UVA in-state v. Davidson v. Washington and Lee

[Anonymous]

Those rankings are just based on how many colleges rank them as peers. I wouldn't think that the ranking has any correlation with "quality," however you define that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Well, according to the previous link, all of those elite LACs with the exception of Amherst described my non-elite LAC alma mater as a peer. Amherst, of course, chose no college as a "peer."

Amherst is probably one of the top SLACs in the country but still how does it rank 8th out of 1595 colleges and universities without selecting any peer colleges? Just based on the strength of other schools which consider it a peer?

I think that article just used USNWR rankings and it was from 2012. I saw that Princeton didn't list any peers either yet 31 other colleges listed Princeton as a peer. It's just another silly data point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those rankings are just based on how many colleges rank them as peers. I wouldn't think that the ranking has any correlation with "quality," however you define that.

This is correct, but it's also based off the school's data vs. its peer group. If the school does better, it ranks higher. Amherst is ranked only for the quantitative aspect since it didn't fill the survey (I'm sure their institutional research considers the NESCACs/Swarthmore/Pomona as peers).

[Anonymous]

Maybe let your kid decide, OP? Just a thought. He's the one who has to spend four years there, not you. And if you use up 529 money on college, and he has to borrow for grad school, so be it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe let your kid decide, OP? Just a thought. He's the one who has to spend four years there, not you. And if you use up 529 money on college, and he has to borrow for grad school, so be it.

Not the OP, but stop with the "let the kid decide" already! The family will save about $150K over 4 years going to UVA. That's not a decision an 18 year old can or should make. It's not an issue of whether or not the OP has money. NO 18 year old has the mental maturity to make that kind of decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe let your kid decide, OP? Just a thought. He's the one who has to spend four years there, not you. And if you use up 529 money on college, and he has to borrow for grad school, so be it.

Not the OP, but stop with the "let the kid decide" already! The family will save about $150K over 4 years going to UVA. That's not a decision an 18 year old can or should make. It's not an issue of whether or not the OP has money. NO 18 year old has the mental maturity to make that kind of decision.

+1. Agree, especially if the family thinks someone in the family may go to grad school. We have both kids at UVA and are furiously saving for one Master's Degree and Law School for the other after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe let your kid decide, OP? Just a thought. He's the one who has to spend four years there, not you. And if you use up 529 money on college, and he has to borrow for grad school, so be it.

Not the OP, but stop with the "let the kid decide" already! The family will save about $150K over 4 years going to UVA. That's not a decision an 18 year old can or should make. It's not an issue of whether or not the OP has money. NO 18 year old has the mental maturity to make that kind of decision.

+1. Agree, especially if the family thinks someone in the family may go to grad school. We have both kids at UVA and are furiously saving for one Master's Degree and Law School for the other after.

-1. Disagree, given that the OP did not make the cost of college a primary concern. If the OP thought that cost was a serious factor, she never would have posted in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W & L is $64,000, not including travel costs BUT you need to add in the fees for fraternity and sorority membership. When we toured we were told almost 90% of the students participate in greek life (and a LOT of drinking). It's such a problem (IMHO) that the expenses for greek life are listed right here on the tuition form of W&L. This has also been a problem for the full freight minority and poor students - they might be at W&L full freight but they can't participate in the greek life, which is very expensive. https://www.wlu.edu/admissions/scholarships-and-aid/cost-of-attendance

That's very interesting! Thanks for sharing. It's kind of like joining Greek life is just an assumed fact, for better or worse.

42% of W&L students receive aid; 80% are in Greek life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W & L is $64,000, not including travel costs BUT you need to add in the fees for fraternity and sorority membership. When we toured we were told almost 90% of the students participate in greek life (and a LOT of drinking). It's such a problem (IMHO) that the expenses for greek life are listed right here on the tuition form of W&L. This has also been a problem for the full freight minority and poor students - they might be at W&L full freight but they can't participate in the greek life, which is very expensive. https://www.wlu.edu/admissions/scholarships-and-aid/cost-of-attendance

That's very interesting! Thanks for sharing. It's kind of like joining Greek life is just an assumed fact, for better or worse.

42% of W&L students receive aid; 80% are in Greek life.

We were given a much higher percentage on tour. Turned off my DS totally. We never applied.

[Anonymous]

Wow. Check this out. We were warned about the alcoholism on campus by a family friend: https://www.unigo.com/colleges/washington-and-lee-university/q-and-a/what-is-the-stereotype-of-students-at-your-school-20/1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Check this out. We were warned about the alcoholism on campus by a family friend: https://www.unigo.com/colleges/washington-and-lee-university/q-and-a/what-is-the-stereotype-of-students-at-your-school-20/1

I thought the comment about how W&L students are stereotyped as academic was hilarious. The dumbest kid in my class at STA went there and I’m still amazed he graduated from high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Check this out. We were warned about the alcoholism on campus by a family friend: https://www.unigo.com/colleges/washington-and-lee-university/q-and-a/what-is-the-stereotype-of-students-at-your-school-20/1

I thought the comment about how W&L students are stereotyped as academic was hilarious. The dumbest kid in my class at STA went there and I’m still amazed he graduated from high school.

Colleges are nothing more than a business. They will take your money while pretending to help you, society, etc. All the presidents and their kids go to Harvard. You think they are all that smart. A "hook" is a euphemism for "bribe".

[Anonymous]

OP - you should reach out to the W&L admissions and financial aid office. W&L has one of the largest endowments and has many ways to assist families and make sure that cost is not a barrier to acceptance.

As far as pre-med, W&L is top notch and as others have noted they put a lot of resources into supporting students efforts to get into and succeed in Med School.

At the end of the day, I don't think your son can go wrong with any of his choices. Go to whichever school feels right.

Oh, and as for the fraternity scene at W&L - there is essentially a house for everyone. And even those who don't join fraternities still have social outlets through clubs as well as with with friends, teammates, and classmates who are in houses. As for the cost, most of the cost is actually room and board which you are going to be paying whether you live on campus or in a house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Check this out. We were warned about the alcoholism on campus by a family friend: https://www.unigo.com/colleges/washington-and-lee-university/q-and-a/what-is-the-stereotype-of-students-at-your-school-20/1

I thought the comment about how W&L students are stereotyped as academic was hilarious. The dumbest kid in my class at STA went there and I’m still amazed he graduated from high school.

Colleges are nothing more than a business. They will take your money while pretending to help you, society, etc. All the presidents and their kids go to Harvard. You think they are all that smart. A "hook" is a euphemism for "bribe".

Lol.....I don’t think you understand what a hook is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - you should reach out to the W&L admissions and financial aid office. W&L has one of the largest endowments and has many ways to assist families and make sure that cost is not a barrier to acceptance.

As far as pre-med, W&L is top notch and as others have noted they put a lot of resources into supporting students efforts to get into and succeed in Med School.

At the end of the day, I don't think your son can go wrong with any of his choices. Go to whichever school feels right.

Oh, and as for the fraternity scene at W&L - there is essentially a house for everyone. And even those who don't join fraternities still have social outlets through clubs as well as with with friends, teammates, and classmates who are in houses. As for the cost, most of the cost is actually room and board which you are going to be paying whether you live on campus or in a house.

W&L seems like the perfect college for intellectually incurious, UMC, basic, conservative, white kids and douchey lax bros.