Quote Originally Posted by applegum View Post
If he's set on the NoVa/DC area make sure he knows almost all of the good schools are private. If he likes the scene from those areas though and wants to be in a city, VCU is a pretty good school and Richmond is a pretty fun city. Every single one of my friends from high school with the exception of one ended up there, whether by transfer or straight out of school. I almost went there, but ended up in Toronto instead.
I didn't go there, but the University of Maryland is a very good school and it's public. It is about 8 miles from the center of DC (and very close to Proteus, the Best Bike Shop Around!) George Mason is also public and quite good. It's on the DC Metro line. James Madison is a further out, but a good school, too (and public). Of course, being an out-of-state student will mean that tuition is high in all public schools. I don't know much about VCU even though I live in Richmond, but it seems to be a vibrant and active place. It has a great art and design program, and city planning is also pretty good. So is social work, I hear, and I'm sure all the rest, too. Richmond is a neat city with lots to do. The University of Richmond is here, too. It's small and private, but very pretty.