I have a student at VT and haven't heard anything at all about needing five years to graduate. My DC has had an excellent advisor throughout (now a junior) who helped plan every year's classes. No problem getting classes, though I think one semester he had to postpone taking something until the following semester - not a big deal though. And is now studying abroad and will still graduate in four years.

He absolutely loves VT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Syracuse grad '90 / LOVED IT!
I know nothing about VT

73-69!!!

If you know, you know.

0-62 VT... IYKYK....

Anonymous wrote:How much merit do they give for high stats, and what is "high stats" for Syracuse?

My DC is interested, but we def need merit aid - probably don't qualify for FA.

My kid got a Presidential scholarship at SU, which is 50% off tuition, with a 1440/4.4 gpa. This was a few years ago.

VT Engineering is ranked much higher than SU if that matters. If he’s not 100% sure about studying Engineering, it’s a closer call.

Anonymous wrote:Of course Syracuse.

Of course, Virginia Tech.

Of course Syracuse.

Where does he want to end up post-college geography wise? VT good for this area but SU may have a better national rep.

Anonymous wrote:Syracuse grad '90 / LOVED IT!
I know nothing about VT

73-69!!!

If you know, you know.

How much merit do they give for high stats, and what is "high stats" for Syracuse?

My DC is interested, but we def need merit aid - probably don't qualify for FA.

I went to VT, DH went to SU. I think both schools have a similar vibe, despite VT being public and SU being private. If your kid wanted Communications or Broadcasting (Newhouse) or Government (Maxwell), I would go with SU if cost isn’t an issue. For Engineering, I would choose VT. Both schools have a huge amount of school spirit, good alumni networks, and nice campus.

I am from NY and picked VT over Syracuse. They are both good schools, but that weather is not a minor factor

If graduating with an engineering degree is the goal, I would definitely choose VT as its program is better than Syracuse's. That said, Syracuse's engineering program is much smaller and likely provides more individual attention. Syracuse is stronger for communications, and for most other majors, the schools are roughly comparable. You can't go wrong with either school, especially if the cost is the same. My kid applied to both and would have been happy attending either one.

I went to Syracuse and loved it.

But I can see why both are appealing. If he drops out of engineering, both have a wide range of other programs. Great school spirit.

If his scholarship is tied to a certain GPA, maybe check and see what happens if he goes below that GPA. (Like, if he starts out in engineering and gets a couple of bad grades.)

Syracuse grad '90 / LOVED IT!
I know nothing about VT

Because of merit money, cost is exactly the same. DS in engineering now but I don’t see him staying in it. Will probably major in something he’s never considered yet. Drawn to both for school spirit and vibe. He is at a competitive private and a bit over the rat race. I lean towards private colleges for the services. The thought of doing 5 years at VT because classes aren’t available is the biggest con to me (is that even accurate? Or just a myth?)

Which would you pick?