Hello. I’ve looked into UVA Engineering, and one program that really appeals to me seems to be the SyE program. Redditors said that the program is one of (by far) the hardest programs at UVA, harder than EE, ME, CE, etc. Is this true? I want to major in Eng or MIS/CIS/IT, but I don’t want to sacrifice my GPA (and get my life sucked out) in an extremely hard course. I’d rather get good grades in a good MIS program rather than flunk at a great SyE/CompE school (I want to get into IT).
Don’t misunderstand me and think that I am not willing to work hard. I’d rather get good grades at a slightly easier program than suck at a prestigious, hard program. My end goal is IT (like I said).
P.S, I know that VA Tech is a better Eng school, but I don’t really want to go down the Industrial Eng path. My end goal is software/IT.
UVA engineers don’t declare until the end of the first year and the data points to the majority changing their mind during that first year of exploration. I have never heard Systems regarded as the hardest major. It’s one of the largest ones, so you’ll have plenty of people to consult with during the first year as you get your foundation work done.
Also keep [the UVA engineering admission rates](https://ira.virginia.edu/university-stats-facts/undergraduate-admissions) in mind: 21% for out of state and 39% for Virginia residents. [url=<a href=“https://irweb.ir.vt.edu/webtest/admission_data.aspx%5DVT”>https://irweb.ir.vt.edu/webtest/admission_data.aspx]VT engineering had an offer rate of 75% last year/url. You could always apply to both and see if you are admitted.
By the way, I suggest you analyze the actual characteristics of the engineering programs and decide which one is best for you as opposed to letting rankings make up your mind. The students that are drawn to UVA seem to value the ability to explore before declaring, taking courses across the University, and being in smaller classes.
SIE seems better to me than ISyE at VA Tech, because it leans more towards informatics and computing (the hot fields of the market). The only slight problem is the complete Math/Physics curriculum in freshman and sophomore year. It seems to me that you can’t really go in-depth in engineering until junior/senior.