UVa or Carnegie Mellon for MSE?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I got into both of these schools for Materials Science and Engineering, and long story short, I can't decide!</p>

<p>I'm not in-state for UVa, and neither school gave me any appreciable financial aid. Money is a factor, but I (read: my parents) could afford either.</p>

<p>Now I know that CMU is ranked higher for engineering in general, but I'm not sure how much stock I should put that...</p>

<p>I have been to both campuses and liked both, with the slight nod going to UVa. That being said, I liked that CMU was in an actual city with a mass transit system.</p>

<p>Basically, I'm on the verge of matriculating to CMU but I need a stranger on the internet to validate my decision!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>I also got into UMCP, which is in-state, but I didn't like it very much, and at least half of my high school class is going there, so it isn't really on the table.</p>

<p>THANKS!</p>

2

<p>If you don’t like UMCP, and if finances aren’t too much of an issue for you, then take it off the table. </p>

<p>You say that you’re on the verge of going to CMU. If you like it that much, let me give you one more nudge… </p>

<p>The thing about CMU is not that it’s simply higher ranked than UVA in engineering; it’s that CMU is actually one of the top engineering schools in the world. It is <em>extremely</em> prestigious. </p>

<p>UVA is top 40 in engineering in the US, which is very good, but CMU is top 10, and is internationally known for engineering. It is world-famous for tech and engineering. </p>

<p>It’s not that going to UVA for engineering won’t open doors for you. It will. But CMU might open more. It is a big deal, that you got into CMU. You should feel quite proud. Deservedly.</p>

3

<p>CMU>>UVA in overall engineering. It really isn’t close.</p>

4

<p>^^^^The above post scares me.</p>

5

<p>I second that rjkofnovi.</p>

<p>With all else equal and if you are set on engineering, then CMU may be better.</p>

6

<p>IMO, this is now based off of the actual social environment and not the college. You shouldn’t go to college solely based on academics - there’s much more to life.
Are you interested in greek life? Party some-what? What’s your overall style…preppy? Weather?
They are both fantastic schools when it comes down to academics. Now, academia aside, which would you rather go to?</p>