<p>I was waitlisted by my first choice Notre Dame so it has come down to these 3 schools for me with the deadline in a week. I went to a UD Decision day and found the academics to be great (awesome Honors program with small classes, winter session for studying abroad and taking classes for a minor, internships, great faculty) but I thought that the campus was just okay and it didn't seem like there was a whole lot of school spirit that comes along with great D1 sports teams (like PSU and VT). I plan on majoring in Chemical Engineering and I know UD is #10 nationally for ChemE but I also know that PSU and VT have much stronger overall engineering schools, even though their ChemE might be ranked a little lower. I absolutely loved VT's campus, Blacksburg (a little isolated though), and the sense of community (really felt like a family) and will be visiting PSU this weekend for an accepted students' day. I know that all 3 have good reputations but PSU and VT seem to be more well-known across the country. UD would be about $2,000 more each year than PSU (instate for me), while VT would be $5,000 more than PSU for my freshman year (one year scholarship and then I have to reapply for scholarships after). I live near Philadelphia (about 1 hr 15 min away) so UD would be more convenient than the other two, even though I believe I would be fine farther away (VT is 8 hrs.) I am not in the Honors program at PSU because I did not apply so VT and UD are above PSU on the list for now until I visit PSU. </p>
<p>I would appreciate it if someone could give me their insight to help me make my decision.</p>
<p>I would suggest the same thing I said in another thread. Check out the departmental websites very carefully at each school. I can’t speak for VT, but at UD, Chemical Engineering is a marquee program and there are a lot of opportunities and what I call amenities. My D is in another marquee program and the resources available are staggering. She is also in the honors program, which has been a great thing. There is a lot of spirit, a lot of support, many fun activities (although I’m sure it would be the same at VT). My D has an eclectic mix of interests and UD is particularly strong in both, so she is just living large. You should give some thought to other interests you have, possible minors, extracurricular interests and then go through the catalogs and student activity pages at both schools. My D fell in love with a different school and seriously considered attending until she went through the course catalog very carefully and felt that she wouldn’t have the range of classes available there to allow her to learn all the things she wanted to while in college. Having a very wide range of class options was huge for her, but maybe not so much for someone else, but I strongly believe that you can learn a lot by reviewing the catalog and student life opportunities. Good luck to you and congratulations on having such great options!</p>
<p>Virginia Tech is an amazing place. There is no comparison to University of Delaware. VT is such a great place. Engineering is definitely a better program at Tech. While Tech might seem far from things, Blacksburg has everything a student would need and a great transportation system. My oldest daughter is a Hokie and every where she goes for work she meets another Hokie. That said VT is a large school with large classes, but help is always available if needed.</p>
<p>Penn State has an unbelieveable alumni network in business and engineering. Almost 1% of all American college grads went to PSU. Also, as nice as Blacksburg may be (never been, but those I know who have loved it) Happy Valley is unbelievable. Bottom line though is that you have 3 great options. If it was me it’d be State, but it’s not me, it’s you.</p>