<p>My D was given a 3:30 deadline by her father and me to decide where we needed to make her deposit. She had narrowed her list of acceptances down to 3: BC Honors, Northwestern, and UVa. She has agonized over this decision for weeks now. She just texted me. The decision? UVa. Why?</p>
<p>UVa: </p>
<ul>
<li>Student body who emboddied southern hospitality (She's from the south and felt a sense of camaraderie/shared values.)</li>
<li>Student body that seemed "balanced" -- She felt the kids studied hard, but also recognized the importance of fun (strong sorority/fraternity scene, involved supporters of athletic events, etc.)</li>
<li>Warmer climate</li>
<li>Perhaps a bit less competitive (? -- not sure if that's the right word) academically than Northwestern</li>
<li>UVa will allow her AP credits (12 -- 5s on exams) to count thus enabling her to start med school a bit sooner</li>
<li>Town of Charlottesville is not too big nor too small, and she can take her car her second year</li>
<li>Grounds are beautiful at UVa and architecture is cohesive and uniform</li>
<li>A bit more conservative than the other two options</li>
</ul>
<p>There were naturally several things that she did NOT like about UVa; however, in the end, it seemed to be the best fit. I'm glad this process is over so she can happily look forward to the next chapter in her life. I wish all the freshman (or "1st years" according to UVa lingo) the best. These next four years will hold some of your fondest memories.</p>
<p>Was your daughter in state? other wise would you mind sending me a list of her stats/hooks :). Anyways your D made a great decision. She was lucky to have the chance to even be able to choose UVA. Luckly for me if I get into UVA I will not have to make a decision because I know I will be going there ;).</p>
<p>Your daughter could not make a wrong choice among these three, which in a way makes the decision more agonizing for her, but safe for you as a parent/onlooker. My son chose UVA after a Day on the Lawn and is very much looking forward to attending.</p>
<p>Congrats on her decision and agree with all but one reason.</p>
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<p>You might want to check the Pre Med forums here on CC on that one. Most experts (and many med schools) frown on cutting undergrad short and applying early.</p>
<p>EADad…I for one don’t want her rushing through this once-in-a-lifetime college experience. I agree that most med schools don’t want you finishing significantly early; however, from the research I’ve done, they don’t mind if you “clep” out of a few classes. If nothing else, she’s hopeful that this will allow her the flexibility to fulfill her core reqmts. through her APs and allow her to take courses that are more appealing to her. (Obviously we’ll need to discuss all options with her assigned advisor.) She was a bit surprised after receiving a likely letter from UVa and acceptances/waitlists from numerous top 15 schools that she did not get an invite into Echols; however, she figures that her AP credits should give her the same flexibility to get out of some of the required core credits. Is this true?</p>
<p>jc40, yes, it is true. My son is in exactly the same situation; he will probably have no core requirements to fulfill though he wants to take a well-rounded curriculum in any case.</p>
<p>Just a word of warning, though. As a high school senior this past fall my son took second-semester calculus–the version for engineers–at UVA after receiving a 5 on the calculus AB exam, because he could not schedule AP calculus BC at his local high school. He’s always been a strong student in math with high test scores, and that’s what the faculty at UVA encouraged him to do. The course was, however, dramatically more rigorous than AP calculus had been, and took for granted quite a lot of background that my son had not had in high school. By working hard, he managed to pull off a B-. My son thought the course was a wonderful “drinking from the fire hose” experience and felt he learned a ton; it was one of the factors that led him to choose UVA. However, since med schools are so grade-conscious, I think a premed student in the same situation might do better to repeat calculus from the beginning than to try to pick it up in the middle as he did. YMMV, of course.</p>
<p>Very interesting, Jingle. She’s taking AP Calculus BC right now. For her sciences she definitely wants to repeat the lower level ones so that she can a) have a super strong foundation, and b) get the presumed added gpa boost for med school. I’ll discuss the math with her at length though. Is your son pre-med? What’s his major? What specifically led him to choose UVA, and what schools did he turn down? (Just curious.)</p>