<p>I'm not applying to UVA, but I am slightly curious of this. How many of you prospective students have either changed or not changed your mind on applying or attending UVA due to the current sexual assault allegations? I'm predicting that the number of apps that they get this year will be slightly lower than before.</p>
<p>I had already submitted my application prior to reading about the rape cases. While they are not going to cause me to withdraw my application, they are definitely going to be a factor when deciding between schools if I am accepted.</p>
<p>DH was against D applying (before this broke) because of the culture of the school (based on a reasonable association - a close family member attended). She did apply, but I do not think it is a choice at this point. (If the app hadn’t been submitted, she would not have.) This is based on the culture, though, and the attitudes, not the specific incident, which could have happened anywhere, sadly. This was just the final straw for us.</p>
<p>I would not only never let my D apply there… I would never let my S apply either. Its a shameful environment.</p>
<p>“I would never let my S apply either. It’s a shameful environment.” Wow. That’s a pretty strong statement. You seem to have a son at USC. You might want to Google USC rape. Your school has its own set of issues.Are you going to send him elsewhere?</p>
<p>It’s not the crime but the cover-up that makes us give UVA the thumbs down.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to see what the ramifications of the New York Times article were to Hobart & William Smith’s applicant numbers following the incident that took place there in September of last year.
Unfortunately the administrations at schools are never likely to assertively state that they are wrong or they had erred. To do so would so makes them so much more vulnerable legally.
The Hobart & William Smith occurrence was very troubling to me because our daughter had been accepted there and as a family we had been there twice. I know these incidents happen at many schools, it just feels so much more personal when you have been there and know the school reasonably well.
It has to be incredibly disturbing for UVA applicants, present students and their families.</p>
<p>Here’s an article that lists what some of the 76 schools under investigation for sexual assault have done. <a href=“College sexual assault: A campus-by-campus report card”>College sexual assault: A campus-by-campus report card;
I personally don’t think many of them took enough action to address this issue.</p>
<p>Hard to say. PSU stated apps were UP after the Sandusky scandal. But then we noticed that merit awards appeared on the scene that were not offered before to up the accept rates. No idea what the true impact was on that school I know it took the lustre off of it for my son. He had dropped UVA from his list even before all of this,but yes, I think in the final reckoning, it might have made a different as UVA was not his clear first choice. Had it been, don’t know what the impact would have been. Had it been his lottery ticket, shoot for the stars school, it wouldn’t have mattered, and that might be were UVA will be getting most of its students this year, from that category.</p>
<p>As long as the administration follows through to change the environment, students will still apply. It is such a strong school that I can’t imagine a significant impact.</p>
<p>I do imagine that there will be endless questions from students and parents though before deciding to attend. They will need to show significant steps toward prevention and accountability to keep their yield high.</p>
<p>UVA remains my number 1 school, even with the cases, I just felt at home there, and feel that little can change that.</p>
<p>I think UVa will come out of this as one of the toughest colleges in investigating and punishing sexual assault. The board that governs UVa has recently established a policy of permanent expulsion, instead of temporary suspension, for sexual assault. There will also be much more pressure to file criminal charges, so that the same predator cannot go after future victims. Studies show a few predators are responsible for most of the sexual assaults on most campuses.</p>
<p>I’d like to see some of these cases treated like spousal abuse. The police can typically file criminal charges of spousal abuse even if the spouse does not agree to it. Even if it was not possible to get a conviction without cooperation of the victim, at least there would be a criminal record of the accusation, which would be helpful in any future investigation.</p>
<p>My daughter wanted to withdraw her application. As scary as it is, and as unhappy as I am, I told her to wait. At least there is a conversation going on. There are other campuses where terrible things happen, and there is no conversation. This could be more dangerous. I do wish they had suspended the fraternities for a longer period- perhaps 5 years- so the men could begin again with a fresh slate and without the negative influences. I also think the fraternity in question should be shut down permanently. UVA could clean them up and rent them from Nationals and treat them more like dorms.</p>
<p>We took the school off my daughter’s list. She is OOS, but with a decent shot at being admitted. It wasn’t at the top of her list, though, which might have made the decision harder. I suspect the safest bank to be in might be the one that just got robbed …</p>
<p>@daddio3 I agree that the UVa will, most likely, be one of the safest campuses around after all of the important issues are addressed. It really seems like there is a desire to change the culture…time will tell. </p>
<p>What is currently happening with UVA regarding this scandal eerily reminds me of the Virginia Tech shooting. Years later, it is still a much-desirable school, as the majority of my friends are current students. I myself am considering transferring to UVA after community college, and I must say this does not faze me. Schools have their problems, but obviously not everyone exemplifies the poor qualities that were portrayed in the article.</p>
<p>It is possible that no one at UVa did the things that Jackie alleged, including the fraternity members, the friends or the administration. Most significantly, three UVa friends report she was lying to them even before the alleged incident.</p>
<p><a href=“Rolling Stone's UVA rape story: Here's what we know so far - CSMonitor.com”>http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2014/1215/Rolling-Stone-s-UVA-rape-story-Here-s-what-we-know-so-far-video</a></p>
<p>I hope that parents carefully consider their child’s decision to foreclose on applying to UVA based on fear. And if you are a young woman (or man for that matter) considering applying to UVA - just do it! You will never regret a decision to become a Wahoo for life. Our daughter is a first year student at UVA, involved in many activities, and has never felt unsafe on grounds nor in the surrounding area. Of course, as should be the case for any young woman anywhere in the world, she exercises caution when appropriate and uses common sense. trusting her instincts, always. Our daughter goes with friends to the Corner for dinner, goes to Barracks shopping center using UVA busses to shop and eat, goes to the walking mall in downtown C-ville to enjoy the fantastic array of restaurants and walks throughout grounds to attend classes and activities. It wouldn’t matter which school she would have attended, and she was accepted to many other “prestige” universities both in major cities and suburbs, - she would have exercised the exact same common sense. My advice to both accepted and perspective students is to use your common sense, choose your friends wisely and stay away from situations you know in your heart might not be the best. Enjoy your time in college, you’ll never have this wonderful time of your life again. And most of all, do not live in fear. To quote Dorothy Thompson: Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live. Wahoowa!</p>
<p>I briefly considered withdrawing my app after all the news broke, but I do think that because all of this is being exposed that the school as a whole will be safer. Probably safer than the schools that I’m applying to that I’ve heard nothing about. I feel like it must be happening there, but no one has blown the whistle yet.</p>
<p>Very scary stuff all the way around though. </p>
<p>Butterfreesnd, if UVA is a school you would like to attend, and your parents agree, do not be discouraged to apply. If after acceptance you decide not to attend, at least you’ll have no regrets. Withdrawing your application would hurt none but you. If you want to make a statement, attend the school and join us in making a difference. Yes, there have been some very “scary” and tragic incidents. For a parent, they are beyond comprehension and nothing can ever be worse than what the Graham’s are going through. We think of Hannah constantly. But by living in fear, we would be allowing evil to win and control our lives. I never compare other schools statistics because doing so just seems to be an attempt to excuse the fact that bad things have and do happen at UVA. However, I do agree with you that the steps being taken by UVA will only help to make safety paramount. Wherever you decide to go, just be smart. Always use situational awareness; trust your instincts and chose friends wisely. Don’t ever be afraid to follow your heart, but always lead with your head.</p>