<p>I am trying to help my son decide between the two engineering schools. He has already been accepted to NC State, and is fairly confident on VaTech (1360 SAT, 4.0 UW GPA). The programs themselves are virtually identical on paper - large land grand university, well established engineering schools, ABET, etc. The one obvious difference is the location. Raleigh is very much a city with a university, whereas you could say Blacksburg is a University with a town.</p>
<p>I will add that I (Dad) am an alumni of one (won't say which for now) and the other is out of state. </p>
<p>If you are facing this same choice, or have already made it, any insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I would say VA Tech seems to be seen as more prestigious then NCSU. Although both are good schools. They are fairly similar though, so if your son has toured both (he needs to if he is seriously considering them) and likes both equally, cheaper is better!</p>
<p>We have been to both, multiple times now. That is one advantage of having made the decision to study engineering - the number of schools that you can even consider becomes amazingly small. Plus and minus on both sides. The centennial campus at NCSU is amazing. It is not often a school literally builds a new campus and the access that undergrads have to lab space is great - the down side is that this really lacks the “feel” of a college campus, and in some ways it would feel like you attend two different schools riding a shuttle bus back and forth. VT campus is very much self contained. Classes are all on one side, dorms on the other. It is also a short walk downtown to have access to restaurants, shops, etc. Food at both was very good. The only thing preventing a freshman 15 is the amount of walking required at both.</p>
<p>That small town feel is why I am attracted to Clemson. It felt just as you described VT. I would have probably looked there and considered it but its too cold, and too much money. Georgia Tech also is a great engineering school in the same general area, but again, as an out of state student, lots of money.</p>
<p>I do have a friend at Virginia Tech who loves it, although he isn’t an engineer. I also have several friends at NCSU who love it too.</p>
<p>I have a instate freshman son in engineering at NC State. We personally did not think the added cost of going to VT over NC State was worth it. I would have thought the same thing going the other way, if we were Virginia residents. My son is very happy at State. If I remember correctly from parent orientation, first year engineering students will always be at the main campus. (I’m pretty sure, but you can double check this with admissions.) Keeping the students on the main campus for freshman year is a good idea. It allows them the opportunity to be part of the whole university before shipping them off to Centennial. There is also a dorm opening up on Centennial campus for the next school year. My son is already considering moving off campus next year, so it won’t really matter as much where his classes are located. </p>
<p>Also, I was very impressed with the engineering orientation days State had for incoming students last summer. The professors and staff were helpful and available during the time we were there. I felt a genuine care for the students, for the programs, and for the future of NC State engineering. </p>
<p>I saw the rankings that a poster put up for you on the VT forum. I thought you might also like to look at the the college fairs. You can compare what companies are recruiting at the two schools.</p>
<p>[Participating</a> Companies | NC State Engineering Career Fair](<a href=“http://students.engr.ncsu.edu/careerfair/participating-companies]Participating”>http://students.engr.ncsu.edu/careerfair/participating-companies)</p>
<p><a href=“Engineering Expo | Student Engineers' Council | Virginia Tech”>Engineering Expo | Student Engineers' Council | Virginia Tech;
<p>What engineering major is your son planning to tackle? Is NC State or VA Tech better at that particular major? Our son visited both schools (and Penn State). In the end he applied to (and was accepted) at Penn State and NC State, and he decided not to apply to VT–mainly because that was his 3rd choice.</p>
<p>But I don’t think you can really go wrong with either choice.</p>
<p>As a current engineering student I wanted to comment on “The centennial campus at NCSU is amazing. It is not often a school literally builds a new campus and the access that undergrads have to lab space is great - the down side is that this really lacks the “feel” of a college campus, and in some ways it would feel like you attend two different schools riding a shuttle bus back and forth.”</p>
<p>Centennial Campus is just being built up right now but it feels very much like a college campus. When I’m on centennial (I don’t have classes there yet so it’s mainly to use the library facilities) I feel smarter. I know that industries have their buildings here and labs here because there is something special on our campus. It’s also a little home away from home for engineers so that we can escape the land of humanities and focus on our sciences. I haven’t been on a lot of college campuses (only NC State and UNC) but I love our campus… even the ugly parts.</p>
<p>If you have any questions or want more comments from me, I’m an Ambassador to the school so this is kind of my job. :)</p>
<p>Ncstatefreshman, my son is planning to major in either mech or aero. We were on campus yesterday and were really impressed with centennial campus. After freshman year, how much time will engineering students be there vs main campus? Is it lab and library and advisor meetings only for undergrads or are engineering classes taught on centennial.</p>
<p>Just trying to get a feel for how integral a part of undergrad engineering, cent. Campus is.</p>
<p>Go with the in-state campus if money is a problem. If not, I would recommend Virginia Tech.</p>
<p>Go with whichever one is in-state. They are literally the same school. Sure, they are different in their location and atmosphere, but neither is different in a bad way. You hit on a lot of the points. VT is more of a university town, NCSU is more of a city with a university. I believe VT has better living options (food especially, but State is adding a ton of new great dining choices next year), but NCSU has better engineering facilities and isn’t bad itself in living conditions (it’s near downtown Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, etc.). Your son should be fine at either.</p>
<p>In my honest opinion, there is no reason to pay more money to attend one or the other. An undergrad degree at State will give you the same opportunities as one at VT. Go with the cheaper one!</p>
<p>@falconrb11</p>
<p>All mechanical/aerospace engineering classes will be taught on Centennial for him. The only classes taught on main campus are general engineering classes (E101, E115, both freshman introductory classes), and civil/environmental/nuclear engineering classes. So that includes lectures and labs.</p>
<p>After freshman year (and he may have one or two freshman classes there), he will spend most of his time on Centennial for engineering. Obviously, all his other classes will be on main campus. It takes about 5-10 minutes to get between the two, so it’s not really an issue, and if he plans his schedule accordingly he will be fine.</p>
<p>Hi, my S deciding too - Cal Poly SLO, Va Tech, NC State.
Va Tech is more respected by recruiters (#5 WSJ poll) but NC State #15 - both top 20.
Seems there are more recruiters/companies to Va Tech - 250 to 300 companies. But NC State has RTP close by, a real plus.
I give a big plus to NC State Centennial Campus - state of art facilities and a new UC dorm on the way.
Plus to Va Tech for living and food.
Both campuses very friendly
When I talk to people at work in PA, Va Tech makes their ears perk up, so more well known and respected, if that is a difference maker.</p>
<p>I’d love to hear from others too.</p>
<p>The final decision sometimes comes down to - which feels like home? Our other son chose his college for this reason and it has been good for him.
My engineering S felt this way from tours at Va Tech thus his leaning to there over NC State.</p>
<p>DS admitted to both. Girlfriend at NCSU. Family of UVA grads so Tech is rival school. He is leaning towards Tech surprisingly. Will run the numbers and guide his decision that way.</p>
<p>@Biotechmgr</p>
<p>Have you and you son been to Cal poly SLO? If yes, can you please share your impressions and compare it with NCSU for Engineering? Thanks.</p>