<p>Hi everyone, i'm an Italian student, attending first year master degree in "Management & informatics" in switzerland.
I have a chance to do one semester abroad extra-europe and i don't know wether i should choose Virginia Tech or University of technology, Sydney (AU)</p>
<p>My pros for VT:</p>
<ul>
<li>US universities still have some appeal on european curriculums</li>
<li>VT is a good university</li>
<li>I've always fantasized about US campus life (in europe universities have almost no campus)</li>
<li>Exams i must do in switzerland are covered pretty well by VT courses offer</li>
</ul>
<p>Cons:
- Blackburn campus is pretty far from big cities and generally airports, so travelling within the country will be more complicated
- weather is not going to be that good
- Ranking is not exceptional</p>
<p>Sydney UTS on the other hand is in the city center, 5 minutes walk from Sydney central station and 20 minutes from the airport plus 5 minutes from the beach :P, Weather is generally good, there's no campus "US-Style" but UTS has dormitories for students and some facilities, Ranking is similar to VirginiaTech.</p>
<p>Would any of you recommend me VT, if so, why?</p>
<p>If you have been living mainly in an urban area, this is your chance to experience quiet life in a beautiful campus setting.</p>
<p>If you are going to go abroad for just one semester, you probably are not going to have too much free time on your hands during the semester. Why not set aside time before, or after, the semester for travelling/site-seeing?</p>
<p>I already experienced Both, i did an exchange period in a small university in czech republic, my Bachelor university was downtown Milan, Italy (living downtown as well) and currently i’m in another small university in a quiet and small town…</p>
<p>Since i should start in september i will probably reach the US in late august for travelling :)</p>
<p>beside this, would you choose VT for an experience such this or not (academically speaking)… </p>
<p>VT would be different from your previous experiences in Milan and the Czech Republic. VT is a large university in a small rural town. Life as a student is going to revolve around university activities. If you travel locally it will likely be limited to outdoor activities (hiking, kayaking etc) assuming you can find someone to drive you. If you have access to a car you certainly could visit small towns in North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee or Kentucky. I’m guessing though that if you travel you might prefer to visit US cities. The Roanoke airport is 45 minutes by bus from the campus. There are buses that will take students on weekends up to Northern Virginia (4+ hours) so it is possible to leave on a Friday, visit Washington DC, and return to campus on Sundays. For Thanksgiving break (a full week) you could travel up to the Washington DC area and taken another bus (about $25 each way and 5hours) to New York city. There are beaches in Virginia but I’m guessing it would take 4+ hours and you will be attending Fall Semester so it will be too cool for normal summer water fun. Keep in mind that travel distances in the US are longer than most Europeans realize. But, Australia is huge! Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Well, i’ve already visited Florida, DC, NYC and small bits of west coast in previous trips in US, so i’d probably go for both local towns and town i haven’t visited yet. I’ll for sure have to pay visit to a friend in Cornell and some else around the WestCoast but that’s it.
Is it generally speaking considered a good university or not?</p>
<p>Virginia Tech has a highly recognized and well-regarded engineering program in the U.S. and abroad.
I have read/heard positive reviews about Pamplin College of Business at VT, if that is where Management & Informatics is housed. But I personally don’t have any first-hand knowledge about the quality and reputation of that program. Perhaps others can shed more light on this for you.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’ve experienced all of your ‘bucket list’ desires for college except the experience of a traditional USA dorm/campus life, so I say there is no place better for that then VA Tech when looking at everything else considered. It is top rated in the country for dining (very important if you live the ‘campus life’) and Tech just made the list of top 25 ‘happiest students’ list in the country - with the top rating in the category of; “if you had to do it all over again, would you?” - Tech scored the highest in the country with a 9.9 out of 10 rating.</p>
<p>That sounds cool thanks ^^
Does anyone know if rooms or dorms are provided of kitchens? i like cooking and i guess cooking proper italian food for classmates will be highly appreciated </p>
</p>