Good safety schools for those who like W&M?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know anything about The College of New Jersey? It seems to have some similarities, definitely similar in size.

NJ native here. Yes, CNJ definitely qualifies as a poor man's William & Mary. Only 7 percent of its students are from out of state and they're working to increase that so it's actually easier to get in from out of state than in. They also offer merit aid.

Of course, it's got nowhere near the reputation of William & Mary. But in the tri-state area it's highly regarded.

It is? NJ native here and I have never heard of it - is it the former Trenton State? If so, I would hardly call it “highly regarded” in NJ - the state flagship Rutgers is barely highly regarded by many NJ residents.

Then you're behind the times, that's all. Because yes, it is highly regarded. It's actually more selective than Rutgers.

And yes, you've heard of it. You know it's the former Trenton State. You're just being cute.

Rutgers isn’t selective either.

Depends on the college. Anyone can get into Livingston. Rutgers College is much more selective

^^It doesn’t look like you’re admitted to colleges anymore, just to Rutgers as a whole?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU all the way! (Huge fan...so happy there is a ‘new kid in town’ since I went to public university in VA from NoVa.. lots of demand for good in state options!)

IME kids who love W&M really don't like CNU. Not sure why.

I get that. But, we’re talking about a safety here. I didn’t love the feel of my shiny new safety either, but I didn’t get into the state flagship I wanted. My parents only allowed me to go in state. Life goes on.

That's why we're so lucky in Virginia with our in-state options-- beyond the top schools UVA and W&M, there's so many great inexpensive options: VT for the more STEM inclined, VCU for kids who want a city campus or specialize in art, GMU for kids who want access to DC opportunities, UMW for kids who want a liberal arts college, JMU for kids who want the traditional general campus experience CNU who want a newer mid-sized school etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU all the way! (Huge fan...so happy there is a ‘new kid in town’ since I went to public university in VA from NoVa.. lots of demand for good in state options!)

IME kids who love W&M really don't like CNU. Not sure why.

I get that. But, we’re talking about a safety here. I didn’t love the feel of my shiny new safety either, but I didn’t get into the state flagship I wanted. My parents only allowed me to go in state. Life goes on.

That's why we're so lucky in Virginia with our in-state options-- beyond the top schools UVA and W&M, there's so many great inexpensive options: VT for the more STEM inclined, VCU for kids who want a city campus or specialize in art, GMU for kids who want access to DC opportunities, UMW for kids who want a liberal arts college, JMU for kids who want the traditional general campus experience CNU who want a newer mid-sized school etc.

No love for ODU, Radford, Longwood, UVA Wise, etc.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU all the way! (Huge fan...so happy there is a ‘new kid in town’ since I went to public university in VA from NoVa.. lots of demand for good in state options!)

IME kids who love W&M really don't like CNU. Not sure why.

I get that. But, we’re talking about a safety here. I didn’t love the feel of my shiny new safety either, but I didn’t get into the state flagship I wanted. My parents only allowed me to go in state. Life goes on.

That's why we're so lucky in Virginia with our in-state options-- beyond the top schools UVA and W&M, there's so many great inexpensive options: VT for the more STEM inclined, VCU for kids who want a city campus or specialize in art, GMU for kids who want access to DC opportunities, UMW for kids who want a liberal arts college, JMU for kids who want the traditional general campus experience CNU who want a newer mid-sized school etc.

No love for ODU, Radford, Longwood, UVA Wise, etc.?

Sorry, I got tired and it's a long list...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CNU all the way! (Huge fan...so happy there is a ‘new kid in town’ since I went to public university in VA from NoVa.. lots of demand for good in state options!)

IME kids who love W&M really don't like CNU. Not sure why.

I get that. But, we’re talking about a safety here. I didn’t love the feel of my shiny new safety either, but I didn’t get into the state flagship I wanted. My parents only allowed me to go in state. Life goes on.

That's why we're so lucky in Virginia with our in-state options-- beyond the top schools UVA and W&M, there's so many great inexpensive options: VT for the more STEM inclined, VCU for kids who want a city campus or specialize in art, GMU for kids who want access to DC opportunities, UMW for kids who want a liberal arts college, JMU for kids who want the traditional general campus experience CNU who want a newer mid-sized school etc.

No love for ODU, Radford, Longwood, UVA Wise, etc.?

Ummm...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From most recent CDS:

U of R:
SAT Composite 1290 1440
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing 630 710
SAT Math 650 750
ACT Composite 30 33

W&M:

SAT Composite 1300 1490
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing 660 740
SAT Math 640 750
ACT Composite 30 34

I don't believe that Richmond is in a "lower category" than W&M and I would certainly not consider it to be a safety school.

I would.

[Anonymous]

NP. My DS really liked W&M and is also struggling to find safeties he likes. He’s visited several potential safeties but has been disappointed. I know safeties are important so he’s continuing to look. He also likes some selective LACs. We are OOS so not necessarily interested in other VA schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is somewhat unusual as it has a LAC feel, it’s a State school and it is well ranked. Matching that will be hard as LACs are private. If you have the stats to get into W&M you will probably need those to get aid at a private. Tough choices. And W&M just got more expensive also.

Not in-state. W&M has kept the same tuition, fees, room and board for incoming in-state students the same for at least the past 4 years. And they have a policy where your tuition and fees are guaranteed not to rise from your incoming rate. It is already the most expensive in-state public (though some specific programs at UVA are about the same) but it's been holding its costs steady for awhile now.

Since I just finished paying for it I can tell you it’s expensive. They held it for us but for incoming students? Not an inexpensive school. VTech wins that award.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is somewhat unusual as it has a LAC feel, it’s a State school and it is well ranked. Matching that will be hard as LACs are private. If you have the stats to get into W&M you will probably need those to get aid at a private. Tough choices. And W&M just got more expensive also.

Not in-state. W&M has kept the same tuition, fees, room and board for incoming in-state students the same for at least the past 4 years. And they have a policy where your tuition and fees are guaranteed not to rise from your incoming rate. It is already the most expensive in-state public (though some specific programs at UVA are about the same) but it's been holding its costs steady for awhile now.

Since I just finished paying for it I can tell you it’s expensive. They held it for us but for incoming students? Not an inexpensive school. VTech wins that award.

But that's what I'm saying--incoming students have been paying the same tuition & fees since incoming students in 2018: https://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/tuition/index.php
I know because I pay it too! Definitely not cheap, but it didn't just get more expensive (at least not in-state--I don't track OOS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M is somewhat unusual as it has a LAC feel, it’s a State school and it is well ranked. Matching that will be hard as LACs are private. If you have the stats to get into W&M you will probably need those to get aid at a private. Tough choices. And W&M just got more expensive also.

Not in-state. W&M has kept the same tuition, fees, room and board for incoming in-state students the same for at least the past 4 years. And they have a policy where your tuition and fees are guaranteed not to rise from your incoming rate. It is already the most expensive in-state public (though some specific programs at UVA are about the same) but it's been holding its costs steady for awhile now.

Since I just finished paying for it I can tell you it’s expensive. They held it for us but for incoming students? Not an inexpensive school. VTech wins that award.

But that's what I'm saying--incoming students have been paying the same tuition & fees since incoming students in 2018: https://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/tuition/index.php
I know because I pay it too! Definitely not cheap, but it didn't just get more expensive (at least not in-state--I don't track OOS).

The Business school at W&M also another $5000 per year. 3 years.

[Anonymous]

Elon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. My DS really liked W&M and is also struggling to find safeties he likes. He’s visited several potential safeties but has been disappointed. I know safeties are important so he’s continuing to look. He also likes some selective LACs. We are OOS so not necessarily interested in other VA schools.

Having gone through this with my DD, I would suggest a process rather than specific schools:

1) I would try to find out more about what he liked about W&M--as it's a quite unusual place (I know my DD liked: Strong liberal arts focus and feel, but 6000 students so feels bigger; as one of the oldest schools in the country deep historic tradition and feel to the campus; students are intellectually curious not just pre-professionally focused; lots of opportunities for student research on important seeming grants). This will help you know what he likes.

2) I would pick apart what he found disappointing about safety options. This will help you know what he doesn't like.

3) Identify safeties that have as many features of the things he liked about W&M as possible. For my DD this went the direction of small liberal arts colleges that were less selective. But I could see it for someone else who liked W&M, it going the direction of that mid-sized feel, so safeties might be regional public universities with a liberal arts core.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From most recent CDS:

U of R:
SAT Composite 1290 1440
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing 630 710
SAT Math 650 750
ACT Composite 30 33

W&M:

SAT Composite 1300 1490
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing 660 740
SAT Math 640 750
ACT Composite 30 34

I don't believe that Richmond is in a "lower category" than W&M and I would certainly not consider it to be a safety school.

I would.

Then you need to support your statement with some evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From most recent CDS:

U of R:
SAT Composite 1290 1440
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing 630 710
SAT Math 650 750
ACT Composite 30 33

W&M:

SAT Composite 1300 1490
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and
Writing 660 740
SAT Math 640 750
ACT Composite 30 34

I don't believe that Richmond is in a "lower category" than W&M and I would certainly not consider it to be a safety school.

I would.

Then you need to support your statement with some evidence.

DP: Average HS GPA at URichmond is 3.81 and at W&M 4.27---which is reflected also in W&M having more than 2x as many students come from the top 10% of their class. AND W&M have slightly higher SATs across categories. So for some kids who have high SAT scores and good but not quite as high grades, U Richmond would be easier to get into. But I wouldn't consider it a safety school at all. Just a more reasonable target for someone who W&M is more of a reach target on the basis of their grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. My DS really liked W&M and is also struggling to find safeties he likes. He’s visited several potential safeties but has been disappointed. I know safeties are important so he’s continuing to look. He also likes some selective LACs. We are OOS so not necessarily interested in other VA schools.

Having gone through this with my DD, I would suggest a process rather than specific schools:

1) I would try to find out more about what he liked about W&M--as it's a quite unusual place (I know my DD liked: Strong liberal arts focus and feel, but 6000 students so feels bigger; as one of the oldest schools in the country deep historic tradition and feel to the campus; students are intellectually curious not just pre-professionally focused; lots of opportunities for student research on important seeming grants). This will help you know what he likes.

2) I would pick apart what he found disappointing about safety options. This will help you know what he doesn't like.

3) Identify safeties that have as many features of the things he liked about W&M as possible. For my DD this went the direction of small liberal arts colleges that were less selective. But I could see it for someone else who liked W&M, it going the direction of that mid-sized feel, so safeties might be regional public universities with a liberal arts core.

I don't think it is that unusual, but the problem from a safety school perspective is the ones that have similarities (undergraduate program size, residential nature, history and a nice campus, strong liberal arts and sciences), tend to be quite selective.

MWU and CNU are probably the closest from an in-state perspective. OOS, perhaps College of Charleston, Elon, Bucknell, Lafayette. The list grows a bit if you look at schools that aren't safeties but will provide other options and chances at admissions like Wake Forest and Richmond.