UVA vs ODU (On presidential scholarship)

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<p>I have been accepted to UVA, and ODU with a presidential scholarship. If I go to UVA, I will pay the regular instate tuition and room and board which would cost about $24,000. If I go to ODU, they’ve given me a renewable scholarship of $5,000 a year. ODU’s tuition is about $8,000 a year, and I can commute so I would basically be paying $3,000 a year. </p>

<p>Factors:
Money?
My dad has the use of a $40,000 G.I. bill for my brother and I. If I go to ODU, the bill will cover almost all of me and my brother’s undergrad tuition (My brother probably won’t get a scholarship, so his tuition at ODU for 4 years will be $32,000). If I go to UVA, the bill will cover less than half of of all of my 4 years. My dad will have to take out a loan as we are paying for our home. He makes about $70k a year, adjusted gross income. </p>

<p>Honors college?
If I go to UVA, I will be a normal student. At ODU, I have been accepted into the honors college. The way I see it is going to large undergrad classes for my first 2 years at UVA as opposed to smaller, more focused classes at ODU. </p>

<p>AP Credits?
UVA generally only accepts 5’s. I’ve never scored a 5, but I’ve scored 3’s and 4’s. If I go to UVA, I won’t have any credits accepted, that is unless i score some 5’s on my exams this year. At ODU, I will have most of my undergrad courses knocked out and I could probably finish in 3 years. </p>

<p>Prestige and Grad school?
I definitely plan on going to grad school for business and will probably major in accounting. I know that if I go to ODU, I will be the best whereas if I go to UVA, I will do well, but not given the best opportunities such as the honors college. My question is, does it matter where I go for undergrad if I plan on going to grad school. I have heard varying opinions saying that the prestige of one’s undergrad school allows one to get into grad school easier. I have also heard that it doesn’t matter where you go for undergrad, but what you do there. I want to feel like I can still go to a good grad school (Berkeley, Georgetown, Harvard, just to name a few) if I do extremely well at a lesser known college and make the most of the opportunities I have. But if not, I know that college is an investment, and if UVA will help me get into a good grad school, then so be it. I’ll try my best wherever I go. </p>

<p>Any suggestions/thoughts/comments?</p>

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<p>If you were thinking of a non-business major, I’d say go to ODU, BUT since you mentioned accounting, UVA is your best option. The prestige and name recognition that comes with McIntire is too much pass up. Come to UVA, work hard your first two years, get into McIntire and live the life. McIntire is really worth it. My friends are getting $25.00/hr INTERNSHIPS at top accounting firms. </p>

<p>If you plan to do anything else though, go to ODU.</p>

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<p>Just a thought, but how are you going to be able to afford grad school?</p>

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<p>@110percentwahoo. That makes sense. So you wouldn’t suggest transferring? Would it be easier to get into McIntire straight through UVA? Aren’t undergrad classes just undergrad classes?</p>

<p>Just a thought, but how are you going to be able to afford grad school?</p>

<p>@arkhaik. I suppose my dad would pay for it. He thinks that graduate school is a better investment than undergrad. He thinks that it doesn’t matter where you go for undergrad as long as you do well enough to get into a good graduate school. So I guess that we would have the money either way, but it would make it a lot easier on my dad if he didn’t have to work that much harder to pay off the loans “just” for undergrad.</p>

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<p>It looks like ODU really is your best option given your family’s financial restrictions. Nothing wrong with that! Go there. Do well. If you want to try transferring to UVA in a couple of years give that a try when the time comes. If you keep your grades up at ODU, you will have good options for grad school.</p>

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<p>I agree with happymom. It seems as if ODU would be good for you (honors/scholarship/future grad. school choices without heavy undergrad debt) and also for your family’s situation. Congrats to you on earning the scholarship.</p>

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<p>Thanks moms! Haha, I’ll definitely take both of your thoughts into consideration. I’ll weigh my options! ODU doesn’t sound too bad!</p>

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<p>id go with uva. i think the job opportunities will look better out of uva opposed to odu. also that may help you get a job that will pay for your grad school.</p>

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<p>Not sure that both you and your brother can go on your dad’s GI bill. My understanding is that you get to use it ONCE and must use it within ten years of leaving service. The amount of the benefit also has to do with amount of time in service after 9/11. I could be wrong, but please check!</p>

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<p>jetsfan289, I see what you’re saying. So it definitely matters where I go for undergrad then? Because I want to go straight to grad school instead of working after undergrad.
Will do walker1194!</p>

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<p>If you are going straight to grad school, your university may not be important. This varies by field of study. In most cases your GPA, GRE scores, and recommendations matter more. It is OK to pick up the phone and have a little chat about grad school admissions with the head of the undergrad department that you are condidering.</p>

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<p>well if you do great at odu it wont matter. but i think excelling at uva in their business program looks great to every grad school and gives an edge over odu. plus it hurts odu a little since they dont have a business school, they just have a few majors. I toured odu and loved the campus by the way, but business isnt the strong suite there, take that into consideration. the quality of education may also differ. but do your own research and see what you like better.</p>

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<p>Could you consdier ODU for a couple years and transfer to UVA for your last two years? Best of both worlds?</p>

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<p>hugcheck it may not be easy to transfer into uva business school. i know villanova’s is impossible to get in transfer wise, and i think mendoza doesnt even allow transfers</p>

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<p>@happymomof1; I was hoping that that might be the case. If I were to do well at ODU and get the right scores, then what is preventing me from going to a good grad school? Maybe ODU’s lack of prestige?</p>

<p>@jetsfan289; I was thinking of that too. I definitely know that if I do well at UVA and make it into the business school, that I can probably go anywhere I want. I believe ODU does have a business program though, even if it isn’t very reputable?</p>

<p>@Hugcheck; Yes! Ideally, if i could somehow transfer and save money at the same time, that would be great! But like jetsfan said, it would be pretty hard to transfer into the school. UVA only admits 10% of its transfer applicants into Mcintire.</p>