VT worth higher cost?

[Anonymous]

DC has been accepted to VT. We are OOS and DC does not want to attend our in-state school (UMD), which we’re fine with. DC is deciding between VT, Case Western, Drexel, RIT and WPI. They got merit aid at all of the private schools that brings the cost below VT by about 10-15k per year.

I don’t know much about engineering schools, but VT seems to have the best rep among these. But is the rep worth the extra cost? We can afford it - no loans involved - but I’m questioning whether there’s any extra value in the VT reputation for engineering if DC would be equally happy at one of the other schools.

[Anonymous]

I feel like you need to visit all the top choices you listed and then decide. They all have really different campus environments. And maybe learn about job placements and internships and support at the career center.

[Anonymous]

This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

For ME, VA Tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

OP said to assume kid is equally happy anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

I’m not and I didn’t say I was. I can source that information from my kid. But I can’t assess how other people perceive the reputations of the schools without asking. To be clear, I’m not asking folks to tell us which school to choose, just how would they think about the reputation of Va Tech compared to the other schools. Because if DC ends up liking one of the other schools just as much as Va Tech, and there’s no real reputational boost from Va Tech, then that helps the decision immensely.

Sorry if this isn’t making sense - before starting this process with DC, I had never even heard of these schools, other than Va Tech. I’m a humanities major. Learning about STEM education and careers has been interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

For ME, VA Tech

Did they get admitted to ME though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you need to visit all the top choices you listed and then decide. They all have really different campus environments. And maybe learn about job placements and internships and support at the career center.

Good advice here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

For ME, VA Tech

Did they get admitted to ME though?

This is OP. My understanding is that Va Tech admits to engineering generally, then you specialize after first year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

I’m not and I didn’t say I was. I can source that information from my kid. But I can’t assess how other people perceive the reputations of the schools without asking. To be clear, I’m not asking folks to tell us which school to choose, just how would they think about the reputation of Va Tech compared to the other schools. Because if DC ends up liking one of the other schools just as much as Va Tech, and there’s no real reputational boost from Va Tech, then that helps the decision immensely.

Sorry if this isn’t making sense - before starting this process with DC, I had never even heard of these schools, other than Va Tech. I’m a humanities major. Learning about STEM education and careers has been interesting.

OP, I can assure you that your experience of not knowing about these schools would be reversed for locals in their home regions. They would be wondering about VT. When I was in college in Western PA we had one classmate go to VT and we were all pretty mystified by that given all the engineering schools in PA, OH, and NY.

I would say that Case Western might be worth considering based on the kind of high stats students they enroll. But it's a very different campus from VT.

If your kid wants a job in the DMV, VA Tech is an easy option. The extra money it costs won't be a big deal in context of a lifetime engineering career.

If there's any chance your kid might want to switch away from engineering, you should factor that in. VT and Case are probably both good for that. I'm not sure if RPI and WPI would work in that event.

It probably would be easier to get a job in New England from a Northern school just because of proximity. Opposite true for VT. Not sure where Case places its grads, but I did have a DMV manager whose kid went there and the kid now works on defense contracts in the DC area after some years working in the Cleveland area.

I toured Drexel last year. I liked it. It reminded me of Pitt where I went to undergrad. However, I think VT and Case would have a higher academic bar and so I don't think I would advise a kid to pick Drexel over those two.

TL;DR your kid should pick based on comfort with peer group, campus characteristics, and where they hope to work after college. VT is a leading contender but not a lock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

I’m not and I didn’t say I was. I can source that information from my kid. But I can’t assess how other people perceive the reputations of the schools without asking. To be clear, I’m not asking folks to tell us which school to choose, just how would they think about the reputation of Va Tech compared to the other schools. Because if DC ends up liking one of the other schools just as much as Va Tech, and there’s no real reputational boost from Va Tech, then that helps the decision immensely.

Sorry if this isn’t making sense - before starting this process with DC, I had never even heard of these schools, other than Va Tech. I’m a humanities major. Learning about STEM education and careers has been interesting.

OP, I can assure you that your experience of not knowing about these schools would be reversed for locals in their home regions. They would be wondering about VT. When I was in college in Western PA we had one classmate go to VT and we were all pretty mystified by that given all the engineering schools in PA, OH, and NY.

I would say that Case Western might be worth considering based on the kind of high stats students they enroll. But it's a very different campus from VT.

If your kid wants a job in the DMV, VA Tech is an easy option. The extra money it costs won't be a big deal in context of a lifetime engineering career.

If there's any chance your kid might want to switch away from engineering, you should factor that in. VT and Case are probably both good for that. I'm not sure if RPI and WPI would work in that event.

It probably would be easier to get a job in New England from a Northern school just because of proximity. Opposite true for VT. Not sure where Case places its grads, but I did have a DMV manager whose kid went there and the kid now works on defense contracts in the DC area after some years working in the Cleveland area.

I toured Drexel last year. I liked it. It reminded me of Pitt where I went to undergrad. However, I think VT and Case would have a higher academic bar and so I don't think I would advise a kid to pick Drexel over those two.

TL;DR your kid should pick based on comfort with peer group, campus characteristics, and where they hope to work after college. VT is a leading contender but not a lock.

Case is private and cheaper for you. If equally happy, it is hard to beat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

OP said to assume kid is equally happy anywhere.

OP said no such thing. Kid hasn’t even visited each of the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - DC didn’t want to go to UMD because we live very close to it and they wanted to get farther from home. Major will be in engineering (EE, CE or ME).

We have visited or are scheduled to visit all the campuses - I know the schools have very different vibes. I’m purely asking about reputation of the schools and their perceived value.

Why are you placing “perceived value” higher than where your kid feels most comfortable? That is so bizarre and backwards.

OP said to assume kid is equally happy anywhere.

OP said no such thing. Kid hasn’t even visited each of the schools.

Last sentence of the OP.

[Anonymous]

VT. Just a better and happier place/campus and engineering school.