How is UVA overrated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are using USNWR as your standard, then either UVA is overrated or W&M is underrated. UVA and WM have almost identical GPA and SAT/ ACT scores at 25%/50%/75%. In some cases WM has higher stats. There used to be about 10 spots difference between the two in USNWR. But when USNWR started emphasizing things like FGLI/pell grant %, and stopped considering things like the quality of undergrad teaching, the spread went from 10 places to 30 places— in one year.

Maybe UVA is overrated by USNWR. Maybe WM is underrated. But, these school attract the same caliber students. And IMO the quality of undergrad teaching is very important for undergrad students. They should have a similar ranking. Up to you to decide if that ranking should be in the 20s, early 40s or mid 50s.

I love how the insecure W&M booster ALWAYS pushes their way into these discussions to make sure they're not left out.

[Anonymous]

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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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

Meaning they actually hold cheaters accountable. My friend from UVA went on to TA elsewhere in grad school. She couldn’t give the cheaters zeros because she hadn’t tills them in advance not to share answers. Instead she gave the non cheaters bonus points for “creative thinking”. Honor system is one thing uva gets right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cheating

Meaning they actually hold cheaters accountable. My friend from UVA went on to TA elsewhere in grad school. She couldn’t give the cheaters zeros because she hadn’t tills them in advance not to share answers. Instead she gave the non cheaters bonus points for “creative thinking”. Honor system is one thing uva gets right.

Nah. It’s nothing like back in the 80s. A guy from our HS was actually kicked out for cheating.

It’s much more rampant and enforcement is not anywhere close to how it was

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

Competition, yes. Saying it doesn’t register along Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin? No, that’s absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

Competition, yes. Saying it doesn’t register along Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin? No, that’s absurd.

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

Competition, yes. Saying it doesn’t register along Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin? No, that’s absurd.

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

The latest USNWR peer assessment I could find, which was for 2023, put it 19th overall and 4th among public universities (and just slightly behind Michigan and UCLA). So, no, not absurd to think it belongs with the very top public universities if you actually know something about the subject.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

Competition, yes. Saying it doesn’t register along Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin? No, that’s absurd.

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

The latest USNWR peer assessment I could find, which was for 2023, put it 19th overall and 4th among public universities (and just slightly behind Michigan and UCLA). So, no, not absurd to think it belongs with the very top public universities if you actually know something about the subject.

If you actually knew anything you wouldn’t be mentioning USNWR.

[Anonymous]

All this back and forth if UVA is overrated or not… I was a first-gen college student at regional state university, and am thrilled my kid is attending UVA as an in-state student. Wahoowa!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

What could this possibly mean? Of course UVA belongs with the very top public universities. It has always belonged there. One can bicker about whether or not it is "overrated." (On what metrics, and compared to what?) But if you don't think that UVA is ranked among the very top public universities, then you don't understand anything about any of this. And no one should pay the slightest bit of attention to your ignorant blather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

Competition, yes. Saying it doesn’t register along Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin? No, that’s absurd.

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

The latest USNWR peer assessment I could find, which was for 2023, put it 19th overall and 4th among public universities (and just slightly behind Michigan and UCLA). So, no, not absurd to think it belongs with the very top public universities if you actually know something about the subject.

If you actually knew anything you wouldn’t be mentioning USNWR.

This is a discussion of whether it is considered a top public, so yes the peer assessment is a relevant data point. But your last two comments have had no substance to them, so never mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

What could this possibly mean? Of course UVA belongs with the very top public universities. It has always belonged there. One can bicker about whether or not it is "overrated." (On what metrics, and compared to what?) But if you don't think that UVA is ranked among the very top public universities, then you don't understand anything about any of this. And no one should pay the slightest bit of attention to your ignorant blather.

No it doesn’t. That is what the discussion in this thread has concluded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is just not true for anyone that’s actually familiar with academia (i.e., not this forum).

Nope, this is accurate. Keep up with the changes.

I have because I work in academia. This forum is like an alternate reality. I actually think people who don’t know any better end up less well informed from where they started.

I am a college professor. 20 years ago I would not put U of Florida in the same sentence as UVA. However, now they are solid peers academically. For a lot of departments, U of Florida is ahead in terms of faculty quality and research output.

And would you say it “doesn’t register along with Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin”? Because then I would get a good laugh out of you claiming to be a professor.

20 years ago it certainly did. The university landscape is highly competitive. Retaining top faculty and research programs is expensive and subject to changes. Reputation always lags behind what is currently happening and leadership changes make huge differences. UVA is certainly a solid school but there is a lot of competition.

Competition, yes. Saying it doesn’t register along Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley, or even UT Austin? No, that’s absurd.

Maybe it is absurd to think UVA belongs with the very top public universities.

The latest USNWR peer assessment I could find, which was for 2023, put it 19th overall and 4th among public universities (and just slightly behind Michigan and UCLA). So, no, not absurd to think it belongs with the very top public universities if you actually know something about the subject.

If you actually knew anything you wouldn’t be mentioning USNWR.

This is a discussion of whether it is considered a top public, so yes the peer assessment is a relevant data point. But your last two comments have had no substance to them, so never mind.

Reputation has more to do with the school 20 years ago than today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Not at all my experience. I'm from Chicago, husband from Arizona and we both grew up thinking UVA was a top school.

+ 1 (Mid-Atlantic)