Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCB/Cal - yes- but you have to be the type of kid who will thrive on the intensity not be crushed by it.
UMich - yes - if it’s the best research university for your field.

UVA and UNC - absolutely not. These are regional flagships, great for instate students looking for a solid but not extraordinary education. They are equal to the midwestern flagships.

Michigan is the only midwestern flagship that is comparable to UVA or UNC.

But not worth paying OOS for pre-law track at Mich if UVA is your flagship. Unless of course kid did not get into UVA.

Anonymous wrote:$20-30k difference is not going to cut it against any T20 private. State school quality, overcrowding and looming budget cuts in classes, dorms and student services do not compare favorably. To top it off, double whammy resentment for being treated as second class students, paying way more (compared to state residents) for less benefits (compared to private schools).

Who are you to speak for all of humankind? I can't stand this kind of poster on DCUM.

My kids chose schools based on $10K/year savings. That is $40k over 4 years. $40K is my take home pay of 7-8 months of hard work as an RN. It's the price of a car.
I'm glad that it's a rounding error for you but think outside your tiny bubble for just a minute. There are hundreds of kids online on Reddit who are choosing schools based on savings of $2k or 3K. It's big money when you grow up having none.

UNC has always been big pre med destination. Excellent medical facilities and school and same for Duke close by. There is also Bowman Gray med school up the road.

We would prefer an in-state public over any OOS public if accepted both places.

Anonymous wrote:Private T20 universities tend to give much better aid to MC and UMC students compared to OOS colleges. So the vast, vast majority of top MC and UMC students will always choose a top private over something like UVA or UNC.

Engineering will be a little different. Georgia Tech, Michigan, Berkeley, UIUC and so on tend to be better qualitatively than most Ivy schools. So the calculations are different there.

The aid for UMC drops off pretty significantly after the Ivies and MIT or so. Lots of $200-300k HHs getting nothing.

MC and below is a different story.

Private T20 universities tend to give much better aid to MC and UMC students compared to OOS colleges. So the vast, vast majority of top MC and UMC students will always choose a top private over something like UVA or UNC.

Engineering will be a little different. Georgia Tech, Michigan, Berkeley, UIUC and so on tend to be better qualitatively than most Ivy schools. So the calculations are different there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCB/Cal - yes- but you have to be the type of kid who will thrive on the intensity not be crushed by it.
UMich - yes - if it’s the best research university for your field.

UVA and UNC - absolutely not. These are regional flagships, great for instate students looking for a solid but not extraordinary education. They are equal to the midwestern flagships.

Michigan is the only midwestern flagship that is comparable to UVA or UNC.

Illinois, Purdue and others are better in some key areas. Sweeping claims usually have no basis in realit.

I could see a full pay engineering kid choosing Purdue, UIUC or Georgia Tech over a T20 private due to the program. There’s nothing at either UVA or UNC that a private T20 wouldn’t have to offer along with a much stronger peer group.

My kid chose Georgia Tech over Northwestern and Notre Dame last cycle for Chemical Engineering. So I know one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$20-30k difference is not going to cut it against any T20 private. State school quality, overcrowding and looming budget cuts in classes, dorms and student services do not compare favorably. To top it off, double whammy resentment for being treated as second class students, paying way more (compared to state residents) for less benefits (compared to private schools).

It doesn’t matter what you think. People do this all of the time. Vanderbilt, Rice, WashU are all T20 privates and, yes, people choose UNC and UVA over them. And yes, saving $80-120k on an undergraduate education is attractive to many.

You sound like a student. And deeply ignorant of public universities. For both reasons I’m not sure why you’re on this thread.

Did I strike a nerve? Your DC couldn't cut it to a private T20?

Nope, my kids aren’t even in college yet. No nerve struck. You just sound really clueless—making absurd claims that are obviously wrong—and are contributing nothing to the discussion, that’s all.

Also, I’ll add that your childish response to my previous comment indicates that you are, indeed, a student. Go play with your friends. You’re only young once.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$20-30k difference is not going to cut it against any T20 private. State school quality, overcrowding and looming budget cuts in classes, dorms and student services do not compare favorably. To top it off, double whammy resentment for being treated as second class students, paying way more (compared to state residents) for less benefits (compared to private schools).

It doesn’t matter what you think. People do this all of the time. Vanderbilt, Rice, WashU are all T20 privates and, yes, people choose UNC and UVA over them. And yes, saving $80-120k on an undergraduate education is attractive to many.

You sound like a student. And deeply ignorant of public universities. For both reasons I’m not sure why you’re on this thread.

Did I strike a nerve? Your DC couldn't cut it to a private T20?

Nope, my kids aren’t even in college yet. No nerve struck. You just sound really clueless—making absurd claims that are obviously wrong—and are contributing nothing to the discussion, that’s all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCB/Cal - yes- but you have to be the type of kid who will thrive on the intensity not be crushed by it.
UMich - yes - if it’s the best research university for your field.

UVA and UNC - absolutely not. These are regional flagships, great for instate students looking for a solid but not extraordinary education. They are equal to the midwestern flagships.

Michigan is the only midwestern flagship that is comparable to UVA or UNC.

Illinois, Purdue and others are better in some key areas. Sweeping claims usually have no basis in realit.

I could see a full pay engineering kid choosing Purdue, UIUC or Georgia Tech over a T20 private due to the program. There’s nothing at either UVA or UNC that a private T20 wouldn’t have to offer along with a much stronger peer group.

+1 GT in particular has top ranked engineering programs with value pricing, even for OOS. But last 2 years almost impossible to get in unless apply EA. Purdue has highly ranked engineering programs with tuition and living cost significantly less than any other top engineering state schools.

Anonymous wrote:$20-30k difference is not going to cut it against any T20 private. State school quality, overcrowding and looming budget cuts in classes, dorms and student services do not compare favorably. To top it off, double whammy resentment for being treated as second class students, paying way more (compared to state residents) for less benefits (compared to private schools).

It doesn’t matter what you think. People do this all of the time. Vanderbilt, Rice, WashU are all T20 privates and, yes, people choose UNC and UVA over them. And yes, saving $80-120k on an undergraduate education is attractive to many.

You sound like a student. And deeply ignorant of public universities. For both reasons I’m not sure why you’re on this thread.

$20-30k difference is not going to cut it against any T20 private. State school quality, overcrowding and looming budget cuts in classes, dorms and student services do not compare favorably. To top it off, double whammy resentment for being treated as second class students, paying way more (compared to state residents) for less benefits (compared to private schools).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCB/Cal - yes- but you have to be the type of kid who will thrive on the intensity not be crushed by it.
UMich - yes - if it’s the best research university for your field.

UVA and UNC - absolutely not. These are regional flagships, great for instate students looking for a solid but not extraordinary education. They are equal to the midwestern flagships.

Michigan is the only midwestern flagship that is comparable to UVA or UNC.

Illinois, Purdue and others are better in some key areas. Sweeping claims usually have no basis in realit.

I could see a full pay engineering kid choosing Purdue, UIUC or Georgia Tech over a T20 private due to the program. There’s nothing at either UVA or UNC that a private T20 wouldn’t have to offer along with a much stronger peer group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If one is not in-state for any one of those schools, and they do not get into any privates in the T20 nor WASP lacs, then yes Uva UCB UNC Mich are all worth it OOS, as is GT if it is engineering or CS.

what delusion. Many kids are turning down so called "T20" "privates" to attend those schools. They are usually harder to get into OOS than those "T20" Privates as well. Too funny.

No OOS kid that got into a T20 private would ever choose UVA or UNC. It’s just not happening. These are fine schools for in state schools. They are even OK for OOS who only get into much lower ranked schools that do not have strength in their program. They are not prestigious outside their state bubbles.

It happens all of the time. The COA of UNC in particular is $20-30k less per year than T20 privates, so it had a financial advantage in addition to be competitive on its own.

This is such a myopic private school comment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCB/Cal - yes- but you have to be the type of kid who will thrive on the intensity not be crushed by it.
UMich - yes - if it’s the best research university for your field.

UVA and UNC - absolutely not. These are regional flagships, great for instate students looking for a solid but not extraordinary education. They are equal to the midwestern flagships.

Michigan is the only midwestern flagship that is comparable to UVA or UNC.

Illinois, Purdue and others are better in some key areas. Sweeping claims usually have no basis in realit.