My point being @cloudysmom schools are ranked differently on different scales depending on their designation by the ranking publication .
@JustGraduate You forgot Washington and Lee, which is even higher ranked than Richmond.
OP, I don’t blame you for caring about reputation. You are paying so you have a right to want certain things. What I would look carefully at is where the graduates go to grad school and what kind of employers recruit from each of these 2 schools, Which of the two schools has more money(endowment) and the most loyal alumni?
Here’s a side by side comparison. I use this website a lot:
http://colleges.startclass.com/compare/4392-4419/University-of-Mary-Washington-vs-Roanoke-College
@citymama9 you’re right - forgot about W+L. Good catch, thx!
Also VMI should be on the list as well
Washington and Lee and Richmond are the most highly ranked privates in Virginia. VMI is public. Only know of a couple of kids from our public high school in eastern Virginia that went to Roanoke-one to play basketball there. Only a couple to UMW over the course of the eight years my two kids were high school age (one took their biggest scholarship there). Can’t think of anyone that went to Richmond (such a beautiful campus) but one did go to Washington and Lee (on one of their big scholarships, I believe). Most top students were most interested in UVa, W & M, or VT if they stayed instate (which most did). JMU seemed to be the most popular for the kids right below the top.
That is a good comparison tool for UMW and Roanoke, @citymama9 . They both have nice campuses . I like Fredericksburg but Roanoke/Salem has its charms as well.
Roanoke is improving as a city. Some good recent success in bringing employers to town, VT’s medical school is ramping up there, and the downtown area is looking much better. It’s definitely a town on the rise. Downside is getting there from SC - car will be your best option. Nearest train station is Lynchburg and from there you’d go to DC then south. Airport would mean a hopper to say Charlotte and you could pick her up there? You could do the train from Fredricksburg, connecting in Richmond to the southern leg.
Roanoke has an airport, a few miles from Salem. Probably connect through Charlotte from Charleston. But prices may not be great.
Great restaurant in Salem, Virginia- Blue Apron.
Surprised this thread is as long as it is and still going. It’s a testament I think, to the quality and depth of the colleges in Virginia. Not sure another state can match it in terms of quality public and private options. Part of it is historical, with schools like W&L, UVA and W&M being destination schools for college students from the South for over 250 years. Wealthy 19th century planters and businessmen in the Deep South often sent their children to VA to college, and even now VA holds an allure.
It’s a “testament” to the OP for continuing to bump the thread and ask questions. Lots of states have very good schools. Most of Virginia’s best schools are public, with Washington and Lee and UR being the best privates. Other states have a higher concentration of elite or very good privates.
@sevmom @vistajay. I am extremely interested in VA schools and am distressed I I need to go back a page & thank everyone else. VA schools are now & have been very impressive. I moved to SC from MA, another amazing state for schools, when D was 4. States with the best colleges was just not on my radar or I might have ended up in VA, or even NC, which also has great schools. I am distressed that I was not able to visit more of them. I appreciate so much all of the help and take it all very seriously. My D didn’t get into W&M ED, and has been crushed, not sure who remembers or knew that, and why would you, lol? Looking for another choice, she’s a history major who is very impressed with the history of VA and it means a lot to her to go there. Finances may prevent that, she is being realistic but doesn’t hurt to apply & see what need aide we get. Thank you everyone for your responses.
SC has excellent schools. College of Charleston, USC, and Clemson are all well regarded. And Clemson just won the football championship! Go Tigers!
@JustGraduate I heard it was improving as well but yes, harder to get to Rosnoke for sure. We will drive her at the start & finish each hr but the option of flying home easily over the holidays is attractive. I love a road trip so it’s not that huge of a deal though
@sevmom Always love a good restaurant suggestion! Fredricksburg does seem to make more sense & she’d love a direct way to get to friends & family in DC. Thanks do much for the thoughts on the schools!
@citymama9 Thanks for understanding, I am concerned with her getting a good job or into a grad school that would give her a leg up on a better job. As a history major, I’d like her to have the best shot at getting a job as she can get. Not a real high paying industry, lol. Thanks for the website info, much appreciated!
@londondad. Wow, I never for a second considered the politics of the area but you are right. She would not like being in such a “red” or conservative area. Thank you! I like to think most colleges are to,errant of others opinions and are largely liberal places but who knows. Definitely something to consider!!
@Wilson98 Thanks for the stats, my head is spinning & I need all the help I can get! Soooo much to consider.
Thank you all, I will keep the thread going, of you’re willing to help, as I have so many questions. D has decided to use her last ED on UR, it’s a long shot but we’ll know 2/15. If she doesn’t get in she is applying to most of the schools we ha e discussed & their honors colleges. As usual you have all given me great things to consider & I have learned so much, still learning! Thank you all!
@sevmom. Yes, lol. there are good schools here but she wants to go away & have a new experience, if we can swing it, and I can’t blame her, I was the same way. She doesn’t do sports but c of c is her in state safety & she does like it. She says if she didn’t live here she’d probably be considering it. We live 15 mins from it so we’re there a lot. Beautiful school, heck, Charleston is stunning. Anyone want to move here, lol? I’m a realtor & need $, lol!
Good luck with UR. Beautiful campus, great academics and meets full need. Hope you get good news in February!
@sevmom thank you! After the disappointment of W& M she isn’t letting herself get excited, also UR is a long shot but after careful consideration it had the most going for it. She woul d love to be a Spider & we are hopeful but realistic. I met someone on CC who was denied at W&M but accepted as a scholar & tells me W&M can make odd decisions so who knows, lol? It seems an amazing school & she would be lucky to be accepted!
It is the middle of January. Most schools have early deadlines for Honors colleges and merit. There is a very good chance that you have already missed excellent opportunities by waiting this long.
@carolinamom2boys I don’t think we missed any honors colleges, she has already done a few and the others are due 2/1 I think. She has a spread sheet going. I think the only honors colleges she is doing are Roanoke, UMW, JMU and Elon. I think we missed 1 merit aide, but she applied for a scholarship at the place we missed. If that stops her from going there then I guess it does, she has made or will make the deadlines everywhere else. She hadn’t really waited, been constantly applying & writing essays since early December. I don’t know why you think she waited? I am trying to learn about schools so when she hears where she’s accepted, we will already have an idea where she likes. asking questions here is a great way to get that knowledge while we wait till 4/1 which seems to be when we will hear results, if she doesn’t get into UR 2/15. She had a few choices for another ED since the W& M denial and after careful thought, much of it based on the info I got here, she chose UR which has a deadline of 1/15. She was able to apply everywhere she wanted so she really didnt miss anything but 1 merit aide. I think there are 4 more deadlines coming up starting 1/15 so a lot left to go! 9 essays for WF alone!!
@cloudysmom ,Good luck with UR! My sister went there. It is a great place and we will probably check it out for one of my sons later.
This thread is going in circles, so there will not be anything new in this post. Feel free to skip.
The OP’s finances are tight, so competitive OOS public colleges might not be the most affordable option even if her kid gets in. The focus (driven by emotions) on VA schools also limits their options - there may be LACs from the CTCL group that would be a great fit for this applicant and give substantial merit aid/FA. Possible transfer into W&M will most likely be too expensive for the family, so they’d have to take out loans - a bad, bad idea, considering the kid wants to major in History.
I get that the daughter wants to go away to college, but she needs, for everyone’s benefit, learn the lesson of cutting one’s coat according to the cloth.
OP, what schools on your D’s list would be considered financial safeties at this point?
UMW has that historic feel, small classes and academic rigor – those who say it’s not academically challenging have been misinformed. It’s small and it doesn’t have the sports-and-partying culture of some of the other VA publics, but those aspects makes it very appealing to my kid and students from his school who have been very happy with their educational experience. Fredericksburg has a charming old town area and there’s easy access to DC and Richmond via public transportation. It was far and away his favorite of the VA publics, and he’s competitive for W&M as well.
I’d say the polar opposite would be JMU, which is extremely popular with my kid’s classmates, but it didn’t appeal to him at all. It’s the typical big, energetic campus, very beautiful buildings with mountain setting, lots of enthusiastic students and a big stadium. JMU, UMW and Radford all started as women’s colleges and all still skew slightly more to the female population for that reason.