<p>So I may apply to UVA… but I have one problem with it. As a public/state school, how does the intellectual atmosphere at UVA compare with other prestigious and PRIVATE universities?
I’m asking this because my state university, although relatively high up on the USNWR rankings, isn’t up to par on student intellect/curiosity.
Does UVA accept in-state students that would not have made the cut if UVA were a private school?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance. I know this is in the UVA forum, but please try not to be baised ;).</p>
<p>What you’re really asking is whether UVa’s admissions standards are lower for in state students than out of state residents – not whether in state students at UVa are “intellectual” or “curious” enough for private schools. </p>
<p>The answer is that admissions standards are in fact somewhat lower for in state applicants but they are very high regardless. Virginia is a large state with some of the best high schools and most accomplished students in the country, particularly in Northern Virginia, and many of these students receive admissions offers from the same private universities that you’re also considering but choose not to go to them because it makes no sense to pay twice as much money for no better an education – or, for those who care, no better of a reputation. As a Virginia parent, I wouldn’t dream of paying for a student to go to Georgetown instead of UVa. Unless you’re independently wealthy it just makes no sense. The same applies to virtually every private school in the country except maybe Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Stanford – or a specialty school if you really want to specialize. You, of course, are in a different position because you’re from out of state and the cost difference isn’t as great. </p>
<p>Of course, since you are from out of state you are by no means a guaranteed admit to UVa yourself. So you might not have the opportunity even to decide whether UVa is “intellectual” enough for you. </p>
<p>I second the suggestion that you visit the school, but only when classes are in session.</p>
<p>Is this due to the fact that private schools don’t care about kids who live in rural areas or in poverty or in inner cities or otherwise that would not have made the cut? Clearly</p>
<p>Is UVA also a phenomenal research university? Yes
Will you get the same kind of intellectual atmosphere at a research university compared to a private college? No way in hell
So you should really question that before you question the caliber of students at a top public school.</p>
<p>Part of the problem with the original question is that wondering if UVA were a private school doesn’t address the kind of private school. Is the comparison to the Ivies, to the other elite privates, to the next level down, or what? Of course UVA and other highly regarded publics have students who couldn’t get into elite private schools, and that’s a good thing. It’s part of their mission as state schools. </p>
<p>My daughter went to a very solid private school (non-Ivy) and it had its share of goofs and people relatively uninterested in academics and intellectual life.College serves many purposes and many individual styles and goals, as it should.</p>
<p>OP…I suppose my question to you is WHY are you considering UVA? Have you done your research, or are you simply applying to have another match/low reach on your list? If you can truly provide things that appeal to you about UVA, then your answer may come from within. </p>
<p>Our D will be attending UVA in the fall. She’s OOS and has pretty impressive stats IMHO. She could have gone to higher ranked privates but chose UVA because of the “whole package” it offers. Unlike some schools she considered, UVA has phenomenal school spirit (something that was tremendously important to her). Everyone goes to the sporting events and cheers wildly for their school. Cavaliers seemed to love their traditions as well. The academic offerings and reputation were of utmost importance to her as well. Her ambition is to become a physician so she’s a great student and very prepared for hard work, but she also wants to actually enjoy her college experience. A dear friend of ours who’s a med school adcom told her to go to the best school she can WHERE SHE CAN GET THE HIGHEST GPA AND CLASS RANK. This holds true for grad school as well. She definitely wants to work hard, but she didn’t want to be in a cut-throat environment full of grade grinding nerds. If you’re wanting to be in a roomful of brilliant 2400 SAT students who thrive on studying 24/7, then UVA’s probably not for you. If, on the other hand, you want to be with over-achievers who recognize the importance to maintain a level of BALANCE, then perhaps you should consider it. One final aside, our D observed that most all of the students at UVA were exceedingly attractive. She said one reason for this was because unlike some of the other schools we visited, UVA kids seemed genuinely happy and had smiles on their faces. I never would have thought God would have led her to a state school; however, now that I’ve seen more of what UVA has to offer and listened to why she ultimately selected it, I’m quite happy with her decision.</p>
<p>As a guy who, well is not as crazy about UVA but is still going there let me tell you my side OP. first of all, don’t apply unless you can see your self there, anyways there is a little of both. There is for sure a crowd of highly intelligent “Ivy caliber” or whatever that means students at UVA, some out of state and some in state. That being said there is definitely a large number of people who “fist-pump like the Jersey-shore” (both OOS and IS) and such who frankly shock me that they got in when so many people I know were more deserving. It is also interesting that although it’s ranked highly, the individual programs say in the arts and sciences are not. but again you won’t be rejected from an Ivy grad school just because UVA’s science programs are ranked lower, it will always come down to GPA and rank.</p>
<p>That also being said, UVA is big enough that you can ignore them, and that for the driven student you can do whatever you want at UVA, things that I might have earlier thought were only possible at great private schools. I was waitlisted at WashU, JHU. Would I have rather gone to one of those, yes, but plenty of UVA students turned down those schools for whatever reason, makes you wish you could tell admissions to switch you ;). But the fact that I am not going to one of those schools is not going to slow me down. I am going to UVA firstly because it is the best place I got into. Secondly because it will set me up for grad school, which to be honest is more important. </p>
<p>So yes, there is a intellectual atmosphere at UVA, however it is only as strong as you work to make it. So if you get in, and it is the best place you were accepted then go for it, otherwise it is not so different than schools like JHU, WashU, or the Ivy’s.</p>
<p>Panserbjorne, I wish you’d quit slamming UVA. There are a lot of people who would have killed to get in but didn’t, and you run around here saying how much you hate it and how much you wish you weren’t going. Please stop. It’s disrespectful.</p>
<p>It’s an online forum and they can say what they want.
But UVA has a ridiculously high retention rate so most people at UVA loooove it and don’t transfer away. Which says a lot about the school! I have only met 1 person who really disliked UVA (but it was the only college with the program she wanted at an affordable price so here she went) in my 4 years there. Says a lot too.</p>
<p>I agree that Panserbjone should be able to express whatever opinion that he or she wants. I also agree that U-Va’s retention rate speaks for itself. </p>
<p>The problem with Panserbjone’s opinions are that they are coming from someone who lives in Charlottesville. S/he wouldn’t be the first “townie” with a less than favorable impression of the local university.</p>
<p>The comparison isn’t between “public” and “private” but between UVA-style public and elite private. I suspect UVA is considerably more demanding and intellectual than less-selective private schools.</p>
<p>I attended Cornell and Hopkins and taught at Princeton before coming to teach at UVA. The atmosphere of the four schools is quite different but the difference in academic content and quality is actually rather slight, at least in my humanities discipline. All four schools hire from the same pool of research-oriented, ambitious faculty. Both Cornell and UVA had lots of school spirit and kids interested in the varsity sports scene (I wasn’t/am not into such things). Hopkins seemed super-intense and less enjoyable, though the kids there seemed to be getting a great education. Princeton was constantly, and I mean constantly, reminding its students how elite and special they were, which was true–I had wonderful, wonderful students there. OTOH, I’ve had wonderful students at UVA too, though UVA spends a lot less time and energy telling them so. The bottom tier at UVA is somewhat lower than the bottom tier at Princeton, but the top tier is about the same. The intellectually ambitious kids meet each other and set their sights by one another everywhere.</p>
<p>Although it’s easier to get into UVA from within Virginia, it’s also a bigger draw because unless you qualify for major financial aid, UVA is a great deal money-wise for instate students. A ton of smart Virginians end up either at UVA or at William and Mary.</p>
<p>Maybe this depends on where in Virginia you are coming from, but in NOVA there are kids who get into Iveys and get rejected from UVa.
I’m a bit insulted that you are doubting the sincerity of UVa’s students because it is a public institution.
UVa might have a reputation for snobbishness, but I doubt it’s anything like that of schools which charge $50,000 a year.
This isn’t to say that everyone here is a genius, but everyone is good at something, and everyone works hard. This also isn’t to say that everyone here is polite and considerate, but with a school this large, it’s generally easy to avoid the *******s.</p>