<p>According to the college board site (in the at a glance section), the percent of students at each school with a GPA below 3.0 are as follows: UVA at Wise (34%), Radford (34%), ODU (23%), VCU (16%), GMU (2%), JMU (2%), CNU (1%), Virginia Tech (1%). I recently pulled those stats together for my nephew, who is a senior this year. Students in our area would probably flip JMU and CNU in terms of difficulty of acceptance, but would otherwise think of this as a pretty good proxy for relative selectivity. We know students at all of these schools and all have been very happy with their choice. There are lots of great choices, so it is a matter of finding the right fit.</p>
<p>Radford’s a good suggestion.</p>
<p>Any interest in Hollins (Roanoke)?</p>
<p>Roanoke. :)</p>
<p>Virginiagirl: you don’t say in your original post if you are a junior (2012) or senior (2011). Also, is your SAT 1500/1600 or 1500/2400? Could you clarify? </p>
<p>You’ve gotten a lot of good advice here. If you are a junior, work on improving your GPA & SAT scores. If you are a senior, study & re-take the SAT, & start listing your ECs and working on drafts of essays. It sounds like you have some great material.</p>
<p>Another option - which you may not like as much - is to go to community college, maintain a 3.4+ gpa, then transfer to a 4-year school under the Virginia [General</a> Admissions Agreement (GAA)](<a href=“http://www.vccs.edu/Students/TransferList/tabid/106/Default.aspx]General”>http://www.vccs.edu/Students/TransferList/tabid/106/Default.aspx). The advantage is that community college is affordable, saves you money on room & board, and provides a great transition to college coursework. It gives you a chance to “prove yourself” to a 4-year school. The disadvantage is that you would probably live at home for a year or two. It’s not the right path for everyone, but I know a number of students (my son included) who have gone this route & done very well for themselves. Going the GAA route and maintaining a good GPA will open more options - even to “reach” schools - for you.</p>
<p>Also: I would also encourage you to look at Mary Washington again. This morning I was working with a friend whose D goes there. She thinks UMW is one of the “best kept secrets” in Virginia.</p>
<p>VA Girl has multi threads on this subject. People are kindly posting good ideas for her record. Many of the same schools. </p>
<p>VA: You characterized yourself as “below average” and mentioned a 3.0. We don’t know if your SATs are 1500/2400 or 1500/1600 (M&CR.) At this point, it’s not about making the choice that perfectly delights you and Mom. It’s about getting you into a school where you can start fresh. The Virginia GAA ^ is the fab idea for you, regardess of what you- and Mom- think would be ideal.<br>
If you are truly below average, even as a minority (and Native American counts, too,) you still have to “fit” a college academically. They have to want you- not just be the place you want. Apply to several schools you think are matches, whether or not they totally please you and Mom. I don’t mean to be harsh, but you can google colleges in VA, look up their stats and make the list where you think you have the best chance to start fresh.</p>
<p>VAgirl: my S1 graduated from HS with a 3.0 gpa and sub-par SATs. He went to community college & worked part-time (20-30 hrs/wk), which taught him time-management skills. He maintained a 3.5 gpa at CC then used the GAA to transfer to a 4-year school. His two years at CC allowed him to knock out required courses, sample different subjects (hello, bowling?) & identify a field which eventually became his major. All of his CC credits transferred & were accepted. He just graduated from college in May: the framed diploma on the wall is from UVA.</p>
<p>fineartsmom im from amherst, va. Its very rural, so maybe that will help.</p>
<p>I htink you definitely have a good chance as a URM at JMU. Roanoke or George Mason might also be an option. Best of luck</p>
<p>I am a VA Mom and know the state schools well. Roanoke College has small classrooms and extremely caring professors. Instruction there is quite excellent if you feel you want that personal touch in your education. Same can be said for Randolph Macon…with the exception that you get to be in a suburb of a major city at Randolph Macon. Don’t discount small colleges if you feel you learn best in a personal environment. Keep in mind that everyone at Roanoke or Randolph Macon is unique and college ready…it isn’t high school. Also Emory and Henry is an excellent small college with lots of new buildings and facilities. Any of those three colleges named above offers a family like atmosphere but serious classrooms. </p>
<p>on the other hand, not sure what you are hoping for regarding your social life from ages 18-23 and perhaps you are not certain either if you were raised in a quiet town. My youngest son is from a quiet VA town as well and he is in Nashville now…and it was just right in terms of a step up in location. Richmond is a lot like Nashville and has a lot to offer without being overwhelming. I think you should also consider VCU although getting around safely is a challenge…the rewards may be there on a social level in a larger pond…don’t discount CNU or ODU yet either. Consider your preferences re numbers of minority students in your college world as a factor as well.</p>
<p>I have a close friend whose daughter did two years at Bridgewater and two years at JMU. She just wasn’t ready for JMU at age 18 and in fact probably couldn’t have been admitted. By her junior year she was ready to transfer and had the good grades to get that done. She has nothing but fine things to say about Bridgewater and is very happy with her decision to go there. She just got a little restless and ready for a bigger pond and made that transition down the highway. You can also consider starting at a smaller personal college and then consider transferring to a school like George Mason or JMU later if you take care and make a decent GPA in your first two years. </p>
<p>good luck getting going on your applications and remember…you don’t have to “be ready” to attend any school right now…the issue is “getting invited in.” Both of my sons attended colleges that were not even in their top three favorites but they changed their minds in April of all things. You do get to go in April to anyplace that admitted you and take a second look and meet other admitted students and ponder your final decision. Don’t put that pressure on yourself just yet…</p>
<p>The smaller colleges just mentioned do have great outcomes and seem to “grow” students very well in my opinion…and larger colleges may take you junior year if you are restless.</p>
<p>Your hooks are African American, Native American, 1st gen if it applies.<br>
Adcoms in Virginia will be familiar with Amherst. As a hook? It’s complicated, but I think, no. Not in a state with the problems and challenges in, say, Wise or Lee counties. It’s more than the presence of farms. Has to do with many things.
Get off CC and go do some research. Start a new thread (one thread) when you have some choices narrowed down, some positive idea of where you will apply. Good Luck.</p>
<p>Virginiagirl–I have a daughter at George Mason [jr] who we never thought of as a big school type. We looked at primarily LACs when she was looking. Long story short, for a variety of reasons she wound up at GM and loves it. She doesn’t feel as if it’s a big school and really appreciates the variety it has to offer. She has gotten involved with clubs that led to friendships and she says it really narrows the school. If you live on campus that automatically makes the community smaller too. Ask mom to at least take a look. I wouldn’t have a few years ago and I would have missed a wonderful experience for my daughter who is thriving there [and who btw was accepted to more “selective” schools; sothere’s no worry about being intelectually challenged as much as you want to be.]</p>