Brown/Princeton or UVA full ride?

Middleclass
Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:02:10 +0000

I don’t know much about Brown, but I have a son at Princeton (a senior) and a daughter at UVA (2nd year) and I disagree completely with those who believe the education is equal at the two schools. In my opinion, there is no question that the academics, instruction, and resources & opportunities, not to mention the reputation, at Princeton are far superior. And believe it or not, the cost of attendance (tuition + room & board) at UVA is slightly higher than at Princeton!

When he was admitted to Princeton, my son had other good opportunities (including a full-ride at our decently-ranked state flagship) – and we really didn’t think we could afford it. But it has been well worth the sacrifices.

Keep in mind too, that even though you might not qualify for any aid now, you may later on. Do you have younger siblings who will be headed to college at the same time as you? We didn’t get any aid from Princeton the first 2 years, but did receive a nice bit of help once his younger sister was also in college. Use their online aid calculator to get an estimate.

My daughter loves UVA, and Charlottesville is a very nice town, but I’ve been quite disappointed with the quality of many of her instructors. At least two of them (in the span of 3 semesters) have been TOTALLY incompetent grad students! ;-(

The culture at the two schools is very different as well. UVA has a southern feel, and is EXTREMELY preppy - most students are from VA or nearby. (We’re from the mid-atlantic area.) Very white, conservative, non-diverse, and unfortunately slightly homophobic/racist. Clothes & physical appearance matter a lot. I don’t know if you are male or female, but it was quite a shock to my daughter to find that girls often wear dresses to class instead of jeans/sweats. She says the boys NEVER wear jeans - only khakis, and mostly button down shirts.
I don’t mean to sound down on UVA - she has adjusted well and loves it there (though avoids the aforementioned non-tolerant people); has made tons of friends and has a VERY nice boyfriend who is a preppy frat boy from Virginia (LOL!).

Princeton is far more cosmopolitan overall, and the student body is very diverse, though there’s preppiness as well. Son has close friends who are not only from all over the country (several from California), but all over the world. (His girlfriend is from Vancouver.) Princeton is one of the best universities in the world, not just the USA.

I’d say that at both schools the students study hard & party hard - which in my opinion is a good thing. Athletics are definitely more important at UVA.

If possible, I suggest that you arrange a visit to all three schools where you stay over with a student (if you haven’t already). Your intended major should factor into your choice as well. Ultimately you want to find the best fit for you.