Hey, this is my first post on here so my apologies if I missed some nuance of posting etc. I’m a high school senior and have recently been admitted to both uva and DU and am having difficulty deciding between the two. I’m looking to study business, probably with a focus in finance for the i-banking approach. Uva McIntire is obviously a superior program to DU Daniels; however, DU has granted me direct admission into the Business school, at uva I’d have to reapply at the end of my second year. Du has given me a scholarship making the cost between the two roughly the same with negligible difference. I am a Virginia resident, so uva has some appeal to me in that it’s closer to home, more familiar, etc. I like both schools, but as far as campus life, things to do, environment, I think uva has the edge for me personally. Several people have warned me about the difficulties of scheduling classes at a large state school like UVA, saying that at Denver I’d have a more tailored and accommodating education, including smaller classes with professors teaching in class rather than conducting their own research and leaving a TA to do the teaching. I’m not sure the extent to which this is true at uva. I’m also skeptical as to the extent Denver would prepare me for a career outside the Rocky Mountain area. It’s obviously a great school, but I’ve met very few people that know much about it on the east coast, which is where I’d like to live. I know both are good programs, and while it’s comforting to know I don’t have a bad choice, it’s still a tough decision for me. I appreciate any guidance or opinions that you all can give.
My daughter was accepted to both last year, had visited Denver and really liked it, but is now at UVa. For her, UVa was a clear choice because she really liked it a lot and it is considered a better school.
I would say UVa seems a better choice for you. About 60-65% of those who apply to McIntire get in, so if you get a good GPA your first three semesters you have a very good chance.
There can be some difficulties in getting classes at UVa, but it seems you can get much of what you want. Denver probably does have more individual attention and less of a problem with that.
The main reason I’d say UVa may be better for you is that you prefer its campus life and environment, and closeness to home. If you really preferred the smaller size of Denver, liked the atmosphere more, and wanted to go away farther for school, it might be a better choice. This would especially be true if you were in a program like international relations, which is strong at Denver (as is study abroad). Overall prestige is definitely worth considering, but if a number of factors make another school better for you it’s not everything.
But it doesn’t seem that Denver is necessarily a better fit for you, so I’d say go for the overall better school with the stronger business program.
Thankyou, I was leaning to UVA a bit anyways. I appreciate your response.
UVA of course