Hello, I have a high-achieving daughter with a one-time discipline issue to have to explain. Reach schools will be Cornell, Vassar, Brown and maybe a couple of others. Matches are UVA, William & Mary (maybe these are reaches, given the discipline issue), GW, UT. She likes Wisconsin as a likely. So we are trying to find some safeties. Va Tech is one possibility. Her intended major is either Government/Poli Sci or Econ or International Relations. I like Penn State’s Shreyer College but she thinks VCU would be just as good. It would certainly be cheaper but I was trying to find out if others can attest to the quality of one or the other.
PSU Schreyer is extremely competitive to get in. I can only imagine that the classes will be pretty high caliber. I don’t know much about VCU honors but I would imagine PSU would be superior.
I am subscribed to your other thread. I think part of your daughter’s issue may be understandable through the lens of perception of a college’s overall atmosphere, tenor or relative impression. This does not make the choices right or wrong, but: I can understand that, for example, Penn State has a certain type of image or appeal that attracts some students, and may in fact repel others. Again, this does not make it (in)correct, but I do think it is important to respect the students’ wishes and tastes in college choice. Ultimately, if they like where they end up for whatever reason, it tends to make life better for everyone involved.
And yes, VCU honors would be a better selection to fill in more of the “safer” end of your daughter’s list. While Penn State Schreyer may not appeal to her, it is quite a bit more competitive than VCU, and she already has choices on her list that would be appropriate for that level of competition.