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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
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.[/quote]
There are some great points here.

I went to grad school (PhD) with someone with a ugrad and MS from VTech, and I was not impressed with his preparation.  He really struggled with things that should not have been difficult for someone with an MS.  William and Mary actually seemed to offer stronger undergrad preparation, IMHO.  And, FWIW, though it was ages ago my PhD advisor's undergrad degree was from UVa.  I think VTech is much more for someone who wants to be an applied engineer coming straight out of undergrad.  It does not offer the more expansive theoretical preparation that someone going on to advanced degree programs or more of a leadership type role could benefit from.

That said, students will be most successful where they feel comfortable and fit in.  If you kid likes the feel of VTech better, they will be able to get the prep they need there if they apply themselves.[/quote]

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