<p>My s wants a bigger school, worried about the smallness of Villa but we (parents) think it would be a great choice. He's interested in biology - pre-med. He likes instate school UCONN but also like VT. Not worried about the financial part, just want the best for student. Any help would be appreciated!!</p>
<p>We just went through the same thing with our son. We thought a smaller school would suit him more, but he’s heading to UVa and actually after visting with him recently I have changed my mind. He will be fine at either and has been in big schools all his life thus far, so in some ways I think it feels familiar to him to be in a big student body (HS is 1700). All the schools your son has to choose from are good options, so he really can’t make a wrong decision. We’re in VA, so I have lots of friends with kids at VT and they absolutely love it, but I also know families happy with Villanova. It’s a leap of faith decision, but try as much as you can to let go and know that he will be fine at any one of the three. Hope you and he have had a chance to get in some admitted student visits–found these really clarifying and helpful (different perspective when you are visiting and know you can actually ATTEND ;). Good luck!</p>
<p>For a bigger school with lots of school spirit, while being great academic wise, UConn is definitely the best choice. I’m heading there myself this fall.</p>
<p>Thank you for responding…He’s really leaning toward UCONN and we just want him to get the best educational experience, do you think UCONN is academically as challenging compared to the others listed?</p>
<p>My impression is that Villanova attracts many serious students vs. some state universities attract some people who are not serious and eventually leave. </p>
<p>Villanova has many great aspects. However, there is one negative aspect. Anyone who has not yet sent in their acceptance will be in a triple room that was built for only 2 students.</p>
<p>Good to know thanks</p>
<p>I love Villanova too, and would have loved to have had a child there. But its there pick and I think the choices he has are excellent. My son’s favorite and his pick is a big state U too when I preferred a smaler, Catholic school. It’s a big plus for them to have picked their own, I can tell you.</p>
<p>charlieschm, That is an interesting theory you have about “some state universities.” I’m sure that is the case with some schools as there are probably a greater percentage of kids at public schools in general with financial concerns who may have to drop out,go part time,etc. as opposed to a pricey private like Villanova. The OP is specifically asking about 3 schools. I saw that the private Villanova has a freshman retention rate of 95%, UConn-the flagship has a 93% retention rate and VT-known for engineering,architecture,etc. has a 91.9% retention rate. Not that far apart. The average is 79%.These are all good schools. I assure you that UConn and Virginia Tech have plenty of “serious students.”</p>
<p>Hi!</p>
<p>We visited all three in the past year - Villanova, UCONN and VA Tech. All are great schools. </p>
<p>We are from VA, so VA Tech was an nice in-state option. However, our child decided that it was maybe a bit too big/spread out. He also felt that the drive was a bit tedious and that the campus was too far out in the country for his taste. (We live close to Washington, DC).</p>
<p>Then, we heard from relatives who live in CT, that UCONN can be a bit of a commuter school on the weekends. Because CT is such a small state, kids are able to go home easily. Our child would be out of state, so that seemed unappealing. Not sure about the truth in that rumor, but it was enough to cause our son to not apply. With over 3,000 colleges in the country, he had to narrow the list somehow!!</p>
<p>In the end, Villanova was the only one of the three to which he applied. It seemed that the kids at Villanova had just as much school spirit as at the other two, thus generating the “big school” feeling with sports enthusiasm. And, Villanova, is not actually that small, compared to so many liberal arts colleges. Our child attends a high school of 1750, so Villanova is a definite step up from that in size. The only hesitation I heard from some people who live in NJ and Philadelphia is that Villanova can be very strict, hence the phrase “Villa No Fun.” During our visit, we thought that the interiors of many buildings and dorms needed renovation. We also wondered where kids could go for an off-campus meal, without heading all the way into Philadelpphia. It is very Catholic (75%), and we are not Catholic. However, we really liked the focus on volunteerism and the focus on religion.</p>
<p>He has decided to attend another college, but that was our experience with the three being discussed. Great choices! As a parent, I would probably vote for Villanova — Good luck!!</p>
<p>I agree with cptofthehouse. These are all great schools. Since money is not an issue, I think there is alot to be said for letting a child pick their own school. Good luck with the decision.</p>
<p>There certainly are many serious students at many colleges. However, when a student and his/her family are paying a higher price, and when the admissions are more selective, the students are often are more serious on the average.</p>
<p>Here’s a comparison of graduation rates:</p>
<p>Villanova - 4 year - 82%, 6 year - 87%
Va Tech - 4 year - 53%, 6 year - 80% (reported 7% transfer out)
U Conn - 4 year - 61%, 6 year - 78% (reported 16% transfer out)</p>
<p>You can run comparable numbers for almost all colleges at the following US dept. of ed website:</p>
<p>[College</a> Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator]College”>College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics)</p>
<p>In all fairness to various colleges, some colleges have lower graduation rates because the typical student works more hours during the school year or needs to take a semester off to earn money. Other colleges have a lower graduation rate because of the difficulty of completing all of the requirements in time, particulary in highly technical fields where the classes need to be taken in strict succession. Still other colleges make it difficult to graduate on time because students can’t get into the classes they need to graduate.</p>
<p>It would not surprise me at all that schools with a higher concentration of wealthier kids would have higher 4 year graduation rates(regardless of whether they are public or private). Older son went to UVa ,which for a public school, has some fairly affluent students. The great majority of kids graduate in 4 years .Same at William and Mary. Younger son is at Virginia Tech in engineering and is on track to graduate on time. Virginia Tech has MANY kids in engineering (which requires 136 credits to graduate) and architecture(requires 156 credits)-these are both highly regarded programs. A basic B.A. at VT is only 120 credits. It is a whole lot easier to graduate in 4 years when you only need 120 credits. VT has lots of engineers and that may skew the numbers some. The bottom line is-all these choices are good. What matters most is that YOUR child is a serious student and will be motivated to do well and graduate on time if at all possible.</p>
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<p>Since money isn’t an issue…I would suggest letting the STUDENT choose the college. He is going to college and probably has a sense of what is “best” for himself.</p>
<p>I now also agree with thumper1. Since money is not an issue, why not let him decide? It sounds like he really does like UConn and it is a good instate choice. I love VT but the only issue I could see with that choice from Connecticut could be the logistics of getting back and forth to Blacksburg. But I’m sure your son is taking those kinds of things into consideration in making his final decision. Good luck! I would imagine it will be nice to have the decision made .</p>
<p>Thanks to all, we are definitely letting him make final decision, just wanted input to help guide him, he’s having a hard time deciding and since we’ve gotten so much great info from this site, I thought I’d ask you guys!</p>
<p>UCONN seems to be a very popular state university right now. As a CT resident, I can tell you that I know of many bright kids at the top of their high school class that have chosen to attend UCONN. Never heard of it being a suitcase school and I know lots of kids who attend who seldom come home with the exception of school breaks. While Storrs is not the greatest college town there is alot to do on campus, sports are obviously a big part of the experience and Hartford isn’t too far away. The one thing I have noticed about UCONN students and grads is that they LOVE this school. Very devoted alumni. I am grateful that as a CT resident that we have a great state U. It is impressive how the school has expanded yet when you are there it is hard to believe that you are walking around a state U as there is a very intimate feel to campus. As for your choice between VA tech, Villanova, UCONN, don’t know much about VT other than it is huge. Villanova while I liked it, my son did not, thought the campus was dead and we all liked UCONN. I don’t think you can go wrong with any, nice to have such well thought of choices.</p>
<p>One of my kid’s friends is graduating this year from VA Tech, and had a very positive experience. He majored in business though, and I’m not too familiar with its biology program. Villanova seems to be either “love it” or “hate it.” My kids absolutely hated it and even insisted on leaving mid-tour. They then debated ad nauseam over which school was preppier (Miami U of Ohio or Vanilla-ova). I note that the student reviews web site has some really negative reviews of Villanova. </p>
<p>I will say that I loved the campus, and wished my kids had been more open-minded. I tried convincing D to talk to the school representative at a college fair during her senior year. He started off by telling her that Villanova is so elite that most kids are rejected…without even asking her about her credentials, which were actually above their admitted student profile. (Not relevant to their undergrad programs, but their law school has recently taken a real black eye over falsifying data for US News, not to mention the former dean’s resignation over his alleged visit to a prostitute). </p>
<p>Villanova is very, very different from UCONN, so there’s a big question for your kid about which campus is the better fit. Yes, I’m biased towards UCONN. I got a great education there a century ago. We visited there with a kid, who fell in love with the campus. Unfortunately, they did not offer $ to help with the OOS cost. (Since that kid is pursuing a 6-yr PharmD, the ultimate OOS cost was simply too high. That kid may try again for a PhD program). One of the things that I liked so much about UCONN was that the students were very genuine. You could sit next to someone in class from the projects, or you could sit next to a CEO’s kid. Either way, the kids weren’t snobbish and found common ground. Of course, that was the 60s/70s. Anyone want to buy my yearbook, to burn at least one copy of the pictures/evidence of weed-usage or parental-streaking? Never happened…right?</p>
<p>Congrats to your son for having this problem. He can’t lose regardless of his choice.</p>
<p>My son’s best friend wanted Villanova sooooo much but was WLed from there. He is considering UConn. Villanova was a tough catch this admissions season for kids at my son’s school.</p>
<p>Since the topic of graduation rates has been popping up a few times of late, I thought it may be beneficial to those who are using it as a data point to read this Sept. 2010 report from the American Council on Education titled “College Graduation Rates: Behind the Numbers”. </p>
<p>The report gives an in depth breakdown on the different Institutional and Non-Institutional databases as well as advantages and disadvantages to the various studies. Basically, one needs to realize that these graduation rate numbers/results, while interesting to look at, can be flawed due to numerous factors. Pretty interesting stuff to read if you have the time. </p>
<p><a href=“American Council on Education”>American Council on Education;
<p>Interesting link, KandKsmom. Thanks for providing it.</p>