The Other VA publics: CNU, GM, JMU, Radford, ODU, UMW, VCU

[Anonymous]

Acceptance rates:

UVA 30%
WM 35%
George Mason 68%
JMU 72%
Va Tech 73%
Radford 82%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in finance, and the only school I've ever worked with people from on that list is JMU. I would not send my kid to any of the other schools on that list unless I had no other options.

+1

So if your kids wanted engineering you wouldn’t send them to VT for engineering. Right. Gotcha.

I would be thrilled if my kids got into WM, VT or UVA. They weren't on OP's list.

I think they were specifically asking for inputs on the schools other than WM, VT, and UVA.

[Anonymous]

I'd say it is along these lines:

Tier 1: UVA/W&M/VT Engineering
Tier 2: Rest of VT/JMU/GMU
Tier 3: VCU/CNU/MWU
Tier 4: ODU
Tier 5: Radford/Longwood

Perhaps too many tiers, but that's the way I think of it off the top of my head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say it is along these lines:

Tier 1: UVA/W&M/VT Engineering
Tier 2: Rest of VT/JMU/GMU
Tier 3: VCU/CNU/MWU
Tier 4: ODU
Tier 5: Radford/Longwood

Perhaps too many tiers, but that's the way I think of it off the top of my head.

I forgot to add VMI as a very good but niche school.

[Anonymous]

I am a Mary Washington fan. It is a hidden gem. A cute college town. Good academics--they are ranked for fulbrights and peace corps volunteers. It is one of those schools that people who know colleges like. It isnt quite Kenyon or Grinnel but it isn't Shennadoh or a really unheard of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Acceptance rates:

UVA 30%
WM 35%
George Mason 68%
JMU 72%
Va Tech 73%
Radford 82%

VA Tech is around 62% for the class of 2022. Look at the latest data. Admit rate took a big drop between 2017 & 2018.

[Anonymous]

The worse thing GMU did was align the university with the Koch brothers (noted for their political activities donating to conservative and Republican Party causes)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The worse thing GMU did was align the university with the Koch brothers (noted for their political activities donating to conservative and Republican Party causes)

Better Koch than Soros.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a Mary Washington fan. It is a hidden gem. A cute college town. Good academics--they are ranked for fulbrights and peace corps volunteers. It is one of those schools that people who know colleges like. It isnt quite Kenyon or Grinnel but it isn't Shennadoh or a really unheard of school.

I’m a big Mary Washington fan, too. I attended back when it was MWC. I think I received an excellent education there, and was well prepared for grad school. Class sizes were mostly small and taught by experienced professors rather than TA’s and students were known by name, not just a number. I would be happy if my kids wanted to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The worse thing GMU did was align the university with the Koch brothers (noted for their political activities donating to conservative and Republican Party causes)

Of all Virginia schools, I think only GMU has had any Nobel Prize winners associated with them at the time of their awards. This is a bit of a black eye on the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in finance, and the only school I've ever worked with people from on that list is JMU. I would not send my kid to any of the other schools on that list unless I had no other options.

+1

So if your kids wanted engineering you wouldn’t send them to VT for engineering. Right. Gotcha.

I would be thrilled if my kids got into WM, VT or UVA. They weren't on OP's list.

I think they were specifically asking for inputs on the schools other than WM, VT, and UVA.

OP here, and yes, I feel like WM, VT, and UVA are well known and throughly discussed. Wanted to create a space to talk about the other VA publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worse thing GMU did was align the university with the Koch brothers (noted for their political activities donating to conservative and Republican Party causes)

Of all Virginia schools, I think only GMU has had any Nobel Prize winners associated with them at the time of their awards. This is a bit of a black eye on the state.

This isn't the DCUM-correct answer, but VCU has produced and had as faculty several Nobel winners. And of all VA publics, only UVA, VT, and VCU are recognized in the ARWU and in the Carnegie highest-profiles categories. VCU might not be difficult in terms of admission, but it is among the best universities in the country in many, many respects, and the campus is just electric and busy and a very appealing environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a Mary Washington fan. It is a hidden gem. A cute college town. Good academics--they are ranked for fulbrights and peace corps volunteers. It is one of those schools that people who know colleges like. It isnt quite Kenyon or Grinnel but it isn't Shennadoh or a really unheard of school.

We toured and were immensely impressed. When the dean of the business school comes out to speak to the tour, that says a lot. We only visited because DD had a camp there, but it made the list after that tour, so we’ll see.

[Anonymous]

Mary Washington has great freshman seminars. In some ways I wish my kid started there and then transferred to one of the bigger VA schools. I think the freshman experience would have been more gratifying at UMW than the “better” school of choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worse thing GMU did was align the university with the Koch brothers (noted for their political activities donating to conservative and Republican Party causes)

Of all Virginia schools, I think only GMU has had any Nobel Prize winners associated with them at the time of their awards. This is a bit of a black eye on the state.

This isn't the DCUM-correct answer, but VCU has produced and had as faculty several Nobel winners. And of all VA publics, only UVA, VT, and VCU are recognized in the ARWU and in the Carnegie highest-profiles categories. VCU might not be difficult in terms of admission, but it is among the best universities in the country in many, many respects, and the campus is just electric and busy and a very appealing environment.

+100. VCU clearly belongs at the very top of the list of VA schools.