Hey guys! So I got accepted to the University of Virginia!!! My intended major was mechanical engineering, but recent alumni have warned me that MechE at UVA is weak and jobs cannot be obtained. I just wanted to hear if that was true, because I also have heard from other sources that MechE at UVA is suffering. I intend to either enter the oil industry or aerospace industry. Thanks!!!
Instead of going with what one person says, check out the engineering school’s annual report (this is 2013…I’m sure 2014 is on their website somewhere): http://www.seas.virginia.edu/admin/careerdev/files/seasannualreport.pdf
There’s a ton of great data in that report.
I’m not up to date on the engineering curriculum, but it used to be set up so that the first year was the same for most students. If that is still true, you can probably delay making a decision for a year.
Also, be careful about making a decision purely based upon the immediate job market. For example, last year, petroleum engineers were in very high demand. This year, some may be getting laid off because the value of the fuel is lower than the costs of production. That situation is likely to change again in the near future for the better.
You don’t apply for your specific engineering major until 2nd semester of your 1st year, so you will have plenty of time to reflect on this 1st semester. My son (now a 2nd year) chose UVa specifically for its Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering program. So far he has enjoyed the curriculum (he is also double-majoring in physics).
UVa has a very good reputation within the aerospace industries we have talked to (Boeing, GE, Rolls, etc.). Note that you can no longer major/minor in MechE and AeroE. The reason could actually be viewed as a positive for someone looking at aerospace: the curriculums are almost identical, and there aren’t enough differences to satisfy the additional credit hours for a minor. So in essence, a MechE is only a handful of credits away from an Aero Eng at UVa.
i know two kids (both mech eng) that had internships at aerospace companies summer before junior year. what is the recent alumni doing? The aerospace industry was not hiring for many years. Things are up now.
1111 I happen to know a guy that appears on p.6 of the linked document that the DeanJ guy suggested, he doesn’t even have an engineering degree from SEAS. He’s an Arts and Science guy. By the way, it’s true that MechE at UVA is slightly doing better than the other departments.
To the OP, I recommend you that you shouldn’t wholeheartedly trust what people from the admission committee say here and rather listen to what your recent alumni said.
If you’ve been admitted to UVA in any major, that means you have pretty good stats as a student and are very likely to be selected in other famous engineering schools (such as Georgia Tech and U. Michigan) if you’ve already applied.
Virginia is an ok place if you want to go into the aerospace industry, but you are way more likely to find jobs in oil industry if you go to colleges in Texas.
Yes, the bottom line is, based on my experience, UVA engineering is not a good one for many reasons I can tell, but I’m not going to spend time explaining all of those. I went and received my B.S. in engineering from UVA…
I’m curious to learn from your experience…what would you advise a student who could choose between UVA Engineering (ME/Aero) for in-state tuition versus Rice? Cornell? Purdue? Case Western? Is the UVA Engineering program reputable with employers and grad schools? thanks.
@Yankeed, that link I posted before has information about employers.
The data is valid even if a non-ENU student is in a picture.
Yankeed: You need to do a comparison of net costs after aid, over 4 years, and including travel costs. You may come up with a question of: Is an engineering degree from X University worth $YY,000 more than an engineering degree from UVa.?
Then the next question becomes - what could be done with the savings, such as being able to do high-value unpaid internships over summers, or avoiding high interest rate debt, or having money or debt capacity available for a graduate degree.