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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]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.[/quote]

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.

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I'm the poster with the strong student who made clear she'd be very unhappy going below UVA in state.  That was exactly her thinking, and [b]fortunately we had the money to pay for her to go anywhere[/b].  We weren't willing to pay full freight for a private school (to us, that made no sense for anything lower than top 10-15), so we said we'd pay for a strong OOS flagship.  She got into a good one, paid the deposit, and would have been happy to go.  But she ended up getting into UVA off the waitlist so it all ended well.   [/quote]

Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Not everyone has the money to pay OOS, and frankly, it's often even harder to get admitted as an OOS. My kid is a very strong student, they technically have the numbers that would put them in range at UVA or WM, but that's not a guarantee with all of the other high achieving students applying. [b]I really hate the attitude that you and you your daughter are fostering that if a bright student doesn't get the golden ticket or possess $$$ they're doomed.[/b][/quote]

I'm not suggesting that you're "doomed" if you can't get into William & Mary or UVA in state and have to settle for another in state school.  There's nothing wrong with JMU, GMU, etc., it's just that the gap between UVA/W&M and the other VA schools in terms of admission is so great -- JMU truly doesn't mean "Just Missed UVA" -- that there are many, many great schools falling somewhere in between.  For example, other than Northwestern a borderline UVA admit from in state is a likely admit to every Big 10 school, most of which are great, fun, and have national reputations.  If you can afford them, why not?  They're certainly less expensive than private schools.

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[b]That is absolutely not certain. Many privates are a heckuva lot cheaper than OOS B10 schools.[/b][/quote]

After merit aid, maybe, but the best privates typically don't offer merit aid.  I'm talking about full price for a top ranked private versus full price for OOS Big Ten.  Big Ten is always cheaper.
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Well yes after aid. And why limit the private to “best”? Sorry, all the big ten schools aren’t ’t anywhere close to “best”. Many aren’t particularly good, to be frank. Iowa? Michigan State? Nebraska? And there are many quality privates with merit aid. Again, just trying to rebut your ‘certainly less expensive’ assertion.[/quote]

[b]I'd rather go Big Ten than second tier private with merit aid.[/b][/quote]

It really depends on what you want.  A student who is a borderline admit to UVA/W&M would likely get merit aid at a SLAC that is ranked within the top 75 that made total cost of attendance 25k/yr or less.  Those schools have closer professor relationships, more individualized attention, streamlined process to graduation, personalized career support, better graduate school placement and tightknit alumni network.  Almost all the Big Ten will cost more than that for OOS  unless you qualify for considerable financial aid.  But you will have access to a wider range of majors, more robust social/athletic scene, more career recruiting opportunities, wider name recognition and larger alumni base.  For the top 75 LACs the GPA/SAT of fellow students will be comparable or higher than most Big Ten.    So it really comes down to what you care about in education--reasonable kids can choose either--it's not at all clearcut.[/quote]

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