UVA vs. VT Engineering. Could anyone offer us an opinion?

[Anonymous]

I think the culture is very different at both schools. UVA is renown for being preppy and affluent. VTech has a more middle class vibe, along with some on-campus military stuff. Both are good schools that respected within their strengths.

This is very un-PC, but I think I'd send my son to VTech and my daughter to UVA.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the response. She's going down on Monday (fcps day off) to visit UVA and see what she thinks of the general vibe of the place before she starts asking about the engineering school.

PP-why a son at VT and a daughter at UVA?

[Anonymous]

If she is 100% sure she wants to do engineering and stay in it, I would say VT. If she thinks she may want to branch out, UVA is a good choice.

-Someone who went to UVA who is the daughter of someone who went to VT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she is 100% sure she wants to do engineering and stay in it, I would say VT. If she thinks she may want to branch out, UVA is a good choice.

-Someone who went to UVA who is the daughter of someone who went to VT

THIS! DS got into both. He wanted aerospace engineering. He also got into Georgia Tech and Purdue so had some pretty hard decisions. But he knew he wasn't 100% aerospace engineering although he thought he was at the time. He selected UVA (halleluiah! in-state tuition). UVA has opened his thinking to politics, economics, history, as well as calculus and aerospace engineering. He is in the engineering department now (for aerospace) but I would not be at all surprised if he announced someday that he was shifting over to "Arts & Crafts" (UVA's joke term for liberal arts courses). I have been excited for him. He loves the school and clearly made the right pick. If he had gone to Purdue or especially Georgia Tech, he would be now finding himself forced into aerospace engineering. There is a small liberal arts community there but it is not why you go to GA Tech. As for UVA vs. Tech, unless your daughter is 100% committed to engineering, I don't think there is even an issue on the table. UVA is consistently rated 1,2 or 3 for best public university. Tech simply doesn't have that reputation. She could also start at UVA - which has a great engineering program of its own - my son is being taught by a female astronaut - and if she decides she really wants Tech later, she can transfer. But it would be much more difficult to transfer from Va. Tech to UVA.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who turned down Duke for VT and is very happy there. Liked the campus vibe more and thought the program excellent. Parents wondered about decision but let dc choose and have spoken highly of experience since.

[Anonymous]

This is a great thread. It's made me realize that my DC would prefer the applied engineering schools versus the theoretical. Management consulting does not appeal to my kid at all, and would like to design/build/solve. We've found in our search process that we really like the co-op programs that many programs offer students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have degrees from both (one under other grad) but can speak to both undergrad. UVA tends to be more theoretical while VT tends to be more practical/application based. For example, UVA civil was not using some main software packages in instruction while VT was.

UVA tends to send graduates to management consulting or gov contracting. VT sends more to traditional industry (Exxon, Dow, GM, etc). Here is the main VT engineering job fair. https://expo.sec.vt.edu/students/employer-list/

UVA is much smaller so more personal interactions with professors.

And finally, the larger university cultures are quite different.

Not the OP but what a great post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know someone who turned down Duke for VT and is very happy there. Liked the campus vibe more and thought the program excellent. Parents wondered about decision but let dc choose and have spoken highly of experience since.

I do too. In fact, I know 2 people who turned down Duke for VT. One was engineer and the other one was not. Both from out of state so instate tuition was not the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a great thread. It's made me realize that my DC would prefer the applied engineering schools versus the theoretical. Management consulting does not appeal to my kid at all, and would like to design/build/solve. We've found in our search process that we really like the co-op programs that many programs offer students.

+1. Not op, but this is a helpful thread. Personally, if my daughter or son was uncertain, I would want them to go to UVA. UVA has the name. If they were certain about the engineering major, then I don't know.

[Anonymous]

I have degrees from both (one under other grad) but can speak to both undergrad. UVA tends to be more theoretical while VT tends to be more practical/application based. For example, UVA civil was not using some main software packages in instruction while VT was.

It what year was this?

What is the name of the software? I find it hard to believe that these days there would be much difference in software being used if there is a best practice.

[Anonymous]

UVA has an honors engineering program (Rodman scholars - Echols scholars are the equivalent in Arts & Sciences), which is a very close-knit and supportive group; as an Echols and later an RA in the Echols/Rodman dorms, I lived with several female Rodman scholars and they were all brilliant, really thrived in that program, and have gone on to great jobs at companies like Exxon and P&G. My impression is that UVA is strong in 'softer' disciplines like Systems, Civil, and Biomedical engineering (plus the Architecture school is very strong, if OP's DD might be leaning that direction, as well). For things like Industrial, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, Agriculture - Tech is likely a better bet. There is a large ROTC presence in the UVA Engineering school, although many ROTC students take 5 years to finish the engineering degree because the school doesn't do a great job of integrating the ROTC and BS requirements.

Slightly OT, but ironic based on years of reputation and recent media coverage, I think Tech might be the bigger Greek/'party' school these days (source: my little sister who is a current UVA student).

[Anonymous]

My nephew was in this boat two years ago. He and my sister went to UVA Engineering Day (or something like that) and they were completely unimpressed. My sister said the engineering exhibits she saw looked like something from a middle school science fair. He ended up at a different school out of state, and decided against engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA would probably be the more enjoyable student experience, but come job interviewing time you will want to be at Virginia Tech, which will send many more recruiters there.

Why would you think that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the culture is very different at both schools. UVA is renown for being preppy and affluent. VTech has a more middle class vibe, along with some on-campus military stuff. Both are good schools that respected within their strengths.

This is very un-PC, but I think I'd send my son to VTech and my daughter to UVA.

You're not the only one. I'd do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Engineering is the only discipline where I'd choose VT over UVA.

Then it shows how little you know about the majors at VT.