UVA vs. VT Engineering. Could anyone offer us an opinion?
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Anonymous
| Hello, My daughter just got accepted early action to UVA. She is waiting to hear from VT engineering (she didn't do early decision) which is where she says she'd like to go. Money is an issue- ie scholarships etc- but all things being equal--which would be the best for the study of mechanical engineering? |
Anonymous
Tech. Always for engineering. They should be similar in cost. |
Anonymous
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They're really different schools. If she gets into both, have her visit them again. Everyone I know who got into both had a strong preference for one.
Tech is pretty strict with just engineering in their engineering school. UVA has business and humanities in their engineering school. Class size is smaller at UVA. |
Anonymous
| Engineering is the only discipline where I'd choose VT over UVA. |
Anonymous
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UVA engineering seems to be a tacked on U dergrad program.
I would choose tech for my son in your shoes. |
Anonymous
| This issue came up with my DC two years ago and my neighbor's DC the year before. All advice was Tech for engineering. |
Anonymous
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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. |
Anonymous
What years? It's really hard to take advice from people who don't have recent experience. |
Anonymous
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Found recruiters for UVA's next engineering job fair:
https://career.virginia.edu/career-fairs/engineering-science-and-technology-career-fair |
Anonymous
06 and 08. |
Anonymous
| Va Tech has many more degree program choices than UVA in engineering. A lot more research funding so chance to work on some interesting programs. |
Anonymous
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Virginia is a unique engineering school. A lot of the grads there go into related fields such as consulting rather than straight to an engineering discipline. I think that UVA has a more holistic perspective on business rather than just engineering as problem solving.
VT is a straightforward engineering program. If the kid is a problem solver, how things work type then it's probably VT. If she wants engineering because she likes the pursuit but maybe not quite as linear in her thinking, then its UVA. We hire kids from both and its not that one is better than the other in any way - we have superstars from both - but I believe you can see the difference |
Anonymous
Tech has biological, construction, mining and ocean which UVA doesn't have Uva has biomedical which tech doesn't have. Not sure that's "many." Particularly since those are Techs four smallest majors. Construction and mining exist primarily bc of the support of a few prominent mining and construction donor families. |
Anonymous
| I'm an engineer and think of Va Tech as more of an engineer's, and engineering, school. I'd go with Tech. |
Anonymous
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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.
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