Retention rates are bullshit. Maybe Harvard’s and Stanford’s are accurate, that’s about all I’d believe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA has a freshman retention rate of 97.0%, one of the highest in the nation. So no, not really common.

Website says 96*, which based on UVA's class size, 4% is about 150 students. How exactly is that tabulated? I was a resident (dorm) advisor at a major flagship university so I'm deeply suspicious of such a high %, as it seemed freshman went home all the time. Can that % be fudged by adding incoming January transfers to even out kids who depart, or only counting kids who don't enroll in January term (not those who just don't show the next fall), or only counting kids who inform UVA they're leaving, or allowing failing kids to stay an extra semester so they fail out as sophomores not freshman?

For example, when I transferred colleges, I never told my university, I just didn't show up the next fall. Would I be counted against the retention rate?

Yawn. Just because you have a weird stick up your butt about UVA doesn't mean the data is wrong or that they're fudging numbers. Unless you think every other university is fudging numbers too? In that case, you're just a weird conspiracy theory.

I know a kid who transferred from UVA to Brown after their first year. Their parents were both Ivy alums, though, so I assume that they didn't get in to an Ivy in the first go-around and were using UVA as a stepping stone to transfer into one.

My neighbor’s kid spent freshman year at UVA and transferred to College Park. He did not like
UVA for several reasons. First, it was during the election year and there was a lot of trump support on campus which made him uncomfortable. Second, he is a tennis player and was not allowed to play even on the rec team. He was told that there was not any space left for him. At college park, he had not trouble getting a spot. Third, he did not like his roommate. He is a very strong student and transferred with not problems. He is a better “fit” culturally at Maryland and his parents now pay in state tuition. Win, win.

First, I have no idea of UVA is fudging their numbers or not. If they are, then they are in good company. I saw on CC that 4 schools were just suspended from the ranking for providing bad data. But I didn’t look,at which ones. Colleges play the USNWR game, whether it is by getting any kid with a pulse to apply (Chicago) or going test optional so the scores they report are inflated (I’m a WFU grad, and they caught onto this early) or choosing the freshman retention rate most favorable to them.

97% retention would make me pause because I have a kid at TJ, which does not have anything close to a 97% freshman retention rate. And every kid who gets in is bright. But that does not mean the academics and/or the environment are a good fit for every kid. Kids drop out or transfer because life happens, because medical and family issues happen (and that is the age and time in your life when mental health issues happen), because of academic or social mismatch. Many drop outs are not UVA’s fault. It would shock me if 3% is the real number and they aren’t cherry picking stats. UVA is great. That does not mean it is great for every kid who gets in or that some kids don’t need to leave for circumstances beyond their control. But I could be wrong.

OP— you are going to get better answers if you are more specific. What is overwhelming? Can’t keep up with academics? Does not like the social scene? Classes too big? Having trouble meeting people? Where a kid should transfer depends on the answer. WM might be a great in state fit for a kid who dislikes the size and social culture. But it’s a bad fit for a kid who can’t keep up with the schoolwork. Also— being overwhelmed by sake and social scene may solve itself as the kid finds their place. Finding the academics or workload overwhelming as a freshman may be a bigger issue.

Anonymous wrote:If 150 transfer out I’d assume half are due to crap grades and half are smart kids heading to T15 privates.

It’s not easy to transfer into a T15 college, even if you want to and have great freshman grades. Very few spaces.

Anonymous wrote:"The numbers aren't fudged."

The numbers ARE fudged but there is NO reason to think they are fudged more at UVa than at any other selective universities.

It stands to reason that there is less fudging at schools that aren't really selective because who cares about a retention rate of 49% vs 53%.

Yeah anything that is used for rankings purposes is fudged. But how do you fudge retention rate? Isn’t it pretty cut and dry.

Anonymous wrote:My DC didn't apply to UVA due to size. I can definitely see how it would be too big for some. Of course, some students probably start at schools that are too small for them and end up transferring somewhere larger like UVA. Sometimes it takes a year for students to figure out the best fit.

But UVA isn’t really that big.

"The numbers aren't fudged."

The numbers ARE fudged but there is NO reason to think they are fudged more at UVa than at any other selective universities.

It stands to reason that there is less fudging at schools that aren't really selective because who cares about a retention rate of 49% vs 53%.

If 150 transfer out I’d assume half are due to crap grades and half are smart kids heading to T15 privates.

My DC didn't apply to UVA due to size. I can definitely see how it would be too big for some. Of course, some students probably start at schools that are too small for them and end up transferring somewhere larger like UVA. Sometimes it takes a year for students to figure out the best fit.

Anonymous wrote:When you transfer, you have to withdraw from your university. They absolutely have records.

Retention is about freshman to sophomore year progress. In high schools, it’s called student mobility (FCPS has it for every school in the system). It’s not about the overall number in the fresh,an class compared to the overall number in the sophomore class.

Scepticiam is great when it comes to data, but straight up making stuff up is stupid. Google things. Read.

Sorry sweetie, I never technically withdrew from anything. This is I bet how they pump the number. If the family never formally withdraws they don’t count them.

When you transfer, you have to withdraw from your university. They absolutely have records.

Retention is about freshman to sophomore year progress. In high schools, it’s called student mobility (FCPS has it for every school in the system). It’s not about the overall number in the fresh,an class compared to the overall number in the sophomore class.

Scepticiam is great when it comes to data, but straight up making stuff up is stupid. Google things. Read.

Anonymous wrote:I knew a Maryland resident student who was waitlisted at UVA. She ended up at Tufts. Transferred to UVA her sophomore year. She spent one year there and went back to Tufts for her junior and senior year. She did not like the social scene at UVA.

Social scene or size? I assume UVA's size would feel overwhelming & impersonal if she was used to a more approachable private SLAC. If really social scene, what specifically? I'd assume she transferred in the first place because she had a lot of high school friends there.

Nobody EVER asks. But they know come Fall that you're not there.