<p>Once not so hard to get in to state flagship universities are now very competitive due to the economy and state population increases. It seems that recently (University of Georgia in my state) has become THE UNIVERSIY to get into, and many parents seem to be on pins and needles waiting for their kids to apply and be accepted. With my D beginning UGA in the fall, parents of 2010 seniors from my Ds high school are now constantly asking me what GPA and SATs did she have. Are any of you getting the same sense of urgency (or paranoia) from the parents of 2010 about acceptance to your states' flagship universities? While my D got in on her own merits, we never asked other parents with children at UGA what their child's GPA & SATs were.</p>
<p>Yes, people are concerned about admission to flagship because so many outstanding students are applying due to the economy. Many excellent students are being turned down.</p>
<p>I live in VA which of course has the College of William and Mary as well as UVa as flagship schools. Since we moved here at the turn of the millenium, it has always been extremely competitive for all OOSers as well as IS girls to gain admission. There is definitely an uptick in the second-tier VA schools ( VATech, Mary Washington, JMU) and of course a trickle-down effect at the other publics ( CNU, GMU, ODU, etc)</p>
<p>UGA – my brother went to Gtech – he would say that is THE school to get into.</p>
<p>I don’t know that I’d call it paranoia. This is a very real issue for many families. The state flagship is by far the best college many families will be able to afford, if their kids don’t get in they face lots of loans or a college way down the food chain in many cases.</p>
<p>I think it’s an important issue for many families in my home state of Maryland.</p>
<p>Standards for admission to our flagship state university, the University of Maryland at College Park, have been steadily rising for about a decade. The other schools in our state system are, as hmom5 so appropriately puts it, “way down the food chain.” A few years ago, this didn’t matter all that much. Many families had enough money to send their kids to out-of-state schools in states with better “food chains” or lower standards for admission to their flagship state universities. (There are a LOT of Maryland kids at Penn State or the University of Delaware, as well as at the second-tier Virginia schools, which are much more attractive to many students than the second-tier Maryland schools.) But with the current economic situation, families who could have afforded the out-of-state alternatives a few years ago may not be able to afford them now.</p>
<p>Admission to California’s top publics (there really isn’t a single ‘flagship’) has been very competetive for a long time now. As it gets even more competetive at the top (UCLA, UCB, UCSD) it becomes more competetive for the other state colleges such as other UCs and some of the most popular CSUs (CalPoly SLO, SDSU).</p>
<p>I don’t know that parents are paranoid about it but they’d be prudent to be realistic as to the likelihood of admission to the schools. Just like any colleges they need to consider reaches, matches, and safeties. They also need to realize that a college that would have been a match a few years ago might be more of a reach now as the competition and popularity ratchets up.</p>
<p>Generally the average GPA/SAT stats of the incoming class to the colleges can be seen on their websites.</p>
<p>In Illinois, U of I Urbana has been this way for decades.</p>
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<p>Ditto.</p>
<p>UMCP isn’t even a good fit for my 2010 son. But we’re making him apply for financial reasons. St. Mary’s (match) and Salisbury (safety) are on the list for the same reason. </p>
<p>If it weren’t for the economy, St. Mary’s would be his only IS app.</p>
<p>We have definitely found that it’s getting more and more difficult to get into UConn. The 2008 freshman class had over a hundred valedictorians and salutatorians. Lots of comparing of stats going on with folks who want their kids to go there.</p>
<p>Yeah, it makes some parents nervous.<br>
PSU Main has never been easy due to it’s popularity. And it seems no one wants to go to a branch…no matter how much they promote it as a good option (in fact, you don’t usually get rejected at PSU - just offered a spot at another campus). Here in PA, more kids are becoming more interested in Pitt, which has similar academic standards but is a bit easier to get in.
We know quite a few kids at UDEL and UMD - some of that is because OOS schools always seem to be more glamorous than our in-state options. But given the extra $, I think that may change. Now, WVU has been offering deep discounts so that option may stay popular around here.<br>
UVA has always been ridiculous, especially for OOS students. We know SO many kids who have been rejected including some who went on to Cornell or a top private. UNC is similar.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that I’m paranoid, but I’m concerned about the difficulty of getting into our state flagship. My D is just finishing up her freshman year of HS, so we’re not to the point of even compiling a college list, but UIUC will definitely be on her list and I’ve seen a lot of her friends who are seniors fail to get in. These are kids with B+ to A GPAs and ACT scores between 26 and 30. Not the top students, but good students. I’m seeing a lot of the top students heading to UIUC, not for financial reasons but because it was the best school they got into. It was a tough year for college admissions. I’m hoping things ease off by the time D is a senior. We don’t ask parents whose kids got into Illinois what their stats were, but everyone has an eye on Naviance.</p>
<p>UIUC also has a self-selecting applicant pool. Most students don’t bother to apply unless they have a 27+ ACT, much higher for engineering.</p>
<p>Yes, absolutely, it is a concern to many parents. The flagship uni in the state could be the most desirable school at that price. I know in Delaware that it is the only game in town. Does anyone know the names of any other state schools in Georgia, other than Tech and UGA? Big difference between going to Penn State main campus and any of its ancillary branches. In California, the competition is fierce to get into some of the more prestigious and selective UCs.</p>
<p>For some states, it is not as important. Ohio has a number of excellent state schools. As does Virginia. Here in NY,the hierarchy is not as evident either though Binghamton and Geneseo are the most selective of the SUNYs. </p>
<p>It used to be that these schools were automatic safeties for kids, which they often still are for those looking at highly selective schools. But for many kids, they have become reaches as the acceptance rates have gone below the 50% mark.</p>
<p>Beth’s mom, my close friend’s son did not get into UIUC which was a shock and disappoint for them. His grades were probably what kept him out along with the fact that he was interested in a very competitive major. He ended up going to U of Iowa, but it was definitely more expensive for them. They were absolutely not interested in any of the other state school in Illinois.</p>
<p>We know folks in PA whose kids ended up going to WV or OH for college, paying the OOS premium when they did not get into the main campus. If you want that big college experience, the flagship schools are the ones that are the top of that game. Though both Pitt and Temple have excellent academic programs, they are not in the same category, atmosphere wise. Better to go to Ohio U or UWV for that.</p>
<p>Been an issue in Texas since the top 10% rule was instituted.</p>
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<p>Thankfully.</p>
<p>I disagree that it’s been this way for UIUC for years. It was very easy to get into UIUC 20 years ago.</p>
<p>I think that many parents are used to the state flagship university being like the University of Utah, where 90% of applicants were accepted back in my day…</p>
<p>I think ‘easy’ is probably relative pizzagirl. A good friend couldn’t get into UIUC 30+ years ago and went to Northern instead. Of course she went on to be an amazing success proving yet again that fit and the individual trump selectivity.</p>
<p>Regarding the topic of this post in general I agree totally that there is a type of panic and hysteria about not getting into flagship schools from top students. I think in the past there was a resignation but the flagships are turning away incredible students causing families to feel really panicked, if not paranoid.</p>