<p>I know U of I has a much better ranking in Engineering, but do you think it is worth it to go to UVA for more well rounded education?</p>
<p>I think it depends on how serious you are about engineering.</p>
<p>Most Bachelor’s of Science or Bachelor’s of Engineering engineering programs, including UI and UVA, require a ton of engineering coursework–so much that students barely take any classes outside of math/science/engineering. As CC member sakky says, a degree in physics could take perhaps 2.5 years if you barely studied anything else. For engineering, although the material isn’t necessarily more challenging, it would take the full 4 years. That’s the nature of ABET-certified engineering degrees.</p>
<p>There are some schools that offer non ABET-certified degrees that aren’t very specific to one type of engineering; some even offer Bachelor’s of Arts in Engineering, which is plenty preparation for grad school in engineering or something else (less helpful for getting a job in industry). There’s more time to take lots of courses in other areas and get the full experience of a well-rounded school. I don’t think UVA has one of those, nor does Illinois.</p>
<p>These aren’t very common though. Very few people do them. So it comes down to the plain fact that engineering students don’t get much of the benefits of strong departments across the board in areas outside engineering. Any other major, I’d guess (only an educated guess), gets much more benefit from well-roundedness, which is why it’s so valued (they’re taking more courses across the board). Engineering’s supposed to be a great major. Within it, you can have a blast at Illinois. They have such a wide range of studies and high quality teaching and facilities (not to mention the prestige). </p>
<p>I don’t want to speak too much beyond my experience; I too am just a senior considering majoring in engineering. But what I’ve overwhelmingly gathered is that if you major in engineering, you’re gonna be doing engineering. That is, academically you will be doing math, science, and engineering for the huge huge majority of your time. </p>
<p>So if you decide on engineering, which is a big commitment, this speaks to the favor of Illinois, no doubt!</p>
<p>At UVA you’re required to take 9 hours, or at least 3 courses, of humanities. You’re also required to take 12 hours, 4 courses, of a technical writing class. You also have anywhere from 6-9 hours, 2-3 classes, of unrestricted electives, for which you can take anything from art to yodeling to math.</p>
<p>Long story short? At UVA, you can take plenty of classes outside of math/science. That’s why I came here, in fact. It’s the best of both worlds, and the College of Arts and Sciences here is a fantastic school. You can also go take education or A-school classes.
If you’re looking for a “well-rounded” engineering education, definitely consider UVA, since you’ll definitely get it. And, UVA is a top 25 school, second best public school to Berkeley.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to the merits of U of I, but I am a first-year in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at UVA. This semester, I’m taking Physics, Calculus, Chemistry, Engineering Design, and French Literature. UVA will give you all of the necessary tools to become a successful engineer, but it will also enable (read: require) you to take courses outside of engineering. Not only will you be a great engineer, but you’ll be the kind of person people want to invite to dinner parties. :)</p>
<p>When I was your age (a whole year ago), I didn’t think I would end up at UVA. I’ve only been here for three weeks, and I can’t even imagine being anywhere else. </p>
<p>On another note, UVA does offer an “honors” program of sorts for engineers, the Rodman program. I believe they are changing they way they are admitting students - in the past, you would simply receive a letter/e-mail a few days before decisions were announced, giving you the benefit of knowing a few days early. I don’t know if this is going to be implemented this year or sometime in the more distant future, but the Rodman Council has discussed creating an application process for students - it’s a really great program, and if it’s something you can get involved in, that’s just another big check mark for UVA!</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions about what life is like as a first-year engineer or a first-year in general!</p>
<p>On the subject of taking courses outside of Engineering, in addition to what others have said above, you will get additional opportunities if you come in with AP or college-in-high school credits that free up time you’d otherwise use for some of the required engineering courses. Naturally that’s an individual thing. However I’d also question the assumption here that at UVa you’d give up quality in your engineering education in exchange for a better educational experience overall. In my view, engineering rankings as applied to undergraduate programs don’t tell you much. At this level, how you as an individual fit with a particular program (overall size, class sizes, offerings vs. your specific interests, attitudes and interests of fellow students, cooperative vs. competitive environment, etc.) should have much more impact on your success (and happiness) than rankings (and anyway, UVa’s rankings aren’t what you’d call low!). I also don’t think there will be any significant differences between successful UVa and U of I students in terms of coops/internships, eventual job offers, starting salaries, graduate school admission, etc. - both schools’ engineering grads are quite well regarded.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I am also a first year SEAS (engineering) student - and I plan on double majoring in economics. This option is the only reason I didn’t apply to hardcore engineering schools.</p>
<p>I question the original premise: why do you assume going to UVA would give a more rounded education that one at Illinois? Both schools have very diverse curricula, enough to wander around extensively. I have a degree from there and mixed in quite a bit of “rounding”. </p>
<p>In other words, it’s not obvious to me that “roundedness” would be a criterion for deciding between the two.</p>