Hello, everyone. I have recently been accepted into both Uva and Virginia Tech under the intended major of chemistry. UVa has offered me a slot in the Echols program (honors program), I’m in a tight spot. I hear that the chemistry program is better at Tech, but I also hear that it’s better at UVa. According to rankings, Tech makes it higher on the list than UVa, which didn’t make the list at all. I am extremely intelligent and intrinsically motivated, but I really want to learn how to slow down and enjoy life and college while studying. I also prefer smaller town or middle-of-nowhere scene. I’m also paying for my own college, and Tech is about $30,000 cheaper over the course of four years of study. For those reason I prefer Tech. But I also realize that UVa is a more prestigious school, and I don’t want to feel as though my effort to do well has been in vain, because I’m at the top of the accepted statistics if I were to go to Tech. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and I know Tech is full of intelligent people, but I guess I just want opinions on everyone’s experience at either school? I am going to visit Tech in a couple weeks as well.
My perspective: go to the school where you know you’ll be engaged and excited about learning. Both schools have happy students. You just have figure out which one is the right match for you. Visit both and trust your instinct.
There was great advice on another thread recently. Take the two schools and try to imagine them as having no name or outside recognition. Which one feels best to you then?