<p>Jegan, I'm a Eli parent & the whole $$ was pretty scarry for our family, but it's working out! And Yale is amazing!!! Congrats! If you have any questions, you or your folks are more than welcome to IM me!</p>
<p>I had a very similar decision to make--about 30 years ago--between Yale and Echols Scholar at UVa. I chose Yale, and I never regretted it. You'll have a great experience.</p>
<p>Tuition was a lot less then. Even 30 years ago, while I was practicing law, I saw doctors and lawyers who weren't paying their student loans. I saw people with enormous student loan balances. And student loans are not forgiven.</p>
<p>Also, University of Virginia is a fine school. One of the best state Universities in America.</p>
<p>lol the OP already made her decision! time to stop debating this lol...it's 100% a personal decision and no one on a discussion board can make it for anyone but themselves!</p>
<p>HAHA to the poster that said the Long Island Sound is great. That was hilarious. </p>
<p>It is pretty gross. I'm not sure if hammonsasset (sp?) is alright, but the beach in New Haven and West Haven is gross.</p>
<p>I realize this is an old thread. I went on vacation right after my last post and got busy afterwards. So, I’m just returning to CC now. I’m commenting not to rekindle this argument but rather to dispel some misconceptions about UVA here.</p>
<p>First of all, congrats Jegan on choosing Yale. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time!</p>
<p>As for the other comments, one thing that never ceases to amaze me is the private school cocksure attached to the belief that public schools are automatically inferior to private schools. Yes, most students at UVA are from Virginia. That’s the purpose of state schools. Most students at Berkeley are from California, but so what? Comparing private and public schools in this area is like comparing apples with oranges. Are stellar public high schools like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Jefferson inferior to boarding schools like St. Paul, Andover, and Exeter because their students are all from New York City and Fairfax County respectively? </p>
<p>When Thomas Jefferson founded UVA, he wanted to produce a school not for aristocratic New England Brahmins but for the people of his home state and the rest of the nation. He knew the future of America depended on public education not just educating a privileged few. That’s why Jefferson chose to found a public school rather than a private one like his friend Benjamin Franklin (UPenn). He even said:</p>
<p>
[quote]
To stop where we are is to abandon our high hopes and become suitors to Yale and Harvard for their secondary characters.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Now, not all public schools are created equal, and UVA is not your typical public school. IMO, its atmosphere is the most “ivy” of the “Public Ivies.” Like Yale, UVA is filled with tradition and history going back to its founding by Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. UVA has a myriad of secret</a> societies, a cappella groups, and stellar graduates. In fact, one such alum recently gave $100</a> million to start a new School of Leadership & Public Policy. His donation greatly helps UVA in its quest to raise $3 billion. (Like Virginia, Yale is also in the middle of a $3 billion campaign.) Unlike behemoth public schools like UTexas, UVA is the size of Cornell, and before 1970, UVA was small like William & Mary and all-male like Yale. Since then, Virginia has moved towards Berkeley’s emphasis on research, but it has never given up on is its focus of maintaining a close-knit undergraduate education and excellent student/teacher interaction. </p>
<p>Time and time again, UVA students have proven their mettle both in academics and sports. For example, UVA</a> defeated Harvard for the 2nd year in the row in the National Mock Trials Championship. Sports-wise, UVA has won National Championships in Men’s & Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s Soccer, and Polo in the last decade. UVA also does very well in Baseball, Swimming, Tennis, and recently Basketball.</p>
<p>According to Business</a> Week, UVA’s #2 ranked McIntire School of Commerce gives Wharton a run for its money. The College of Arts and Sciences offers special programs like the joint Science</a> & Technology Internship Program in DC with MIT, and [Transatlanticity[/url</a>], another program where 24 Oxford undergraduates and 24 University of Virginia undergraduates comprise courses like the one co-taught by Virginia professor Peter Onuf and Oxford professor Peter Thompson. Oxford and UVA students read and debate (via video-conferencing) "The Federalist Papers", Thomas Paine's "Common Sense", Thomas Jefferson's "Summary View of the Rights of British America" and many other political documents penned during the age of the American Revolution. To augment this "virtual" contact, the program also holds annual conferences in Oxford or Charlottesville to facilitate face to face contact among transatlantic colleagues. In addition, selected PhD. students travel as Griffin Fellows to Oxford University or the University of Virginia to pursue archival research on their dissertations and to meet with faculty.</p>
<p>UVA oversees [url=<a href="http://www.semesteratsea.com%5DSemester">http://www.semesteratsea.com]Semester</a> at Sea]( <a href="http://www.transatlanticity.com/%5DTransatlanticity%5B/url">http://www.transatlanticity.com/) with Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond</a> Tutu as last semester’s guest scholar, and is building a “Learning Barge” in the Chesapeake Bay with UVA students themselves. </p>
<p>UVA is the only US member in Universitas21[/url</a>], which is an international consortium of research universities that allows their students to conduct research with member schools in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. With programs like the [url= <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1979%5DHarrison">http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1979]Harrison</a> Undergraduate Research Awards, UVA also gives out a lot of money for undergraduate research. Plus, through its Diplomat Scholars Program, international leaders like Iranian</a> President Khatami and ambassadors from [Nigeria[/url</a>] and [url= <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1552%5DPakistan%5B/url">http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1552]Pakistan[/url</a>] are brought to Grounds to speak and to work with the students.</p>
<p>UVA’s new John Paul Jones Center was named [url= <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1512%5DThe">http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1512]The</a> Best New Concert Venue in the country]( <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=101%5DNigeria%5B/url">http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=101). How many colleges have had the Dave Matthews Band, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Justin Timberlake play on campus in 1 year alone? The Rolling Stones played in the football stadium 2 years ago.</p>
<p>All of this is why students like [url=<a href="http://www.Virginia.edu/flashvideo/player.html?2007/admission/mayann01.flv%5DMaryann%5B/url">http://www.Virginia.edu/flashvideo/player.html?2007/admission/mayann01.flv]Maryann[/url</a>] chose UVA over Harvard and MIT because as an in-state student, she felt it was just a better deal even though she’s not a Jefferson Scholar. </p>
<p>So, don't discredit UVA before knowing what it totally has to offer.</p>
<p>did anyone here ever discredit UVA?</p>
<p>Yes. I was mainly responding to Kraor143's posts.</p>
<p>Also, my Maryann link was wrong. [url=<a href="http://www.Virginia.edu/flashvideo/player.html?2007/admission/maryann01.flv%5DThis%5B/url">http://www.Virginia.edu/flashvideo/player.html?2007/admission/maryann01.flv]This[/url</a>] is the correct one.</p>
<p>i think the thrust of his post was that Yale was stronger academically than UVA - not that UVA should be discredited.</p>
<p>Eh, the difference between UVA and Yale for an undergraduate degree in History, Anthropology or Foreign Affairs is miniscule if there's a real difference at all. (UVA is very strong in those departments.) The biggest questions are, "Is that "difference" worth $180,000? What if a student wants to continue with grad school?" Like I mentioned in a Cornell thread, I have a friend who went to Cornell both undergrad and for law school. Right now, his loan payments are more than his rent, and if you know anything about 1 bedroom apartments in Manhattan, rent is really high here. His is close to $2,000/month. </p>
<p>Oh well. Jegan has made her $180,000 bed and must sleep in it. Sweet dreams, my dear.</p>
<p>The difference between Yale and UVA for those degrees may not be huge, because UVA is strong there. But this does not preclude the other departments - which you fail to mention - in which Yale is considerably stronger. </p>
<p>Everyone has different financial situations. Don't press your "friends" on anybody else, "dear".</p>
<p>I apologize if I came off as a bit snide. I'm just baffled how someone, as a Jefferson and Echols Scholar, could give up full ride to UVA, where you also partake in Jeff Scholars-only summer programs in Italy, England, Japan, China, or Tibet. You have priority class registration, are free from non-major required classes, and are offered enrichment seminars during your 4 years. (I remember a couple of years ago when Margaret Thatcher attended a special event at William & Mary, the only non-W&M folks invited to attend were Jeff Scholars from UVA.) All of this again at no cost to you or your family. </p>
<p>Eh, to each his own.</p>
<p>Haha, I can talk about UVA being strong in architecture, business, English, Religious Studies, French, German, Spanish, etc., etc., but that's not what the OP wanted to know. </p>
<p>I'm not pressing my friends on anyone. I'm just showing one example of the financial reality that kids today will have to deal with during and after college. People on CC love to say, "Go ahead. Don't worry about it? What's $180,000?" without seriously breaking down how much a school will cost someone's parents now and/or that student in future loans. The worst off are the kids who are too rich to get financial aid but not rich enough to attend school without accumulating a lot of debt.</p>
<p>Globalist, I know that turning down all the perks UVA offered me seems crazy, but it was what I really wanted to do. When I visited Yale for Bulldog Days, I just honestly couldn't see myself anywhere else. There were many, many reasons I ultimately chose it over UVA, but I have to say I haven't looked back once, even though it means picking up full time jobs for the summers and working during the school year, etc. And maybe I <em>am</em> being a bit of a prestige whore, but surely there are worse things to be. So what if I want the Yale name, in addition to everything else the school offers? It's my money and my future. I appreciate everyone's continued advice on what I should or shouldn't have chosen, but my decision is made and I'm completely at peace with it. :)</p>
<p>Haha, I still think you’re crazy. It would have been fun to meet you among the [url=<a href="http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1981%5Dincoming%5B/url">http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1981]incoming[/url</a>] class of Scholars. I'm sure you got to know many of them during Selections Weekend.</p>
<p>Have fun next year.</p>
<p>Jegan, I'm glad I didn't have to struggle with as difficult of a choice. I'm definitely not looking back, either -- maybe we'll unknowingly run into each other on campus some day!</p>
<p>Jegan- you made the right move.</p>
<p>don't apologize for making a decision you think is right FOR YOU. </p>
<p>insecure people need others to follow them.</p>
<p>Are you calling me insecure? If you really knew me, you'd know I'm hardly insecure. Insecure people need "prestige" to prove their worth to others. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt:</p>
<p>
[quote]
No one can make you feel insecure without your consent.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I did very well in school, etc., and UVA was the only college I applied to because I fell in love with it. I believed (and still believe) in the principles on which Thomas Jefferson founded the school - excellence, honor, self-governance, public service. That's why I'm so obsessed and passionate about that place.</p>
<p>Actually, after reading Jegan's post and seeing how much she loves Yale, I totally respect her more for knowing what she wants and sticking by it.</p>
<p>no, im not calling you insecure.</p>
<p>There is a difference between being at UVA, while being a Jefferson scholar, and being at Yale.</p>
<p>UVA, as much as it tries to be otherwise, is still a public institution that must foremost support inter-state education. Yale doesn't have such aspirations.</p>
<p>There are great public schools everywhere, but there's something at Yale that cannot be replicated anywhere else. </p>
<p>There's an intensity here for intellectualism that's just not in a small program or two, but as a part of the university's core. I have friends across the country, and I think perhaps the biggest difference is in how they view their university and their attendance there. At Yale, I feel not just as a member of a college, but as a part of a place that is a leader in the world. The university is at the forefront of the world and this cannot be applied to many universities. Not only that, but my stay here isn't just me learning from Yale: I'm suppose to help Yale become an even more important leader in the world.</p>
<p>I've heard from many people around the country. Not many can say that about their college. That's perhaps the difference between UVA (even in the Jefferson Scholars program) and Yale. </p>
<p>Yale is at the forefront of our world today. Its students are not just recipients of an education, but partners in this endeavor. The campus has a hectic pace of success, importance, and responsibility because of this.</p>