<p>I’ve never heard of CNU…but then again have you ever heard of Rowan?</p>
<p>What I’m trying to say is, kids from Rowan do just fine and stay in NJ, so I’m assuming that CNU and people who stay in VA have a similar relationship.</p>
<p>Seeing that you don’t want to leave VA, that might be your answer.</p>
<p>Hard to pass up W&M though.</p>
<p>I’m not from Virginia but a colleague of mine (George Mason undergrad, UVA grad) has told me it has a good reputation that’s on the rise.</p>
<p>I wonder if anyone could comment on the difficulty of W&M. I don’t want comparitively low grades to harm my grad school chances. I don’t want to be one of the many that go to UVA or W&M and wind up with a master’s from a “lesser” school because they couldn’t measure up to the expectations of either school. Thoughts?</p>
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<p>I believe it was George Carlin who said: “Think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are stupider than that.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I’m still trying to fathom why you would pay more for a school you like less . . . 
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<p>A friend’s D started at Christopher Newport, and transferred to VT. She didn’t have the stats to get into VT in HS. She found CN <em>very</em> easy, and had no problem racking up a great GPA.</p>
<p>What exactly are the opportunities/advantages you will be guaranteed at CNU?</p>
<p>You would definitely be advised to take math at least through beginning calc, no matter where you go.</p>
<p>I’m not a Virginian, but I say CNU. Take the money you will save and run! Like someone upthread said, you will likely need an advanced degree, and then you can go to a more prestigious school.</p>
<p>CNU opportunities and advantages with Canon Leadership Scholars:</p>
<p>Big scholarship (I wouldn’t need loans)
Free study abroad at the University of Oxford one summer for 3 credits
Priority Registration
Priority housing (very nice housing, I might add)
Special audience with President Trible and senior faculty
Honors classes
Leadership Studies minor
Exemption from liberal learning core
Personalized core advising
Ability to personalize major (i’ll double major)</p>
<p>If I get another scholarship I will be a part of the Bonner Service Network and get another $2400 stipend for 100 hours of community service a semester and a service track on my diploma.</p>
<p>And the reason I am still considering William & Mary is because it would probably only be $4000 more per year, it has more of what I’m looking for in a major, and it has more name recognition for job placement. I just don’t know how much to value a degree from W&M vs. one from CNU.</p>
<p>I also don’t think that I have a complete feel for the student body/student life/academic opportunities at W&M yet. I don’t want to rush to conclusions.</p>
<p>You may also want to check out retention and graduation rates as well as talk to students from both schools . Look into who recruits on campus,etc. I do believe you will find that many more kids transfer out of CNU than William and Mary.</p>
<p>That is definitely true. 96% retention at W&M vs. 75-80% at CNU. Similar spread with graduation rate. As far as who recruits there, I’m not sure where to look. </p>
<p>I’m also more interested in a local government job so I doubt they do much recruiting. </p>
<p>How important would you say these rates are and how so?</p>
<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>
<p>Generally speaking, as the selectivity of the school decreases, so too do the retention and four year graduation rates of the school. While having peers who stay in school is certainly motivating, I’m tempted to believe that because of the selection effect, you’d associate with predominately harder working, intelligent students, who are more likely to graduate in four years. </p>
<p>Sometimes low four year graduation rates are caused by inability to afford the school without working (more common at commuter schools than their flagship counterparts), inability to get classes, and poor advising. From what I understand based on your descriptions of CNU’s honor’s perks, it seems like you’d avoid all of these scenarios. Unless you change your major from government to physics, or another totally unrelated field, I’d be surprised if you took longer than four years to graduate. </p>
<p>I don’t think you can go wrong with either institution, although don’t underestimate the importance of your peers. At W&M, they’ve been preselected for academic ability, and the conversations you have both in and out of class might be more substantial. Given the size of CNU, and the fact that you want to major in fields not traditionally noted for their weed out process, you’d likely have many upper division classes with these more average students. That might mean a lower quality of discussion, but it might not.</p>
<p>whenhen makes good points. For only $4K per year, I would strongly consider W&M.</p>
<p>Well I’m strongly considering it…a lot will depend on my admitted students day. And it’s 4,000 more at W&M, 9,000 a year overall.</p>
<p>Hope you enjoy admitted students’ day!</p>
<p>Thanks you!</p>
<p>Help! I have decided on a school, in which i was accepted into a very small program-but I keep thinking about the other school i got into! I keep wondering if i made the right choice. Do most people second guess their decisions? Is that normal?</p>
<p>I would say that’s very normal. I actually wound up choosing William & Mary, if that tells you anything.</p>
<p>Congratulations ,nathancbritt, on making a great choice! Have fun at William & Mary!</p>