I agree with @Mwfan1921. Which schools on the list would she choose over VT, JMU or GMU? I don’t see FAU, USF and a few others as an upgrade.
NC State is probably like FSU except FSU has an option to get in-state tuition via study abroad. That said a few reaches are good.
We spent a few days in Lexington. It’s a fun place. UK could be an interesting option. Same thing with South Carolina. Good luck.
Good point on FAU, Coastal and UNC Wilmington but I just get nervous because we are in a competitive HS/county and unfortunately they have to cut a lot of kids to allow other areas of the state to be represented. So I hate to assume acceptance is a done deal…
Good point on NC State. Only added them because drivable and good business program.
Never hurts to over apply if it gives comfort. You’re going to one whether you apply to one or 21. It’s just time and an app fee but if you feel better go ahead.
But I wouldn’t say who would I cull. I would do head to head vs JMU or your top safety choice. If they don’t win, take ‘em off. If you have JMU concerns, keep two safer as a just in case. Can you identify the two from below.
Safer is FAU, UNCW, URI, WVU, Kentucky, Coastal. I didn’t put C of C and AZ due to cost.
Even if you bomb and you won’t, there’s safe schools later to hit budget that can be added - some up to May.
Good luck.
I understand. Does her HS use Naviance/scoir/schoollinks where you can see scattergrams of historical admission outcomes? That should help with George Mason and JMU categorization. Mason has a 90% acceptance rate, it’s hard to believe she wouldn’t be accepted. Regardless maybe just choose one of the very high probability schools, not 3 or 5 or whatever. Make sure she gets both JMU and Mason apps in by the EA deadline.
Good luck.
I agree in doing head-to-head competitions, but I would use George Mason as the base, because I can’t imagine her not being accepted there no matter how competitive her school is. Any school she doesn’t prefer over George Mason should be eliminated.
If she has done that and still wants to eliminate schools, then I would consider which ones are least likely to hit budget. If a school has a scholarship table or asks for academic stats in the Net Price Calculator (NPC), then consider that the likeliest level of award. If it comes back as $32 or $33 or even $35k, I could see keeping it since additional scholarships might become available or there might be some room for negotiation, or something. But if the price is coming back at $40k or higher, then I think the odds of the school making budget are very small.
NC State - very difficult OOS admit. Merit highly unlikely for your child’s stats.
Also, what type of business degree does your student want? Accounting? Finance? Supply chain? Real Estate? Econ? Marketing? I would look at the subcategories at each college and the internship opportunities/outcomes for the specific degree program they are interested in. Every college on your list might not have supply chain, for example.
Some colleges on your list may be a direct-entry program vs. having to apply to the business program after sophomore year - another thing to consider.
My D is a senior at VT in Pamplin (dual major finance/real estate). Pamplin is direct entry and she was able to take business classes from day 1 freshman year (during internship interviews, employers were impressed with the courses she had already taken). Very happy with VT’s program - no issues getting classes, great advisors, many business clubs and career opportunities. You’re lucky to have this as an in-state option.
FAU would be an elimination. As a Virginia resident I’d think Mason or JMU would be more likely a better outcome cost-wise. We are also looking at some similar schools as on your list but different major.
I’ve appreciated everyone’s advice on this thread. Update so far:
Arizona (OOS) - admitted with $16K per year merit. I believe it should be $20K based on her Abor gpa but not dwelling on it as this is probably her last choice. Too bad they’ve increased tuition so much while reducing the scholarships…
George Mason (in state) - admitted with $2500 per year merit.
U of SC (OOS) - admitted with at least $43K over 4 years.
Waiting on JMU, V Tech and Delaware…
That’s great! My kid didn’t apply to U of SC, but I was reading the thread over there it seems that it got pretty tough to get in OOS.
Yes, my daughter has 3 friends from her HS that got deferred.
So the in states will make $40k. U of SC is saying $11k in merit a year.
So it sounds like you’ll be at one of the three Va schools and that’s great.
Curious why your child is not applying to UVA? I know Darden doesn’t have undergrad, but econ or commerce/management might be a good option? I might be biased, but I know someone personally that is very successful coming from UVA undergrad and works in investment banking.
She has zero chance of getting in given the county we live in, her high school and her stats.
Hi everyone, I wanted to share an update and get your thoughts. First, a huge thank you to those who have been so supportive throughout this journey!
My daughter was accepted into all the schools she applied to: University of Arizona, George Mason, South Carolina, Delaware, JMU, and Virginia Tech (which we just heard from last week). She received merit scholarships from all except VT so far.
A major highlight—she was named a Gold Scholar at JMU’s College of Business, earning a $10K per year renewable scholarship. Since JMU is in-state, this brings tuition down to under $5K per year—an incredible deal! We love JMU, and being so close to home in Northern Virginia makes it even more appealing to her. I can truly see her thriving there.
Up until learning of the JMU scholarship, she was still considering Virginia Tech (Pamplin) and South Carolina (Darla Moore). She loved her visit to South Carolina, but despite receiving some merit aid, the cost difference is significant. There’s a possibility of additional scholarships in March. As for Virginia Tech, we haven’t visited Pamplin yet—admitted students day is in early April. However, she is already so excited about JMU, which has always seemed to be her first choice.
We’ve always encouraged our kids to apply for scholarships and strongly consider them since the savings could go toward grad school or even a Roth IRA.
**Here’s where I’d love your advice: Financially, JMU is the clear winner, and we fully support it. But are we making a mistake by not giving Pamplin (VT) more serious consideration, given its name recognition and affordability as an in-state school?
I appreciate any insights you have—thank you for reading!
This is the most important sentence in your post. Your daughter is excited about JMU. She is the one heading to college so this opinion should carry a lot of weight (and especially since it meets your price point and location).
She doesn’t have to make her decision today, right? If she has another contender she really can see herself at, perhaps revisit that school also.
If not, go with her gut feeling. JMU is a fine school.
I don’t think you necessarily lose anything by JMU over Pamplin.
Is Pamplin “ranked” higher - yes, but then so is U of SC beyond Va Tech.
You had a budget - so stick to that.
Assuming both Va Tech and JMU meet it, then pick the one she likes best.
She loves JMU.
She might also love Va Tech (or more) or she might not.
As you’ve yet to visit, go do so.
On the other hand, if both are under budget but the savings of JMU is still meaningful to you, then that matters too - and it will be a great choice as well.
A bigger name doesn’t necessitate a bigger outcome in life - and too many think that’s an absolute.
Here’s some career data from both - both look solid to me. JMU shows higher $s (in some cases much higher) but that could be based on how they’re determining salaries (including bonuses, etc) - not sure.
Congrats on finding a winner - because both are great - and best of luck.
So true. Thank you.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, my daughter is a senior in Pamplin with a double major in finance & real estate (we are OOS). She has had a great experience, was successful in recruiting and landed an internship and full time offer in corporate banking. Pamplin hosts “Business Horizons”, a career fair, twice a year. She received a lot of interest through B.H. and had several internship interviews. Ultimately, she decided she wanted to land back in our city after graduation, so she continued to search on her own, was successfully recruited in corporate banking (along with other Pamplin students, whom she will be working with after she graduates).
I agree that the advantage of attending one program over another (VT/JMU) is probably marginal. It also could be dependent on what area of business your student is interested in - VT, for instance, has a very strong real estate program. Also worth considering is that VT allows Pamplin admits to take business classes beginning on Day 1 freshman year. They don’t follow the traditional college model where students take gen ed for the first two years and then begin taking classes in their major during their junior year. There are gen ed requirements, but VT’s pathways (for Pamplin) only require one gen ed a semester. This opens up a lot of opportunities for double majoring. Also, no foreign language requirement for Pamplin students.
When my daughter was interviewing for internships, companies were impressed that she already had several finance and real estate classes under her belt.
That said, if your daughter is excited with JMU and the “fit factor” ticks all the boxes (and it sounds like they are excited to have her as a Gold Scholar), then it’s possible that her decision has been made.
My daughter also was accepted into Darla Moore with a scholarship (another great program). I wouldn’t hang your hat on getting too much more in scholarships from UofSC. My daughter got a little bit more from the Capstone Scholar program, but not much. I feel like UofSC uses that tactic to keep admits from accepting somewhere else. UofSC was low on her list because she didn’t like Columbia.
I agree with this. My older daughter graduated from UNC/Kenan Flagler and recruited through the exact same program as my Pamplin daughter. I’ve been very impressed with the opportunities and positive name recognition that VT has.
Good luck with the decision!
thank you!