According to OP’s posts, OP’s son has not been accepted to Georgetown yet. Also, Wm. & Mary is OP’s son’s least favorite.
For political science & economics, Virginia would be an excellent choice.
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I agree it would be excellent but you said he should go because he liked it most.
I saw he liked Wm and Mary but it was the least liked and I agree that Gtown isn’t yet a consideration although at this point one might as well figure where it would rank as it may matter soon.
But I didn’t see where OP said UVA was favorite. Maybe they did. There’s a 4th school on the list that’s an acceptance which is why I’m asking. It’s very opposite UVA in most respects.
If OP said UVA was the favorite than I would agree with that statement. I just can’t find it. Let me know if I missed it.
Thanks
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My sister is an attorney. She’s told me that in the legal world, it does matter where you went to law school, but it does NOT matter where you went for your undergrad…because the key to getting into a good law school is:
- get a really high undergrad GPA in ANY major (doesn’t have to be poli sci or econ…for example, my sister majored in sociology).
- get a really high LSAT score.
She went to Georgetown for law school. Going to Georgetown for undergrad does NOT in any way give you a leg up in Georgetown law school admissions. She attended a public state university for undergrad.
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Based on the criteria of poli sci + economics, they are all arguably excellent choices (including GT even though not yet accepted). They will all be challenging academically.
I see the OP’s decision coming down to fit. Where does OP’s son want to spend the next four years? These schools are quite different in terms of size, location, student life and yet the kid likes something about each of them.
@Ron_Petrie, I know the most about W&L and UVA if I can answer specific questions (my D was accepted to both plus family connections). Fingers crossed for GT, but your son already has wonderful choices.
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Also, in terms of the school’s prestige affecting law school admissions, the schools are a wash. We aren’t comparing Georgetown with Arkansas State. Take that as a consideration off the table.
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I’d visit each of them again seeing if he could sit in on a class or two and perhaps spend the night. Then I’d let him choose.
Otherwise, if I had to choose off your list it would be Georgetown based upon what I’ve seen from my DIL and students who have gone there. There’s something to be said for being in the location where things happen when it comes to Poly Sci. Undergrad for law school won’t matter.
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If law school is a real likelihood, not just a “I think maybe” kind of thing, then two priorities: (1) no grade deflation so students can maximize the gpa and (2) finances because most law schools (other than Harvard, Yale and Stanford) do not give need-based aid. While law schools other than those 3 do give merit-based awards that can soften the full-pay status, money is a big part of the law school decision. Also, if a lower ranked, and possibly less expensive school would mean having some extra money around to fund the unpaid internship or the cool post-grad job with ridiculously low pay, then that should be an important consideration.
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TY…will reach out once all the results are in!
Ron
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I know W&M was your son’s least favorite but it ranks very highly among having the happiest kids (usually top 5), something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Some of their other rankings can be found on their website, here:
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They are all fine schools for what he wants. You should go with best fit that makes financial sense. Only you and your son can answer that.
This is clearly a kid with big ambitions, who is about to make a genuinely big, meaningful decision and is obviously anxious to make the ‘best’ or ‘right’ decision. Sometimes it helps to bring the temperature down: a side effect of the relentless drive to college admissions in HS is that the weight of the college decision gets disproportionally intense. It simply is not the be-all and end-all.
It might be helpful to remind him that in most of life’s big, meaningful decisions there is rarely a clear, unambiguously ‘right’ or ‘best’ decision. Once you have been clear-eyed about the limitations of each option, it is ok to choose the one with the constellation of factors that are most important to you- because the reality is that what will make it the ‘right’ or ‘best’ decision is the follow through once you have made it.
None of those 4 schools is so clearly better/less advantageous that he can’t make up for the cons of the one he chooses by his own efforts.
tl;dr- what he does with his college years will matter more than which of this 4 schools he chooses, so there is no ‘wrong’ and there is no ‘best’ here. There is his best guess as to where he is most likely to shine, and it will be good enough to get him where he wants to go- if he steps up and does the work (academic / internship / maturing / etc/etc).
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While I agree with most of your post, I think that there are some substantial differences among his four listed schools. Such differences include size of undergraduate student body, breadth of course offerings, and, of course, location (for example: small town rural Virginia versus big city Wash DC).
It is my understanding that Georgetown is not an option at this time, but there are significant differences in size ,location, and breadth of course offerings between a small, rural LAC versus two much larger National Universities. Additionally, there are meaningful differences in school culture among the three school options.
University of Virginia has over 16,000 undergraduates;
College of William & Mary has approximately 6,300 undergraduates;
Wash & Lee has roughly 1,825 undergraduates.
If accepted, then Georgetown University with about 7,000 full-time undergraduate students becomes an option.
@publisher I absolutely agree that there are meaningful differences- both at the lived experience of university & for somebody on that career trajectory. I even know enough about the programs in question to know which ones I would put my thumb on the scale for if it was my kid!
But none of the choices here will- in and of themselves- be so dramatically better or worse that they would be clearly a meaningfully better/worse decision. I think it is important to help the students ratchet down the anxiety. The push to college admissions has so much weight on it: to get into a good college X, Y and Z are essential / College A, B or C is The One that will get you where you want to go / etc.
Reminding students that what will make the difference is something they have some control over can help dial down the anxiety and let them think about the other variables (such as the ones you mention).
Learning when and how to trust yourself to make a big decision (including understanding that even what looks like a ‘good’ choice can have problems that you have to sort out) is a big part of growing up, and I think it sometimes gets overlooked in all the sturm und drang of the college admissions and selection process. This is a great opportunity for the OP’s student to do just that: it is a big decision, but there are no objectively bad choices, and worst comes to worst there is a transfer process. That makes this decision a high stakes, but low-risk one for the student to focus on which one seems to suit him best.
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I agree with how the decision of where to go can get blown out of proportion to how how where you go matters vs what you do once you get there, but I don’t get the feeling that this is the case based on the OP’s posts. It sounds like they are just looking for things they might not have already considered about each school.
If the choice were feeling overwhelming, though, I’d recommend two books, one college-related and the other completely not: “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be” by Frank Bruni, and “The Paradox Of Choice” by Barry Schwartz. I enjoyed both very much and they gave me a lot of perspective on the choices we make for schools as well as how our personalities affect our ability to be satisfied and happy with everyday decisions.
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Agree that all are fine schools, but individuals react / respond differently to different environments.
Threads like this are a primary reason that this (CC) website exists.
I’m a Hokie too- that will have a Hoo next year. (It happens.)
I think you have 3 solid choices (and 4 if he gets into GT.) My son considered all 3 (not GT.) I’ve heard alum say to check out DOTL at UVA. Some students have said it was very helpful in making a choice.
Personally, I really like W&M campus and vibe, but my son wanted more spirit and sports action, so he was set on UVA. I live 30 minutes from W&L so I know a few graduates and spend time in Lexington. The graduates seem to like it and the town is nice. They have a huge frat presence, although it is different than most colleges…I am not exactly sure how, but worth checking into if he considers W&L.
Enjoy the decision process- great to have so many options and congrats on the impressive acceptances OOS! Maybe I will see you on the lawn!
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Kudos to you! Being VT alumni, both H and I told our kids UVA was the one school they couldn’t consider. They weren’t even close to considering it since we don’t live in VA, but still…
I will, grudgingly (sort of), recommend the school to others if it seems to be a fit - just not in my family. 
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Not necessarily. If you kick the tires on these programs some have relative strengths. Political science isn’t just about reputation/internships. Some programs are stronger in foundational courses. You can check. Some are going to study the basics in depth which can be very helpful for the student who wants to attend law school. Look at the curriculum and see what is required and what the classes are like. Also, look at class sizes. Conversations are really important in this field. Does the school require writing intensive courses or a thesis paper. Are there sub-specialties?
Reputation varies and I think all are good schools. GT is perhaps the most famous, but not without it’s flaws. My kid decided against applying after a visit and interview. Was really on the fence. Though the proximity is great to DC, but not every kid wants to land in DC.
All are great schools. We have a family member currently at W&L (in finance) who is interviewing for top IB internships so I don’t think any of the schools will be at a disadvantage in terms of landing.
My kids liked the steps at GT ( they are athletes) but they didn’t like how the buildings were kept nor the grass/landscape. They didn’t like the kids were interacted with on the tour. I know that really shouldn’t matter but I think it impacted my oldest’ decision not to apply.
Your kid is in a great spot for undergrad and eventual law school. Congrats.
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Undergrad schools play no significant role in law school admissions.
Majoring in political science or in economics will not help one chances for admission to selective law schools and neither major will help one with law school courses / curriculum.
I find that extremely hard to believe. Though there are many on here who also think that any undergrad will do for law or medical school. So the landscape for undergrad has really changed in the last two years. What if the same thing happens with law school. Even those who think that undergrad doesn’t matter, are going to be caught out in the cold if LSAT are deemed unimportant, like SAT/ACTs have been deemed. I bet that’s coming soon.
In any case, even if undergrad meant nothing, the amount you learn and the ability to write and think clearly and concisely will serve you well in many fields. I wish people would stop putting out these ideas they think are “truths”
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