<p>As all of you will be receiving your admission decision shortly, list reasons to NOT attend UVA. I thought this thread would be interesting, because the other thread has not generated any responses as to why one wouldn't attend UVA.</p>
<p>Upon returning home you'll suddenly find your own lawn not quite up to standard :(</p>
<p>Hah!>>I love it learnmestuff!!
Hmmmmmm, I'm trying to think of reasons not to come here.........
still thinking.........
Traffic can be very bad. I don't drive, 'cause I don't have a car, but man, that business 29 over to Harris Teeter is always awful.
Crime does exist in CVL. I know there's so much said, in a complimentary fashion, about CVL>>but right on the outskirts of the Grounds, there is a dark side. But, I guess that's true anywhere.
For me the positives outweigh the negatives. I'll keep thinking and see what I come up with.</p>
<p>Traffic is relative. Ask someone from the DC, NYC, and Boston areas how traffic is in Charlottesville and they'll probably ask you what you're talking about.</p>
<p>I joke that instead of rush hour, we have "rush fifteen minutes".</p>
<p>Dean J,
Yes! You are right, "relative" indeed. I'm from an OOS, small town in the south so I'm just used to no traffic at all. Two or three stop lights, to get somewhere freaks me out!!
I honestly keep trying to come up with negative thoughts, but I'm not having any. Sorry. I just love this place, IMHO, it really is God's Country.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You get a full ride at a school that reasonably suits your goals. For some people, the other school would have to be another t25; for others, perhaps something in the t50-t60 range.</p></li>
<li><p>You get into a service academy, and that's just your thing.</p></li>
<li><p>You're from Michigan, North Carolina or California, and you're not accepted as a Jefferson Scholar.</p></li>
<li><p>You get accepted to HYPSMC and are OOS (no significant cost differential).</p></li>
<li><p>You really don't want a balanced undergraduate experience. No, the overall atmosphere of a UChicago or Swarthmore is more your speed ;) .</p></li>
</ol>
<p>haha, thanks powderpuff ;)</p>
<p>and cav I love the CA, MI, or NC line...so true :/...but I think I'd take UVA over in-state just for something different anyway, though I do feel for people who aren't as fortunate as I and can't come close to affording OOS tuition!</p>
<p>I broke #3 of Cav's rules to come here to UVA. I just couldn't help myself. I passed on Chapel Hill, Duke, and Wake--and some scholarship/Honors/sweet deal perks. To be honest, I have never looked back. I'm from NC, and I'm not a Jefferson Scholar.
I am fairly fortunate though in that my parents can handle the OOS tuition. They told me to follow my dreams, I did.</p>
<p>Duke isn't even worth the $10k different over UVA OOS and Wake isn't even in the same league as UVA or UNC. What did you not like about Chapel Hill? It's like a powder blue version of UVA.</p>
<p>learnmestuff~ you deserve an Express Mail (overnight) acceptance into UVA for that one! ;)</p>
<p>Hah! I agree with happycollegemom about the immediate acceptance for learnmestuff.</p>
<p>Cav: Chapel Hill is great, and they were very generous to me. I got into the Honors program and won a very nice scholarship. However, I've lived in NC all my life and I live in the kind of town where you go to school with kids from kindergarten through HS. I'm a good student, and thus most of my friends were too. We all got accepted to UNC-CH; that's the nature of CH>>they take soooo many kids from NC. There I was, about to embark on now going through UNC-CH with kids I went to kindergarten with!!! No!! IMO, there is a real lack of diversity in the students at CH--not ethnically, but in all walks of life, and many states. Lastly, the campus at Chapel Hill>>though beautiful, pales in comparison to the Grounds of UVA. </p>
<p>One of the many reasons why I liked UVA was because they take in ~35% OOS (me being one of them), and because it has a different climate and terrain from NC. It's so classy with strong academics and history! I won't bore you with all the reasons why I love UVA, but I do. But hey, UNC-CH is a great school, and I'd love to maybe go there for graduate studies someday. Maybe.</p>
<p>I don't like Duke, period. Wake's nice, but, thank you, NO.</p>
<p>Yeah, it's hard to think of good reasons not to attend. I guess the OOS tuition would be a big one if you didn't get any FA plus had a merit scholarship elsewhere. However, that's more of a why you "can't" go rather than why you wouldn't go. </p>
<p>Other than that, I know D2 had some reservations because D1 went there and she wants to blaze her own trail. So far, she's gotten into UNC OOS and is considering it. However, I think UVA is probably still her #1 choice.</p>
<p>D3 absolutely loves Duke!</p>
<p>FLVADAD,
Congratulations on your D2 getting into UNC-OOS!! That is a very difficult accomplishment; IMO, it appears to be harder than getting into UVA OOS. The world is her oyster! You've raised some really nice kids. What do you feed them?!</p>
<p>None of these are complaints by me personally, just some thoughts overall on why someone might not come</p>
<ol>
<li>OOS tuition is insane, and some OOS kids are getting offers from Ivies/Duke/Berk/etc. Some kids may want those types of schools, or Duke may be their dream school or whatever.<br></li>
<li>On-grounds housing for upperclass is on the lacking side. Some people really want to live on-campus with others their age all four years, and while this might only affect a few random people, it still might turn some away.</li>
<li>The size might be too big, or too little.</li>
<li>Don't want the heavy party/Greek scene (and no, they don't always go hand-in-hand), want the community feel</li>
<li>No Jeffs/Echols/Rodman. Other places might offer them those same incentives</li>
<li>Kids from VA (especially NoVa) want a change from VA/high school people.</li>
<li>Too many rumors heard! (how hard it is, the blatant crap about the "racial issues" that "exist", the "stuck-up" rep, etc)</li>
<li>While UVA is #2 public, it's other programs may not be ranked so high, so kids automatically turn it down (aka, e-school)</li>
<li>Better packages elsewhere</li>
<li>Just plain hatred for the Old Dominion?</li>
</ol>
<p>Maybe you want to major in Quantitative Finance as an undergrad. So you can get a real job on wall street instead of being an analyst and hoping you move up in the company.</p>
<p>The funny thing about career plans made at 17 years old, Student, is that they rarely remain unchanged.</p>
<p>Keep an open mind about what you want to do.</p>
<p>I think Reason 4 accounts for most of the people who choose not to attend, though I'm not quite sure what the C stands for in that acronym... Columbia? I would imagine that some students -- even in-state -- pick an Ivy over UVA just for the prestige. Not saying they're right or anything, just noting that people probably do.</p>
<p>"You've raised some really nice kids. What do you feed them?!"</p>
<p>Haha, thanks powderpuff! Reading your posts reminds me a lot of my girls so I'm guessing you have a pretty good idea. Sounds like you probably have great parents who are very proud of you. I bet you do most of the heavy lifting related to your academics while mom and dad offer you the resources you need along with lots of positive reinforcement, correct? That's what works for us too :).</p>
<p>Not sure if this is a reason to keep someone from attending, but for OOS/'can't drive home for vacation' types, lack of proximity to a major airport is an ongoing challenge. Certainly something to consider..</p>
<p>The most common reason for not attending UVa is one I hope will not apply to anyone who is posting on this thread: failure to receive an OFFER OF ADMISSION.</p>
<p>Since that obviously wasn't the line of thinking the OP had in mind, I'll offer one I saw last year with one of my son's friends, a young man named Ben, who chose UNC over UVa.</p>
<p>Ben's Mom and Dad and both sets of Grandparents (plus some aunts and uncles as well) were all graduates of UNC-CH. Ben moved to the state of Virginia when he was 10, but continued to visit his family (all of who still live in North Carolina) and the school throughout his high school years. Although he applied to and was accepted at UVa and Duke in addition to UNC, he had always had his heart set on attending Carolina. And that's where he is today.</p>
<p>Strong family ties and a lifelong desire to attend another school are why Ben turned down UVa's offer of admission, although he really liked many things about the University.</p>
<p>An interesting side story developed as a result of the joint visits Ben and my son made together to UVa. One of Ben's brothers, Patrick, who is two years younger, also attended significant portions of these visits. After Ben chose UNC over UVa, Patrick informed the boys' dad that he understood why Ben decided to go to UNC-CH. Patrick told his dad he didn't have to worry that Patrick "would make the same mistake" when it was his turn to choose; as a result of what he had seen on their visits to the University, he had already decided he wanted to attend UVa! His parents, who will be paying for three boys to attend undergraduate and graduate school, were thrilled by Patrick's interest in UVa.</p>
<p>So I suppose UVa loses some, and wins others.</p>