<p>I'm a high school student from Seattle and I am interested in going to college in Virginia. My current GPA is a 3.9, my SAT score is 2090 and my ACT score is 31. At the moment the VA colleges that interest me the most are Longwood University, Christopher Newport University, and Old Dominion University. Could anyone give the good, the bad, and the ugly on these schools? Please and thanks!</p>
<p>You’re basically in for all those schools unless you have a specific school you’re applying to. </p>
<p>Longwood is very small, both can be a good and bad thing. My friends there enjoy it, but some of them are saying that there isn’t much to do! Also, with your grades, you can get a lot of scholarships! My friend has a higher GPA but a lower SAT score- but they offered her to go to their honors college, as well as studying abroad. </p>
<p>CNU is absolutely gorgeous! There are plenty of things to do around campus and you’re by the water! I haven’t met anyone who didn’t like it there. My friends brother does track there and he said he was very happy to have chosen CNU. </p>
<p>ODU is really great, too. It’s by VA Beach! They’re big on engineering. If you’re considering that major, I’d go for ODU. I know a lot of people that goes there and are about to go there. They love it, they love the vibe, and I heard basketball was big there (which is good for me since I love basketball). </p>
<p>I know it’s a far travel, but visiting these schools would be worth it, in my opinion. It will give you a chance to see if you are able to see yourself in the school.</p>
<p>Might have a shot at UVa and W& M. Also look at James Madison. Longwood is not very good.</p>
<p>@Barrons I will look into UVA, William and Mary and JMU. But why is Longwood not “very good”? I thought it was highly regarded in Virginia?</p>
<p>^Not really. The “big schools” that everyone usually applies for is Virginia Tech, UVa, JMU, ODU, VCU, etc. Longwood isn’t on the top list.</p>
<p>SAT numbers for 2011 for Longwood</p>
<p>25th/75th percentile
critical reading 470/560
math 460/550</p>
<p>Smith16, as you can see those stats are well below yours.</p>
<p>The ugly may very well be the cost for these OOS schools. Can your parents pay full freight?</p>
<p>Is this for this year or next year? </p>
<p>PackMom seems looking down on a school for its SAT scores… That’s not fun. Longwood is a school that is not about your SAT score or your GPA. It’s about your future. Every student is required to do an internship to graduate. Which makes it so their students get jobs easier out of school. The surrounding area is small so there isn’t a ton to do off campus but, as the students say, they have so many clubs/activities on campus that if you’re bored, it’s your fault. The school is rich in tradition and if you just watch a video of Oktoberfest and Color Wars, you start to fall in love. </p>
<p>timeb0mb is a bit incorrect about scholarships. Longwood is a good school but it doesn’t have the best funding. The scholarships are small compared to other schools. I just got my scholarship letter today. Similar stats to you and $6000/year (not that I’m at all complaining). That’s about the max they give because they don’t have spare money when they’re doing renovations and the like (the school is undergoing remodelling in hopes to expand to about 6,000 students from the current ~4,000). </p>
<p>Pretty much, Longwood is a school for in-state students who want a private college experience at public prices. The largest classroom has 84 seats so you can’t have a class with more than 84 students. And they say the biggest classes are your Intro to Art/Psych classes or your Bio/Chem classes that also include a ~15 person lab where you get to know your professor.</p>
<p>From your choices, I’d assume you want a smaller college which means that any of the three would be fine for you. I don’t know much about the other two. I have a friend planning to attend ODU and a few planning to attend CNU but I know nothing about the schools themselves except that CNU has good pre-vet (one of my friends is going there for it). Both are in the Norfolk area so there’s a lot of activity…</p>
<p>I would love to see you at LU with me but it depends on your major. LU is a school known for teaching (duh, it was founded as a teaching college) but it actually gives out more business degrees than teaching certifications nowadays. It’s also about 69% female (two girls for every guy but there’s an all male school right down the road). The town around it pretty much exists because the college is there. It’s in the middle of nowhere (but, hey, they got a Walmart!). The students are very very spirited (I went on a tour in November and was yelled at three times by students to “Come to Longwood!”). You know, it’s a place you have to fall in love with. If you don’t fall in love with it, it’s not for you.</p>
<p>You’ll definetely get into Longwood, CNU, and ODU. </p>
<p>Personally CNU is my favorite- it’s where I hope to go next year. The campus is absolutely gorgeous and the academics and internship opportunities seem great. I’ve spent some time on campus and the students are all so incredibly nice. They’ve also got amazing dorm rooms. They were like the #6 best dorms in the United States. Basically it’s a great school all the way around. Everyone is friendly, there’s so much to do. I adore it.</p>
<p>I’ve spent a great deal of time at Longwood University. My mom went there and I have some friends there. The campus is so pretty and, once again, everyone is really nice. The gym is absolutely fantastic if you’re into working out. The dorms aren’t as nice as CNU’s but they’re decent. I’m an English major myself and I know from friends that the English/ Creative Writing program is not too good which is the only reason I didn’t even apply there. My mom studied Business and Speech and I know she loved those programs. There’s plenty to do on campus but not much off campus.</p>
<p>I don’t know as much about ODU. I know a teacher of mine went there and said she did not recommend it and if given the chance she’d have gone elsewhere. I know from some friends who go there that there’s a lot of crime around the area. The campus is really pretty though and it’s close to the beach. </p>
<p>So yeah.</p>
<p>Smith16, I have to say for an OOSer those are some of the least expected school possibilities.<br>
I’m curious as to why you have these schools as options for you; they just aren’t that well known as compared to other schools in Virginia. </p>
<p>As mentioned by PackMom, your stats are much higher that most students at all of these schools, but that could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. You should be in line for major scholarship money at each of these with your GPA and ACT score, which would offset the cost of being OOS. </p>
<p>The downside is, you may not feel challenged by the rigor of your classwork, may get a little frustrated by the those students who aren’t as dedicated to their academics as you, etc. I am not saying you wouldn’t find pockets of kids who are dedicated to their studies, that is why you should look into the Honors Colleges at each, but overall you are going to find a much stronger academically oriented student body at other Va. schools like WM, UVA and VT. Your stats are in line for all of them, with UVA and WM being more of a reach for you due to your OOS status. </p>
<p>All of the schools you mentioned are nice schools. I know kids at each that are very happy and have done well. ODU is not the school it once was, even 5 years ago. They have dumped a ton of money into its facilities and infrastructure and are trying to tear down and eliminate the “bad” areas around the campus. It is an urban school, though. They have some very strong engineering programs, the school spirit is strong with their football team going FBS DI, and I foresee that school taking off in terms of credibility in the next decade. CNU is a pretty school, but is small like Longwood. I would take its location over Farmville, especially for one coming from OOS. Like ODU it is near the beach, the Norfolk Naval Base and with the military influence, you will find people from all over the world in that area. </p>
<p>Hope this helps some! What are you planning on studying? And again, the big question…can your parents pay for these OOS choices?</p>
<p>Va has a state database where you can compare all the colleges by various criteria including post college income by major and more. Lots of interesting info.</p>
<p>[Post-Completion</a> Wages of Graduates](<a href=“http://research.schev.edu/apps/cms/Post-Completion-Wages-of-Graduates.aspx]Post-Completion”>http://research.schev.edu/apps/cms/Post-Completion-Wages-of-Graduates.aspx)</p>
<p>To actually get away from the entire debate over whether the three very good schools you like are where other people think you belong…</p>
<p>Why did you like Longwood, ODU, and CNU in the first place?</p>
<p>If you’re really set on Virginia, VCU has automatic academic scholarships (well, they were automatic when I applied, at least. It might be different now).</p>