VA Publics- Which to choose?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Since this didn't work out well in my last thread... ><</p>

<p>Can I have some comparisons from knowledgeable folk on this?</p>

<p>I'm tied between five different schools...and I'm unsure which is the best fit for me.</p>

<p>So...can anyone give me some general knowledge on the differences between:</p>

<ul>
<li>William and Mary</li>
<li>UVA</li>
<li>James Madison</li>
<li>George Mason</li>
<li>Old Dominion</li>
</ul>

<p>(besides of course size of student body, I know that much =P)</p>

<p>See, much shorter and to the point than my last thread xD</p>

2

<p>Major ? Plans? Any financial issues?</p>

<p>The only one I have experience with is George Mason. My firm has hired kids from their (econ and business) and been thrilled with them. They combine a sophisticated level of technical expertise with intelligence.</p>

3

<p>Oh, sorry. Well, all of them have a similar cost for me since I’m in-state (I’m pretty sure they’re all between 15-21k), the only worry is that I’ll have a much harder time with merit awards at both UVA and W&M, since I’m not quite the best of the best.</p>

<p>Programs of interest include: </p>

<p>-English/Creative Writing
-Graphic Design
-Performing Arts
-Japanese Studies/East-Asian Studies
-Study Abroad
-Large variety of clubs/sports, especially Bowling and Archery</p>

<p>Still not sure what I want for a career…</p>

<p>Possibly College Professor, Graphic Designer (looking at publications or something like that)…Writer is definite, but planning it as a side job in addition to something else. Still looking at lots of other options. </p>

<p>Yeah, I’m applying for Financial Aid, but I’m pretty sure I can achieve some Merit Awards at some of these schools too.</p>

4

<p>Um…wowzers…help guys? ;___;</p>

5

<p>Merit awards are scarce at W&M. There is the Murray Scholars program, which covers the full cost of in-state tuition, room, board, and fees for 4 or 5 awardees each year. It’s not limited to VA residents, but OOS winners must apparently pay the difference between instate and OOS tuition (a hefty sum). There is also the William and Mary Scholar award, for applicants who have overcome adversity or will bring diversity to the student body, which is in the amount of instate tuition and fees. </p>

<p>There’s also the Monroe Scholars program, which isn’t really a merit aid award even though the word “Scholar” is in there. It’s offered to the approximate top 10 percent of applicants, and it includes honors housing, preferential registration for the first semester of freshman year, and a $3K stipend for summer study of the student’s choice. </p>

<p>That’s it for merit awards. W&M has expanded its finaid program to offer more grants and fewer loans, but I think it’s primarily aimed at families with incomes under $40 K (it’s called the Gateway program). There is still finaid available for VA residents with higher incomes, but more is in loans.</p>

<p>At UVA, the most generous merit award is the Jefferson Scholars program, which covers full cost of tuition, fees, room and board, even books. There’s a special selection process for that; since you go to a VA high school, your GC should know about it. I believe each VA hs is allowed to nominate one student. Here’s the link: [Jefferson</a> Scholars Foundation: Undergraduate Scholarship](<a href=“http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/undergraduate/]Jefferson”>http://www.jeffersonscholars.org/undergraduate/)</p>

<p>As you know, selectivity varies widely at VA state schools. It’s tough to get into W & M and UVA, and has gotten more difficult at James Madison, as well.</p>

6

<p>Yeah, I’m only worried about those two, JMU…not so much. I’m pretty sure I can get in there. </p>

<p>Hm, I should ask my GC about the Jefferson Scholars program, but I’m considering not even applying to UVA at all actually.</p>

<p>I really want to get in somewhere EA or ED, and of course, UVA got rid of their early program a few years ago.</p>

7

<p>-pokes thread- I want more info, peoples. :(</p>

8

<p>Please? ;____;</p>

9

<p>I like VCU as my safety. I’m OOS. It’s in the city, which I like. It’s also huge and has decent programs. I realize that wasn’t one of your choices, but it’s the only VA public I can chime in on.</p>

10

<p>You need to go and visit those schools, all of them, even UVa, even though you think you may not apply. You need to go see for yourself. Other people can give you their judgments and opinions, and those can be helpful, but you need to go see for yourself.</p>

<p>Are you a HS junior? Now is the time you should be making the Spring Break College Road Trip. Hit as many of the ones you are interested in as possible before their spring semesters end (early May for most of them). Then go back in the fall and look at the ones that are still in contention, especially if you want to apply ED or EA (although I’m not sure you want to go ED or EA if you don’t yet know which school is the one for you).</p>

<p>I’m partial to William & Mary but then I’m an alum, married to an alum, have a sister who’s an alum and who is married to an alum. Oh, and my son is a junior at W&M, majoring in English and anthropology. Well, actually, he is majoring in *The Flat Hat<a href=“%5Burl=Home - Flat Hat News”>/i</a>. I have loved W&M since I first saw it when I was 12 years old (1973!), loved my four years there, and love going back for visits. </p>

<p>My daughter applied and got in, but it looks as though she will be going elsewhere (she still has two in contention) - she wants engineering so W&M doesn’t make the cut. If it had engineering, it would be hands-down her first choice. (But the two still in contention are really great schools.) It has taken us over two years of visits, research, open houses, applications, etc. to narrow the list from 40 or 50 possibilities to 15 or so to visit with visits to 18 (with two visits to several and three to one of them), to applications to nine, acceptances from all nine, and, over the past week, winnowing down to four, and, today, down to two. Final decision probably not until the end of the month. Whew! I’m glad it’s almost over! Of course, then begins the part where my paycheck just gets direct deposited straight to the winning college.</p>

<p>Good luck with your search - and it is a search.</p>

11

<p>I know I need to visit. I did my first visit today, actually. Problem with lots of Spring Break visits is…I need that time for major AP Exam study. I’ll concentrate on visits on weekends and summer…but I need the grades before anything else.</p>

<p>Yeah, I’ve lived at VCU, so I know it pretty well. Not really my kind of place. </p>

<p>W&M is high on my list, but the low acceptance rate and lack of Merit Aid really turns me off about it. </p>

<p>Any other opinions? Experiences?</p>

12

<p>-pokes thread-</p>

13

<p>

</p>

<p>Well, yes, getting in is difficult - it is a selective school and is among the nation’s elite. But that is part of why you want to go there, isn’t it? If you want to be accepted to W&M, you need to make your plan for your application, including taking the most challenging schedule you can for next year - APs, honors, math and science. Slack off even a little (study hall last two periods so you can leave early) and they know and it counts against you.</p>

<p>As for merit aid, no, William & Mary does not offer much - a few big scholarships for the absolute top students it wants. And “few” does mean few, as in three or four or five. Why doesn’t W&M offer more? Doesn’t have the money and hasn’t ever needed to. As a state institution it has never had much of an endowment. With the state cheaping out over the past 30 years and now providing little more than token support (really, 16% does not constitute state support), it has had to focus on building an endowment. And first priority is the Gateway program to provide access to low income students. With 65-70% of its students in-state and, therefore, paying a bargain tuition for the quality of the education and the reputation of the school, merit aid is lower priority. </p>

<p>If I read this correctly, you, OP, are in-state. W&M would be a bargain for you, even without merit aid. If you have true financial need, then there is need-based aid available. If you feel you need more than that, then you need to look at colleges at which you would be one of those top students who gets the merit aid (you know, big fish, little pond). You are lucky in that in Virginia you have some great and many very good choices.</p>

14

<p>You cant go wrong with W&M or UVA. After that, it depends on your major. VCU has a great reputation for art, though I hear some of the best professors have left. I know several people who have graduated from ODU who had good experiences and good careers in graphic design as well as the sciences and technology fields (engineering). That campus is steadily growing and is and up and coming school. My sister went to JMU and really liked it. Its in the middle of nowhere, but is academically strong and has a good campus vibe. Good luck.</p>