Outside Reputation of University of Vermont

<p>Hello,
I'm a Vermonter, curious about how the rest of the world views the University of Vermont in terms of prestige/academic reputation, what have you. Inside the bubble of our little state, it's viewed quite well, and of late, it's becoming increasingly selective for in-staters (no longer a safety for many, I know rejectees with 2360 SATs, 34 ACTs). It's one of the most expensive public universities, one of the most popular, and a 'public ivy' according to someone somewhere. It has an honors college and respected programs in medicine. In the same hand, however, I get the impression it's often viewed as a party school/ski bum school, it certainly has no diversity to speak of, and haven't picked up the greatest vibes about rigor of classes, etc. It's not a CC 'top university', and I'm curious what the general consesus about the place is elsewhere. What tier of schools / similar state universities would you all group it with?</p>

<p>nationally, its nothing special, not bad, a bunch of potheads</p>

<p>fo real, 2360 SAT, 34 ACT rejects?</p>

<p>I'm from the Northeast, so I guess my view isn't exactly national, but it seems to be viewed as a better and better score. I know a lot of competitive applicants who have decided to go there, and love it. It seems to be looking up.</p>

<p>it seems comparable to CU Boulder. as a flagship, it's perfectly respectable, but not as impressive as some publics.
i find it very hard to believe that you have in-state applicants with 2360/34s getting rejected.. a friend of mine with a 1930 recently got offered a scholarship.. maybe UVM's trying to attract more OOS students?</p>

<p>Really nice people, very laidback, lots of weed, and liberal politics Lovely town, too.</p>

<p>My D received a lot of mail from them, for some odd reason. Maybe they want OOS for the tuition money. Too cold for her, unfortunately, and she does not ski.</p>

<p>why did they send me (I'm OOS) a VIP app if they're rejecting people with 2360 SATs?</p>

<p>the people I know that go there are average-but-bright students, so I think of it as somewhat of a safety school. the people I know that applied there also applied to schools like Goucher, Ithaca, American, or other publics like UMass, SUNY Purchase, or UNH.</p>

<p>D received a lot of mail from them, received an early invitation to apply, did and was accepted. She is an URM so i believe they were trying to expand their diversity but their tuition is one of the highest for OOS, they gave her a measely merit scholarship and that was it, no other financial aid except for student loans. Very discouraging. She did better with more prestigious, competitive schools. But the reputation is as follows, lovely town, liberal students, health conscious, lots of weed, alcohol and partying. Whether its true or not is another story. With all that said, I know of someone who really enjoyed her time there.</p>

<p>Nationally the University of Vermont is ranked #89 among national universities by US News, tied with Drexel, Iowa State, UC Riverside, U Denver, U Kansas, U Nebraska-Lincoln---all decent schools, but nothing special. It's got a 69.5% acceptance rate (not terribly selective), a peer assessment score of 2.9 (not so great), an average freshman retention rate of 85.5% (worrisome as it means one in seven freshmen doesn't return for their sophomore year), a 6-year graduation rate of 72% (low enough to be cause for concern), and 25th/75th percentile CR/M SAT scores of 1080-1270. If someone got rejected with a combined CR/M/W SAT of 2360, they must have had really bad grades, bad recommendations, a criminal conviction, or some other significant blot on their record, because those scores would likely put them within the top 5 or 10% of accepted students at U Vermont.</p>

<p>I'm not knocking the school. It's a decent school and a good deal financially for Vermont residents, and it may be improving as Vermont has become a very attractive destination for a lot of applicants, and for that matter a lot of professors. But let's be honest: at the moment it's pretty much an average state school, far from the top end of that group---in fact, it's ranked #40 among public institutions, which would place it somewhat below average for a state flagship. Still, as a Vermont resident it may be your best bet to get a decent education at an affordable price.</p>

<p>I have heard great things about University of Vermont. It's problem is that there aren't many schools to compare with it in the Northeast that are public, with the exception of UMass (which is a bigger school).</p>

<p>I have heard it has been trying to become more diverse therefore trying to open up to students outside the Northeast. </p>

<p>It tends to remind me of private schools in the Midwest, because the majority of the students come from middle class or upper middle class families.</p>

<p>I find it impossible to believe that someone with a 34 ACT not only would be accepted at UVN but also accepted into the Honors program.</p>

<p>I got to a small, competitive private school in CT. A lot of kids apply to UVM because they receive "VIP" applications that don't require you to write an essay. It's considered a safety. No one really intends to go there. People say that it's beautiful and that they love Burlington, but it does have a reputation of being a slacker/hippie school.</p>

<p>I was accepted to my first-choice across the country, so I'm not going to UVM, and never seriously considered it (although I did apply as a safety to satiate my guidance counselor's wishes, and was accepted.) With at least one of the high score cases, the kid had a sub-3.0, which is understandable, but the other is murky. I had high scores and a low GPA, (even if it wasn't that low) and I still made it in.</p>

<p>The thing is, they've also been deferring 3.4 double legacy kids whose parents played soccer for the school, etc. They've always been heavily marketing towards OOS, and my best guess is that they think in today's economic climate there's a good chance they might get a number of more highly qualified applicants than usual, and don't want to fill up spots EA as readily.</p>

<p>CU Boulder seems like a good comparison.</p>

<p>University Of Vermont:</p>

<p>"Quality of life issues are important to most University of Vermont undergrads; when discussing their reasons for choosing UVM, they’re as likely to cite the “laid-back environment,” the “proximity to skiing facilities,” the “great parties,” and their “amazing” hometown of Burlington as they are to mention the academics. But, students remind us, “That doesn’t mean that there are not strong academics [at UVM].” On the contrary, UVM is made up of several well-established colleges and offers “a wide variety of majors.” “You can jump around between majors, and then leave with a recognized diploma in hand for something you love to do.” Students single out the business school, the “top-notch” education program, the Psychology Department, premedical sciences, and “the amazing animal science program” for praise, and are especially proud of The Rubenstein School of Natural Resources, home to UVM’s environmental science majors; they tell us it “is a great college that feels like it’s much smaller, [more] separate, and just cozier than the rest of the school.” No matter which discipline, “You get out what you put in.” “Teachers are readily available and are willing to help you do well in your classes. They encourage you to get help if you need it and are enthusiastic about what they teach. It’s all there; you just have to take advantage of it.” The size of the university, we’re told, is just right; UVM is “a moderately large school,” and it allows undergrads “to feel at home while still offering just about any activity possible.” "There’s a “great variety of students” at UVM “because it’s a big university,” undergrads report, but they also note that “students at UVM are mostly White” and that there’s “a lot of money at this school.” While the most prevalent UVM archetype is “the guitar-loving, earth-saving, relaxed hippie” who “care[s] strongly about the environment” and “social justice,” the student body also includes “your athletic types, your artsy people, and a number of other groups” including “vocal LGBTQ and ALANA populations” who, “though they usually hang out in their own groups,” “are also active in all sorts of clubs across campus.” Not surprisingly, there are many “New England types,” “potheads,” and “snow bums.” Students report they “pretty much get along well with everyone.” They either come here loving the outdoors or learn to love the outdoors by the time they leave." "“UVM is known to be a party school,” and “Even though the university has cracked down on drinking (they made it a dry campus this year), it hasn’t actually changed much.” Indeed, students tell us that one can find “a good balance of having fun and academics” at UVM, “but it’s tough, because there’s always a party going on somewhere.” Students who want to dodge the party scene will find “There is always something” happening in Burlington. The town has “lots of wonderful restaurants, a few movie theaters, a rockin’ music scene, several bars, some dancing, and various environmental and social activities downtown.” “On campus, there is typically at least one university-sponsored event each night, including interesting lectures, movies, games, or social events.” Students love outdoor activities: “When it snows, it’s very popular to go to the ski resorts around here and ski or snowboard for the day. When it’s still warm out, going to the waterfront and swimming in Lake Champlain is popular too.” UVM is an intercollegiate hockey powerhouse, and “In the fall and winter, hockey games are huge social events.” They’re so popular “that you have to get tickets to them the Monday before the game, or they will be sold out!”"</p>

<p>Your quotes, says who?</p>

<p>surveyed students at UVM</p>