Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why this decision feels so difficult. In terms of prestige, UVA is the clear winner over UGA. Having lived in both California and New York, I can say that UVA has a strong reputation in both regions. As one commenter mentioned, it’s often grouped with other top public universities like UCLA, Berkeley, and Michigan.
UGA, on the other hand, is more closely associated with football and its Southern identity, which happens to be particularly popular right now. Of course, the quality of education depends on many factors, but UVA is widely recognized as one of the top public universities.
I’d have no problem sending my child to either school, but if I wanted to win the "parent bragging" contest, UVA would be the clear choice. That said, I doubt either school would significantly impact a child's ultimate success, unless one has a notably stronger program or better connections in their area of interest.
Who asked about prestige? OP asked about experiences at both and the responses indicate the actual education and overall experience are seemingly the same aside from UGA being bigger.