<p>I'm also just getting back to checking the boards. It is good to get another perspective, especially student, and most likely also from the area on VA where I live, (near GMU). Marebare5 comments about CNU are interesting because I keep hearing about how much it's "up and coming". That may be true, but it does also seem to be a "fall back" for many of the students I hear about around here. I have a friend in Newport News who doesn't think much of it but then truthfully, living near GMU, that's the way I thought of it for many years, until now having a S there and learning more about it. JMU is getting harder to get into, from everything I hear. At the same time, so many local HS students go there my S has no interest in it at all as he sees it as just a "2.0" version of high school (his words, not mine!). But then, he wants small liberal arts, and that's not JMU anyway. NJres asked about Roanoke. We also visited and it's on the radar for our S, as it fits many of his criteria. Again, we just had the tour person POV but it seemed nice. It's small though which is hard on me since it's smaller than his current HS (even a smaller theater/stage area), but that's also what he liked. Mamy1, thanks for the offer of info on NE and NY schools, but S doesn't want to get that far away (close enough to come home on a weekend, far enough so we don't drop in unexpectanted, yeah, right!). I think he's set with his list, now, just to get the final apps in!</p>
<p>I go to GMU, and love it. However, I came from out of state so I can't comment on other Virginia schools other than what I've heard from friends of friends. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!</p>
<p>As a Northern VA kid, I'll weigh in on the VA schools.</p>
<p>First, NOVA has a large pocket of the Virginia population, and many instate schools will have ~50% of the freshman class from NOVA, with ~15% from the rest of the state, and the last 3rd from out of state.</p>
<p>George Mason - I have friends there who do the partying stuff, and those who don't. Both seem very happy. It is known as a commuter school, though I think this reputation is declining. Location = very close to DC if you want a city, but definitely has a nice campus.</p>
<p>James Madison is not an SAT driven school, they have a big party scene there, on campus, as there is not that much in Harrisonburg. Their football team just won the IAA National Championships (arg, beating W+M in the semis), so their sports scene is growing, and their gym is top notch.</p>
<p>ODU, I have only set foot on their campus once, to see a Boston Pops concert. Their basketball arena is new and very nice. It has a city kind of feel to it. I have a friend there who seems to enjoy himself. It is agreed that Norfolk is not the nicest of places. I can't comment too much here, I only have 1 friend there, and am not in close contact with him.</p>
<p>Mary Washington College, actually just changed its name to Mary Washington University... I drove through there, and didn't like the campus. One of my friends has a brother there, who wasn't very happy is fresh year. He traveled a lot to see friends at other schools. He's spending his jr year abroad. I wasn't good friends with many people who went here, so my information is limited.</p>
<p>Christopher Newport (CNU) is acknowledged as up and coming in VA. I have a few friends there, and though I have never been, everyone I talk to says the campus is really nice. Really modern, in terms of AC and stuff in living areas. They're building a brand new very nice concert hall for their music department. They seem to have money to spend.</p>
<p>Virginia Commonwealth (VCU), I don't know much about their stats. It is in Richmond, and not in one of the better parts either. They have security guards in all the dorms, and their are homeless people around the dorms as well. People do get mugged at gunpoint. Having said that, I imagine these are fairly rare occurences, but can happen to anyone. I have a friend who went there for 1 year and absolutely hated it, and is now at JMU, which she much prefers. I also have friends who are at VCU and enjoy their time there. There are plenty of activities to be found in the city around campus.</p>
<p>Thanks Soccerguy, Daffodil and everyone else who has passed info along. I just printed out all the responses for future reference. I must admit, I am becoming more interested in GMU. It's probably due to the proximity to DC and the fact that I majored in poli sci. My d also enjoyed being near DC. We had visited UMD-CP for d # 1 and travelled to Georgetown via metro & bus pretty easily. I do know d # 2 did enjoy her time in DC so she may want to give GMU serious consideration. It seems to be hard to get personal info on ODU. I caught a cable show a few days ago on Nancy Lieberman who played basketball for ODU. I actually watched most of the show to get any info on the school. I did gain a little info but mostly about her coach-- but we will definitely tour the campus and get our own impressions. Again-Thanks to all.</p>
<p>I graduated from ODU many years ago, during the days of Nancy Leiberman, Anne Donovan and the #1 women's basketball team in the country. Aside from having some great games to attend, I think I received an excellent education. My husband also attended- we both have degrees in the sciences, and have done pretty well in our careers. I've done a lot of training in my job and can say that I emerged better prepared than most people I've trained. ODU was primarily a commuter school, but had a decent group of residential students, mostly from No. VA, New Jersey, and New York. I know they've built a lot of new residences since then and attracted more out-of-staters. We visited last summer for the first time in years and I was impressed with the new buildings and beautification. Norfolk is not a bad town, there is enough to do around campus anyway. The beach is close, and we always hung out at our "own" beach at the north end of VA beach. Wise students learned not to schedule any classes after noon on Friday, cause everyone heads for the water. Drinking wasn't a huge issue on campus, but I do remember doing a fair amount of it on weekends. The drinking age was still 18 then:)
Of course, this was all back in the days when you picked one or two schools to apply to and went wherever looked best.</p>
<p>My daughter is considering Randolph Macon ... after reading Oldhoo72, just looking for any updated experiences -- pro or con.</p>
<p>Dado2grls, first welcome to the CC board. I would be interested as well in any updates, particularly from Oldhoo72's D about whether things turned around.</p>
<p>It's wierd seeing this thread pop up again after 9 months. We are still pretty much in the same place that we were then- After seeing some of the schools last March and April, West Chester-Towson-GMU and VCU are still in the running. She did not like ODU and we did not look at CNU. We threw in a few Florida schools and of course the SUNY's. We are going to look at Oneonta and Cortland this week-end and then pay a visit to d # 1 at Cornell. Tonight is college night at our district HS. It was decided that I would not attend as I would probably drive my daughter crazy. My sane and patient husband will go with her. But surprisingly alot of the schools will be there tonight- including GMU, VCU and Towson. Sorry I can't add anything about Randolph Macon We never looked at small enrollment schools. We are considering U of Tampa which has enrollment of 5,000 and even that seems too small for my kid.</p>
<p>Marny, I still like Towson. I know of a soph at VCU who I hear is very happy (from the NY area). I read up on U of Tampa bcs someone recommended it for my son, but this person has no experience w the school. I have read that you need a car there bcs even though you are in Tampa there is little in walking distance. Some of the other things I read made it unappealing, but then I have also read a few negative comments about Towson. I have heard some wonderful things about Cortland, esp. the teaching major. Back to Towson- I like the small class sizes, the bus system that takes you through the area so you can get out sans a car. I also like the variety of eateries, the town is has things to offer, not too far from NY, I spoke to a couple of graduates who are going into some nice grad programs from there. One student told me that he chose Towson over UMD for the small class sizes (it was clear to me that he could have probably gotten into UMD as an instate student since he was in the honors program at Towson so I asked about it). What I do not like is the low graduation rate, but as some ppl pointed out, that is partly due to part time students and 25% have sats below 980-1000. West Chester U has a 4 year grad rate of 29%- low too.</p>
<p>I really liked Towson too. We visited that campus last spring. I'd be thrilled if she was accepted. As she is a female from Long Island with low SAT's (her ACT score is somewhat better and she'll take ACT again in October) I am not real confident that she will be accepted. It is becoming an incredibly popular school with LI kids. My d did not "love" Towson as much as I thought she would. She felt the student population seemed very similar to her LI High school and she wanted to be in a little bit different environment. Our plan is to get the SUNY application and GMU app in ASAP (she really likes GMU). All other applications will soon follow. I am looking forward to 12/1- all her apps must be given to HS guidance office by that deadline.</p>
<p>Marny has GMU picked up on their oos admission? The one nice thing is that they have an older ave. student I believe. This makes classes more interesting.</p>
<p>Hi Northeastmom- I just PM'd you.</p>
<p>Hi
I am a Virginia parent who has friends with children throughout VA and NC schools, and my husband and I are also more Northern than Southern in background. Please type in Common Data Set when you visit a school website and take a hard look at freshman retention rates. Poor rates means poor cohesion and poor college readiness in peers. I don't think High Point is going to do much for you...I had a northern Virginian parent visit there recently and she didn't stay long and she is very Southern in background. You need to understand that the population of northern Virginia makes a big impact in our public schools. People from DC are from everywhere, so diversity in outlook is quite good at schools with these students. Plus our highly selective state universities take in 30% from OOS, leaving many of our brightets students unable to get into UVa or Wm and Mary. This means we send strong students to other state universities. JMU is in a small town..but northern Virginians are a significant presence and it is only 2.5 hours from DC. I would look to see what Hillel says about JMU..which is a big college. Virginia Tech is an exciting school and a big school. Northen Virginians are a significant presence in Va Tech, too. Do you find DC residents to be a comfort fit for you...if so, don't look at these schools so much as Southern, see them as melting pots in a Southern locale. Ditto Mary Washington...almost a private school for public money. MWC does have students from DC who go home on weekends but I still think it offers a wonderful campus and size...beautiful place with access to many great talents from DC which is a 7 dollar train ride away (internships there). MWC is popular for NY and NJ students. Many strong Virginians were waitlisted at JMU, MWC and Virginia Tech in my son's class last year. For simple problems like a handful of Cs even with good SAT scores. You need a B plus average and to have something to offer to avoid the waitlist. A much better school in NC that has a great ambiance is UNC Asheville. Take a look...the town is full of artists and retirees from all over. Also Charlotte is a "carpetbagger" town and UNC-Charlotte has strong programs in a bustling city that has many Out of Staters. Chapel Hill is so selective that the other UNC colleges also have strong students. I think you should take a good look at Goucher in Maryland and Dickinson in Pennsylvania if you want schools that retain students and produce strong outcomes. Greensboro is a progressive NC town with a decent arts scene and a handful of quality small colleges, including UNC-Greensboro. Elon is a worthwhile bet. Randolph Macon is a school that offers very personal attention in the classroom. George Mason is primarily for local residents many of whom are already in the work force but it is growing in its focuses by leaps and bounds. Best and happy outcomes for you!</p>
<p>Faline, Thank you. This was very informative. Do you know if JMU, MWC, and Vtech are tougher to get into from oos, than for Virginians? Are stats higher for oos? Thanks.</p>
<p>Faline 2- I also want to thank you for the valuable info. Though our "journey" is almost done, there is always a new group of parents and kids looking for this info. There are many NY parents who hear the cry "it is too cold" upstate and I don't want to go to a SUNY school (spending 4 winters in Oswego, they have a point). that NY parents have had to explore schools in the mid-Atlantic and southern regions of the country. For my own kid, who wants to be near an urban area and doesn't want to be too far from home some suggested schools did not meet here needs, but checking out websites, I have been impressed with schools like- UNC Ashville-Charlotte- Wilmington & Eastern Carolina. So I want to thank everyone for their input. And to Northeastmom-- I do not know about those 3 schools in particular- but d # 1 applied to UVA and W&M. They did seem to hold OOS kids to a higher standard. My guess is that the more popular the school, the more selective they can be. VTech and JMU are pretty popular so you'll need some good backups. For my own sake I am hoping GMU and VCU standards are pretty much the same with OOS kids cause they are not as popular with the OOS kid. FYI- at the college fair at my d's high school last night, there was no line to speak with the college rep for either VCU-GMU or Tampa. But as expected, there was a big line to speak to the Towson Rep.</p>
<p>Marny,It is so funny about how they all group together and are interested in one school. As I told you, at my S's school Towson is virtually unheard of. I could probably count on one hand as to how many kids even heard of it. I hope your D found the fair interesting and it helped her decide. </p>
<p>Faline, do you know if oos kids are held to a higher standard than in-state for the schools that I listed in my above post? Thanks.</p>
<p>I would like to address Randolph Macon. I don't think losing 25% of the class is unusual in small privates, and in fact, probably indicates that Randolph Macon is more successful than most privates that are not highly selective. Take a look at many small privates and the not highly selective large publics and retention rates are much worse that losing 25%. Our music teacher's D graduated from there and was struck with an illness that disrupted an entire year. Her teachers called her at home on a daily basis with homework assignments. The music teacher was astounded with the personal support. Her D was admitted to elite Wm and Mary for grad school with a Randolph Macon degree. It is a solid small college if you can deal with a smaller school and want personal support from faculty. Another very strong small private with superb faculty student interaction is Roanoke College in Salem, VA. Lutheran founded, many Middle Atlantic staters there...I know two girls who are now doctors who went there for undergrad.</p>
<p>Regarding the stats on OOS students admitted to JMU...I have not done this research although my sister is a graduate and a professional teacher. You would need to type in Common Data Set and study the stats. Also go to their school paper on the web and type in class of 2009 and read the class admission stat stories. Call Admissions and outright ask. The OOS requirements at UVa and Wm and Mary are unreal...Ivy League stats required which keeps those schools ranked at the top in the USA while allowing admissions to be slightly more gentle for Virignians from the more rural state districts. Poor kids from NOVA..northern Virginia --have to be top in their excellent high schools to get into our state colleges...unlike Chapel Hill which caps out OOS kids at 15% by law, we give our seats to OOS kids and then deny great Virginia kids entry. Go figure. I don't think it is right, although my S was admitted to both schools...we didn't have the "handicap" of a NOVA address.<br>
JMU is much tougher to get in than previous posters are indicating...it has stringent SAT and grade requirements. I know kids with mid 1300s who were waitlisted due to not stellar GPAs and they never got in. JMU has our state's most elite teacher education track and music education track, and local families have been shocked that their D's did not get into these two programs with SATs over 1200 and low A averages...they were admitted but not allowed in music or teaching tracks.
For the money an OOS education costs, I would give private schools a serious look as well. You want full professors, good retention rates and good grad school preparation. Furman University by the way is successful in all three depts...and is looking for OOS kids willing to come South...average admitted kid had a 1300. Mary Washington is looking for male students to get out of the 60/40 thing as are many great LACs. Use geographic diversity to your advantage...reverse the odds and look at fine privates in midwestern states as well. I had a relative "tank" at Towson. It is a solid college with a good honors dorm and track, too...but many commuters as well. Spread the "love" and look around. Dickinson is a Pennsylvania Furman...personal, great grad school outcomes, high standards, full profs.</p>
<p>Faline thanks for your Advice. By the way, why did your relative tank at Towson (if you know)? They have a very average graduation rate, one typical of many state schools-just 29% in 4 years.</p>
<p>We're from Central NY state and our D too is looking at JMU, GMU, Towson, Goucher, and Randolph Macon. After speaking with their admission rep I don''t think any out of state student with less than a 1200 SAT & 3.5 has much of a chance of admission. Towson is second on the list for selectivity. I am intrigued by RM but my daughter right now is more impressed with GMU (probably because of size & location). We're also looking at Manhattan Coolege, Wagner, & SUNY New Paltz. I'll be glad when it's settled!!!!!</p>