<p>The lack of humility is apparent, unfortunately. There are MANY kids,engineers ,architects,etc. at Virginia Tech that would potentially run rings around bigshot.However, he is already such a bigshot that he will never get it. Please listen to your elders-your attitude is getting you nowhere and will not serve you well in the workforce.</p>
<p>I would not call UVA nowhere.</p>
<p>Yet again … you miss spoke.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing UVA doesn’t interview applicants. Every time I read one of your posts, Bigshot, I think I’m getting punked. Every word you say to praise UVA turns into slander in the hands of your personality. </p>
<p>Where I’m from in the US, UVA doesn’t mean jack. People think it’s just another state school. Not everyone in the world, or even our country, thinks UVA is all that. What people value is hard work, dedication, and people skills. The name of your Alma mater is not even 4th on that list. You’re delusional if you think that going to UVA alone will get you opportunities. Opportunities are doors that you pry open by your own hard work.</p>
<p>Food for thought: how do schools gain prestige and notoriety? I would argue that they produce distinguished alumni that give credit to their university. I chose UVA because people won’t attribute success to me because of my Alma mater. I chose UVA because I want to define my Alma mater, not have it define me. I’m sorry to inform you that the hard work isn’t over. Success is the reward you get for a lifetime of working. Better keep your nose to the grindstone, because one day you’ll be competing with a kid from University of North Dakota at Hoople, and there’s a good chance you’re going to lose. Hubris is dangerous. The historical evidence is overwhelming. Just watch the Miami heat. (they better not win or my argument falls apart lol)</p>
<p>Bigshot…I want you to fast forward 4 years and imagine you have graduated with a McIntire degree. You are in my office interviewing for a position in our management training program. I ask you one question.</p>
<p>“Tell me why I should hire YOU for this position versus one of the hundreds of other highly qualified candidates, without once mentioning where you went to college.”</p>
<p>I’m seriously interested in how you would respond. Please make me proud to someday call you a fellow Virginia and McIntire alum.</p>
<p>Bigshot–misspoke is all one word. The first time you misspelled it I thought it might have been a typo. Now it is clear you just don’t know how to spell the word.</p>
<p>Clearly none of the older people in this discussion have gone to an elite institution. Most of the students at elite schools are obnoxiously snobby. You think UVA undergrads are bad? Sit at a Stanford classroom and you will be in for a real treat. I don’t know why everyone has decided to gang up on bigshot for just being a little honest. Everyone needs to chill. If you don’t want your child to be surrounded by snobs, you should send him to your local community college, not an elite school. He will meet rich international students whose parents are ambassadors, sons of famous people (e.g. the daughter of the Princess of Monaco) and students from elite boarding schools (Phillips Exeter) who are not afraid to let you know that they’re better than you because they go to NYC on the weekends and to Milan for spring break. </p>
<p>To the poster who said he’s a “top exec” at a top bank, I highly doubt he does the hiring. That is why they have hiring managers. And I also doubt that he would hire someone from a lesser school. Besides, no one in their mind would come off as a snob in their interview (these are internal attitudes). Even if he doesn’t hire him, bigshot will still have plenty of other on-campus interviews, and he will get a job out of McIntire, thank you. </p>
<p>By the way, there are TONS of students at Virginia Tech who do not major in engineering. These are the top 10 undergraduate majors: General Engineering
University Studies
Biological Sciences
Business (undecided)
Human Nutrition, Foods, & Exercise
Psychology
Animal & Poultry Science
Communication
Political Science
Architecture</p>
<p>University studies? Communication? Food and exercise? Not only are these fluff majors, but I’m sure the students majoring in those disciplines all went to Virginia Tech precisely to major in those things (eye roll)</p>
<p>Sevmom–Very few people “settle” for UVA. There are a ton of students picking UVA over other elite schools like Duke, Cornell and Penn for financial reasons. For someone who demands humility, you sure do know how to get into heated arguments with an 18 year old boy.</p>
<p>Saneparent–stop being a ■■■■■. You’re a disgruntled parent who created a new username to vent your feelings. Seriously, stop attacking an incoming first year. Do you know how pathetic you look doing so?</p>
<p>Dardyjoe…GREAT post!!! You show a maturity and sense of self well beyond your years. It’s easy to see why you were selected as a Jefferson Scholar. BTW…You needn’t worry about the Heat; our Mavs down here are going all the way! ;)</p>
<p>Bigshot…Our D chose UVA over a higher ranked school not only in the USNWR national rankings but within her field of hard sciences. UVa simply “fit” what she was seeking in a college better than the other school. She has been very happy with her decision both on a social and academic level. The higher ranked school would not have availed her any more opportunities than UVA because of what she’s doing while she’s at UVa. Grad schools and employers recognize this; they want to see what you accomplished while you were at your school. Not everyone can afford an elite top 20 degree. Will they be penalized? No. Sometimes circumstances like family/health issues prevent top performing students from going to a top school. Will they be penalized? No. Like Dardy, UVa doesn’t carry that “wow” factor in our area, but I’m convinced that it won’t make any difference because I know that a kid who achieves at UVa will be on equal footing with kids who excel at both more recognized and lesser known schools. </p>
<p>Finally, our D has said UVa is a VERY social school. This is one of the reasons it appealed to her so much. She has said those who don’t have great conversational skills and social etiquette often have a difficult time with the adjustment. I hate the thought of any teenager feeling lonely and depressed their first year at college. You might want to develop your interpersonal skills a bit, or I’m fearful this school won’t be what you’ve built it up to be.</p>
<p>As much as I don’t want to buttheads with you jc40, I’ve got to disagree with this:
For a lot of top banks, recruitment happens at what are called “targets”. If you do not attend a “target” it is substantially harder to land an interview.</p>
<p>This is a silly thread. High school seniors are excited about next year, some to the point of being obnoxious-no big surprise there. But they have no experience at all at what happens in life after college. So adults try to correct their misapprehensions and students argue back. No surprise there either. Why bother arguing the relative value of attending an elite school with kids that have not yet acquired a sufficient perspective to understand these issues (e.g. some have never even heard of Vassar)?</p>
<p>I loved going to UVA. In fact I am traveling completely across the country to go to my reunion in Cville next week. However, if you are hinging your future largely upon listing a good school on your CV, you will have a tough road ahead. There are really smart kids going to all sorts of schools. Sure, you need to be at a school that is good enough to enable your success, but after that it’s up to you to take advantage of that environment and succeed on your own. UVA is one of those places that will help you in this respect, but there are many others as well, some of which you may not even consider elite, or have even heard of.</p>
<p>There are lots of good reasons to go to UVA, but having lunch at the Yale club, or a magazine’s #2 rating, are pretty low on the list.</p>
<p>Onthe other hand, a one eyed double cheeesburger or some sausage gravy at the White Spot are some solid reasons to move to the Hook!</p>
<p>@jc40
You added nothing to this discussion. The one point you did try to make was wrong. I give you an “A” for effort though. Thank you. =]</p>
<p>@UVADAD81</p>
<p>Everyone has their own reasons for doing things. What makes your list may not make another persons. I am surprised even with your UVA education you would not know that simple fact.</p>
<p>@ bigshot</p>
<p>Indeed everyone has reasons that underlie all of their choices. It’s only with retrospect that you will be able to evaluate if these reasons actually made any sense. </p>
<p>I hope that you enjoy your time in Cville. It’s a great place.</p>
<p>If you do make it to the Yale club, don’t let the waiter know that you are from UVA and not Yale. You may be relegated to the not-quite-elite-enough silverware and menu. That’s the kind of place they care about these things.</p>
<p>@UVADAD81</p>
<p>Cool story.</p>
<p>^ QED</p>
<p>10char</p>
<p>wahoomb, For a smart person such as yourself(UVa, Stanford), I’m a bit surprised you did not get my “settle” comment. Of course, UVa is the first choice for many students,particularly high achieving instate students. However,the hyper prestige obsessed will not tend to see UVa in the way they will see a place like Harvard. Just the reality.
So,UVa has no “fluff” majors? Really? Son’s high school and UVa classmate graduated 09 in a liberal arts type major(sorry,don’t know exact major). Guess where she is now? Virginia Tech, going for an engineering degree .</p>
<p>I don’t know, lunch at the Yale club was a pretty large deciding factor, even if I’m the swine of the joint :D</p>
<p>sevmom–Of course there are fluff majors at UVA, but not ones that are so obvious to be called “university studies.”</p>
<p>PS: Interestingly enough, when I had dinner at the Yale Club in NYC, I met quite a few Yale BAs/UVA JDs and Yale BAs/UVA MBAs. Yalies might not consider UVA to be on part with Yale College, but they do recognize that some of UVA’s graduate schools are the finest in the country.</p>
<p>I heard this joke for the first time two days ago, but it’s perfect for this thread: </p>
<p>What do UVA and VT students have in common?</p>
<p>They both got into VT.</p>
<p>wahoomb,Have Yale grad family member/ Yale friends in the family ( and a nephew heading there in August for a sport). I know a bit about Yale as husband was also recruited by Yale back in the day but went to CMU instead.
BTW, there is nothing wrong with “university studies” at VT despite your claim. Younger son, 1360 SAT (yes ,low by CC standards but no prep at all) was waitlisted initially by VT. Best thing that ever happened to him. He finally got his act together in college and I credit him and VT taking him off the waitlist(after improving his senior grades). Put in university studies initially and then moved to engineering. One of the tops in his engineering class now so don’t be so quick to discount other paths to success(community college,state school,etc).There are lots of 1300 + kids at a place like VT. UVa has many instate kids from 1200-1600 on SAT’s. Holistic admissions. VT has been moving in that direction as well as far as I know.</p>
<p>wahoomb - University Studies is another name for undecided. Sorry, but it’s not as funny as you’d like to make it. Unlike UVa where students don’t really apply with a major (you apply to one of four schools…) VT students can apply to a major. If you don’t you are placed in University Studies until you declare a major sometime before you complete 60 credits. No one graduates with a degree in University Studies.</p>
<p>I love how all of you discredited Jc40’s post when he or she was addressing the original question instead of the argument that arose afterward. </p>
<p>I think the OP would be smart to take Jc40’s words about fit to heart. Plenty of people who are accepted to UVa get accepted into more prestigious institutions. What it comes down to is a matter of fit. College should be comprised of four of the best years of your life. It’d be a shame to go to an institution based on prestige and not on how well he school fits you. I met kids at the Jefferson weekend (I guess I can mention that since the cat is out of the bag) who turned down HYP to go to UVa even if they didn’t receive the scholarship. They weren’t even business majors. They chose the school that fit them the best, and hopefully they all chose correctly.</p>
<p>Ps. The food at the Yale Club better be pretty dang good lol</p>