Questions about UVA: potential transfer

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
1

<p>I am currently a sophomore at West Virginia University and have made the decision that I do not want to continue my education at this institution any longer.</p>

<p>I cant say enough bad things about WVU. I personally believe the recent "Best Colleges" ranking of 164th is a bit generous. I have completed 40 credit hours and earned just under a 3.9 GPA and I can honestly say that I have not been challenged to think critically a single time. The professors simply read excerpts of the textbooks verbatim in lecture, and I question their credibility and experience to be teaching students. Example: Today in Accounting 202 (not a freshman or "100" level class) we were assigned an arts and crafts project where we cut and glued pieces of paper to make "quilts" and kept track of how many sheets of paper we were using to make these objects. I cannot believe I am paying over 20k/year for this rudimentary "education." The student body is highly apathetic; I have talked to numerous students who, believe it or not, tell me that they "arent here for school."</p>

<p>"Im Schmacked" seems to make monthly appearances on campus here, and students proudly wear their "#1 Party School" and "Eat Sh#t Pitt!!" shirts around campus. There is a SINGLE small club dedicated to my area of study (Finance). </p>

<p>West Virginia hospitality? Forget it. Most of the people I meet here at WVU tend to be the out-of-stater's who want to act like they're from the "Jersey Shore." I'm not a shy person, but I have absolutely no social life here. I've tried to connect with hundreds of students here, and have yet to find more than 2 people that are industrious and intellectually curious. In short, the people I have met have a tasteless personality and are not driven.</p>

<p>My goal is to land a job on Wall Street in Investment Banking or Management Consulting. I know that WVU has an extremely poor (if any) placement rate among those fields, but I did not discover what I wanted to pursue until I had already started college. I know UVA's McIntire School is very highly regarded on the Street, and recruiters make several trips per year to Charlottesville.</p>

<p>I came to this school for several reasons: legacy, proximity, and price. I absolutely loathe this school. I visited Charlottesville over the summer for a prospective student tour and liked what I saw. The campus was gorgeous, my fellow tour-mates seemed exuberant and multidimensional, and the University looked like they had many more resources to offer. I certainly learned the lesson that you cannot gauge a college based on tours and internet facts, but I am under the impression that most respectable colleges tend to have far less of the aforementioned problems which I described.</p>

<p>My essential question from all this ranting is this: Can any current UVA students or recent grads give me a little insight as to how their experiences are or have been in comparison with mine? </p>

<p>Any feedback would be highly appreciated.</p>

<p>BTW other schools which I am very interested in are Cornell, Penn, and ??</p>

2

<p>I believe you will hear current students say that UVa students are an extremely motivated bunch.</p>

<p>A number of the most selective private colleges do not accept many transfer students.</p>

<p>What state do you live in? Esp. if you are a Virginian, I’d apply to a number of public U.s in addition to UVa to keep your options open, particularly since you are determined to leave your current school.</p>

3

<p>Thank you, and I am a Maryland resident. I am aware of the fact that 70% of UVA’s student body are Virginians. Couple this with the acceptance rate of McIntire transfer students at around 20%, and it is a very realistic chance that I will not accepted at UVA nor any of the Ivy Leagues. I know public schools like Michigan are also highly regarded, but I do not want to go that far away; Ithaca NY is even a little bit of a stretch for me. I’m going to at least put in applications and try to transfer to the above schools, but I really don’t know what I will do if I get denied. I will already have 2 years invested in WVU at that point, and I don’t want the hassle of transferring to another school that has the same prestige as WVU. I just wonder if I graduate Summa Cum Laude, top 5% of my class, it would be a better approach to be a “big fish in a small pond.” I would not like to go to a school like Penn State, for example, because to me it sounds like I would not really be accentuating my resume enough for it to be worth the hassle by doing so. I would really love to be a part of a highly motivated student body that I can network from, and being at a school that top firms recruit at would be really beneficial too. The option of going to an elite university for an MBA right out of undergrad seems like the kiss of death to me (over qualified for an analyst/consultant position, under qualified for an associate position). My ultimate goal is to get an entry level job at a top Financial Firm. I’m at a critical point right now and I don’t know what the right is to do. Does anyone have any advice?</p>

4

<p>Students should keep in mind that few of the public universities (other than UVa and UNC-CH) with high out of state tuition rates provide much need based aid to out of state students. Other publics with high out of state tuition rates look at out of state students as cash cows. </p>

<p>Also, many private colleges save their best aid packages for incoming freshmen, because the test scores of transfers don’t get considered in US News rankings. </p>

<p>You may be much better off saving your money and your debt capacity for a great MBA program as opposed to going to a very expensive undergrad program. UVa’s Comm school also has some Masters programs that may not be as difficult for admissions as Darden.</p>

<p>Is there any type of honors program at your U. that may offer some alternatives? Or, could you do a semester abroad at a challenging university, such as near the financial center of London?</p>

<p>Some universities have semester-long programs for visiting students from other colleges on specific topics.</p>

5

<p>Yes, it is very true that the price for some of these undergraduate programs is absurd. I am not on any student loans right now, but UVA’s OOS price tag of 39,000 and the Ivy’s 40,000+ are twice as much as WVU’s tuition. University of Maryland’s undergraduate business program was ranked 38th and in-state tuition is under 10,000. I am pretty confident I would get accepted at UMCP as well, given my GPA and the fact that I am in-state. But like I said before, I would much rather hold off on the MBA until after I start working because of the dilemma I mentioned before and also the possibility that I could potentially have my MBA financed by an employer.</p>

6

<p>I am a little biased but I would look into U of Maryland. I see you mentioned it in your last post. Is something keeping you from more seriously considering it? </p>

<p>It certainly is quite a step up from where you are now. Smith School should be able to get you were you need to go if you maintain your GPA and are proactive about internships.</p>

7

<p>Until you transfer, or if you do not transfer, I would try to take the most advanced classes that your college allows. Usually classes aimed towards juniors and seniors will be more challenging, and the students within those classes will be more serious, because the hardcore partiers are often gone by that time or majoring in basketweaving.</p>

8

<p>Yes, I have been considering UMD recently because it really seems like the best bang for my buck. The only issue I have is that I have heard from some of my friends from high school and elsewhere who chose UMD that it is really not an enjoyable place to be for four years. But I don’t see how it could get much worse than Morgantown. Out of high school I wanted the “college experience” and weighted social life a little too heavily in my college decision. As of now I just want to be at a University that will get me from point A to point B the most efficiently, and offer me the most resources that will help me get a job a BB I Bank.</p>

9

<p>How hard is it to transfer to UVA in the spring?</p>

10

<p>I don’t understand why you decided to attend WVU. You seem like a pretty smart person. I go to Maryland currently (only been there 3 weeks though), and it seems like a diverse place. I have walked back to my dorm at 3 am and see kids in one-piece pajamas talking about philosophy (not even kidding). I drink and party a lot, but if you aren’t into that, then I’m sure you can still find things to do. If you do decide to go here, though - do NOT live in the off campus apartments because they are extremely rowdy. My dorm is Honors so there are a lot of nice people who don’t drink or smoke, plus hundreds of clubs and events to accommodate your niche. </p>

<p>Good luck on the UVA transfer, though! I am considering putting in an application for next year simply because I fell in love with the school when I visited the first time. Hoping to get a 4.0 this year and then possibly get in, although I know it’s really hard after freshman year.</p>

11

<p>I was aware of the stigma that West Virginia academics tend to receive when I made my choice, but did not take it too seriously. 29,000 people, major State University? I was sure that the school couldn’t be that bad. I really didn’t expect to feel a lot more intelligent than my peers. I know there are some smart people here, but the problem is that they seem to be the minority by far. This week is rush week for the fraternities, and I am strongly considering joining one to at least enhance my social experience for the rest of the time I remain here. I know the logic in that is flawed- why would I enjoy being in a fraternity with a student body that I don’t like? I’m just hoping that it helps a little bit, as I feel like I will go crazy sitting in my place of residence until May. I need to have another two 4.0 semesters this year to apply to the places I want to as well. Its another big decision I have to make by Friday. I don’t know enough about fraternity life to gauge if it is for me, but I feel like I should take a chance anyway and try to pledge. Right now I just wish I could fast-forward through this year and be a cavalier next year…</p>

12

<p>If you are miserable at WVU and don’t see an upside, then it makes sense to look seriously at a transfer. Don’t let your unhappiness affect your performance in the meantime, as you need as strong a record as you can accrue to raise your odds of a change to a good place. I am a Maryland resident and son is at UVA, and we are paying the approx. $50K for a year there. Many of the UVA students are very strong and motivated, of course, and others range down to slackers and people who don’t really know how to learn and got by on talent in the past.</p>

<p>Maryland has upgraded considerably in the past decade or two, and the number of people who don’t get in continues to shock the family unprepared for reality. Don’t disregard that as an option, and remember, since you would be an upperclassman, you shouldn’t get stuck in a crummy dorm. I admit that I say that as a parent who sent each child to a place other than UMCP.</p>

13

<p>While I guarantee that the academics at UVA far surpass those of WVU, I’d be hesitant to praise a completely different social life. As a UVA student, I can tell you that a huge number of people seem to have “partying” on their mind constantly, and you walk around and find partying going on any day of the week. But the students do know when to do their work and get things done. I notice the third and fourth years being a bit more reserved in regards to the whole “let’s get drunk and have sex” atmosphere, but that’s probably because they’ve already done it for two years. Overall UVA provides a pretty solid education, but don’t walk around expecting to have intellectual conversations about life. It’s a huge state university, like WVU.</p>

14

<p>That’s fine, I’m not really looking for a west point, all-work-no-fun experience, but I cant deal with these people at WVU any longer. I’m fine with going out on a weekend and partying here and there, but when you have 75% of the student body going to nightclubs and getting hammered on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday its absolutely ridiculous. I don’t think these people at WVU put any thought into what is going to happen to them after graduation, with a <3.0 GPA at a bottom tier playground “school.” I honestly don’t know how I’m going to get through the rest of the semester here. Coming to WVU was one of the worst decisions I have ever made.</p>