How is UVA overrated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poster here whose kid is deciding on UNC vs UVA.

Please give me evidence that shows that UNC is "a tier above" UVA.

I would welcome it.

I would like evidence not just "because I say so."

I have been pouring over the internet looking for concrete reasons to choose one school over the other.

For one, test scores and percent submitting.

UNC: 1470 Median, 70% submitting
UVA: 1470 Median, 60% submitting
which is on par with
W&M: 1470 Median, 60% submitting

https://oira.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/297/2025/04/CDS_UNCCH_2024-2025_20240510.pdf

https://research.schev.edu/enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.ASP

That's misleading since UVA is way better than either of those schools.

By what metric? # of racist mobs per decade or? Because it's not test scores.

by all of them seriously there's no comparison

Oh please. UNC is better by a long shot. Wake up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Lots of classes taught by grad students.

DD is a 1st Yr and hasn't had a single class taught by a TA. They lead discussion sections for large classes, offer study sessions, proctor and grade exams. But, professors teach the classes and have been easy to communicate with via office hours or email. Flame UVA all you want, but at least post the truth for people genuinely doing their research.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

We know honest kids who go there, but we also know of a good number of kids who cheated their way through high school that are also going there. But, that's probably b/c we are in Nova.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UNC > UVA

But why? What is better?

Sports

[Anonymous]

Crazy overpriced for tuition if out of state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

We know honest kids who go there, but we also know of a good number of kids who cheated their way through high school that are also going there. But, that's probably b/c we are in Nova.

I think this is the key to UVA's "overrating." Northern Virginia.
Northern Virginia likes to think UVA is a bargain Yale or Harvard or Princeton or Brown. UVA is an excellent school, but it's very competitive particularly for northern Virginia students. So it evokes the impression of being more elite and prestigious in this geographical area than it warrants. I'm sure if you ask people in California to name the top public universities in the country, UVA would not come to mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

We know honest kids who go there, but we also know of a good number of kids who cheated their way through high school that are also going there. But, that's probably b/c we are in Nova.

I think this is the key to UVA's "overrating." Northern Virginia.
Northern Virginia likes to think UVA is a bargain Yale or Harvard or Princeton or Brown. UVA is an excellent school, but it's very competitive particularly for northern Virginia students. So it evokes the impression of being more elite and prestigious in this geographical area than it warrants. I'm sure if you ask people in California to name the top public universities in the country, UVA would not come to mind.

...unless they're a UVA grad, of course.

[Anonymous]

If choice between UNC and UVA OOS then go with the more selective school (UNC -18% vs UVA - 33%) of student body. Visited both and UNC was a much more pleasant environment and people were more welcoming. Would look at reviews from current and past students at each school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of classes taught by grad students. Students are smart but not known for being intellectually curious. Not known for strong student/faculty relationships. Fine school. Maybe just not as fine as its alumni think it is in academics.

That's pretty much everywhere.
For most schools, it's part of the PhD program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If choice between UNC and UVA OOS then go with the more selective school (UNC -18% vs UVA - 33%) of student body. Visited both and UNC was a much more pleasant environment and people were more welcoming. Would look at reviews from current and past students at each school.

However, this analysis assigned UVA a higher overall Student Selectivity Rank (40th nationally) than that for UNC (51st):

https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If choice between UNC and UVA OOS then go with the more selective school (UNC -18% vs UVA - 33%) of student body. Visited both and UNC was a much more pleasant environment and people were more welcoming. Would look at reviews from current and past students at each school.

However, this analysis assigned UVA a higher overall Student Selectivity Rank (40th nationally) than that for UNC (51st):

https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750

That's weird considering UNC's test stats are better and its acceptance rate is lower.

[Anonymous]

UNC looks more selective because they require 90% to be instate. Their instate acceptance rate is around 40%. Out of state acceptance is less than 7% per common data set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

We know honest kids who go there, but we also know of a good number of kids who cheated their way through high school that are also going there. But, that's probably b/c we are in Nova.

I think this is the key to UVA's "overrating." Northern Virginia.
Northern Virginia likes to think UVA is a bargain Yale or Harvard or Princeton or Brown. UVA is an excellent school, but it's very competitive particularly for northern Virginia students. So it evokes the impression of being more elite and prestigious in this geographical area than it warrants. I'm sure if you ask people in California to name the top public universities in the country, UVA would not come to mind.

I’m actually fairly sure they would, because UVA has been a top public for decades. I’m always amazed when people don’t realize this (and that’s coming from someone who didn’t go there, doesn’t have kids there, and only moved to Virginia in the last five years).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

We know honest kids who go there, but we also know of a good number of kids who cheated their way through high school that are also going there. But, that's probably b/c we are in Nova.

I think this is the key to UVA's "overrating." Northern Virginia.
Northern Virginia likes to think UVA is a bargain Yale or Harvard or Princeton or Brown. UVA is an excellent school, but it's very competitive particularly for northern Virginia students. So it evokes the impression of being more elite and prestigious in this geographical area than it warrants. I'm sure if you ask people in California to name the top public universities in the country, UVA would not come to mind.

I’m actually fairly sure they would, because UVA has been a top public for decades. I’m always amazed when people don’t realize this (and that’s coming from someone who didn’t go there, doesn’t have kids there, and only moved to Virginia in the last five years).

Some Californians known UVA is a top school but many don't. More interest in Michigan and Texas Austin than UVA because STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

We know honest kids who go there, but we also know of a good number of kids who cheated their way through high school that are also going there. But, that's probably b/c we are in Nova.

I think this is the key to UVA's "overrating." Northern Virginia.
Northern Virginia likes to think UVA is a bargain Yale or Harvard or Princeton or Brown. UVA is an excellent school, but it's very competitive particularly for northern Virginia students. So it evokes the impression of being more elite and prestigious in this geographical area than it warrants. I'm sure if you ask people in California to name the top public universities in the country, UVA would not come to mind.

I’m actually fairly sure they would, because UVA has been a top public for decades. I’m always amazed when people don’t realize this (and that’s coming from someone who didn’t go there, doesn’t have kids there, and only moved to Virginia in the last five years).

Some Californians known UVA is a top school but many don't. More interest in Michigan and Texas Austin than UVA because STEM.

Outside the DMV, most people consider UVA on par with U of Florida. It doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin. It is just pretty average.