I’m currently a senior in high school who is trying to look for options at engineering in college. My options currently are GTech, UIUC, and UVA. GTech and UIUC are both out of state for me while UVA is instate, and money is a factor in my decision. However, my parents have already told me that they will support my decision regardless of the school I choose.
I don’t want my parents to take out huge loans just to pay for my college and at the same time, I want to get the best education that I possibly can because I really want to be an engineer that can compete with anyone in the field. I’ve researched each school’s engineering department thoroughly and I can clearly see why UIUC and GTech is at the top of the ranking while UVA remains ambiguous because I could not find any useful information about the quality of the department aside from the starting salaries of engineers.
My ultimate goal currently is to get a great undergrad education at a respectable institution so that I can apply for masters to top tier schools such as Stanford and MIT. I’ve seen a mixed opinion of whether or not undergrad institution is a huge factor for the graduate admission and I believe that it does to some extent. Nevertheless, I’ve also heard of graduates from my state schools who got accepted to top tier schools such as MIT but cannot handle the course work. So, my question to all of you is, how strong is UVA Engineering strong enough to allow me to accomplish my goal?
Illinois is having a financial crisis and has a new governor that is slashing spending. It may result in program cutbacks and higher tuition (particularly for out of state).
Plan on going to a Day on the Lawn to get a better perspective on UVa.
Once you get your financial packages, you can do a fair comparison of Georgia Tech vs. UVa. The question would be: Is a UVa engineering degree worth a total of $X thousand dollars more than a Georgia Tech degree?
Another thing to consider is that UVA’s program is in the context of a university that prides itself on the liberal arts, whereas GT follows more of the “polytechnic” model. I’ve heard good things about both models of engineering education - UIUC and Ga Tech have better engineering facilities, and undeniably good programs, but I have heard from people in the STEM fields that they value UVA grads’ greater ability to see a broad picture beyond the technical problem most immediately at hand - a valuable skill for employers, who increasingly need both technicians and communicators. Ga Tech has a great reputation, Atlanta is a city with a good climate and lots to do; UVA is in a great college town and the University has a very strong national reputation, though the rep of the engineering school is not at the same level as GT. For graduate programs, though, I suspect it’s going to be about your grades and your projects/internships as an undergrad more than the name of the school you went to - and you are considering three fine institutions. You should be able to find out grad school placements from recent graduating classes at all the schools you’re looking at - that would probably help you with your decision. Best of luck to you.
@BXVIfan is totally right. Both styles (rounded and polytechnic) are excellent and produce competent engineers who are sought after by employers. As a student, your job is the figure out which style best fits your learning style.