<p>DS just got accepted to UVA at 5:00 tonight. Such a great school, but UA is his choice. BUT…UVA is in-state. Big decision as DS has only gotten presidential scholarship from UA. Anyone with comparisons???</p>
<p>congrats to your son bamafana!! dont you hate this is all coming down to money…i am pulling my hair out!</p>
<p>UVA is so much a better school, in addition to costing less for you. If I lived in Virginia that is definitely where I’d want my child to go (or to WIlliam and Mary).</p>
<p>As a resident of Virginia, my son got into William & Mary and the U. of Richmond a year ago. (He dislikes Charlottesville, so he saw no need to apply to UVA. He did have four friends get in and they are currently students there.). </p>
<p>While Virginia is an awesome school, you have to ask some questions. For example, is your son an Echols Scholar? If he is, then take the offer to UVA. He will work with some outstanding professors in research opportunities. He also will bypass any core requirements in most cases. If he is not an Echols, he might be worried that he would not have the same research opportunities (this is something that bothers one of my son’s friends’ parents, who worries that his daughter won’t do any research until late in her junior year.)</p>
<p>What does your son think of taking a class with 600 other students? Virginia has some very large class sizes (one of my son’s friends had a chem class with 600 students). That’s more students than my son’s high school had. </p>
<p>Does your son want to go away – as in, a place where he knows no one on a campus. My son welcomed the chance to go out of state, and he’s met some awesome people at UA. Some awesome, brilliant young people, and some turned down UVA or William & Mary for UA.</p>
<p>It’s a tough decision. I do not envy you. Wait until you receive the financial offers from the two schools and then decide. Remember, you can call a school and see if it will work with you on making that offer a little better.</p>
<p>My son knows UVA is a great school. We looked at the UVA forum on CC and you wouldn’t believe how many “perfect or very close” SAT students that they waitlisted. They said it was one of the most competitive classes in a long time. He would be with some great students. But…he knows alot of students at UVA and only 1 at UA. He didn’t even apply to VT (although it is only an hour from home) because he said it would be an extension of high school. I think he likes the idea of being OOS and making new friends and connections. He does want a quality education though. He thinks he can get that with UA’s honors college. I just wish UA looked at more than SAT’s for scholarships. He far exceeded the GPA requirements with a 4.3 but he didn’t have that 1340 SAT…</p>
<p>UVA is an excellent school (and the only non-UA college hoodie I own) and if it has a comparable scholarship offer to UA, it’s a really hard choice. The only thing I can suggest is to keep looking into each option and seeing which experience your son likes better. I’m a big proponent of going to the school you like, but a school’s ranking does play a role for many people. It’s a very difficult decision and I’m excited to hear what your son decides. Best of luck in the decision process and remember that your family is very lucky to have a son with this decision to make. Congrats to your son for making it into both schools with impressive offers and to you and his father for raising such a talented child.</p>
<p>DS just got accepted to UVA at 5:00 tonight. Such a great school, but UA is his choice. BUT…UVA is in-state. Big decision as DS has only gotten presidential scholarship from UA. Anyone with comparisons???</p>
<p>congrats! </p>
<p>Only gotten the Presidential? I’d say getting the Presidential is more than “only”…LOL… 
It’s free tuition!! </p>
<p>What does your son want?</p>
<p>I’m sorry NOT presidential, collegiate!!! $3500/year!!! There would be no decision with presidential!!! OOPS!!!</p>
<p>“An extension of high school.” I can understand why your son did not apply to VT for that reason. That’s why my son went out of state. He hears from his high school friends (thank goodness for skype and texting, he would say), but is glad to be in T-Town. Temps in the high 70s can make you smile.</p>
<p>Again, before making a decision on colleges, call the scholarship/financial aid office to see if you can better your offer. Expressing that UA is your son’s top choice might be enough to gain a few more dollars.</p>
<p>Thanks momreads. We have taken your and m2cks advice about contacting the scholarship office. I THINK they may help us. We have our fingers crossed. It’s funny,I’ve coached my son’s Destination Imagination team since they were in 4th grade! It’s a creative problem solving organization. Used to be Odyssey of the Mind. AND, we’re here in Charlottesville today for the State Tournament. One of my team member’s sister is a sophomore here at UVA. She got her acceptance last night also, but not sure she wants to go where her sister is. Two other team members got rejected and they are ALL very bright! NONE of them wants to go over and hang out at the college!!! It’s a beautiful campus, but I think they sort of take it for granted because it’s familiar to them. Does that make any sense???</p>
<p>Bamafana: What you are saying makes perfect sense.</p>
<p>My son went to William & Mary for four straight years (did a sports med camp once, three times for state academic tournaments, one for a tour/interview). Each time, he never sounded thrilled about the school, but we asked that he apply to one in-state, public school. He did – to make us happy. He sent back the card saying he would not attend, but knew that his decision would allow a student, who really wanted to go to W & M, that chance.</p>
<p>He has two friends who started out in another VA public school, but never really loved the place. The two left after the first semester to go to community colleges. They plan to transfer. So, I do understand how your son and his friends feel. BTW, some of my son’s friends got waitlisted to UVA this year. They are heading to VT this fall.</p>
<p>From someone in the same situation, I think he should choose UVA. Not only is it an amazing school, but it will be much more affordable. While I don’t know your financial situation, paying OOS tuition with only a $14,000 scholarship seems impractical. </p>
<p>Good luck negotiating with the scholarship office, but don’t expect anything of it. I was told that due to the 12,000 applications they received this year, additional scholarships wouldn’t be given to people with “large awards.” I didn’t feel that $14,000/4 years was sufficient, so I withdrew my application the same day. It really frustrates me, but I know that staying in state and saving up for grad school will be best in the long run.</p>
<p>Hope everything works out for you guys,</p>
<p>OG-J</p>
<p>Best of luck to you in your future endeavors, OG-J.</p>
<p>Unless your son got accepted to fellows or CBHP or something along those lines, I’d go with UVA. It’s a pretty awesome school from what I’ve read, and you’d be saving money+he’d be living closer, but I don’t know how that would factor in for you. Besides, if your son has eyes set on grad school, it’s probably more important to save money than go to a school slightly above in ranking (hypothetically) unless he has the chance to things (like Fellows) that normally undergrads wouldn’t be able to do.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you both!</p>
<p>I was told that due to the 12,000 applications they received this year, additional scholarships wouldn’t be given to people with “large awards.”</p>
<p>Yes, Bama has rec’d over 12,000 scholarship apps and over 20,000 school apps. I don’t think they consider the $3500/yr scholarship as a “big scholarship.” Those kids sometimes also get dept scholarships.</p>
<p>^^^For UA, I don’t consider 3.5k/year a big award. I think it’s more of a standard response that is tailored to the recipient. Being OOS, one doesn’t really have the luxury of driving down to UA and showing up at the front desk ready for a face-to-face reconsideration of your award.</p>
<p>There are a lot of good reasons to choose UVA, cost and prestige being two of the major ones. If you can swing either choice financially even if there is another economic downturn, then both options are viable. There is something to say about distance as a factor and it is that distance can be a good thing for some people and a bad thing for others. When people hear where I’m from, the first thing they say is “Why Alabama?.” For me, I like traveling and being away from home. As long as I have a bed to sleep in and a grocery store nearby, I’m set. Further (no pun intended), I believe that it is the distance that drives me to excel and that may be the case with your son or it may not be. I originally had a roommate that had wanted to attend UGA for as long as he could remember. Once he got off the waitlist and realized that UGA was cheaper than UA, he canceled his UA deposit. It all depends on the person in question. </p>
<p>Short of himself, you probably know your son more than anybody. This does not mean that you know what’s best for him, but you can provide insights about his personality and how others view him. This information could help him make the best possible decision. Once again, best of luck in the decision process.</p>
<p>Where are you from Sea_tide?</p>
<p>bamafana, What is your guy planning on studying? We are in state VA residents, too, and are thankful that we have such great choices for in state residents. UVA is a great school, no doubt, but just like any other university, some of its programs are not as strong as others. I am usually all about the cost savings of going in state vs. out of state, but it sounds as if you aren’t totally ruling out UA for him due to the difference in cost. How much of a difference would it be total? </p>
<p>I am holding out hope that FA office at Bama will do what they can do to make him be able to attend. It may work. We have friends whose child got into several Virginia schools: WM, UVA included and decided to turn them down to go to a very small school down south. The OOS school came up with more scholarship money for her when she told them about the quality in-state acceptances. Some people gave her a really hard time when she decided to go to a “lesser” school, but her parents were very supportive and she is loving life. She wanted to “grow” by going somewhere she didn’t know everyone, too. </p>
<p>The rankings/prestige thing just doesn’t fly with me. If you all can get to the point where they can be pretty even cost-wise, or if you can handle the difference financially, then I would support him to go wherever HE thinks he will be the happiest and fits in the best. That is what is most important. Best of luck to you as you all go through this decision!</p>
<p>UVA is a more prestigious school for sure, but not necessarily a better overall college experience. Someone in the UA Honors Programs can receive an excellent education, with small classes and great interaction with faculty. But the prestige is a factor to consider as well. It is sad but true, though UA’s rep is improving each year. It is one of the reasons why UA is now a top ten public school in terms of National Merit Scholars.</p>
<p>Kids have feelings about where they want to go to college, but there’s a lot of stuff they don’t know until they get there. Even if a college is in your backyard, figuratively speaking, that doesn’t mean that it will not be a very different experience to get there and involve yourself in its student life. Then it can seem a world away from home.</p>