UVa alumna here, and there is DEFINITELY a significant UVa—>NYC track, especially in the b-school (“Comm school” at UVa) worlds of finance and consulting. So if that’s what your daughter wants to do, going to UVa could provide a boost.

But it seems likely that her professional ambitions/interests will change, so I’m not sure I’d give up a full ride for that connection.

^^And today everyone needs a graduate degree, so go to the smaller or lesser-known for undergrad. Grad schools is where, as your post indicates, it matters.

Anonymous wrote:True story:
My sibling had a full ride to a smaller law school in the Midwest. Decided to full pay at another, much higher ranked southern law school. Sibling was on law review, clerked for federal judges, very smart and dedicated individual.

First job was for a big, well known NYC law firm. Sibling’s boss was a graduate of that smaller midwestern law school

Moral: name brand doesn’t always matter, especially if you are a smart, dedicated, well-rounded person. If you have what a better school wants, and a smaller, lesser-known school offers you a full-ride, take the better offer. If you are meant to be someone on Wall St., you will.

But times have changed greatly. I had 27 job offers when I graduated law school decades ago. You really need to go to a T10 to get a job nowadays. The point being: the small midwestern law school probably is having great difficulty placing graduates today.

True story:
My sibling had a full ride to a smaller law school in the Midwest. Decided to full pay at another, much higher ranked southern law school. Sibling was on law review, clerked for federal judges, very smart and dedicated individual.

First job was for a big, well known NYC law firm. Sibling’s boss was a graduate of that smaller midwestern law school

Moral: name brand doesn’t always matter, especially if you are a smart, dedicated, well-rounded person. If you have what a better school wants, and a smaller, lesser-known school offers you a full-ride, take the better offer. If you are meant to be someone on Wall St., you will.

Anonymous wrote:Full Ride. UVA not worth it. If you told me ivy, I would say take it. This one is not hard at all.

+100

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA will not feel "East Coast". It will not particularly open up "East Coast" job opportunities. It's reputation might help a little, it's location will not help much. It's too isolated.

What are you talking about? UVA's placement is outstanding up and down the East Coast. From Boston, to NYC, huge to DC, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Every East Coast hub recruits at UVA, especially out of the McIntire school (the undergrad business school, which is Top 5 in the country).

+1. UVA just got my DD into Oxford for a graduate program

I assume she is in an honors program at the state flagship? With all kinds of goodies thrown in?

Anonymous wrote:Wow... terrible advice from people who have no idea about UVA's internships and job placements for Mcintire. Its one of the top 3 undergrad business schools in the US. DD has had amazing opportunities offered to her in NYC, Boston and DC, as have all her peers. 98% placement rate. Recruiters from every bank and consulting company conduct interviews on campus. That being said, getting into McIntire in no sure thing. Have to apply during second year and there is no direct admit for first years, so you will need to consider that risk.

Well, I suppose for a select few, the difference between free and $75K/year (or whatever UVA charges out of state enrollees) is but a mere rounding error.

But the choice is so obvious as to make one question the seriousness of the OP's question.

Take the free ride and forget about UVA. (I'd say this even if it were Oxford or Cambridge, rather than UVA.)

Wow... terrible advice from people who have no idea about UVA's internships and job placements for Mcintire. Its one of the top 3 undergrad business schools in the US. DD has had amazing opportunities offered to her in NYC, Boston and DC, as have all her peers. 98% placement rate. Recruiters from every bank and consulting company conduct interviews on campus. That being said, getting into McIntire in no sure thing. Have to apply during second year and there is no direct admit for first years, so you will need to consider that risk.

Anonymous wrote:Full ride, do well, study for GMAT, and go to top 10 B-school. Only a handful of schools are worth this difference and UVA isn't one of them.

Agreed.

full ride. no brainer.

Anonymous wrote:UVA will not feel "East Coast". It will not particularly open up "East Coast" job opportunities. It's reputation might help a little, it's location will not help much. It's too isolated.

What are you talking about? UVA's placement is outstanding up and down the East Coast. From Boston, to NYC, huge to DC, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Every East Coast hub recruits at UVA, especially out of the McIntire school (the undergrad business school, which is Top 5 in the country).

wrong thread!

Anonymous wrote:UVA is not $200k worth of special. stay home and excel there.

Congrats to your kid.

MBA will cost $200K by the time your kid graduates from college (I'm talking about a top 25 B-school -- and only the top 100 B-schools are ranked).

Unless of course your kid is a resident of one of the few states that has a top 25 public B-school (e.g. Foster at Univ of Washington), in which case it will only cost about $100K, exclusive of living expenses.

So, bank the money, and save it for B-school.

Oh, and remember, the better B-schools will require an applicant to have work experience prior to enrolling. Maybe after college your kid will get a job at a firm willing to pay for MBA tuition.


That's a possibility -- but not one worth counting on.

Bank the money.

Good luck.

UVA is not $200k worth of special. stay home and excel there.

Congrats to your kid.