Short story:
Is UVA worth an extra 40k over an EQUALLY RATED program of study at a well-rated University located 2000k miles away? Grad school is a necessity for DD’s major.
Long story:
I’m reaching out for guidance concerning our DD. She made a very pragmatic choice and proceeded with Dual Enrollment her Senior year at a very competitive HS (that she wasn’t a fan of the cut throat intensity). She stayed local 1 extra year and will be graduating with an AS degree Summa Cum Laude. Minimizing debt is an important goal for us. DD is a sweet kid and very much a homebody with multiple younger siblings she is close to.
DD has been accepted to every college she has applied and we are waiting to hear on UVA. She calls UVA her “first choice” but I don’t think transferring in will be any picnic for a shy and reserved kid… We have been in frequent contact with the Director of her intended major and we are confident she’ll be accepted.
The only compelling competition comes from a well rated University across the country that has been unbelievably attentive and given us everything we have asked for, including a full tuition scholarship and Admission to their Honors College. It’s a beautiful campus despite being remote. They’ve been flexible and done everything in their power to make her feel happy, safe and welcome. In addition, this school has an online program in her major (and worst case scenario if she wants to come home, she is able to keep this scholarship) and finish the program from home. (Not what we want… She needs a great college experience but it’s a generous offer)…
The real irony is this University’s program of study was recently ranked EXACTLY the same as UVA’s (think alternative health profession). Talk to me about any reasons why UVA should win out (other than its close proximity)…… Could she have a better chance of Grad School merit coming from UVA?
Every single person we have talked to has said to “save your money and take the Full scholarship”…I really think my DD would prefer to be academically a big fish in a small pond vs being one of many brilliant other kids….but the location of the 2nd school is worrisome to her. She will need loans if she picks UVA.
It’s hard to give a opinion with so little information. What is the school you are comparing to UVa? When you say alternative health profession do you mean something like an acupuncturist?
If I knew how to edit the above post I would add on more info…
It’s actually an EXTRA 20k/year for 2 years, since she’ll have her AS degree when transferring. In addition, she was told she could probably be an RA in the Honors College which could make the spread a little more…
It’s a Speech Language Pathology major and Utah State for comparison… She’ll need a Masters.
What is she planning to major in and what is the 2nd school with the scholarship she is considering?
Are you instate for any of these schools? Hard to give a suggestions with such vague details.
We are VA residents. You need to consider commuting costs. If she went to Utah how often would she be visiting home? I would imagine flight costs would add up. I feel UVA has more name recognition than Utah State. Does she quality for any grants? I am assuming she would have junior status when enrolled and she would be paying for two years. If she was at UVA, instate she could visit you more often. Lots of instate students go home on weekends and she could get a ride home from someone in your area. Does she have other instate options she could consider since you mentioned she is a “homebody?” On the other hand it would be good for her to go away to school to become more independent. She could move to an off campus apartment at UVA to lower room and board costs.
It sounds as though UVA will require $40,000 in loans and Utah will not require any. Is that correct? I assume she will be needing grad school loans, and grad school is 2 years.
I recommend visiting Utah State. Fly into Salt Lake City’s airport and take the shuttle to Logan. She should see how easy or hard that is. (it may be very easy, just time-consuming). If you live close to DC, Southwest flies from all the DC airports to SLC. Then, see what works best in terms of distance, academics, finances and personal comfort level. If she has to put all $40K on loans, then I would say go to beautiful Logan, Utah and Utah State. If she needs to borrow less than $25,000, the decision becomes much harder. I don’t think this is an easy decision.
This is not an easy decision to make, as your daughter is entering a field where graduate school acceptances are highly, highly competitive. It is not uncommon to apply to 10 programs and get 1 acceptance. Students who stand out in the crowd (research, etc) tend to do better in the admissions process. I would have your daughter call Utah State and ask them how their students do in grad school admissions.
We are assuming about 30k in loans for UVA and then whatever Grad school commands.
We have spoken to some graduate programs that offer significant merit for top SLP students. But where is it easier to be a top student when both programs are essentially rated equal? Will UVAs name recognition help with that? It could be risky to assume so. Also, SLP programs are competitive… Similar to PA and PT school… On average 3.8+ is needed for Graduate school.
And then the dreaded worry… What happens if she changes her major as an undergrad student? She’ll be out less money at Utah if she needs to extend her schooling…
I used to be of the ideal… Never turn down UVA if you get in… But now I’m thinking that maybe it just isn’t worth it.
Like I said this is a hard decision. Grad school admissions are brutal and often require more than just a high gpa. She will need to be a stand out, and that means not only a high GPA, but also outstanding letters of recommendation, good GRE scores, undergrad research if possible, volunteering, etc. The first step is to call Utah State and ask them how their students do in grad school admissions, and where they usually apply and are accepted.
Utah State attracts many in-state Mormon students. The overall student body is much stronger and diverse at UVA. Has she visited Utah State? If she feels comfortable there after visiting, then I would say she should do it.
It’s my understanding that name brand is not as important a factor for grad school admissions as your daughter’s academic record, achievements, research, and recommendations from professors. So if she’s a big fish in a small pond, that would probably give her more opportunities to stand out.
We have visited Utah State and done our due diligence… The location of the school is the only downside… It is gorgeous and we actually love it once we are there but it’s just a long journey for a kid attached to her home and family.
USU does have great success with their Grad placement… Given a continued high GPA and solid GRE. She’s been admitted to the Honors College… Which means Undergrad Research opportunities right out of the gate at USU. All signs point to USU as it seems like a perfect program and package… It just means saying NO to UVA. How many people do that? It seems wrong.
Also, USU says she can bring along her 3.95 GPA from her AS degree. I’ve NEVER heard of that!
Is the equivalent major at UVA the Speech Commuications Disorder major in the School of education? To be honest, I liked Utah State a lot - I wouldn’t necessarily take UVA over Utah State. One thing I noticed was most (?) of the UVA faculty came from James Madison. Nothing wrong with James Madison, it’s just that there isn’t a lot of cross-pollination with faculty coming from one particular school. I’d have the same complaint if they all came from UVA or Wyoming or Wisconsin. Utah State faculty came from several different schools, mostly outside Utah.
Yes SlackerMom MD that is the right UVA major. James Madison actually has a superb program that DD did get admitted to last week. It ranks better than UVAs… But DD was meh about JMU. I’m not sure why. JMUs program is also set up for an additional 3 years… They discouraged her to complete it in 2 even tho she probably could… But it would be challenging. So that means another year of tuition.
I really think USU is a great little school that will be hard to say No to.