I grew up in Ohio and toured UVA during a spring break trip to a few southern colleges. I fell in love with the historic campus and surrounding mountains after living in a flat part of Ohio. A much earlier spring in Virginia didn't hurt either.

I was disappointed after being rejected, but can see the allure for others from around the country. I now live in the DC area and still like to drive to central Virginia for the gorgeous scenery.

I live in New England and anyone from our school going to UVA usually gets lots of oohs and ahhs. Similar to UCLA/UCBerkley/Michigan as they are all seen as similarly competitive in a general way for out of staters, and great national reputations. I will say the recent kids from our hs have also gone with one of the competitive scholarships giving them partial funding so that is added prestige etc

It's small for a high-ranked public, more affordable than private, generally respected, has historic significance, charming campus, strong sports teams, balanced culture...I could go on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone fill me in with the obsession over UVA for out of staters?

I get it is a good school and price of tuition can’t be beat if you are instate.

But I don’t get the obsession from the MD crowd.

Is it just since they are influenced by the VA parents?

I am a longtime VA resident and I am not interested in UVA and my kids are not interested in UVA. UVA school environment appears toxic (boasting, dominant Greek life, southern location etc.) from the postings by the various UVA boosters on this site.

Agreed!
Personally, I do not get why anyone would pay OOS for a large state school (even Michigan or Berkeley). If I'm paying $65K+, I'd rather my kid be at a smaller private school and pay the $80K.

I am the OP. Not a troll.

UVA used to be discussed by my MD friends as an option for their kids, but over the past few years has seemed to turn into an obsession to get their kids in. Maybe it is a competition amount their peers? Maybe UMD is seen as second rate/they want to be out of state? Something seems to have changed in the past few years.

And then on this forum there is an obsession over it. I get it is a good school, but seems over the top.

I think some of it is the holdover from “Public Ivies” book from the 1980s.

Anonymous wrote:Can someone fill me in with the obsession over UVA for out of staters?

I get it is a good school and price of tuition can’t be beat if you are instate.

But I don’t get the obsession from the MD crowd.

Is it just since they are influenced by the VA parents?

I am a longtime VA resident and I am not interested in UVA and my kids are not interested in UVA. UVA school environment appears toxic (boasting, dominant Greek life, southern location etc.) from the postings by the various UVA boosters on this site.

A few rich parents are happy to spend the money to say that their kid got in somewhere out of state, or to get their kids farther away from home.

OP is a pot stirring troll. None of my MD friends cared about UVA undergrad. UMD provided everything important at a better price.

UVA has a very attractive law school.

Anonymous wrote:Can someone fill me in with the obsession over UVA for out of staters?

I get it is a good school and price of tuition can’t be beat if you are instate.

But I don’t get the obsession from the MD crowd.

Is it just since they are influenced by the VA parents?

I’m a big public school fan but the UVa boosters are so over the top that they make me laugh. To be fair, I suspect that trolls trying to make UVa fans look petty and obsessed.

When I went there as a student from Maryland 30+ years ago, it was because it was a top school that was within a few hours of home. UMD was twice the size, and half my high school went there. My parents were willing to pay OOS tuition.

I’m guessing the calculus hasn’t changed that much for today’s students from Maryland.

Anonymous wrote:No, there is no obsession, but some UVA boosters on DCUM certainly want you to believe it. UVA is a good public university. There are many such. That's all.

This, basically. Zero obsession.

No, there is no obsession, but some UVA boosters on DCUM certainly want you to believe it. UVA is a good public university. There are many such. That's all.

It’s had a reputation as a good school for decades. This is nothing new. It has historical significance, as it was founded by Thomas Jefferson.

You could ask a similar question about University of Michigan or Penn State or any other popular state school.

Can someone fill me in with the obsession over UVA for out of staters?

I get it is a good school and price of tuition can’t be beat if you are instate.

But I don’t get the obsession from the MD crowd.

Is it just since they are influenced by the VA parents?