Reply to Anyone know a smart student who transferred out of UVA? Why and to where?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There are two different things here.

1. Transfers - students who leave at any time the enroll at another school.

2. Rentention Rate - percent of freshman who return for sophomore year.

Some of the people who transfer do it after sophomore year. 
Some of the freshman who don’t return for sophomore year might leave for reasons other than transfer. [/quote]

This is why a 99% rention rate or a 97% retention rate makes me skeptical.  Even if you are looking at the best school on the planet, and they are doing absolutely everything right, kids get sick, serious mental illness can manifest at age 18-20 (I knew two girls socially that this happened to when I was in college. One bipolar who took a semester off and came back, one with schizophrenia who left entirely), family emergencies happen, an inability to pay for college happens, kids realize that they want something different out of a college than they thoughtt — different size, different academic program, etc., girls get pregnant or married (see the other thread), kids come unprepared and struggle academically. In many of these case, they might need a smaller school, more supports, to live at home, etc.  That’s not a mark against UVA. That’s life.

If they really have 97% of their freshman class show up on campus as sophomores, I would wonder if they were retaining too many kids— giving an academic pass to kids who are underprepared or have poor work habits (and yes, even at UVA, some kids, especially boys, are not prepared to manage themselves in large classes where they are accountable to no one), or making it hard for kids to transfer if they need to.  92% seems like job well,done. 97% seems too high IRL.

I think the 4 & 6 year graduation rate are better benchmarks.  But again, I don’t think colleges should be giving degrees to kids who don’t measure up.  I also don’t think a lower freshman retention rate is bad. Not all schools are for all kids. It’s better for a kid to move to where they will thrive than double down on a mistake.

This is the problem with USNWR.  It makes colleges focus in things that massage their numbers, rather than taking an independent look at what is best for the student body. If UVA relaxes standards to get their 4 year graduation rate up (and I am not saying they do), this May help them stay tied for 25. But it would do a disservice to the actual education.  U Chicago style antics to get kids who clearly have no numbers aren’t anything.  to apply to drive down acceptance rate does not help the quality of education, and hurts kids who get sold on Chicago and are told they have a chance when they don’t.

And BTW, I went to Wake Forest, which is sitting 1 spot below UVA (#27, with UVA tied for 25).  And fully recognize they went test optional early to massage their numbers. Their are good reasons to be test optional. But they were in the process becoming a national university instead of a regional one, and were clearly focused on rankings when they made that decision.  I my kids are in high school.  So no dog in the UVA fight. But give me a break with the rention rate. No way it is real. [/quote]

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