VT requires a 3.0 to be guaranteed first choice major after general engineering. Most get their choice of major and a kid who also got into Cornell should be able to meet that threshold. Of course, you never know for sure on that. But there is a good support system if needed. And plenty of companies that recruit there, both regional and national, loyal alumni , and great school spirit!
I don’t know about VT, but as an alum, i believe no one should go to Cornell that doesn’t absolutely want to be there. it’s too hard, otherwise. Good luck to your family!
She will get an excellent education at VT.
She likes VT.
VT is more affordable.
What more does dad need to know???
I’m having a tough time comprehending why a college she doesn’t particularly like is even still being considered, especially when it’s more expensive. It’s her life and VT is an awesome option (says the gal who is a VT alum and married to a VT alum engineer). Even if that latter part weren’t true, I can’t fathom making a youngster go somewhere they don’t like unless it absolutely had to be done because of finances (being less expensive).
Again, it’s her life and VT is a terrific option. Shouldn’t she get to make the final choice?
Agree. Why is Cornell even still on the table if she doesn’t even like it? If it were a cheaper instate school (SUNY), might still be worth being in the mix to keep costs down, but Cornell is more expensive than her other options for the family…I’m not getting why a school that is substantially more expensive, that a kid doesn’t even like, is still under consideration. It is usually the teenager that is pushing for the more expensive, elite school! Not the parent. Good luck with the final decision!
Because When she didn’t get accepted to Yale, Cornell because the “At least I got into Cornell, and it’s still an Ivy” School. That is, she resisted Dad’s initial assumption that Of COURSE she would go to Cornell, but then when he started flip-flopping on cost, she got frustrated and defensive. Cornell wasn’t her dream school, but she was warming up to the idea of going to an Ivy that wasn’t Yale. But she still wanted to see Tech.
Ok, so we went back to VT. Cornell is this coming weekend. And this much is now clear:
It isn’t really about the school for her at all. She is a little stressed about choosing because choosing means leaving home, and she is only 17 still. She is a little scared. So NO choice feels exciting right now.
But she really does
Like VT. And Dad, having seen it, sat in on the engineering sessions, and researched the heck out of it, is more than pleased. She will LIKELY decide on her own that VT is the right place - but she wants to see Cornell first. Because she got in. And, she wants us to spend a little more time with her maybe. But she is more a cooperative person than a competitive person, and everyone at VT was just so NICE. I mean, everyone, down to the couple at the next table who were alumni and spent their whole dinner talking to us. The girl who introduced herself to us after overhearing our conversation, and offered her dorm room for a tour and a cell number in case we had any questions. And more. So thanks everyone, I think we are good here. If anyone wants to know the final-final, I can post next week.
Case has single door admissions…that is, once you are in the school you dont’ have to apply for engineering or anything. You can also take classes from, say, the business school without having to be a business major.
Case has a strong liberal arts component as well (as it was formed from the merger of a liberal arts and techy school). The male female ratio is 50/50.
Case is situated in the University Circle, a square mile of culture including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Art museum, Natural history museum, etc.
Case has both undergraduate research opportunities and coop…depending if you like the more theoretical or practical (or both!)
Case has the think[box]…a lab for inventing complete with tools (3d printers, laser cutters, etc etc) and they teach you how to use them.
I would characterize Case as having cooperative vs. competitive students.
She has to get a 3.0 freshman year to be guaranteed her major, but we have all agreed that if she can’t pull 3.0 in engineering then maybe she shouldn’t be an engineer. She spoke to a former classmate about workload and rigor of courses and she is pretty confident she will get her major.
She decided not to visit since she had two strong choices, and actually prefers a quieter environment. I have no idea why she liked Northeastern, because in general she doesn’t like cities. She even gets claustrophobic if the TREES are too close together. VT gets points for being the least claustrophobic campus.
Agree with you @Gudmom. A 3.0 should not be a problem and most kids do get their first choice of major . Glad you enjoyed your visit to Virginia Tech. It is a lovely campus with many friendly students and great food! Enjoy your visit to Cornell.
VT is a great school for Engineering. Good luck to your dau.
VT it is!
Many times young adults want their own experience and following in dads footsteps isn’t super appealing. Cornell is well known to be a bit of meat grinder for kids in premed. Not sure about engineering. Rensselaer is a preeminent school. VT is also elite in the global picture.
Cornell is great but it doesn’t automatically lead to a life of leisure and riches or guaranteed happiness. If so your hubby would write s check for all four years and be done with it. It’s a long life and being happy is more important in the end than anything. Any of these schools offer your d a great chance at all that is good in life and a great engineering job if that what she wants.
Tell him to let her grow and be independent. It’s our first job as parents.
Great decision! 
Have fun in Blacksburg. Hope your daughter has a wonderful time at Virginia Tech. Go Hokies!
Question, if you knew you couldn’t afford Cornell and Yale, why apply? To say that you got in to an ivy? Maybe I’m naive, but I would think before anyone applied to a college they would have a pretty good assessment of what they can afford and not afford.
Congrats on VT!
@Gudmom Congrats So happy for you and your student. You are in fact, a good mom.
@socaldad2002 Although she is our second to apply to college, we (and at least one of our friends, apparently) did not understand how to interpret the EFC. It was slightly less than when our son applied, but not half or anything dramatic. Income was also slightly less since I stopped working mid year (disabled younger child, a different story) and 529 had been drawn down a bit. We did not understand that it was the EFC per CHILD. Because I do the laundry at my house and I haven’t noticed $140,000 falling out of anyone’s pockets, we didn’t realize what we were getting into. And Yale, in particular, INVITED people to “pick up the phone and call us” if there were circumstances…and the example she gave was almost exactly the case with our disabled child, who we Are placing in private school after fighting with the district for 4 years over services…oh, look, I did tell you the story. Anyway, that was the EXACT example she used, and the family ended up going from full paynto getting $25 K per year for four years. Which would have been EXACTLY what she got from RPI and would have made all schools about the same. So we were thinking Yale, not Cornell. We LOVED Yale. They seemed really really nice. And, Gilmore Girls. She chose Yale. But, they didn’t choose her. So then there was Cornell.
Cornell has a chip on their shoulder (it was made very clear) they actually said in the financial aid session “Our endowment is not as big as Harvard , Princeton and Yale, so they can give more money away” and they sounded kind of ticked off about it. Less than half of the kids at Cornell get financial aid.
I didn’t really intend to tell the whole story. It makes me sound naive or ignorant. I suppose I was, but I don’t think I’m the only one who can’t believe what ‘they’ actually think a family “can afford”. The very existence of parent plus loans makes it quite clear that families can’t really “afford” their EFCs.
Sounds like you made a great choice and you don’t owe anyone an explanation!
VT is a solid choice.
It’s been fun following this thread. I have an incoming Hokie engineer, wait listed at Cornell and a few others, accepted early action for UVA Engineering. Based on family income, it’s possible we could pay less at one of the wait listed schools, but it sounds like Cornell isn’t likely to offer much. And even then, we got great vibes at VT, loved the campus, and kid loves sports (both playing and spectating) and feels the extracurriculars are an especially good fit. Reading the comments from those who’ve had kids at VT, their impressions of the Cornell grind, and positive impressions of the culture compared to other campuses makes me think it’s time to fully commit and stop checking wait list status. Similar to your experience with the Cornell prestige, plenty of people both in and OOS, think we’re nuts for turning down UVA.