Perception of UVA outside of VA

jc40
Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:17:03 +0000

I really appreciate the insight everyone has provided. I’m from the southwest by the way, and like I said, I know UVA is reputable, and a few of my friends do too, but they wouldn’t consider it to be on par with say Duke. I think most people’s attitudes in my area would be different if UVA was a private university. If you said Berkley here, people would think home to uber liberal free spirits but that’s about it. The majority of people I know (and they’re not “hicks” as you might suspect but college graduates with advanced degrees) would never know unless you brought it to their attention that Berkley is so highly rated and can indeed be compared with many prestigious private schools (just as UVA can). They would, on the other hand, know about schools like the ivys, Duke, NYU, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Amherst just to name a few.

I’m relatively certain I want to live in my home area after school, so this lack of recognition is something I’m pondering. I’ve narrowed my choices and feel socially, UVA fits me best; however, it’s the academic fit I’m still stuggling with.