Does VT college of Engineering guaranteed spot in a major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, Virginia Tech's College of Engineering doesn’t admit students directly into a specific major. Instead, students receive general admission into the College of Engineering, and after their first year, they are placed into a specific major—such as computer engineering—based on their GPA and other criteria.

So when a high school student says they’ve been admitted to Virginia Tech for computer engineering, is that a different type of admission? Does it mean they’ve received a guaranteed spot in that major?
What's the process for guaranteed major admission?

For most engineering majors, there is no direct admission to major at VT. VT deliberately has several mandatory "weed-out" classes (i.e., designed to force some % students out of the E School) in Freshman and Sophomore years, so the overall number of Juniors at VT in the E School is visibly lower than the number of Freshmen in the E School.

To get a popular major, such as ComputerE, one must both survive the weed-out classes AND have a high GPA afterwards.

Not all college E Schools have intentional "weed out" classes. Their existence (or not) at a particular college is one of the few meaningful differences between one E School and a different E School. ABET means all accredited E Schools have nearly identical curricula and that all are rigorous.

NP. I feel as if you're talking about "weed out" classes in a negative way. Schools with rigorous, demanding weed out classes ensure that ONLY the best engineering students remain in the program and receive degrees. Schools which coddle all students are dumbing down the curriculum. They are not graduating the best students.

Actually, they are ensuring that the size of the major stays within budget - -grades adjusted accordingly. That's what weed-out means.

It also means exactly what the PP said. Schools with weed out classes only graduate the best students. Anyone can graduate from schools without weed out classes. I know which one I prefer to hire from.
DP

Nah. I hire any with an applicable 4-year engineering degree from an ABET accredited college. The "no weed out" colleges also are rigorous and their students are equally capable.

I completely disagree. If someone graduates from a weed out program, you know they are a top-notch student. Not so much a school which allows anyone to get a degree, regardless of how unsuited they are for the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, Virginia Tech's College of Engineering doesn’t admit students directly into a specific major. Instead, students receive general admission into the College of Engineering, and after their first year, they are placed into a specific major—such as computer engineering—based on their GPA and other criteria.

So when a high school student says they’ve been admitted to Virginia Tech for computer engineering, is that a different type of admission? Does it mean they’ve received a guaranteed spot in that major?
What's the process for guaranteed major admission?

For most engineering majors, there is no direct admission to major at VT. VT deliberately has several mandatory "weed-out" classes (i.e., designed to force some % students out of the E School) in Freshman and Sophomore years, so the overall number of Juniors at VT in the E School is visibly lower than the number of Freshmen in the E School.

To get a popular major, such as ComputerE, one must both survive the weed-out classes AND have a high GPA afterwards.

Not all college E Schools have intentional "weed out" classes. Their existence (or not) at a particular college is one of the few meaningful differences between one E School and a different E School. ABET means all accredited E Schools have nearly identical curricula and that all are rigorous.

NP. I feel as if you're talking about "weed out" classes in a negative way. Schools with rigorous, demanding weed out classes ensure that ONLY the best engineering students remain in the program and receive degrees. Schools which coddle all students are dumbing down the curriculum. They are not graduating the best students.

Actually, they are ensuring that the size of the major stays within budget - -grades adjusted accordingly. That's what weed-out means.

It also means exactly what the PP said. Schools with weed out classes only graduate the best students. Anyone can graduate from schools without weed out classes. I know which one I prefer to hire from.
DP

Nah. I hire any with an applicable 4-year engineering degree from an ABET accredited college. The "no weed out" colleges also are rigorous and their students are equally capable.

I completely disagree. If someone graduates from a weed out program, you know they are a top-notch student. Not so much a school which allows anyone to get a degree, regardless of how unsuited they are for the program.

Laugh. MIT does not have weed out classes. Everyone they accept in engineering is capable of graduating in engineering. They have a high graduation rate. They provide various academic supports. You refuse to hire from MIT? That is just silly.