torn between UVa & Cal... really need some advice & help

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
1

<p>hi peers. I've been lucky to be accepted by these 2 great universities but I find myself unable to make this tough decision. for uva I'm admitted to CAS and for cal, the college of engineering. I could really use some advice from you guys - yeah I'm in desperate need of it :p</p>

<p>so here's my dilemma: for now I'm more interested in engineering, in which field Cal > UVa, but in the future, due to the pressure given by my parents, I may switch to accountancy or majors alike and McIntire has this amazing reputation which is difficult resist.</p>

<p>Other than the major problem above, there are also some other minor things that concern me to a certain extent. like this one: although I've had my secondary education abroad, I'm Chinese in terms of both ethnicity and nationality. sometimes I do feel that I need more exposure to diversity and difference, which I can find plenty in UVa. Cal has a super large asian population and I don't know what it will bring to or take away from my life... On the other hand, I kinda feel more relaxed around similar people, i.e. asian in this case. and I can't even say which situation I prefer at all coz I change my mind about it all the time :( So any advice?</p>

<p>In addition, I've 2 questions about UVa,</p>

<ol>
<li>is it difficult to find a good job in US with a CAS degree of UVa (means I fail to get into McIntire)? espiecially considering the recession and high unemployment rate.</li>
<li>if I'm lucky enough to get into McIntrie: how it the employment for finance/banking/consulting/accountancy? How about for NYC firms specifically?</li>
</ol>

<p>And I also have a few questions regarding both colleges,
how hard is it to get into haas & McIntire?
how hard is it to double major? or a minor? as in will only the most capable students (which I'm not :p) be able handle the workload?</p>

<p>I understand that many of you who wants to help will kindly encourage me to pursue my passion and go with engineering all the way instead of getting into a biz school half way. I really appreiciate that. However, as a chinese (national), it's indeed difficult for me to dismiss my parents' opinions, especially when they're paying full tuition for me. my father holds very strong objection to engineering and is keen to envision me in the financial service sector. His stubbornness is due to his relatively outdated thoughts and the mercenary society of china. be that as it may, I can't simply ignore him just coz I've failed to change his mindset. So the plan I've worked out for myself is that I'll at least learn about what I love in college (or at the very least the first 2 years), i.e. natural sciences or engi or some social sciences, and try going into the "financy" field later. That will strike a balance. </p>

<p>Lastly, I mean good by every word. If I sound harsh or offensive anywhere, I apologize in advance and I surely don't mean to hurt anyone. </p>

<p>Thank every friend for responding in advance! I really need your wisdom now! :)</p>

2

<p>Are you okay with doing science or something else in CLAS instead of engineering? Berkeley is considerably better at both engineering and the sciences; unless you think there’s a very high chance you’ll switch to commerce, I’d go there.</p>

<p>Also, it is not rare to go into finance after getting a degree in something like math physics or CS from a top tier university.</p>

3

<p>In my experience, engineers do very well in graduate business school. Have you considered getting your undergrad degree in engineering, followed by an MBA?</p>

4

<p>@WaitingForGodot
Thx for the advice!
I would say that the chance of switching is fairly high. But going into finance with a engineering degree may also be an option, I guess? I am just a bit worried without knowing how difficult it is. :(</p>

<p>and UVa is much closer to NY where most firms are. correct me if I’m wrong but I’m under the impression that it’s a target school for finance/consulting firms in NY? whereas cal is in the other side of the country. guess that makes the connection between the firms and cal pretty little…sigh</p>

5

<p>@robertr
hey thx for responding!
I don’t think I’m doing MBA immediately after college. That will cause too much burden to my parents. :frowning:
So I have to get a job after graduation. That’s why I’m worried if I fail to get in McIntire, I may be really screwed :(</p>

6

<p>does anyone know how good the recruitment at McIntire by NY consulting/finance firms is? thx!!</p>

7

<p>Hi Cathybright, all the career stats for McIntire is found below. It appears that 98% of last year’s McIntire grads had jobs by or right after graduation. Regarding recruiting, check out pages 24-27.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/careerservices/Documents/Destinations%20Report%202012%201_10.pdf[/url]”>http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/careerservices/Documents/Destinations%20Report%202012%201_10.pdf&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>@Globalist
hey THANK YOU!! that’s indeed useful. emm I’m not that good at translating the numbers but from what I see the recruitment is insanely good right?
are you a current student at UVa?</p>

9

<p>No, I’m an alumnus. I live in NYC, and there are tons of UVa grads on Wall Street. </p>

<p>Re. the student body, if you want a diverse educational experience as an Asian, I would choose UVa. (BTW, I’m Asian too.) When I visited the UC schools, I was shocked at how many Asians there were on campus (40+% in some cases). I don’t think this is a bad thing at all, but if you want to mingle with a diverse group of people, UVa probably will give that to you. My stats might be off, but I think UVa is 15% Asian American, 9% African American, 4-5% Latino, and 8% International students. If you attend McIntire, it’s 17% Asian American and 16% international students, most of whom are Asian. (The largest number of international students come from China.)</p>

<p>To get a better view of UVa as a Chinese international student, you should reach out to the Chinese Student Association at UVa: <a href=“https://www.facebook.com/groups/2200023374/[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/groups/2200023374/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Perhaps you should contact someone from the International Residential College, which is 45% international students to get another perspective. [University</a> of Virginia International Residential College (IRC)](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/irc/]University”>http://www.virginia.edu/irc/)</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>

10

<p>I dont have a whole lot to add but a degree from either school will take you far. I’m not sure that a finance degree brings better job prospects than an engineering degree these days but either school has the connections and respect of Wall Street, etc. Summer internships will be very valuable towards getting you on track for post school employment.</p>

<p>And for what it is worth, I got a degree in psychology at UVA and proceeded to have a strong and successful career in corporate banking and finance. Good luck to you!</p>

11

<p>@Globalist
thx so much!!! you’re really warm-hearted and what you’ve provided helps a lot! :)</p>

<p>yes that’s what concerns me to a large extent, the diversity and difference issue. I do feel that I need more exposure and mingling… in that aspect UVa no doubt!</p>

12

<p>@dowzerw</p>

<p>Thank you for responding!! Your story (psycho → banking) really gives me comfort and courage :slight_smile:
actually I’m worried about internship too. both UVa and Cal are large in terms of the size of student population, especially Cal. I’m worried that many many many competent students vie for a few internships…I guess I’ll just have to work really hard to be qualified and pray!!!</p>

13

<p>@cathybright,</p>

<p>I just saw a post (by @hazelorb) in another thread about an engineering business minor at UVa. Might be something for you to consider that will satisfy your desire to major in engineering and your parent’s desire for business.</p>

14

<p>@robertr
hey thank you so much!! :slight_smile: I’ll look into it</p>