We are narrowing down choices… My DS has been accepted to one of his reach and desired schools in VT engineering program, no merit awards, OOS. He was also accepted to one of his targets in UA (undecided). (UTK is still in the running).
We have visited both, he also spent extra time visiting a friend at UA. He does not have his heart set on engineering but it’s one of his interests, and he is very aware of VT’s prestige in that department. He is also considering law though (or both).
He was awarded a generous merit at UA. So basically he loves the campus at VT, and all that it has to offer. He also loves UA, warmer weather etc, campus is kind of on the ‘too big’ side of things but not a factor.
The real factor is considering VT will cost almost twice as much factoring in awards at UA, and that he’s not SET on engineering, UA has a great law school, I guess the question revolves around the undergrad schools themselves and how they compare…when you look at rankings, for what they are worth obv. VT is ranked higher, but as we learn does it really matter? Another question I guess is would we be crazy to go to UA after being accepted into VT which was a reach and he should be 100% taking advantage of that opportunity? Even if he winds up not pursuing engineering as a career, that degree will always be there…
Would appreciate any input on campus life, schools ranking comparisons thoughts, factoring cost, he’s also not thrilled about the male/female ratio at VT is it a factor? lets face it, its what kids consider… any and all thoughts welcome, lets not be sensitive here, lay it out on me
I should also mention we haven’t visited UTK… so any thoughts there welcome, i’ve seen numerous comments as to UTK’s campus doesn’t compare to UA? Any thoughts as to why that seems to be a theme are welcome!
Personally, I think VT is the nicest campus in America. My kid goes to Bama and i would say VT is bigger than Bama. I say this becuause - and I imagine the same will be true of VT - you don’t use the whole campus - so mine says the campus isn’t that big as there are parts he will never use. He bikes each day 5-10 minutes.
Bama draws kids for a few reasons - money, football, and for kids in the Honors dorm - a single room.
As for engineering, one really has to want it. My kid is in MechE and it’s kicking his a$$. He’s also had an internship two summers and had 5 offers to choose from in the Fall plus another was going to offer til he told them he’s done (his intern company) last week. So I don’t think you can say maybe engineering - at any school - 50% don’t make it for a reason (nationally).
Go to the one that feels right. I’d almost say they are interchangeable from an outcome POV. Or look at other majors of possible interest - which school has them?
Some use the 4th year of the scholarship at Bama for the law school but make sure you will get in - or is it automatic? Also, check the outcomes - yes, US News rates it highly but see what their attorneys are doing and where - make sure it’s legit.
PS - Va Tech is known for great campus dining - if that matters.
My S23 is going to Virginia Tech and we’re very excited about that. As you said it has a fantastic engineering program, and wonderful research opportunities. The food and campus are second to none in my opinion. I think it’s a wonderful choice.
That being said, I think there are very few schools that are worth twice the cost of another good school (which U of Alabama is). Especially for engineering where being accredited is what matters most and access to internship opportunities, which both schools have.
I don’t know anything about either schools success at placing students into law schools. I don’t think Virginia Tech is particularly known for that in Virginia (UVA, William and Mary being the more obvious choices for that path). But both schools are large with lots of different programs so they should be able to support a kid who is still trying to figure out what they want to do, including switching majors.
If money is not a factor, ie, the difference in costs won’t really affect your life much, then visit both and see which one your kid feels most comfortable in, and which one has the most programs that excite him. If that extra money would be helpful, ie for grad school, down payment on a house, altering decisions on how you want to live, I’d lean towards Alabama.
If we’re analyzing campuses, my kid goes to VT and I think the campus layout works really well and is easy to walk (there is an academic side and a residential side which are split in half by a huge greenspace known as the Drillfield). It just doesn’t seem that big to me for the size university that it is. I know tsbna44 says that a lot about VT, but I’ve been almost everywhere on campus and the only thing I’ve needed to drive to are the Greek houses on Oak Lane. Very easy for students to get Lane Stadium and the Cassell. Conversely, my older daughter went to UNC-CH and I thought that campus was much more spread out than VT and harder to navigate.
We visited UTK and I really liked the campus - thought it was easy to navigate. Kids are happy at UTK, it’s more of a party school than VT (at least according to my VT daughter, whose boyfriend goes to UTK.)
I’ve never been to Alabama. Did he get honors there?
Engineering is tough everywhere (cue the CC rankings police). If cost isn’t an issue for you then let the “best fit” decide.
I will second that you have to want engineering. My son is in computer science at Bama as a freshman. This semester has been a wake up call as he started junior level classes. The work load has increased, and he has had to deal with grades he is not used to seeing. It is a lesson in picking yourself up and dusting yourself off. Luckily, after some tough weeks, his confidence is coming back with the latest round of exams. So, I would not venture into engineering on a whim. That being said and being a lawyer, engineering does not preclude one from being a lawyer. Generally, the engineering grads that go into law school go into intellectual property law. This is because they mainly have the technical knowledge to understand the principals of the science involved in the systems, processes, and materials being protected. A history major like me just doesn’t have the hard science to address that field. It is quite lucrative.
Our daughter went to Alabama and got her mechanical engineering degree. Next fall she will start her phd program at a top 10 university. Another friend of hers also graduated from Alabama and was accepted to Harvard law school. So I think the rankings per se should not weigh in on his ultimate decision. One can find success in lots of places… as others have said fit is the most important aspect in my opinion.
A reach school + engineering + law school is a risky combination. If he wants to go into IP law, you can get away with a more mid tier law school that will not have as high of a GPA need. If he wants to go into some other type of law (especially big law) then the law school will matter more and protecting the undergrad GPA becomes important.
This…100%.
If OP’s son is not too sure about engineering then I’d take the money and leave options open down the road. One can always transfer after a year or so.
The thing I like a lot about Bama is that the core course requirements are ~24 credit hrs. Roughly, half of other schools along with generous AP/DE credit acceptance. So, an undecided kid can explore to figure things out.
Fun fact – our tour guide at Bama started out as an engineering student. Now he is a communications and PR major after 4 major changes. Still on track to graduate in 4 years!!
I have a freshman at Bama. I’ve never been to VT. Bama was not his first choice, but last weekend, he told me all the things that were making that list last year, were a non-issue this year. He thought class sizes would be big, but he’s only had a couple at 100 and nothing bigger. Most are 30-40ish. And he’s found a good group of friends and things to do.
He’s in mechanical engineering and so far so good, but he knows others are struggling in some of his classes. He had all his general ed classes covered from IB and AP classes and one CLEP test, so he’s thrilled he can take “fun” electives, like Digital Logic (a 300 level ECE class)!
He finds the campus fairly compact, but doesn’t go to about half of it. He’s in the marching band and that’s the furthest area he typically goes to and he rented a bike for that. He loves the warmer weather (from Michigan).
He was accepted to Michigan, Purdue, Northeastern, Case Western and other great schools. He picked Bama for the merit scholarships and is thrilled with his choice now.
Law school placement is mostly about college GPA and LSAT score. No specific undergraduate major is required. Lawyers with engineering undergraduate degrees may have additional job and career options in areas like patent law.
Difficult majors and difficult schools open other interesting choices. Someone I know of, who is interested in law school did a math/cs major, and took a 350k/yr job for the first 2-3 years to earn enough money to pay for law school. He also went and took the lsat cold and got within 2-3 points of the full score – partly because his major is good training for rigorous analytical thinking. Remains to be seen whether he will actually quit the job and go into law 2 years from now. I think he is interested in public interest law. Therefore didn’t want to be constrained by law school debt after finishing law school.
If he’s not set on engineering, seems he would be better off in the warmer and much cheaper UA while he explores his options. VT with no v. merit of UA with? Love the school that loves you back, someone on this site wrote recently…