriously wrong. I also think “it’s pretty easy” is a red flag. Sounds like a poor match if he isn’t being challenged. College should never be easy, no matter how brilliant the student.