<p>Hi-
Right now my D's top two choices of the schools she's been accepted to are CNU (Honors Program) and UMW. I'm leaning toward UMW for her (she's not sharing her opinions yet), but I have to admit that I am getting worried by all the negatives I have found over the last few months on CC. The negatives seems to center on the administration and bureaucracy -- does this make going there too much of a hassle? Or would you say that the hassles are worth it? UMW keeps showing up on list after list of excellent schools, but I'd like to hear more from those in the know. Thanks very much!</p>
<p>I wrote a long and thoughtful response to this and timed out and it was lost. So, the short version of it – D went to UMW because it was supposed to be a better school. If she wants to go on afterwards (which is the plan) she thought it would be a better “name”. She also chose it because she liked the size and the lack of emphasis on sports/teams.</p>
<p>CNU has an amazing president. We went to a reception at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond and he and his wife met every single prospective student and parent. They did a wonderful job of selling the school. He was charming and funny and totally in love with his school. Heck, I was ready to enroll myself! The drawback is that, while it is up and coming, it has not yet reached the respect of UMW academically.</p>
<p>My frustrations with UMW have been clear. Yes, it is the billing office and various others that must be dealt with now and then. I would hope that a new and GOOD president would set the tone from the top that these people would try harder to communicate with parents and students and be more user friendly. I truly hope that they finally get a good group to select the president and that group does a good job.</p>
<p>D’s professors have been excellent. They have impressive credentials and have given her lots of positive feedback. It’s really the first time in her life that being smart has not had a lot of drawbacks. Only one professor has been lackluster, the rest have challenged her and she feels like she has learned a lot. She had a miserable first year, mostly due to roommate issues. While still not in the best of situations, she has learned some coping strategies and is making the best of it. </p>
<p>Many of the dorms are old and yukky but they are renovating several of them. The food is typical for campus food. I would consider location and how that fits into what you and your child want life to be like. </p>
<p>Feel free to ask any other questions. Stevensmama and I check here a lot or you can pm me. This is rushed so I don’t lose it all again!</p>