Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn't think any school's retention rate should be 99%? Those are North Korean election numbers and implying that any cohort of 17-year olds could be 99% correct in a major life choice would require North Korean levels of brainwashing!

I went to a golden handcuff college: everyone told me it was too good to leave, so I didn't. Ironically, some of what makes a good student is the ability to shut out distractions, knuckle down, and do the work. So that's what I did -- joylessly ground out a mediocre BA in 3 years -- but I regret not trying something different when I had the chance. Real-life options are very rare and valuable things: there is very little downside to transferring when you're in college, and potentially a great upside if you discover what makes you happy. Hint: it may not be a seminar under a tree at a fancy college like they show you in the prospectus.

All the handwringing about retention rates and rankings (nevermind the OP's concern about a "friend of a friend's daughter's" university choice!) feed into that syndrome that high-achieving DMV kids have of always chasing the path of greater prestige. I grew up in a (very) competitive DC school and I'm guessing the pressures now are even worse. I suspect some substance abuse and mental health problems get started this way. My cohort turned out OK, but very few of them chose to be in DC chasing the same kind of DC jobs that brought us (*or our parents*) here in the first place, and many of them seem to have gone out of their way to get as far from it as possible.

So if there is a young woman thinking of leaving UVa because it's "overwhelming" (how -- academically? socially? culturally?) I'd encourage her to explore her options, and not worry about what her parents' friends think (or parents, or friends, or friends' parents).

Agree. My son transferred after one year at a "golden handcuffs" school. He wasn't miserable, but he thought he could find something else that would be a better fit, both academically and socially. He was right. He transferred and had a great experience. He's now at a top grad school in his field. As a bonus he learned two valuable lessons: 1) don't let anyone else tell you what's best for you (especially US News), and 2) if you're unhappy, do something about it.