<p>Do people in California know UVA?</p>
<p>People who are well-informed and people who are into higher education, like the parents on this board, will know UVA- a majority of Cali parents are content to send their child to the nearest community college, possibly a state school and the real reachers go for UCs. A smaller group of people look at top schools and schools far from home, they would know and respect UVA.</p>
<p>No. Even some of the best students around my area have never heard of it. Others have only heard about it because I heard about it from a kid that moved from the east coast, and then I talked about it. I was the only person in my class(1000 people) to apply there. The better the high school, the more likely students are to know about it because they've been looking specifically for great universities. But, with as many great universities in CA as there are, plus the climate, there aren't a whole lot of people looking outside the state. I speak only from my experience. There are probably some schools/areas in SoCal, and NorCal, where UVa is renowned.</p>
<p>To be frank, UVa's not exactly well-renowned in CA as much as the UCs are. UC Berkeley along with UCLA receive much of the praise in CA, as well as Caltech and Stanford (obviously). Schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and MIT are highly respected, but I don't think UVa has as much respect as these private schools nor as much as the top 2-3 UC schools.</p>
<p>one more vote for UVA not really being generally known in CA. I'm cruising this thread as my sophomore son is starting to look at colleges. I hadn't really heard of UVA until lookiing in some of the guides and on CC.</p>
<p>also, as for somemom's, comment regarding CA parents being content to send their kids to cc. I don't think that is quite the right characterization. I would say that CA public college system has an offering and a place for all students - both the top performing and low performing. The good thing about the cc system in CA, is that there is a strong transfer program from cc to the UC's. This is one of the best bargains in the public college system.</p>
<p>A bit off-topic, but what are some of the things that make UVA top-rated?</p>
<p>TIA</p>
<p>As far as academics go, History, English, and American Studies programs are among the best in the country, and the Comm school (our equivalent of an undergrad business program) is also top 5 or 10. Religious studies and bioethics are also very strong and well attended. Biomedical engineering is beginning to climb the charts as well. I don't know as far as rankings go, but my friends majoring in the romance languages have nothing but wonderful things to say about the depts.</p>
<p>A lot of what puts U.Va. at the top of the list is the quality of life for students. I really think the experience for students outside the classroom here is highly satisfying.</p>
<p>b/c of thom jefferson</p>