<p>Sorry if the title is misleading, this isn't a chances thread.</p>
<p>For UVa to become a stronger institution and to increase its visibility and appeal on a larger national level, could it ever be a possibility that the University will drop the 2/3 in-state policy and make the undergraduate schools at UVa 50% in-state and 50% out of state. It seems that that type of change in policy would help the University by fostering an increase in applications from throughout the country (more national interest in UVa, especially students from other states looking to go to other top 25 national universities). It could also (just speculating here) encourage even more high caliber students to say instate and attend UVa because of the increased competitiveness of the incoming classes. Overall that may increase the strength of the incoming class (both in and out of state) and make UVa an institution of greater interest to top students from throughout the country. </p>
<p>Unless it goes private, there is no way. Remember that VA taxpayers are contributing to UVA and some of them are rightly upset that their chidren can’t get in. UNC schools restrict OOS even more since they allow only 18%.</p>
<p>I have heard that other state’s flagship schools are much more restrictive, but since the commonwealth isn’t funding very much of the University, it almost seems that the University should be given more autonomy in deciding who it selects. It UVa intends to be a privately funded public university, shouldn’t it be given some freedom? Also, Virginia has many good schools and doesn’t strictly rely on UVa for a top education. Why can’t our elite institution be allowed to pursue higher goals and standards as an elite school should?</p>
<p>It’s possible, but not probable for a while. I’d like to see it happen for the undergraduate colleges, and it’s already happened for many of the graduate programs. For example, <50% of students in the law and medical schools are from Virginia, and the figure is probably under 10% for PhD students.</p>
It’s the Commonwealth of Virginia’s policy. UVa doesn’t have the option of dropping it. UVa, Tech, and William & Mary negotiated some flexibility in certain areas in light of their funding, but I doubt you’ll see a change as important as the VA:OOS ratio anytime soon.</p>
<p>UVA could increase its stats by removing any county-quotas, official or not, that it institutes - I believe that a significant number of the kids from Northern Virginia who do not get in have better stats (SATs and so on) than the valedictorians they let in from rural VA. However I don’t know how much I would support UVA doing that, then they might as well call it UNVA. The kids from more rural places really do struggle, even when they have received straight As in high school, because they weren’t given adequate preparation by their teachers (…trust me, all of my close friends are from places like Louisa and Charlotte County, and they don’t know how to write academic papers at the level that my high school demanded let alone at the college level), but considering UVA’s heavy recruitment this past year in SW VA and WV I doubt they would consider doing this either (plus, again, taxpayers from rural places support UVA just as much as NoVa). UVA is a state school and it won’t get past this as long as it continues all of these policies. But you can’t expect UVA to be anything that it’s not - don’t apply if you’re upset that it’s a state school. A great one, but not an Ivy.</p>
<p>So do you think William and Mary is any different from UVA in this respect (anyone who knows?), are there less athletes or less minorities (last time I checked WM wasn’t known for its minorities)…? They’re both state schools, though very different in size… Hrm :</p>
<p>You know, UVA is a top public school. It’s in the top 25 out of the hundreds, and hundreds of schools in America. People all over the world apply to UVA because it’s good simply by the word of mouth. However, if you attend UVA, you will find that it’s not just the academics that make it so special. It’s a place you fall in love with and are proud of. Making it more exclusive may very well change the dynamics of the school, and it may even cause it to drop in rankings. UVA is a very, very good school to attend, as the way it is. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?</p>
<p>I see what you guys are saying and as I will be a UVa student this year I am extremely proud of our university. I know it is a top school now but why not continually improve on what we already have.</p>
<p>Making the change may not make it better. The school’s current nature draws a lot of professors. You threaten that if you alter the student body and ultimately the academics.</p>
<p>First, keep in mind that virtually all state universities reserve a much higher percentage of their classes for in state students, often 90%. Virginia is already the outlyer on this issue and should be commended for it. Take a look at Michigan, Texas, and Cal’s stats to see what I mean.</p>
<p>Second, this issue came to a head a few years ago. At that time the level of state funding and UVA’s status (public vs. private) were both on the table. They reached a resolutions that guaranteed more stable funding, gave UVA more autonomy, and locked in the 2/3 ratio. So it isn’t going to change anytime in the forseeable future. </p>
<p>There is no doubt it would be a good change for the school and the country, but if we were high school juniors in Virginia I expect we would feel differently.</p>
<p>what makes a school “better?” Higher socio-economic profile? More competitive admissions? It’s all a matter of what you think is better. Does a state school have any responsibility to level the playing field? I think so. UVA’s recent commitment to the less moneyed students (like doing away with early decision) is to be commended, and to me, that makes a school better.</p>
<p>By improving the average statistics of the incoming classes, you aren’t targeting particular socio-economic groups. All I mean is that such a move will hold incoming students to higher standards. UVa was founded to educate the best Virginian students as well as the best from throughout the country. As Thomas Jefferson’s University, UVa should strive to do this task as best as it can without limiting restrictions which may pull down UVa’s potential caliber. This, however, is not to say that UVa isn’t already one of the nation’s greatest educational institutions. But if there is room for improvement (as many other schools have improved themselves over the past several decades) why can’t the University of Virginia set higher standards for the future.</p>
<p>It seems rather unfortunate that some students who are academically qualified to attend our University were turned away because of the 2/3 policy while there are many in-state students who would not be able to attend a school of similar academic stature if quotas did not exist. </p>
<p>Believe me, I do not mean this as a put-down to any in-state students (I am one), but I really wish that the University could be more free from quotas and regulations.</p>
<p>Also, one probable reason that we won’t ever go private is that Thomas Jefferson believed education to be open to all – I think he was probably thinking of the state. If we went private, then all those who can afford tutors and go to elite prep schools would benefit hugely, and that definitely doesn’t keep in with TJ’s ideals.</p>
<p>I believe it is awefully hard for state schools to climb up virtually in any rankings that these magazines produce. One of the main reasons is that state schools in general are not properly equipped and positioned to compete with other peer private institutions due to its obligatory educational requirements to the state it belongs. Look at the top three public schools, Berkeley, UMich and our own beloved UVa, I strongly believe they are on par with some of the Ivy schools and other top 20 universities in quality. Still, they almost always get placed behind all these schools at around #20-#25. Some people say these rankings are biased, but that is inevitable in the current ranking system that focus mostly on students’ academical quantitative data, in which private schools who can select top people on their own terms are bound to do better than public schools who don’t have such a freedom. And hence, it might not be fair to do one-to-one comparison of state and private schools, at least not for undergraduate schools. State schools are greatly hanicapped in this kind of comparison no matter how hard one tries to be fair. So what do we do now? I guess we should keep doing what we have been doing without giving too much emphasis on these rankings. Just like Harvard or Yale is #1 in private unversities, we are one of the top state schools in the nation, and no one can dispute that.</p>
<p>MechWahoo, I know my posts in this thread may sound like that, but believe me I have wanted to be a UVa student for a long time now and wouldn’t want to go to a different school. The only thing is, I just wish UVa would be allowed to be more free from state restrictions.</p>
<p>Fewer restrictions = even less money. We do get some, I know it’s not a whole lot, but it may pay for books in a new library, or new computers in some labs, or a new roof for older dorms. There’s pros and cons to the school going private. But the main pros are “higher” rankings, when we’re already very high and going private may not cause us to jump higher. Cons include less state money, higher tuition, less diversity (mainly in economic senses, but we all know that leads to racial senses as well, 98% of the time), and along what Melli said, the removal of Jefferson’s ideals. This is why UVA remains public.</p>
<p>Melli: 110% agree. Poor TJ would roll over in his grave if UVA went private. Not his fault his university became world-renowned.</p>