Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you don’t get into T15, you probably also didn’t get into UVA. Then there is no much difference tuition wise between UM and Rochester. Both are attractive to many students.

Omg. Not. It’s a back up for those.

Sorry, you’re trying to convince people that UVA is a backup for U of Rochester?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because my oldest wanted International Affairs. Georgetown and George Washington are both in the top 10 for that major. UMD, our in-state, is terrible.

He really liked GW's urban campus, so he went with that, and got some merit aid. Thankfully we can afford it.

For STEM, I agree that UMD would have been sufficient.

You are on every thread.

PP you replied to. Ha! I gather there are other posters with kids majoring in International Affairs. No, I don't often post on the College forum, actually.

Yes, you do. It’s ok.

How would you know she is in every thread unless you are also there? Weirdo.

I think some of those other top schools give very good financial aid as well. And if your state flagship is huge, your kid would prefer a smaller college experience, and you have the money or financial aid to make it happen, why not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because my oldest wanted International Affairs. Georgetown and George Washington are both in the top 10 for that major. UMD, our in-state, is terrible.

He really liked GW's urban campus, so he went with that, and got some merit aid. Thankfully we can afford it.

For STEM, I agree that UMD would have been sufficient.

You are on every thread.

PP you replied to. Ha! I gather there are other posters with kids majoring in International Affairs. No, I don't often post on the College forum, actually.

Yes, you do. It’s ok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t you just go to your state flagship, especially if it’s ranked in , say, the top 50? Tell me it makes no sense to pay all of that money for a private university that isn’t ranked in the top 15 or 20 when you could go to UVA, Michigan, North Carolina, maybe Florida, and obviously the UC schools?

Well, people that have instate Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and UT-Austin as options are in a wonderful place. And I suspect very few of those families can be persuaded to drop an additional $250,000 for undergrad at a different school.

But that's five schools out of 5000 colleges. There are a bazillion reasons why people choose something different than the state flagship. And for middle class families, the elite private schools are often cheaper than state flagships. Plus major strength, programs, vibe, network, opportunities, sports, location, community, weather, and on and on.

Many people who have instate in CA go private if they can afford it. UCB and UCLA are great graduate schools and they can be good choices for many kids but any top UC comes with alot of compromises which limits their attractiveness to many.

Please. If you’re in-state and get admitted to Berkeley or UCLA that’s where you’re going. UCLA is a dream for most California teens.

You have the money to pay for it.
Your kid wants a smaller school.
Your kid doesn't want to spend four years of "what HS did you go to? Oh, we played you in the state basketball tournament!"
They want to try living somewhere else.

I agree with this more for the very top schools. Beyond that, it is a tougher call.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because my oldest wanted International Affairs. Georgetown and George Washington are both in the top 10 for that major. UMD, our in-state, is terrible.

He really liked GW's urban campus, so he went with that, and got some merit aid. Thankfully we can afford it.

For STEM, I agree that UMD would have been sufficient.

You are on every thread.

PP you replied to. Ha! I gather there are other posters with kids majoring in International Affairs. No, I don't often post on the College forum, actually.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t you just go to your state flagship, especially if it’s ranked in , say, the top 50? Tell me it makes no sense to pay all of that money for a private university that isn’t ranked in the top 15 or 20 when you could go to UVA, Michigan, North Carolina, maybe Florida, and obviously the UC schools?

Well, people that have instate Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and UT-Austin as options are in a wonderful place. And I suspect very few of those families can be persuaded to drop an additional $250,000 for undergrad at a different school.

But that's five schools out of 5000 colleges. There are a bazillion reasons why people choose something different than the state flagship. And for middle class families, the elite private schools are often cheaper than state flagships. Plus major strength, programs, vibe, network, opportunities, sports, location, community, weather, and on and on.

Many people who have instate in CA go private if they can afford it. UCB and UCLA are great graduate schools and they can be good choices for many kids but any top UC comes with alot of compromises which limits their attractiveness to many.

Rankings may not be particularly relevant in cases in which schools differ qualitatively. Colby, for example, offers a set of characteristics and attributes different from, say, those of UVa, which might make Colby a more desirable choice for some students irrespective of how these schools might be perceived when considered by rankings.

Anonymous wrote:When you don’t get into T15, you probably also didn’t get into UVA. Then there is no much difference tuition wise between UM and Rochester. Both are attractive to many students.

Omg. Not. It’s a back up for those.

We raised our kids in NOVA. They weren’t Ivy material, we knew that. Few are. Had they been, we would have and could have paid the tuition. But since they weren’t, for us it was all about UVA or W&M unless the kids had a compelling reason. I mean, what can’t you study at one or the other of those schools? And they’re both very prestigious. In the end, all of our kids ended up at UVA except for one, who got into W&M but turned it down for a highly ranked liberal arts college that offered enough merit aid that the price difference was inconsequential. We always approached college from a practical standpoint, and looking back we are very glad we did.

Anonymous wrote:Because my oldest wanted International Affairs. Georgetown and George Washington are both in the top 10 for that major. UMD, our in-state, is terrible.

He really liked GW's urban campus, so he went with that, and got some merit aid. Thankfully we can afford it.

For STEM, I agree that UMD would have been sufficient.

You are on every thread.

Anonymous wrote:WASP

Above posted, WASP colleges for a smaller undergrad experience/alternative. Or honors program at state flagship

WASP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you don’t get into T15, you probably also didn’t get into UVA. Then there is no much difference tuition wise between UM and Rochester. Both are attractive to many students.

So you are saying what… UVA is T15 like?

If you don’t get into UCLA OOS, you probably also get denied by UVA.

UVa is def not at the same level as UCLA. What are you smoking?