<p>I'm having a hard time deciding where to go. George Mason would be much cheaper since I wouldn't have to pay for room & board since it's like 10 miles away, but Virginia Tech is obviously a lot better. Is it really worth it to get private loans and be much more in debt for an education at VT rather than at GMU? Also, I was thinking about going to GMU for the first year or two, and then transferring to VT... would that be a good idea? Also, it would be more affordable to go to grad school if I went to GMU since I wouldn't be in so much debt.
If you are an engineering student at GMU or know someone who is, how is their engineering program?</p>
<p>I don’t know much about engineering at GMU, but if the only thing that is stopping you from going to VTech is room and board costs, I would highly recommend going to VTech for its quality of education. Not only that, you should take this chance to enjoy the college experience. Don’t live at home. Go live in the dorms, then get an apartment or house around campus after that, etc. Also, definitely do not go to one school for a few years and then transfer. Try to stay at one university for all 4 years. You will make great friends, learn the traditions of the campus and have a great time.</p>
<p>Why would you want to live at home and commute? College is very much about the personal growth you get… you won’t be very marketable to companies if you’re isolated living with mommy and daddy.</p>
<p>I calculated that I would be about $76,000 (including interest) in debt if I go to VT and about $34,000 in debt (including interest) if I go to GMU.
What are the advantages of going to a higher ranked school? Are there more job opportunities? Is it easier to get into grad school?</p>
<p>That is a tough call. I don’t think GMU would be a problem for grad school if you get high grades, get good GREs, and try for an internship and/or extra research somewhere. If you are likely to go to grad school, and money is a problem, I think GMU would be a rational choice.</p>
<p>What about job opportunities?</p>
<p>If you are going directly into the work force, I would favor VaTech. I would check, however, with the GMU placement office and see how they are doing with their engineering graduates. GMU, unfortunately, is not that well known in engineering circles.</p>
<p>This is what it says about Career Opportunities on their site:</p>
<p>“Recent George Mason electrical engineering graduates have gone on to graduate work at highly competitive institutions such as MIT, Stanford, Cornell and California Institute of Technology, and as working engineers at high technology companies and government agencies such as BDM, General Electric, Hughes, IBM, INTEL, Lockheed-Martin, MCI, MITRE, NASA, Naval Research Lab, Orbital Sciences and TRW.”</p>
<p>It seems like their engineering graduates are doing fine.</p>
<p>I’m sure that’s true…but almost any school can produce a list like that. People make far too much of prestige in these forums, but I do think VaTech will give you advanatge in the marketplace. If you do go to GMU, don’t look back and be happy with your selection…I’m sure your future will be determined far more by you than by the school you attend.</p>
<p>I’m a PhD student at GMU Volgenau School. Some of the comments above are generic and would apply to any ‘big, legacy school’ vs. ‘new, upstart engineering school’. I think there are special circumstances in the GMU vs. Tech case.</p>
<p>First of all, GMU is embedded in the large defense technology industry cluster. (This, despite the fact that several companies mentioned – BDM, MCI, and TRW – no longer exist!) The 17G Metrobus, which leaves GMU every morning terminates at the Pentagon. You will be exposed to a large population of practicing engineers in an economically resilient area. </p>
<p>GMU has a limited number of engineering majors available, but some outclass VT. The GMU Systems Engineering Operations Research program is one of these quiet little gems. VT’s ISE program is nothing like it, and I have looked at both curricula. Do SEOR at GMU, and your job issues will solve themselves. (Don’t believe me? Do a search for systems engineer in the Washington Post and see the hundreds of openings.)</p>
<p>I’ve mentioned this before, but operations research is one of those rarely-chosen majors – GMU struggles with class sizes that are too <em>small</em> – where the demand far outstrips the supply on the job market. </p>
<p>For the more traditional engineering majors such as mechanical or chemical, VT is actually your only choice. </p>
<p>As for the ‘college experience’, I must say from the perspective of somebody in his 50s, it is substantially overrated. I’m barely in touch with many of my close friends from my college days. When I attend reunions, it’s a process of becoming reacquainted with strangers who recognize the same songs. College experience is valuable, but NOT worth $40K. You will make friends and you will have a life even if you’re a GMU commuter student.</p>
<p>As for whether companies look at your commuter vs. live-on-campus stuff, I would never consider such a thing when I hired anybody. That would be just silly.</p>
<p>What about Electrical & Computer Engineering? Do ECE grads from GMU have a hard time finding jobs?</p>
<p>redbeard…thanks for your insightful input. I don’t recruit for systems in my company, but I did some checking, and you are correct. Turns out GMU is on our target-school list for exactly this reason. And systems is very hot right now.</p>
<p>
your crazy. Reston VA is the Silicon Valley of the east coast. It is a 15 minute drive on local roads through Vienna.</p>
<p>Washington DC… well, where should I start? That is only 20-30 minutes up rt 66.</p>
<p>With VT, i think your going to be noticed by any employer in the nation.</p>
<p>If you want to get a good job you need internships before graduating school. Either go to GMU and do internships while in school or go to VT and do summer internships if you are lucky. VT does have a great reputation, I’m just saying that while the economy is really bad for the next few years, I’d go for GMU and get your foot in the door with internships just to be safe. Try Tysons Corner, Reston, Arlington areas, good engineering firms.</p>
<p>The choice is pretty much over now, but I hope anyone interested in this subject did not end up choosing GMU - or at least wisely chose it thereof. Check out the offered engineering majors at GMU and first see if you are even interested in any of them. VT will allow you to begin with a great, broad introduction of engineering and a little taste of each field so that you can make a well informed decision.</p>
<p>I love Virginia Tech and just recently graduated from there and now have a nice job.</p>
<p>DON’T. EVER. TAKE. OUT. 76K. FOR. UNDERGRAD.</p>
<p>EVER.</p>
<p>Both VT and GMU have the connections. VT has the long reputation. GMU building its reputation, has the local connections to the businesses.</p>
<p>Just to list them, the only true technical engineering degrees offered by GMU are Biomedical (new), Civil & Infrastructure, Electrical, and Computer Engineering, along with Computer Science and Systems Engineering.</p>
<p>GMU offers a limited number of majors in engineering at stated above. What it does offer, it does very well. I would caution you, that students find themselves in trouble if they choose to study electrical engineering and decide in their second year they really want to study mechanical engineering… No such thing at GMU.</p>
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<p>I don’t know if this is true. I think a student living as a resident or a commuter should be able to acquire social skills and become (more) independent. </p>
<p>My advice is to go for the lower cost option.</p>