Yes, Charlottesville absolutely has issues with crime. It seems to have become an epidemic in college towns. I would agree that Georgia Tech is safer, as I would agree Georgia Tech is safer than Athens, Georgia, where UGA is located.
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We visited UVA and will also go next weekend for the engineering open house.
We never visited GT - planning for spring break
I would strongly encourage a visit to both if you can swing it. We did, and there is a stark contrast between the two programs and the two schools. My guess is your son will have a strong preference for one or the other after seeing both! Congratulations on two great choices!
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I think thatās going to be your best bet to differentiate. They have a very different culture and vibe, and you should go with the one that you think your son will thrive in the best - as long as both are comfortably affordable.
From an outcomes perspective if your student thrives, then heāll have a lot of great opportunities. If heās miserable, he likely wonāt do as well and his outcomes could suffer.
Talk to engineering students at both to get a feel for them.
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I would question that these most desired firms listed are the most desired. Every kid is different. My kid applied to only Lockheed from that list. Would have zero interest in the others.
I get it - Ga Tech is top shelf.
But there are kids that got in that choose other, less prestigious in the major schools. Or kids like mine that would not apply given itās environment.
And there are many kids making a lot of money at firms not listed here.
My sonās best offer was from a chemical company in Atlanta I never heard of. Their offer was super high and even had a pension. It blew away General Dynamics, which while not on the list od most desired companies you mention, I think is considered top shelf. Just ask them - they told my son they were when they rejected his counter :).
Tesla, which the list mentions, is in my industry and is the last place Iād want my kid to work. Iāve heard nothing but horror stories.
I point all this out to say if OP does decide to go to UVA - and itās a personal call - the future would still be very bright for her son.
But all your points of environment are noted and fair. And Iāll just add that thank goodness UVA doesnāt have a hospitality major like my kidās school :). Va Tech does but not UVA. Yes at most schools, all kids arenāt rowing in the same direction academically. So that is a nice feature of Ga Tech.
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I am reading all answers and take notes. I thank you all, it is very informing for me.
Iāve learned about the possibility of majoring in engineering with a minor in business - it sounds very appealing to me as I have the same background (degree in engineering from my country and business from US). Although I am working in finance, few times I could use my engineering thinking to approach things different.
Thank you for moving the thread - I didnāt mean to pollute other subjects ā¦
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And youād be amazed at how many engineers get an MBA - and itās a lethal combination 
So whether now or later, they can get that business aspect if they so choose.
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Iām not sure that list of āfeederā programs is that useful. I donāt think itās any surprise those are all pretty much large enginnering programs, meaning they have more students to feed into various companies. I think itās inaccurate to suggest that you may not get into these companies without a degree from one of these schools, or even that itās necessarily easier.
My D goes to a T20 school with a very strong engineerign program but it is on the small side. Her classmates are getting jobs at all these ātopā companies and doing very well in the job search process. But there is simply not enough of them to ever make a list such as this. In her specific enginneering major there are maybe only 40 of them this year and only 1/3 of them are looking to go to work right after graduation (the rest are doing grad school, med school, etc.). The fact that they are not on this list does not mean their degree is not getting them into these same companies, they simply only have a fraction of the students going into the workforce.
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The allowance of guns on campus would be a non-starter for me or my kids personally. Seems like a ticking time bomb. Just asking for trouble.
tsbna44 - what do you mean with the hospitality degree ? 
P.S. I donāt even know what a hospitality degree is
True - actually my approach is not that he should get into a big known corporation. From personal experience, sometimes smaller companies have a better environment, less cut-throat and sometimes more care for the employees.
What I would like to make sure is that he will get a job with less hassle - my son, at least at this age, is far from a hassler and Iām afraid is part of his personality - so the easier a job offer comes to him, the better.
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Examples:
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Both great schools, with good recruiting. Different vibes. UVA sounds like a good fit. UVA is a smaller, cooperative program, with good outcomes.
Good luck with the decision!
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Unfortunately that would rule out both schools in consideration.
Itās easy to say Georgia Tech is a āno brainer,ā because itās ranked so high. One has to step back though and ask where did those rankings come from? They are based solely on institutional reputation asked to one random employee. Thatās it! Plus, those opinions are based on the graduate programs.
There are a LOT of very good aerospace programs. Opportunities will be plentiful at all of them if your son fully avails himself of all the opportunities in front of him.
What evidence do I have to confidently say that? Placement data from LinkedIn. Below are the to four employers for GT, UVA, Alabama-Hunstville, and Western Michigan, the latter schools on virtually no CC posterās radar.
GT: Lockheed, Boeing, Northrup, Gulfstream
UVA: Northrup, Boeing, Lockheed, GE
AL-Huntsville: Boeing, NASA, Northrop, Lockheed
Western Michigan: GE, Boeing, Delta, Parker Aerospace
Fit and budget should rule over the FOMO on a highly ranked school that may end up being a miserable experience.
EDIT: Just for self interest, I added my sonās alma mater and our local flagship.
Cal Poly: Northrop, Boeing, Lockheed, JPL
Oregon State: Boeing, Colling Aerospace, USAF, Northrup
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For engineering, I would hands down pick GT if it was affordable. There is something special about being at a school of mostly STEM students. Their co-op program is wonderful and very strong industry ties.
If your child isnāt 100% sure about engineering, then UVA would give more options for switching majors.
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There are always going to be different opinions on stuff like this. Many kids , even if theyāre engineers , donāt want a heavily STEM school. The key is ABET accreditation, cost, fit, and good outcomes. Neither GT nor UVA are āno brainersā here. Just depends on what kind of school the son prefers. Very different vibes.
Many kids go to community college or their instate options for engineering and do fine.
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Importantly though, thatās your opinion. Our son wanted just the opposite.
Certainly he ended up around engineers a lot, and with over 6000 in the College of Engineering at Cal Poly. He specifically wanted a ātypical college experienceā though. That meant no applications to MIT, CMU, Caltech, GT, etc. even though he had the stats to be very competitive.
The secret is knowing what you or your child as an applicant will wants.
The great thing about AE is that you can throw a dart at schools and end up in a great spot. Continuing with the theme of theyāre all good, hereās MIT. Itās the same as AL-Huntsville.
MIT: Boeing, Northrop, NASA, Lockheed
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Yes, 100% just my opinion! And parents who ask these questions are asking us for our opinions. : ). My kid was not a fan of UVA. Couldnāt see herself there at all.
Thankfully OPās student is able to visit and hopefully make a decision for themselves.
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Right. And my UVA engineering grad had no interest in schools like MIT or CMU (his dadās alma mater) or Georgia Tech. Itās all good. The son should visit and decide.
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