(I posted this earlier but then I realized I should post it in the UVA and specific forums as well)
I was recently admitted as a transfer student to VT and UVA. At UVA I would be doing BME with either an ECE or Engineering business minor. At VT I would be doing engineering science and mechanics with an emphasis in biomechanics and a BME minor. While VT is known as the better engineering school, I think I like how UVA has a BME major versus just a minor. I have less than 2 more weeks to make my decision and I’m very stressed so I am hoping to get some input
What is the engineering culture like at both these schools? I've heard things about UVA engineering being more theoretical whereas VT is more practical. Since I would be doing engineering science at VT, it seems like they would both end up being theoretical?
Does it feel like professors are trying to weed you out even into sophomore and junior year?
Can anyone who did/does ESM at VT tell me more about what the program is like? Certain aspects of it just look like the basic mechanical engineering classes.
How competitive are students? Are people willing to help you?
While I am trying to make this decision primarily on academic factors, what is it like as a transfer student at both of these schools? Will it be isolating? Do people look at you any differently because you are a transfer?
Thanks so much for your help, any input would be super super appreciated
We can obviously tell you about UVA, but not about Tech.
Engineering students at UVA are collaborative, positive, and motivated. The school is very supportive and the idea of “weed out” courses is totally foreign here. The professors want their students to succeed and we have the top graduate rate of any 4-year, public engineering school in the country as a result.
Being a transfer anywhere will be a bit of a transition, both academically and socially. UVA has a transfer orientation to help with both of those things.
We did have one VT to UVA transfer here on the forum years ago, so you might be able to find her posts. Otherwise, we will stick to just talking about UVA, since it’s what we know best! Good luck with the decision!
One thing I have to ask: where did you hear that UVA engineering is theoretical? Engineering, by definition, is the application of theory. A theoretical program would be a pure science. I have heard people ask this question before, which makes me wonder who is trying to say this.
Go look at graduate archives and see how many kids complete the program to see which school you should go to. It’s not that subjective. Plus tech has superior course selection
Data on number of degrees by field is here: http://research.schev.edu/apps/info/Reports.Guide-to-the-Degrees-Awarded-Reports.ashx I don’t think it shows VT has a higher percentage of STEM graduates outside of engineering than UVA. Although this is a good source of data, it does not speak directly to quality. I think the OP should look for additional inputs.
I have seen some information on UVA engineering graduate outcomes on the school’s web site. I think UVA has targeted BME as an area of focus. VT is a considerably larger engineering school (about 2.8X) and will probably have some more breadth and depth in some areas.
According to the schools websites, UVA Engineering graduates have starting salaries that are $5000 more than VT Engineering graduates so apparently employers feel that the UVA graduates are worth paying more.
Pick the one where you feel like it’d be more fun to be a student at honestly.
VT is a better engineering school, but not so much that it makes UVA a bad option per se. UVA’s strength over VT, in my opinion, is that everything is strong, not just engineering - meaning if you see yourself as an engineering major and business minor or an engineering and economics double major, UVA might be ‘better’ (note it may be hard for you to double major or major-minor since you’re a transfer student).
