friend turns down Harvard, Yale for UVA

Colleges & Universities University of Virginia
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<p>this is my friend’s brother, who turned down harvard, yale, princeton, brown, dartmouth, stanford, william and mary, williams college, and rice to go to virginia. while i don’t necessarily agree with his decision, let this be a reminder that a good fit may be more important than prestige. </p>

<p>[Fairfax</a> County Times : Student?s essay a popular read among peers choosing colleges](<a href=“http://m.fairfaxtimes.com/fairfaxtimes/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=mIWFI7hU&full=true#display]Fairfax”>http://m.fairfaxtimes.com/fairfaxtimes/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=mIWFI7hU&full=true#display)</p>

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<p>Nice article and essay. Thank you for sharing. I particularly liked the sentence where he said, </p>

<p>"And while it’s nice to tell family, friends and strangers you meet in public that you go to Harvard, all that ‘prestige’ fades as soon as you step foot on campus.” </p>

<p>Most hs seniors don’t realize that. The name of the school does not guarantee a great experience or happiness. Each student individually has to determine what factors are important to him/her. Good for this young man for doing what he felt was right and staying true to himself.</p>

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<p>the part which i feel resonates is that for the kids that go to TJ, uva is basically a safety, and schools like hypsm are matches. the fact that he rejected the best schools in the world to go to his safety purely because of the atmosphere is mind-boggling. he is definitely mature beyond his years</p>

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<p>Is there a link to the essay itself? Among other options, my son turned down Harvard and Yale; citing very similar reasoning to this young man.</p>

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<p><a href=“https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y1_jxjuCMNWJ-qStTPE-5BRcM6RMlNatW_KPM9fzRxE/edit[/url]”>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y1_jxjuCMNWJ-qStTPE-5BRcM6RMlNatW_KPM9fzRxE/edit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Maybe his essay should stay on CC under What’s Hot topics/articles in College Search and Selection section. A refreshing read.</p>

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<p>UVA is a great school I am sure he will be very happy there. Success is in the student not in the institution.</p>

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<p>“Success is in the student not in the institution.”</p>

<p>CC needs LIKE buttons.</p>

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<p>he got a full ride anyways though, so it’s not as bad as you’d think</p>

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<p>Can’t believe alums would really say “because it’s Harvard” to the admitted students. Lol. They obviously have nothing better to say about the school.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong, Harvard is a great school, but it is not the best fit for everyone (made clear by Kevin).</p>

11

<p>Why should anyone think bad of this student? It was his personal decision, and we can not pretend to know his circumstances and goals.</p>

<p>To OP- it’s not that personal fit may be more important than prestige; personal fit IS more than prestige.</p>

<p>I commend this student for doing what was right for him.</p>

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<p>Good for him!</p>

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<p>I am happy he looked past prestige and everything.</p>

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<p>Also… That scholarship is very prestigious. He wasn’t really giving much up… He will be praised for that scholarship just as much as going to an ivy. He isn’t attending UVA as just any other Joe. That whole fit over prestige thing doesn’t work well for his situation. At UVA he will have the prestige of the scholarship and benefits such as financial aid that come along with it, as well as the fit. He gains more that way, and isn’t just going off of fit.</p>

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<p>Totally agree. </p>

<p>This kid got a very rare and competitive (top 1%) and financially outstanding deal as a Jefferson Scholar at UVA. Fit factors aside, it makes total sense to pick this deal at UVA (or, for example, a similar Morehead Scholar deal at UNC) over being one of the crowd at any other school. </p>

<p>“He was invited to UVA to visit as a finalist in the Jefferson Scholars program. This year, UVA selected 31 students to become scholars out of the more than 3,500 who were nominated by their high schools. Jefferson Scholars receive extensive enrichment programs, their tuition is paid for and they are given priority in enrolling in classes.”</p>