bln_1975

My D is also "accepted, but ... torn"!

She got accepted to UVA, W&M and a top private master university with full ride & a spot in its honors program. She does not mind to live far away from home, but her issue is:

She wants to go to a medical school after her BA/BS. She knows that to get accepted to a medical school, she must obtain a high GPA & high MCAT scores. She thinks that if she attends that "master university" she would be able to achieve a GPA ~ 3.8 to 4.0; however, if she attends UVA or W & M she might not be able to achieve such a high GPA and, therefore, her chance of getting accepted to a medical school is lower.

She also thinks that with excellent GPA at that master university she would be able to transfer to UVA after the 1st year if she does not like it there. But if she starts out at UVA and does not do well (just average, i.e. GPA ~ 3.30) she would still be able to transfer to the master university, but she would not get back her scholarship & her spot in the honors program!

Your advice will be greatly appreciated (especially about the pre-med program at UVA)

Thanks,

P.S. We (her parents) will be happy with any school that she will choose to attend.

HopefulHoo'sDad

PP:
Thanks for your concern and compliments. I enjoy doing what little I can to help folks on the UVa CC threads. But I've got a box full of income tax returns to finish before the IRS tax filing deadline on April 15th, or I'm going to have some unhappy clients. Lord willing, I'll return to posting on a regular basis in mid April.

I'll keep an eye on things from time to time while I'm gone, but I've got to stop posting. I either type too slow or say/write too much (actually I know it's both), and as a result I spend too much time posting on CC.

I’m sure good folks like you can and will mind the store quite well for the next couple of weeks. If I can learn how to do short and sweet posts like you and Cav, perhaps I might pipe up occasionally in the interim.

Until then, you gals and guys keep up the good work! Believe me; I’ll miss taking part in these conversations. Not to mention your sunny disposition, boundless optimism and genuine love of UVa. And Cav’s diplomacy of course!

Talk to you all soon I hope.

db123

You seem to be thinking that when you go to college, you lose your entire family. In fact, when you go to college you're adopted into a really, really large family. Your friends feel less like friends and more like brothers and sisters so don't think of it as losing your family; you're meeting new relatives you never knew you had.

If you do in fact choose to go to UVA, you will initially think that you'll call home everyday and spend hours on the phone with your family missing them and wishing you were back at home. But the fact of the matter is that this is the scenario for the first week, (maybe weeks) and then you realize that you can't waste hours at the phone. There's too much to do! Whether you're going to class, in class, eating, studying, hanging out, at a club meeting, or a plethora of other things, you'll find that spending hours on the phone is more burdensome than enjoyable. There's also activities on the weekends that you'll want to be involved in and you'll find that you can't go home every weekend whether you go to UVA or GMU. If you go to GMU and devote every weekend at home, you're seriously taking away from your own college experience. Right now, you're wondering how you could leave home. Once you leave, you'll wonder why you even thought about that.

Also, you talked about going to a good graduate school. A degree from UVA holds a little more weight than a degree from GMU simply for reputation; you have the backing of a school known for academic excellence. And if you're willing to work hard no matter where you go, then you should get the same grades if you're at GMU, UVA, Harvard, or NOVA.


Life is about meeting new people, seeing new places, trying different things. You won't always have a comfort zone to hide in, so come on out. It's pretty nice outside. Personally, I think you should go to UVA, but my opinion may be biased (just like everyone else here.) Wherever you decide to go, best of luck in your endeavors.

powderpuff

db123,
I like your style! Welcome!

db123

haha thanks powderpuff! I hope I can add something to the UVA forum just as you have over the coming years.

HopefulHoo'sDad

Ruruster (and others as applicable):

The next three to four weeks are a time for narrowing your college choices down to a select few (typically two), and then using whatever process you deem advisable to settle on the school that’s right for you.

This process usually involves additional information gathering and visiting to get an enhanced “feel” for how the school “fits” you, and better understand how it will facilitate attainment of your academic goals; estimating college attendance costs and projecting alternative methods of payment; and finally, sifting through all the facts, figures, feelings and friends you have accumulated and deciding where you believe you’ll be comfortable spending the next four years pursuing an undergraduate degree.

It’s no longer an issue of whether you’re qualified for the school; rather it’s a question of which school is “best” for you. Not which is the “best” or most “highly rated” college; instead you’re looking for the school that’s “right” for you and your future: academically, socially, emotionally, financially, etc.

The quality of the education you’re likely to receive at any given school is much less correlated to the selectivity of the college’s admissions process than it is to the effort you’re willing to make to be successful in your studies at college once you’ve enrolled. Regardless of where you choose to go, you’ll need to focus on your academics and consistently work hard if you expect to receive outstanding grades. Yes, the competition in some programs of study may be more intense at more highly selective colleges, but to do extremely well grade wise you’ll likely need to diligently focus on your schoolwork no matter where you attend.

In short, choose the school where you believe the overall educational experience best suits your needs, talents, temperament and academic objectives. For some students that’s UVa, for others it may be Virginia Tech, W&M, JMU, GMU or wherever. Pick the place and program you believe is RIGHT for YOU!

And then, resolve to make the most of the opportunities your new college offers once you’re there.
[Fade to black for HHD]

mckin43

Ruruster...how fortunate you are to be close to your family! I hope you choose UVA because it is a wonderful school, in so many ways. I guess I would ask, how will you feel if you don't give UVA a chance when you could have...you may still have an excellent experience at GMU, don't get me wrong, but will you look back and say "what if..."? We are from the Fairfax area and my family, including my D who is a first year, thinks it's a perfect distance away. Good luck with your decision!

brkr

my parents live in kuwait and my family are residents of NJ..i chose to go to UVa even though it's far away from family and really really far away from my parents...UVa is a great school and i personally don't think the distance will matter that much...good luck in your decision!!

galoisien

I'm also from an Asian family, with a strong emphasis on family ties.

UVA is 11 hours (minimum! it's probably closer to 14-15 hours, or even a 3 day trip) from my home -- I live all the way up in Maine! I'd do a lot to be only 2-3 hours away! (I won't say "kill," cuz murder'd be a violation of the Honour Code.)

Plus with the digital age, facebook and skype, being away won't be that bad; I know it's not the same as physical time together, but you're much luckier than your predecessors before you!

ChinaTinyDragon

Hi Ruruster,
I live in Herndon, VA and I am also closely tied to my family members. Everyone in my family immigrated from China a good 15-30 years ago and so we have such a strong tradition. I know you probably already have decided by now on to where ever you are going; but to ease your thought of mind, UVa offers such a great experience and a successful future. It is a beautiful campus with a great atmosphere; you will definitely get that family "atmosphere" alone with new friends that you could easily call family. I am currently a Junior in High School and UVa is my dream school. Everything from the education, social life, and the athletic perspective fits into almost every student's list. I hope you are/will be happy with where ever you go, but at the end, it all comes down to you. How you feel what's best for your life is all up to you.

(Herndon/Vienna is "extremely" close to UVa, compared to those out-of-state students who travel hundreds of miles to be there. I have visited UVa a couple of times and the trip is really not that bad. The fastest one way trip I ever had was about 1hr 30min, but my brother was driving. So you could easily visit your family members probably once every two weeks, or if you really are that close, then every weekend if you would like. Just a thought)

pmanliu

to the op,

don't worry man, these are others like you too. Im also asian and will be dorming at uva, the only difference is that ill be coming from new york city. When i began to go on retreats for weekends and sometimes a couple of weeks with my church, yeah i missed my family and such a lot. But after a couple days, you realize how good independence can taste, and you will appreciate your friends that are around you . If you need help or anything, just pm me. Im going into UVA not knowing anyone at all, so itd be nice for us both to make a few contacts beforehand so the transition is easier

pat