Anonymous wrote:I was looking at Common Data Sets with my HS daughter the other day and was shocked at how low Radford's average GPA for an admitted student was (~3.2). SAT scores are similarly not impressive.

Not attending college is definitely not better than Radford. One of my friends went there. He's not killing it on Wall Street, but he does just fine for himself and his family.

It all depends on the major. Radford is actually pretty good in nursing and criminal justice.

It sounds like your child might be a good candidate for doing 2 years at CC then transferring to a 4 year school. Some kids just need more time to mature and develop a work ethic.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course not going to college is worse than a degree from Radford. Radford has wonderful teaching and nursing programs.

Op here- that's nice, but DS isn't going to be nurse or teacher. We don't want to at for what we are concerned is in fact a scarlet letter, a badge of underachievement.

Your child has a whole string of rejections. I think you need to be less choosy about what she is or is not going to be! I think she's already earned a "badge of underachievement" and should reevaluate her qualifications. Take the offer she has and make something of it rather than wait for something that doesn't appear to be coming her way.

+1
If your son, doesn't got to college, what do you expect them to do?

I truly believe that any kid can become successful despite not going to name brand colleges as long as they work hard, apply themselves and take advantage of the opportunities that come their way. Your son already has their "badge of underachievement". Radford won't be giving it to them. Tell your son that if his GPA falls below a certain point, you won't pay for college. He needs to start working hard. This is all on him. What college he attends doesn't matter.

Way overbroad statement that statement.
But if Radford is the best he can do, then go ahead and go there. Many doors are closed at this point so why agonize over it now? The time to have been concerned about this was 8th, 9th, 10th grade.

I know 3 people who went to Radford. All IT professionals.

1 is a total moron, but the other 2 are nice. They all earn a living that's more than respectable.

My sister went to Radford, worked as a teacher, but eventually went onto getting her PhD at Stanford in education. She's a college professor now.

I went to Radford, worked as a nurse for 6 years and then went onto getting my NP degree. I make over 100K and work reasonable hours.

It's a small school, but I actually felt it was great for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course not going to college is worse than a degree from Radford. Radford has wonderful teaching and nursing programs.

Op here- that's nice, but DS isn't going to be nurse or teacher. We don't want to at for what we are concerned is in fact a scarlet letter, a badge of underachievement.

Your child has a whole string of rejections. I think you need to be less choosy about what she is or is not going to be! I think she's already earned a "badge of underachievement" and should reevaluate her qualifications. Take the offer she has and make something of it rather than wait for something that doesn't appear to be coming her way.

+1
If your son, doesn't got to college, what do you expect them to do?

I truly believe that any kid can become successful despite not going to name brand colleges as long as they work hard, apply themselves and take advantage of the opportunities that come their way. Your son already has their "badge of underachievement". Radford won't be giving it to them. Tell your son that if his GPA falls below a certain point, you won't pay for college. He needs to start working hard. This is all on him. What college he attends doesn't matter.

Family friend went to Radford. He has had a very successful career and makes 200K+. He chose to go there after growing up in a rural town. It was what he needed, and because of him, I truly advocate that it's the student and not the school that determines success.

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Anonymous wrote:DS was admitted to Radford. Waitlisted at ODU. And rejections from JMU, VCU, etc. We are thinking that not attending college is better than a degree from Radford, but maybe its reputation has improved since we went to college 30 years ago. Thoughts?

There's no way in degree from Redford is worse than no degree. Many jobs "require" degrees simply to weed out less intelligent/motivated people. It's a checkbox. And if you leave the area people will simply bin it with all the rest of the colleges they might have vaguely heard of.

Radford that is.

Anonymous wrote:DS was admitted to Radford. Waitlisted at ODU. And rejections from JMU, VCU, etc. We are thinking that not attending college is better than a degree from Radford, but maybe its reputation has improved since we went to college 30 years ago. Thoughts?

There's no way in degree from Redford is worse than no degree. Many jobs "require" degrees simply to weed out less intelligent/motivated people. It's a checkbox. And if you leave the area people will simply bin it with all the rest of the colleges they might have vaguely heard of.

I have a good friend that graduated from Redford 20 years ago with a very successful career in medical sales.

There's nothing wrong with going to RU. It's much better than skipping college. As others have pointed out, your son can always transfer. I knew a few RU grads and they are great, successful people. It's more important that your son figure out what he wants from college and work to get that either at RU or through taking some summer classes at another university, like a friend I know did.

I was looking at Common Data Sets with my HS daughter the other day and was shocked at how low Radford's average GPA for an admitted student was (~3.2). SAT scores are similarly not impressive.

People have got to stop ranking the VA schools from best to worst. I'm glad the Radford alum PP sounded in in defense of a school that sounds like a great fit for kids whose HS records aren't pristine. While I haven't toured the campus I did drive through it and I thought it was lovely. Looks like a nice environment for learning.

I grew up in this area and definitely have held the same negative opinion of RU as you clearly do, OP. However, as an adult, I know several people who are RU graduates. Bar none, they are lovely and successful people. Also, a very close friend in HS got into only a safety school. It was the best possible fit and turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Sometimes when the universe tells you something, you should listen.