Very sorry to hear that folks are having bad experiences at UVa. My daughter and I are taking the tour this weekend, and it will be a huge disappointment if we hear nothing other than complaints about COVID problems the entire time. As a grad school alum of UVa, I hope that everyone will look past the bad tour and keep the school on your list - I can’t speak to the ins and outs of undergrad life, but Charlottesville is a fantastic place to live, and I had a really good experience with UVa in general.
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Really surprised to hear all of this about UVA. Our tour guide (we got the same one in consecutive years!) was incredible. He was passionate and dedicated, and took a lot of extra time with every member of the group who had questions. One of the best we’ve ever had. I suppose he’s graduated by now. The campus is beautiful, so it’s a shame if not all parts of it are accessible for touring in the COVID era. The only thing we noticed was that some of the STEM offerings at UVA seemed to come up short compared to those at certain big-name STEM schools, and some of the program presenters in these areas seemed to have to stretch a little. For instance, they were hyping stats as paramount even though we knew (having done considerable research) that they came up short when stacked up against stats at some more STEM-oriented schools. The presenters also had trouble answering some basic questions about this field. That said, I’m confident UVA is a top-notch school with a beautiful campus, but STEM is not its forte.
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Good to hear some positives about UVA. Will try to go back even informally when more students are there. Please post about your tour. Curious how it goes.
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UVA is no MIT but doesn’t try to be. Engineering there is fine and can be a good fit for many kids , with great outcomes. Forbes magazine ranked UVA 6th " among top STEM schools for Women."(noted in link below). They actually have high graduation rates in STEM fields.
UVA is of course very strong and well known for commerce and other non STEM fields.
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Because, assuming the college is keeping up with the latest academic trends (or, was until the digital age), it’s the building that winds up needing more space the most often.
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Actually, the Engineering Dept at UVA was very much trying to hold itself up as a top STEM competitor during one of our numerous visits to the campus (the presentation in question occurred during Days on the Lawn, for accepted students). Having already attended STEM presentations at NYU, Georgia Tech, MIT and a few others, we were armed with facts and stats and it was clear this one fell short in many respects. The STEM facilities also could not compare to ones we saw at some of the other places. Granted, those schools are STEM powerhouses and UVA is not. I think my post made clear that UVA is a top school with a beautiful campus. I’m sure its name recognition still goes a long way in the employment market, regardless of the degree one receives.
My older d also crossed UVA off her list after the tour. She said
“Whitest place I have ever seen” and the non diversity (which may not have been a true impression) really turned her off. Also the tour guide (who was fine) acted shocked to find out we were from Connecticut (like it was exotic lol) and that made my d feel even more that the school was nondiverse and parochial.
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We were at Drexel last week… while following our tour guide around from one building to the next, there was a big guy walking down the street w/us smoking a joint. Then he peeled away and casually entered Wawa without extinguishing said joint. On Niche, both Drexel & neighboring U.Penn get good marks for safety, but just know that students are going to interface a bit with the community of W. Phila. There’s a subway + trolley stop right there by Mario the Dragon.
I said it was dramatically transformed, not perfect.
20-30 years ago he would have been shooting up, and there were no Wawa’s near campus. Progress is progress!
BTW…it was probably medical…which is legal in PA.
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I know, I know-- just putting it out there that kids need to keep their wits about them. It’s not suburbia. I do appreciate how much the area has improved, as I used to visit friends at both Penn & Drexel in the 80s/early 90s. My husband got his masters at Penn, and has his own crazy stories… Huge Wawa fan, too!
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We toured UVA precovid with D21 and it led to it coming off the list. The mention of huge classes the first 2 yrs plus allof the emphasis on various 5yr programs plus the size and scope of campus feeling too big for her was the end of it as a serious consideration, despite us pushing her to apply. The strange references to TJ were also kind of off-putting, but many schools have odd traditions.
As parents, we feel it is a great school but don’t like the fact that most live on campus only 1-2 years. D23 will likely apply (as an in-state likely, not a top choice) so I think we will tour again. I am surprised at the negativity from tour guides given that from an outsider’s perspective it seemed UVA handled covid far better than some other large instate schools.
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More college tours—new places we had never seen in person with our other one:
Vassar : up! Wow it is a beautiful campus, and has all of the things she is looking for academically.
Swarthmore: not up or down. The location and option to take classes at Penn was a plus, some aspects were not quite as we thought they would be (physical space and layout felt smaller than expected ) after the online sessions.
Penn: way up! She loved it. The city, the layout, everything. The only surprise and not entirely ideal were the huge towering dorms in the middle of campus. The more traditional freshman dorms were beautiful and she wishes all were that way, but not a deal breaker. Lots more green space than we thought. Kids wereback on campus and some buildings were open as long as masked and checked in with security. The libraries are beautiful.
Princeton: up—but need to come back for a real tour: not much we could do other than walk around and there was no helpful self-quided walking tour available.
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My daughter loved Penn, too. We didn’t make it to Vassar but it’s been hanging around on a list. What did you guys like about it? What is the surrounding area like? My Dd22 wants to be able to walk off campus and find some things to do. Doesn’t have to be a large city—just doesn’t want to be totally isolated or in a suburban campus that would require a bus or shuttle to get anywhere.
The “Quaker Consortium” sounds great on paper, but the reality is that very few kids take classes at Penn. BMC and Haverford…very common, but Penn classes are rare.
Beyond the fact that they are not allowed this fall (COVID I assume), there are a lot of requirements associated with taking one. I’m sure your daughter could get to a class or two at Penn if she really wanted them…but I wouldn’t apply to Swat thinking she was going to be headed to Penn much.
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It came down going ED1 to Richmond or Bucknell. S19 is now a sophomore at Richmond. The surrounding area at Richmond is great and has a ton to offer. Also regarding the other post about the party scene at Bucknell. Richmond has Frats but they are not residential so they play a role but not so much. If Bucknell is on a list I would also take a look at Richmond.
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The Quad is the most popular freshman dorm and where my D lived, but Hill and Kings Court English College House (KCECH) are exclusively freshman too. I hope you had a chance to explore those dorms as well since freshman could be assigned them. Hill has a lovely location adjacent to green space and a fantastic brunch (according to D) while KCECH has large rooms with beautiful bay windows.
As for “towering dorms in the middle of campus,” I am clarifying this statement for future readers of this thread. Penn’s main campus area extends east to west from 34th to 38th street. Many of the classroom buildings and the libraries are in that four block section. Harrison, Rodin, and Harnwell, known collectively as “The Highrises,” and New College House West are located between 38th and 40th streets, on the western edge of campus.
A pedestrian footbridge over 38th St links the two areas together and there is a dining hall on the western side of campus as well.
@EyeVeee is spot-on about the limitations of the Quaker Consortium.
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Have to say (at the risk of increasing the applicant pool 
) that UNC went high on the list. The sense of community on and around campus was very strong. There are dozens of restaurants and shops within walking distance to campus. The beautiful campus feels “smaller” than it really is because of the lay-out and walk-ability….unless we missed something? We thought it was pretty quick & easy to walk from dorms to classrooms…then to grab coffee. There was a positive energy on and around campus. School spirit was everywhere (maybe because of the start of school). People were very friendly and helpful. Thanks to the students and staff of UNC for a fun visit. No matter what happens, we will always have positive memories of a family visit to the UNC campus!
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UNC is pretty great. I say that as an alum and Chapel Hill resident. It’s making it hard for my D22 to find a college because she wants something like Franklin Street somewhere else (wants to go away, not stay here). Happy to answer any further questions about the town and I know a bit about the school, but not so much admissions.
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Did you see South campus at UNC? I believe it is all or mostly freshman dorms…it is about a 15-20 min walk to main campus , closer to 30 if you want to go all the way to Franklin street. There are plenty of shuttles! Just wanted to make sure you hadnt missed that area since you mentioned easy walkability.
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You could change UNC to VT (Virginia Tech - the other, and better based upon my unbiased alumni opinion 
, big school in VA) and no one would know the difference. H and I loved VT. My boys all crossed it off because it was too big. Such is life sometimes.
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