UVA vs BostonU vs University of Minn vs others

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Here are a list of colleges that I got accepted into. They are ordered from which ones are the most financially accessible to me. </p>

<p>I'm from VA and I want to major in Computer Engineering or Computer Science (maybe double major). Also, my efc is 0.</p>

<p>Unless I say otherwise, the numbers next to each of the colleges are the expected amount in loans that I would have at the end of the year. The rest of the cost is being paid with scholarships, grants, work studies, etc.</p>

<ol>
<li>UVA (paying for whole COA)</li>
<li>Virginia Tech ($5,500)</li>
<li>BostonU ($8,315)</li>
<li>RIT ($8,500)</li>
<li>University of Minn ($13,856)</li>
</ol>

<p>The colleges below are very inaccessible to me but I wonder if the debt is worth it. The numbers listed next to these colleges are how much is left of the estimated COA after scholarships, grants, and work studies etc.</p>

<ol>
<li>University of Miami ($32,462)</li>
<li>Georgia Tech ($33,758)</li>
</ol>

<hr>

<p>I'm really on the fence between Boston University or UVA, but I'm open to the other options as well. Here are some things that I'm looking for in each of the colleges:</p>

<p>Double Major Policies (how manageable a CpE and CS double major would be)</p>

<p>Co-Op/Internships/Study abroad programs (how supportive the college is of their students participating)</p>

<p>Dual Enrolled/AP Credit Policies</p>

<p>Atmosphere/Attitude of the students (I want a diverse, open minded, hardworking, fun loving, active student body)</p>

<p>How employable I would be after graduating from these colleges (what do employers think of students from these schools)</p>

<h2>Surrounding area (I really like the idea of living in the Twin Cities, Boston, Georgia, or Miami)</h2>

<p>I'm going to be the first person to go to college in my whole family, so I don't have many people to ask who have completely gone through the college experience. Any information at all about any of these colleges would be greatly appreciated. THANKS IN ADVANCE!</p>

2

<p>UVA is like going to Berkeley or Michigan and it’s FREE! This is a NO BRAINER - UVA!!!</p>

3

<p>I agree, UVA is much better than BU. And it’s free… So go.</p>

4

<p>Double major policies, co-op employment policies, AP credit policies, and community college transfer credit policies should all be findable on the school web sites.</p>

<p>But if Virginia is a full ride with no loans, that is hard to turn down. It seems hard to see how Boston University or Minnesota with loans could even compete. Virginia is certainly respectable in your desired majors, and it has ABET accreditation in both (not critical, but is a validation of curriculum quality).</p>

5

<p>Normally, as a loyal alum and in the interests of cost-effectiveness, I would say UVa. </p>

<p>However, I would carefully investigate the pros and cons of your particular major at UVa vs. Va. Tech. While UVa is great at 100 different things and offers a great quality of life, I understand that Va Tech is superior in some technical fields.</p>

<p>$5500 of loans per year for a very marketable major is very do-able, particularly if you are in a major that will not require a masters degree in order to get a good job.</p>

6

<p>It’s interesting that you say that. Despite the fact that UVA is the most highly regarded school OVERALL, out of all of the schools listed above, its computer engineering and computer science departments rank less (not by much) than almost all of the schools I’m thinking about.</p>

<p>Because of this and the research I’ve done on each of the schools, I’m convinced that I’ll receive a similar computer engineering education at each of these schools.</p>

<p>UVA is looking like the best option for me because it’s free and it has name recognition. On the other hand, I am willing to deal with loans.</p>

<p>Each of them have advantages over the other. For example: Major businesses love RIT students because of their required Co-Op, Boston U is a good area to get involved with start ups, UVA has a double major program specifically for Comp eng and Comp sci, etc.</p>

<p>I’ve only been able to visit UVA, and I’m visiting VTech this weekend. I probably won’t be visiting the other schools. They all look like incredible schools, but for me it will come down to small, possibly superfluous things like:
student body diversity and attitude, research or internship opportunities, Co-Op programs, the surrounding area, professors, etc.</p>

7

<p>Small differences in rankings are not that significant (and Virginia may be higher or lower than the others for computer science depending on which of the various rankings you look at). What may be more significant is if the course offerings in any school include specific types of in-major elective subjects you are interested in (though a school with ABET accreditation in computer science and engineering should have a good set of core courses), whether faculty research interests match yours should you do undergraduate research, and what companies come visiting the career center.</p>

<p>The first two can easily be checked on the school web sites. The last may or may not be easily checkable (Virginia Tech has a good career survey, but many other schools do not). If you visit, stop in the career center and ask about what companies come recruiting for computer science and engineering students for internships, co-op jobs, and jobs at graduation.</p>

8

<p>This should just be a question of UVA vs. VaTech. None of the others are worth the debt multipliers they carry.</p>

9

<p>Select UVA : Prestigious, good environment - competitive</p>

<p>Admit only best 30% OOS - well rounded - will prep you</p>

<p>on how to get along and work with others - expensive - worth it.</p>

10

<p>I would go to Virginia Tech here for Computer Science and Engineering.</p>

11

<p>UVA is an easy answer.</p>