Virginia parents do not have many good in-state options

[Anonymous]

I love that VA has so many options and I’ve told my DD to consider a school’s fit rather than its reputation. While I think she has the stats for UVA/VT/W&M, as a female student from FCPS there are no guarantees of admission to any of those - so she shouldn’t get her heart set on one.

She’s seriously looking at other state schools - UMW, VCU, JMU, Longwood - and would be happy at any of those. There are successful graduates from all of those schools. Life is what you make it.

[Anonymous]

mine is looking at ODU and Radford because they have the combo of majors she wants. We went to ODU's open house a few weeks back and thought they really did a nice job with it.

The only other state school that has what she wants is JMU and she just doesn't have the stats.

I wish UMW or Longwood worked for her, but they just don't.

I would honestly be more than happy to send my child to either of the VA publics on her list, though ODU is preferred by her because they do have football and there is more to do nearby (including the ocean!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP is welcome to their opinion, of course. But then, there is also reality. Since engineering was mentioned, see the programs available at VCU, ODU, and VMI. And there are some targeted engineering programs at some of Virginia’s HBCUs, Norfolk State University and Virginia State University. And at small privates like Randolph-Macon.

OP here.

Y’all may disagree all you want but I have seen more and more Virginia kids heading to the OOS public schools like UMCP, Pitt, UDel, etc.

Am I the only one seeing this trend? Have you all not seen the threads comparing JMU and OOS public such as “JMU vs Pitt”?

[Anonymous]

Virginia's "bench" of public universities is deeper and stronger than Maryland's bench.

I would definitely take UVA, WM or VT over UMCP, JMU/VCU/GMU over UMBC. CNU over SMC, ODU over Salisbury, Radford over Frostburg State, etc. The HBCUs are stronger, too.

I would also take Virginia's bench over the Directional Universities that are in other states.

Access to UVA/WM/VT has become more limited for NOVA applicants and the bench is not as prestigious as the top tier, hence the complaints around here. Maybe if ODU and CNU reverted to their original names as branch campuses of W&M that would change? LOL.

In any event, I would also agree that expanding the enrollment at UVA, WM and VT would benefit the state. I'm surprised that Youngkin hasn't waded into tertiary education as much as he has for primary and secondary education.

[Anonymous]

Nice try OP. Next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia also has W&L, URichmond, VCU, etc., all of which (with JMU and GMU) are arguably better than all of Maryland's non-College Park schools.

JHU?

James Madison University.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is welcome to their opinion, of course. But then, there is also reality. Since engineering was mentioned, see the programs available at VCU, ODU, and VMI. And there are some targeted engineering programs at some of Virginia’s HBCUs, Norfolk State University and Virginia State University. And at small privates like Randolph-Macon.

OP here.

Y’all may disagree all you want but I have seen more and more Virginia kids heading to the OOS public schools like UMCP, Pitt, UDel, etc.
[b]
Am I the only one seeing this trend? Have you all not seen the threads comparing JMU and OOS public such as “JMU vs Pitt”?

Actually, you haven't' because OOS has become obscenely expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is welcome to their opinion, of course. But then, there is also reality. Since engineering was mentioned, see the programs available at VCU, ODU, and VMI. And there are some targeted engineering programs at some of Virginia’s HBCUs, Norfolk State University and Virginia State University. And at small privates like Randolph-Macon.

OP here.

Y’all may disagree all you want but I have seen more and more Virginia kids heading to the OOS public schools like UMCP, Pitt, UDel, etc.

Am I the only one seeing this trend? Have you all not seen the threads comparing JMU and OOS public such as “JMU vs Pitt”?

It's because kids want a change from Virginia and Virginia has a strong economy which translates to well-off parents who can afford the extra to send their kids out of state, particularly with a little merit.

[Anonymous]

I’m very confused about how “I see many more VA kids heading OOS” is the same thing as “VA parents don’t have many good options.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA parents with subpar kids REALLY need to stop complaining about UVA admissions. If they doubled the size of the school or limited OOS enrollment so your kids could get in it wouldn’t be the same school AT ALL. There are plenty of other perfectly fine in state options. Leave the elite to the elite.

100%. My 3.96/4.52, 1560, NMSF would have been a huge drag on the institution.

Are you saying that your kid with those stats did not get in? What kind of extracurriculars did they have? Were they just an egg head and nothing else?

Engineering waitlist last year. Varsity athlete, leadership in 2 clubs (founded one), CS related internship with a small non profit, self taught musician, PT retail employment. Did NOT take AP English?? He's doing fine. Family a tad bitter.

Didn’t take AP English? Yea that was a mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
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.

I was willing to give you the benefit of your opinion until you used this as a "data point". You have no idea where MD parents, on the whole, are willing to send their kids. I live in NoVa, if I went off just the people around me, I'd posit that more VA parents are willing to send their kids to private high school and those kids can go to college anywhere they are able to get into. It's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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.

I was willing to give you the benefit of your opinion until you used this as a "data point". You have no idea where MD parents, on the whole, are willing to send their kids. I live in NoVa, if I went off just the people around me, I'd posit that more VA parents are willing to send their kids to private high school and those kids can go to college anywhere they are able to get into. It's ridiculous.

Maryland has always been a rich state and highly private in education. All the best private high schools are in Md and Md's baby DC. Georgetown was in Md when created plus Hopkins, Loyola even USNA is so selective it's kind of private. All the Country Clubs of status are in Md. Now that UMD is Big ten it's the top public in the region. Baltimore has a million private high schools and has always been a bastion of lacrosse and privates. Md is private school paradise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA parents with subpar kids REALLY need to stop complaining about UVA admissions. If they doubled the size of the school or limited OOS enrollment so your kids could get in it wouldn’t be the same school AT ALL. There are plenty of other perfectly fine in state options. Leave the elite to the elite.

100%. My 3.96/4.52, 1560, NMSF would have been a huge drag on the institution.

Are you saying that your kid with those stats did not get in? What kind of extracurriculars did they have? Were they just an egg head and nothing else?

Engineering waitlist last year. Varsity athlete, leadership in 2 clubs (founded one), CS related internship with a small non profit, self taught musician, PT retail employment. Did NOT take AP English?? He's doing fine. Family a tad bitter.

Didn’t take AP English? Yea that was a mistake.

It is absolutely ridiculous how UVA has all these secret rules. You’re a public university, the application requirements should be public.

[Anonymous]

OP is whack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA parents with subpar kids REALLY need to stop complaining about UVA admissions. If they doubled the size of the school or limited OOS enrollment so your kids could get in it wouldn’t be the same school AT ALL. There are plenty of other perfectly fine in state options. Leave the elite to the elite.

100%. My 3.96/4.52, 1560, NMSF would have been a huge drag on the institution.

Are you saying that your kid with those stats did not get in? What kind of extracurriculars did they have? Were they just an egg head and nothing else?

Engineering waitlist last year. Varsity athlete, leadership in 2 clubs (founded one), CS related internship with a small non profit, self taught musician, PT retail employment. Did NOT take AP English?? He's doing fine. Family a tad bitter.

Didn’t take AP English? Yea that was a mistake.

That’s definitely a mistake for UVA. Even for engineering they like to see AP English.