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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU isn't "Just Missed UVA." It's a far cry from UVA. VCU is the best school on this list. It may not be hard to get into, but it is a comprehensive university that offers just about everything, and it's real world diverse. It's the only school on the list that I'd want my kid to go to if they couldn't get into the Big 3.

I think JMU is generally held in much higher regard than VCU, however if my kid didn't get into one of the big 4, I would encourage her to go to VCU as well. VCU offers a slew of very desirable majors. Plus Richmond has a lot of quirky, fun neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]Who considers VT better than JMU? (except for engineering). VT is nothing more than a degree factory.[/b]

You must not be from around here. Outside of W&M and UVA, Tech has always been considered one of the top schools in the state, and yes even outside of engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been watching GMU's progress over the past decade or so (I live nearby, use the gym, go to various events, took some graduate courses there for work, and have worked with some new hires from there) and it's been incredible to see the changes. It used to feel very much like a graduate heavy school--lots of master's and PhD programs--and a lot of commuter undergrads. There are now over 6000 students living on campus, so it's bustling all the time--even though a lot of students still commute (there's over 20K students) The diversity--and interaction between students from diverse groups--is impressive--not just racial/ethnic but also viewpoints. The new president Angel Cabrera is dynamic. They have a strong entrepreneurial push with lots of students starting up projects. Their pep band led by Doc Nix is very fun. There's a large group of international students. If feels different than just 5 years ago.
It has recently got R1 status (I think it's the one of the youngest institutions to do so)--which means it's one of the 115 most research intensive schools in the country, and many of its graduates earn quite a bit. The students strike me as serious. We've hired some CS/IT grads in our firm (a govt--IT consulting group) and they are quite good--hard workers, competent, able to pick up things. They aren't quite as articulate/polished as some of our recent hires from higher ranked schools (VTech and UVA), but they also don't seem as pampered. More pragmatic and able to get along and get things done.

+1

+2. I think GMU gets looked down on in NOVA because it is our “local” college and people are thinking circa 2005. Being a metro ride from DC and all the internship options, and in a highly educated diverse area, I think kids from NOVA below the top 10% but in the top 1/3 of FCPS would love to go— if it wasn’t so close to home and where they grew up. It’s CS school has a great reputation.

Eh. No thanks.

Agree. IT's a commuter school with no real campus or identity.

Not just that, but there are no cool college restaurants or bars nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Is JMU fantastic? By what measure? Just trying to be honest (and non-provincial) as ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ get thrown around a lot. Test and gpa numbers, graduation rate, pretty much any ranking. Are comparably-ranked Stetson and Appy State great schools? In our school the top 10th/25th percentile students shoot for UVA/W&M/VPI(engineering) and the next tier shoot for JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JMU isn't "Just Missed UVA." It's a far cry from UVA. VCU is the best school on this list. It may not be hard to get into, but it is a comprehensive university that offers just about everything, and it's real world diverse. It's the only school on the list that I'd want my kid to go to if they couldn't get into the Big 3.

I think JMU is generally held in much higher regard than VCU, however if my kid didn't get into one of the big 4, I would encourage her to go to VCU as well. VCU offers a slew of very desirable majors. Plus Richmond has a lot of quirky, fun neighborhoods.

Lol@ including JMU. If there’s a Big 4, it’s GMU or VCU. Not JMU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Is JMU fantastic? By what measure? Just trying to be honest (and non-provincial) as ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ get thrown around a lot. Test and gpa numbers, graduation rate, pretty much any ranking. Are comparably-ranked Stetson and Appy State great schools? In our school the top 10th/25th percentile students shoot for UVA/W&M/VPI(engineering) and the next tier shoot for JMU.

Agree. Our daughter made clear that after working her butt off in her NOVA public high school that it was UVA or out of state. There would be no “settling” for JMU, where kids from her class with a fraction of her AP courseload and GPA and test scores were going. It’s a top 1/3 kind of place. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Is JMU fantastic? By what measure? Just trying to be honest (and non-provincial) as ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ get thrown around a lot. Test and gpa numbers, graduation rate, pretty much any ranking. Are comparably-ranked Stetson and Appy State great schools? In our school the top 10th/25th percentile students shoot for UVA/W&M/VPI(engineering) and the next tier shoot for JMU.

Agree. Our daughter made clear that after working her butt off in her NOVA public high school that it was UVA or out of state. There would be no “settling” for JMU, where kids from her class with a fraction of her AP courseload and GPA and test scores were going. It’s a top 1/3 kind of place. That’s it.

So how is she doing at her out of state school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Where 3/4 live off-campus. So, commuter school.

I would say a better definition of a commuter school would be one where a large number of the students live in the home where they grew up and/or a large number vacate the campus to go home on weekends.

+1 I was hesitant to look at the college I ultimately went to (it was my dad's preference) because the guidebook called it a "commuter college". It definitely was not -- cute, traditional college town but many kids moved to nearby apartments in sophomore year and most by junior year. So, yes, they were "commuting" but very few students actually grew up in that town. I loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Is JMU fantastic? By what measure? Just trying to be honest (and non-provincial) as ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ get thrown around a lot. Test and gpa numbers, graduation rate, pretty much any ranking. Are comparably-ranked Stetson and Appy State great schools? In our school the top 10th/25th percentile students shoot for UVA/W&M/VPI(engineering) and the next tier shoot for JMU.

Agree. Our daughter made clear that after working her butt off in her NOVA public high school that it was UVA or out of state. There would be no “settling” for JMU, where kids from her class with a fraction of her AP courseload and GPA and test scores were going. It’s a top 1/3 kind of place. That’s it.

So how is she doing at her out of state school?

LOL. She got into and has already graduated from UVA. Thanks for asking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Is JMU fantastic? By what measure? Just trying to be honest (and non-provincial) as ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’ get thrown around a lot. Test and gpa numbers, graduation rate, pretty much any ranking. Are comparably-ranked Stetson and Appy State great schools? In our school the top 10th/25th percentile students shoot for UVA/W&M/VPI(engineering) and the next tier shoot for JMU.

Agree. Our daughter made clear that after working her butt off in her NOVA public high school that it was UVA or out of state. There would be no “settling” for JMU, where kids from her class with a fraction of her AP courseload and GPA and test scores were going. It’s a top 1/3 kind of place. That’s it.

So how is she doing at her out of state school?

LOL. She got into and has already graduated from UVA. Thanks for asking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In what world is VT considered better than JMU?


Half of the idiots I know went to VT.

Engineering

VT has name recognition throughout the country. Most people beyond the east coast have never heard of JMU.

This is my perception. DS ultimately wants to move to CA but we can't afford OOS tuition there so if he got into both of those, I would encourage him to go with VT simply for name recognition (he wants to major in math).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been watching GMU's progress over the past decade or so (I live nearby, use the gym, go to various events, took some graduate courses there for work, and have worked with some new hires from there) and it's been incredible to see the changes. It used to feel very much like a graduate heavy school--lots of master's and PhD programs--and a lot of commuter undergrads. There are now over 6000 students living on campus, so it's bustling all the time--even though a lot of students still commute (there's over 20K students) The diversity--and interaction between students from diverse groups--is impressive--not just racial/ethnic but also viewpoints. The new president Angel Cabrera is dynamic. They have a strong entrepreneurial push with lots of students starting up projects. Their pep band led by Doc Nix is very fun. There's a large group of international students. If feels different than just 5 years ago.
It has recently got R1 status (I think it's the one of the youngest institutions to do so)--which means it's one of the 115 most research intensive schools in the country, and many of its graduates earn quite a bit. The students strike me as serious. We've hired some CS/IT grads in our firm (a govt--IT consulting group) and they are quite good--hard workers, competent, able to pick up things. They aren't quite as articulate/polished as some of our recent hires from higher ranked schools (VTech and UVA), but they also don't seem as pampered. More pragmatic and able to get along and get things done.

+1

+2. I think GMU gets looked down on in NOVA because it is our “local” college and people are thinking circa 2005. Being a metro ride from DC and all the internship options, and in a highly educated diverse area, I think kids from NOVA below the top 10% but in the top 1/3 of FCPS would love to go— if it wasn’t so close to home and where they grew up. It’s CS school has a great reputation.

Eh. No thanks.

Agree. IT's a commuter school with no real campus or identity.

Not just that, but there are no cool college restaurants or bars nearby.

It's interesting--I think older generations have more a desire for a college town and certain features. Boomers are moving back in droves to college towns etc. in their retirement and gen x parents picture their kids with college life experiences like they had. Talking to my kids' friends, I've seen a lot more variety in what the current crop of kids want from school--they don't want student loans, care less about the town, and beyond academics care more about the dorms, gyms and dining options on campus. Not universally of course--but it's a shift. I've gone on a couple of group visits to schools and the parents had to drag them to "check out the town."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Yes, but it's amazing that we have three public schools that cover top-notch flagship, SLAC and tech. And then a whole crop of other schools that are as good as or better than the 1 flagship in another state. I think the one challenging thing is that UVA + W&M in numbers total less than the numbers at another state flagship so it gets very competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The trashing that invariably happens on these threads is sick. How about some gratitude for the fantastic in-state options Virginia offers?

People always talk about the "fantastic" colleges available in Virginia, but beyond W&M, UVA, Tech, and JMU the other schools are on par with other states' public universitites.

Yes, but it's amazing that we have three public schools that cover top-notch flagship, SLAC and tech. And then a whole crop of other schools that are as good as or better than the 1 flagship in another state. I think the one challenging thing is that UVA + W&M in numbers total less than the numbers at another state flagship so it gets very competitive.

+1 pp. Virginia is one of about 5 states that has multiple amazing in state schools. Many states only have 1 good state school. Not to mention how reasonably priced the in state tuitions are in Va compared to a lot of other states.

[Anonymous]

Yes, but it's amazing that we have three public schools that cover top-notch flagship, SLAC and tech. And then a whole crop of other schools that are as good as or better than the 1 flagship in another state. I think the one challenging thing is that UVA + W&M in numbers total less than the numbers at another state flagship so it gets very competitive.

We are lucky in VA, but I do think there are better (and still affordable) options for the kids that just miss out on UVA/W&M. I can see why someone would want their kid with maybe a 4.1 and 1460 SAT (who might be rejected from UVA/W&M) to go to an OOS school with a national reputation over JMU or GMU. It wouldn't necessarily have a higher cost than W&M with its $35K price tag.