<p>After the horrible shootings 4 years ago, I was talking to my dad who had friends whose kids went to UVA and said that VT's reputation isn't that great right now, and it isn't attracting as many bright minds or good professors to teach. The rankings say othertwise (13th in engineering last time I checked), and I don't think colleges will care about the shooting which happened a long time back (half a decade ago).</p>
<p>But, just to be sure, how is VT's reputation? Is it still a great school to go to? The campus is beautiful, it's not too expensive and it has a great engi program, so I think it's a great choice personally...</p>
<p>I think you need to consider the source on that-parents of kids who were going to UVa according to you. I had one kid at UVa and now one at Virginia Tech,both in engineering. Virginia Tech is a wonderful school and I am just as pleased with the education my son is getting at VT as I was with the education my older son got at UVa. VT engineering is very well regarded. If it feels like a good fit for you, I would not let naysayers sway you.</p>
<p>To add to what I said earlier- Virginia Tech’s “reputation” is very strong with recruiters and there is a strong, loyal alumni network. There was an Engineering Expo held on September 13th and 14th with over 250 employers in attendance.</p>
<p>I am a parent of UVA students. One is 2nd year and the other graduated last May in Engineering. I am in the engineering field and know many students from VT. I do not think that VT reputation has been tarnished. People may have concernd with safety and may have affect application a liitle right after the shooting. If you like it, apply. The reputation still holds.</p>
<p>Actually,davh01, Applications did not decline (actually went up) according to the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia website. Virginia Tech is not on the Common Application but still gets quite a few applications.
For 2006 admission, 18,941 applied.
For 2007 admission,19.447 applied.
For 2008 20,645
For 2009 21,092
For 2010 20,067
Hope your kids enjoyed UVa . It’s a great school . We loved our trips to Charlottesville for 4 years and are now enjoying our trips to Blacksburg. We are lucky in Virginia to have good choices for engineering.</p>
<p>VaTech is a wonderful school on many levels, not just engineering. Its a very pretty campus in a gorgeous part of Southwestern Virginia. It has very strong school spirit. Excellent athletics. I know people who picked VaTech over GaTech because it was less geeky and more rural. It all depends on what you are looking for in a school.</p>
<p>I’m in total agreement. We’re instate northern VA, and VT is definitely highly regarded. I have a S at UVa and there’s nothing but respect for VT. The majority of his friends are 1st years at VT.</p>
<p>I live in Northern VA. Virginia Tech gets loads of applicants, the majority being bright people. Actually, a few of the smartest students from last year’s senior class at my school went to Virginia Tech. It’s very well regarded here. I, however, am applying ED to William & Mary haha.</p>
<p>Awesome school with a great reputation on many levels: with its current students, with potential employers and its loyal alumni. Like sevmom mentioned, unfortunately with some folks affiliated with UVA just the mention of VT will cause them to give you a less than positive response. It is silly really because they are both tremendous schools that are a great choice depending what a student is looking for in his/her college experience. </p>
<p>A couple of stats that you can share with your dad’s friend, both of which are kind of important because they deal with hopefully getting a job (!) after graduation. Payscale.com reported a year or two ago that the median income for VT grads actually was higher than those at UVA ($52,900>52,200) and at mid career it was still higher $97,400>97,200)…pretty close but still a win for the Hokies. </p>
<p>Also the Wall Street Journal had an article, last year maybe?, ranking the schools companies felt were the best to recruit from. Virginia Tech came in at 13th, with UVA tied for 19th (with NCState). You could argue about the reason why (and I am sure that dad will but the reason I point out both of these articles is to validate the the reputation Tech has with potential employers across many fields, not just engineering.</p>
<p>You won’t find too many college settings like Blacksburg, VA. The family feeling you have when you are a student at VT is sorely missed afterward when you leave. From what I have been told by friends who are alums, the tragedy of 2007 only made the Hokie community more tight knit. Go visit and check it out. Seriously, the school sells itself in a pretty grand way. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses! It seems like VT is a very highly regarded school just as I thought, and the UVA kids didn’t like it because of the rivalry and not really based on facts :). </p>
<p>A final question:How is the diversity there? I’m an Indian, so there will no doubt be some from our country everywhere ;), but how is it in general compared to other schools?</p>
<p>Virginia Tech is a fantastic school! Would definitely recommend it to anyone. It was tied for my #1 school but I had to pick a school and decided (kinda randomly) on Clemson.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say Tech is the most diverse school in the state of Virginia, as compared to say a George Mason or VCU, but I think like many universities, it is trying to improve in that area. </p>
<p>That being said I don’t think you would feel out of place by any means. My son has had several roommates/suitemates over the years with diverse ethnic backgrounds and they were very engaged in a lot of clubs, etc. Never heard a word from him or them about anything negative in the way of acceptance. </p>
<p>I’m up north, and VT has an amazing reputation up here. That says a lot about a state school that isn’t even the flagship. It’s a well-respected school. Just remember where your sources are from (UVA). Yes, people “know” UVA is better, but VT is no slouch.</p>
<p>Yes,newuser,VT is definitely no slouch and Virginia Tech’s overall ranking in engineering is much better than UVa’s. However, UVa’s overall national ranking is of course higher than VT’s. Virginia Tech and UVa are both great schools. Great to hear that VT has an "amazing reputation " up north. We are very lucky in Virginia to have such good instate choices. Good luck with your college search,xoot!</p>
<p>Be careful with this type of comparison over entire schools, since the mix of majors can differ considerably, and the graduate’s major can have a considerable effect on job and career prospects.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting, that survey,ucbalumnus. It was good to see who the top employers have been historically and to see who has been offering employment in my son’s particular engineering major recently. My son went to the Engineering Expo earlier this month and lots of those employers listed in the surveys were there. Lots of the same employers that recruit at VT also recruited at UVa when my older son was there.</p>
<p>I agree to an extent ucbalumnus, but the OP did indicate that he/she was interested engineering, which is the major that most likely drove the numbers for the payscale article (and maybe the WSJ one, too). </p>
<p>Stats and rankings can be subject to a lot of debate, but I thought by sharing these two the OP could see some areas which supported the idea of how good the reputation VT of is. No, it isn’t a public ivy like UVA and definitely doesn’t have the overall academic clout, but it doesn’t have to. As we all agree, it would be a great choice!</p>
<p>Just saw this article this morning relating to starting salaries for grads among the FBS schools. The ACC ranks first overall and VT comes in at #5 nationally behind some pretty big heavyweights. :)</p>
for the Hokies. </p>