@sevmom I suggested them because several of my college friends were out of state and they got a lot of financial aid. I think her daughter has a shot a getting a lot of aid + being in the honor colleges. I think those SC schools are great too. Just letting them know of possible options that most people don’t talk about on this website.
Yes, thanks, that is why I said that the financial angle would be important in considering those schools as an OOS student.
And in glancing just now at Radford, for instance, deadlines for scholarship consideration look to have been December 1st.
Is it possible to somehow make this a little less emotional decision at this point in time? Don’t mean this to be snarky, hope it’s not taken that way! I keep hearing the words “falling in love with a school” …it’s certainly understandable to want to really like the schools you’re considering. But getting more balance between data (economics + academics) and like/love might help the decision process, and cushion the inevitable unhappy outcomes. I’m going to stick my neck out a bit and say it might be helpful in the long run to make the economics of the decision really drive the whole process at this point i.e. only apply at those schools that look to be financially viable (significantly limit the financial reach apps even if they don’t charge app fees) . Then when you get decisions and financial aid offers, let the emotional aspect be re-inserted into the decision.
@HouseofClay Thanks for the great info, much appreciated! I did speak with W&M about transferring from JMU or UMW and they said both schools were greats choice to transfer from so who knows! I asked about rigor of school, as in UR, but W&M said it made no difference which school, just her GPA and that she is involved in school. I do know the competition is steep and we are certainly not counting on it, trying to find other schools she may love and want to stay all 4 yrs.
@luckymama64 es! She is applying there! It seems like a great choice the more we think about it so thank you! I have not visited and my only hesitation is that I was told it isn’t in the best neighborhood so am concerned about that and her taking the train into DC if it’s not a good train station. Do you have any thoughts on that?
@yauponredux Thanks - very considerate of you to provide the link!
@Twicer yes, thanks, we have talked about it but it seems her off shoots are similar, she wants to double major in art history or French, study abroad. When I was that age I wanted to be something totally different so I do fully expect it to change. What is IR? Yes, AU has become much more difficult but she is considering trying as they seem to have good aide.
@FluentInCarbs She applied to Roanoke, great history program but I think it’s a tier below JMU and UMW, is that correct? As an OOS person, I haven’t heard of those other schools but will definitely look them up.Congrats on your graduation and your masters program! She is looking into the honors programs at some of these.
@sevmom We are certainly considering finances but until we know what each school offers we can’t make any plans. We missed merit deadlines on some of them.
@JustGraduate Yes, we are, W&M was very emotional but after that dissapointment NONE of these are emotional. I wish they were so it would be more fun for her actually. She is not getting super excited about any of them so she wont’ be upset if they don’t work out. We started out thinking we would not apply to many reach schools but have had so many tell us to at least try, they they got much better aide than they ever thought and that one never knows unless you try - that I was persuaded, lol!
Thank you everyone - this sooo stressful and I appreciate each and every idea/suggestion and comment!
Take a look at Lafayette in PA. Strong study abroad program, pretty campus, strong academics, low key Greek life. Not easy to get into, but your D is in range.
@cloudysmom, I traveled to the area for National History Day with my two kids–we were without my husband. I never felt the tad bit unsafe. UM is in College Park, and I felt like it was a nice little town. The Metro Station was just fine and very busy. The entire campus is beautiful, I think even more so than W&M. The buildings are all traditional and the grounds were immaculate. If my daughter were interested in a large university setting, she would have definitely applied. I think being on the Metro line is a HUGE plus. Good luck!
^ I agree. I used to live in College Park and never had any problems with crime when I was there.
As a Virginia senior at a college prep high school, our student body groans at the mention of W and M, just not really popular but a nice place for the quiet and focused people I guess. Just wanted to add that opinion in the mix! Also it might be a blessing in disguise, there’s not much to do (save for historical tourism) in williamsburg except for Busch Gardens. If she’s looking to transfer she should consider CNU, which is easier to get into and about 40 minutes away.
Just to throw my two cents, Maryland is a very large school, if the campus of GW seems daunting Maryland will be even more so. Also know some kids who had problems getting classes and housing as sophomores last year so while those things can happen anywhere, it is something to consider (ofc if your daughter transfers after freshman year that won’t be an issue). I also recalled when we visited, it seemed that because of the size grad students - not professors often taught classes. Again, this can happen anywhere, but if your D needs to keep up her grades, considering how many professors vs TA’s teach classes could be a consideration. I would also second @wisteria100 recommendation of Lafayette.
@luckymama64 Thank you, very interesting to hear it compared with W&M and glad to hear you felt safe, I looked at a video and it is much more beautiful than I thought, thanks!
@wisteria100 She is looking up Lafayette as we speak, thanks!
@londondad. Thanks, always like to hear about safety opinions from parents!
@hg2021 Thanks for the input! This is very helpful! My daughter actually is a very quiet studious sort. She hates Bush Gardens, just to give you an idea. She was obsessed with the people dressed up in Colonial Williamsburg and followed them around, planning our days around their talks. She wanted to speak with each of them and followed Patrick Henry around an entire day. A real history nerd, lol! She is thinking of UMW, but I keep hearing it’s not even as good as JMU, do you have any thoughts on that? As a HS senior I’d love your opinion! We visited CNU but it was so new, it just left her Coke.
@Spring16 Wow, that is VERY helpful, thank you! And VERY good to know about the grad students teaching. I think that might kill it right there, looking for professors. For 1 yr it might be ok but I don’t know if I’d want her there for 4 yrs, cause no guarantee she can transfer to W& M as we’re still OOS.
So love all the help I’m getting, really appreciate all opinions!
@cloudysmom - I’d rate the VA state schools as UVA, W+M, VT, JMU, GMU, CNU, UMW, VCU, ODU/Radford. Of course there’s some differences in specific majors… I know a couple History majors at CNU who are quite happy with the program (this school has really upped it’s game in past 5 years and is attracting much higher caliber students). UMW is trying to take the same approach but isn’t as far along as CNU. Couple kids in neighborhood are at UMW and like it, they wanted a smaller school and had HS GPS’s of around 3.5…
@JustGraduate. Thank you, very helpful! It does seem CMU is very up & coming but she just didn’t like it at all. It seems UMW has a similar vibe to W& M with historic surroundings as well. She hopes to transfer after her 1st yr but still hard to get into W& M OOS. Thank you for ranking the schools like that, very interesting!!
@cloudysmom - for grins, I just went through common data sets for the schools…it had been a few years since i perused them when my son was looking at schools. It appears you can make a case for putting CNU above GMU at this point…CNU has really come a long way in a fairly short amount of time. A lot of parents like CNU because you get on campus housing for 3 or 4 years. Not trying to persuade you, it’s just interesting at how much their profile has improved. Not to discourage you but i just don’t hear the same vibe about UMW. They’re trying to move up but just haven’t gotten critical mass going on it yet. I do hear good things about UMW working well with various institutions in DC for internships, especially political science +international business. And I think they are a decent path to law school.
@cloudysmom honestly, UMW sounds like a better fit for your daughter, especially if she wants to transfer to WM. JMU is large, and every single one of the people that have gone there from my school (9/75) last year enjoy the party lifestyle. I’m not saying that’s all it is, but she will have a harder time finding ‘her’ group of people just based on what you’ve said about her. UMW and JMU 's names are pretty equal in name and reputation. JMU might be selective out of state, but in state it’s a breeze. JMU has a beautiful campus and I toured, but I was really put off by touring at 11 on a sunday after a football game and seeing a total of 10 students. UMW is way more relaxed and is probably the environment where your daughter is most likely to find ‘her people’. (Not trashing partying or that stuff, but just based on what you’ve said before it doesn’t seem like she’s interested)
I’m not sure if you’re aware that CNU used to be part of W & M. When we visited, the curriculum and programs seemed very similar to what I heard when touring W & M and what we’ve since experienced with D1 at W&M. D2 didn’t want to attend W&M but she liked CNU a lot and it’s only about 20 plus minutes away from CW.
CNU did start out as a branch campus of William and Mary, but that was a long time ago and there is no connection now. CNU is its own university with its own academic environment and culture. My experience is the students are a bit more laid back at CNU. Still very smart kids, challenging academics, not a huge party scene - those things are similar. Yes, the buildings are very new and CNU doesn’t have the hundreds of years of history. UMW is smaller than CNU and there are more female students than male - it’s been coed for awhile, but still has more female students. UMW is an older campus, so it’s has some history. Though there are a variety of types of kids I know at JMU, most I do know attending there are very social and like to have a good time (party). GMU is kind of a toss up. I haven’t visited, so I don’t know what it looks like. The students I know there seem to like it.
I went to W&M and I would say that while UVA may have been harder to get in, W&M was harder to stay in. There was a lot of pressure academically. Social life was great for me as I was in a fraternity, but the last 20 years has seen a big crackdown. There has been a lot of development there, as the college calls me every 5 minutes to ask for a donation. Great school overall, but medium sized --4-5k undergrads.
@JustGraduate @LMHLAW3 @vamominvabeach Thanks, I did know that it was a part of W& M and I do keep reading CNU is very up and coming but it just left her cold. She is now feeling, now that the dust has settled, that she would like to be in or near DC for this 1st yr before she tries again for W& M, hanging in DC would be interesting for a history major & who knows, maybe she wou,don’t want to transfer after all. So UMW is closer & good as a back up. Is JMU clearly a cut above CNU & GMU? Wish UMW were higher up, sigh
@hg2021 UMW makes the most logical sense I think, wish we could go up there. Your thoughts on JMU are interesting, thank you. Does seem a big party school and she is quiet and studious.
@Jazzbutcher I do hear there is a lot of pressure in fact when we were there in Oct we were told it had more suicides than any other school. I found that hard to believe as there are harder schools, with more pressure but I googled it & it appears to be true. Weird and disconcerting.
Thank you all, still love getting opinions esp on UMW, Roanoke, anywhere near DC? American? Hard to get into though. She has a fee waiver so still gonna try Univ of Richmond as its private doesn’t have the VA in state rule but we know it’s a long shot. She’s working on the spider essay.
JMU is not clearly a cut above CNU, as CNU for the past two incoming freshman classes has had the third ranked incoming freshman GPA out of all VA publics (I would think the top two are UVA and W&M). GMU and JMU are good schools and rank well, and depending on what you are studying may have better programs than some other schools. Just based on how you describe your daughter and her interests, UMW sounds like a better fit. Don’t force a school just because it might have a better ranking over a school that’s just a better fit, especially when the likelihood of transfer to W&M is pretty slim - regardless of what you’ve been told. W&M has a high retention rate with its freshman class and they don’t take very many transfers.