Wesleyan University Vs UVA

Globalist
Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:01:03 +0000

Bccdhppy, for what you’re interested in studying, I think your best options are between UVa and NYU. Did you get into NYU Stern?

There are 2 main things to consider between UVa and NYU. First of all, if you did get into Stern, NYU’s business program is a 4 year program while UVA’s is a 2 year program that you enter in your junior year. The benefit in [McIntire’s 2 year program](http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/Pages/default.aspx) is that you have a more balanced and well-rounded business/liberal arts education. (The downside - you have to wait until your sophomore year to apply, but if you’re smart & work hard, I think you’ll get in.) Now, some will say that going to Stern will give you an edge in IBanking because it’s right here in NY, but UVa also does very well with [job placement](http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/career_services/destinations/2009_Destinations_Report.pdf) in the Big Apple with the [2nd largest group of UVa alums – around 10,000 of us – living here in NY](http://www.virginia.edu/Facts/Glance_Alumni.html). Plus, for what it’s worth The McIntire School of Commerce is consistently [ranked #1 or #2 by Business Week every year](http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/undergrad_bschool_2009), and it’s known for being a small, tight-knit community with only 660 students.

Another thing to consider is campus life. UVa has a very historic, beautiful campus and a student body with a lot of school spirit plus fun, quirky traditions like streaking the lawn and [secret societies/url. Also, if you love sports, one thing that UVa has that neither Wesleyan or NYU has is a vibrant sports culture. As a student and later as an alumnus, it feels great to come together to cheer UVa and see our teams play on national television…may it be for football or basketball (which hopefully the UVa squads will get better) as well as sports where Virginia truly excels – such as [url=http://augustafreepress.com/2009/12/13/uva-wins-sixth-ncaa-men&#8217;s-soccer-championship]soccer[/url], [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/sports/11lacrosse.html]lacrosse[/url], [url=http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/sports/cavalier_insider/ci_baseball/article/uva_baseball_hits_new_high/52648]baseball[/url], tennis, [url=http://www.uvaswimdive.com]swimming[/url], rowing…and yes, even [url=http://www.vapolo.org/history.html]polo[/url].

Unlike UVa (or Wesleyan for that matter), NYU doesn’t really have a campus or cohesive student experience since the university is interspersed around lower Manhattan. Now, IMO NY’s strength can also be its weakness. What I mean by that is NYC is such an amazing, exciting city, but frankly, I couldn’t imagine going to college in New York because there are so many distractions in this city that never sleeps. Knowing how much I love experiencing life to the fullest (a.k.a. partying), I would not have done well academically if I went to college here. (BTW, UVa is known for partying hard too, but somehow, I was able to balance studying/partying better in Charlottesville.) This doesn’t mean you should write NYC off though. Maybe you’re a better bookworm than me. Furthermore, most private schools are smaller than public schools like UVa, but with NYU’s 22k undergrads/50k total students, it makes UVA with its 14k undergrads/20k total students seem more an LAC. Plus, NYU plans to [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/arts/design/23nyu.html]get even larger by 40%](Hoo Stories: A UVa Student Blog: Secret Societies).

Whatever the case, going to either UVa, NYU or Wesleyan will give you an excellent college education. What you really need to consider is what kind of college experience you want. Once you do that, the right choice between UVa, NYU or Wesleyan will crystallize more clearly for you.

Good luck!