Anonymous wrote:yes, most in state people will think a Virginia Tech student was a UVA reject. W&M is sui generis.

I don't think you have kept up and have any understanding how difficult it is to get into these schools today. And Tech is a TECH school, like Cal Tech, Purdue, Georgia Tech. Go go there for engineering, vet science, architecture, animal husbandry, etc etc. You don't go to Cal Tech for poly-sci.

yes, most in state people will think a Virginia Tech student was a UVA reject. W&M is sui generis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W & M had 15,000 applications last year so it appears that somebody applied.

Just saying that it's not like all kids are applying to UVA or W&M as first choices, with VT as the safety.

Maybe back in the day this was the case, but it seems now that the three are of equal stature in the kids' eyes, just different types of kids are applying to each one. That's a good thing I think that they're trying to find the right fit vs. just legacy status. Legacy not as in alumni but legacy as in the past.

My kid is at a STEM magnet so maybe my views are skewed by DC and friends. They report that W&M is more of a SLAC, while VT is the STEM school and UVA is big state U, but they're all equally good according to the kids.

Didn't mean to knock W&M.

You say VT is the STEM school, but I don't think you can say it is stronger in science than UVA or W&M. That isn't to say it isn't good. UVA has the same percentage of majors as VT in Bio/Biomed, Math/Statistics, Computer Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, and W&M has a higher percentage than either. STEM at VT is heavy on engineering. Among national public universities, only Berkeley produces as many STEM PHDs on a per capita basis as W&M. And referring to UVA as Big State U when VT is significantly larger seems like a misnomer.

Anonymous wrote:W & M had 15,000 applications last year so it appears that somebody applied.

Just saying that it's not like all kids are applying to UVA or W&M as first choices, with VT as the safety.

Maybe back in the day this was the case, but it seems now that the three are of equal stature in the kids' eyes, just different types of kids are applying to each one. That's a good thing I think that they're trying to find the right fit vs. just legacy status. Legacy not as in alumni but legacy as in the past.

My kid is at a STEM magnet so maybe my views are skewed by DC and friends. They report that W&M is more of a SLAC, while VT is the STEM school and UVA is big state U, but they're all equally good according to the kids.

Didn't mean to knock W&M.

As someone who graduated from Va Tech, I have to say I feel no inferiority to any school. In Science and Engineering (Tech's strengths), we are the premier school in Virginia.

If your kid wants to be a hand's on engineer, Va Tech is the best in the Old Dominion.

Difficult to compare VT or UVA, on the one hand, to W&M. W&M is much smaller, supermajority undergrad, and more like a private SLAC than either UVA or VT. And recognizing the differences doesn't detract from any of the three - all three are excellent by any measure. That doesn't make them different degrees of the same thing at all.

W & M had 15,000 applications last year so it appears that somebody applied.

At DC's school it's UVA for the all-around/preppy types or Tech for the stem/more hipster kids; no one applies to W&M.

Kid wanted a huge school not W & M

Well, considering he didn’t apply to either of those, I’d say noZ

+1. Why so much obvious trolling today?

OP, you are either ignorant, or a troll. Or both.

Anonymous wrote:It's a completely different experience. Op, are you unfamiliar with the schools?

I know UVA and W&M are harder to get into and many think they’re more prestigious.

It's a completely different experience. Op, are you unfamiliar with the schools?

...do you think your DC settled because they didn’t get into UVA or W&M?