Hi everyone, I am between these two schools and am really indecisive about them, so I thought I would see if I could get any advice from the cc group. I would be studying engineering at both, so obviously any info about which program might be stronger would be helpful, but I also think there is a lot more to consider other than academics. In particular I am looking for (other than academics):
a work hard play hard type of school, where academics are of high priority but the students still have fun and let loose on weekends
I can see why students are attracted to these great U’s. It comes down to fit and where you want to live for the next 4 years. Visit both and see which one feels the best for you.
we live in Virginia and regret that neither son attended UVA…somehow we thought grad school would get done there but didn’t go that way. We weren’t the brightest bulbs when eldest son paid full price for Duke instead of honors offer at UVA. He ended up in business and it could be argued that UVA would have been a smart plan for him.
HOWEVER. I am going to recommend Vanderbilt over UVA in general particularly for the hard sciences that need constant infusions of cash to keep research opps going and research equipment funded. Have you seen the new Engineering building at Vandy? it is stunning and is predictive of the view of the Trustees re centrality of engineering in undergrad schools.
There are pathways at UVA-- and others may chime in–that I feel are the exception re landing a job. UVA has a superior world class undergraduate business path…if you are selected as a sophomore! This school within a school delivers mightily re job placement. Jobs are important in business. MBA programs are really not for new grads. They prefer a work history and UVA gets the job done for grads.
Another path that comes to mind where UVA excels in placement is probably anything to do with government, State Department pathways. They have a strong alum network in DC and proven track record of helping you get traction. Even so, our Vandy son had two summers in Washington DC out of Vanderbilt.
UVA also has a sort of blessed student body from in-state of students who failed to land rare merit offers in private schools and they just can’t beat UVA with a stick for value on the dollar. There is actually a pretty big squadron of UVA grads in NYC in finance jobs. The student body itself is not as broadly national as Vandy. But UVA is a fun mix of instate top students…often with parents connected to DC jobs and surrounds…and top out of state students paying top private pay dollar for a state flagship education.
There is the rub, I think. If you are paying top dollar, unless it is significantly cheaper than Vandy full price (and it might be)…I would pick Vandy over UVA due to Vandy’s great funding for student life, beautiful freshman campus and presence in a very very hot town (Nashville has never been more booming). Small classrooms are a definite expectation for upper courses at Vandy. Nashville has a great town gown vibe. (well…ditto Charlottesville…honestly…it has a great town gown love affair going on.)
Albemarle County is one of the most beautiful corners of the USA and its beauty does permeate UVA. And it has a close relationship with The Room Where it Happens (DC).
However as an engineer, I would pick Vandy’s intimate and gorgeous Engineering school. I would chide you over spending full price on either school when there are public engineering schools that are terrific. However, it has been my impression that jobs are definitely THERE for engineers. And getting your further credentials in engineering later can be done without mortgaging your parents’ home. So I don’t think shelling out for a great undergrad quality of life is as stupid as it is for pathways with ridiculously expensive grad school paths.
Hands down Vanderbilt for what you’ve described. Money isn’t an issue so it’s not like UVA is a real saving, and engineering is incredibly strong here, as are all the STEM areas. Work hard play hard is Vandy in a nutshell (to my personal dismay at times) but school spirit and letting lose on weekends is the essence of Vanderbilt’s social life. I think you described yourself as an excellent fit, but I’d certainly visit both if I were in your shoes to be sure. Congratulations on two wonderful options. Maybe I’ll see you on campus next year!
@Senior2016M and @enginero : Careful, often the solid public schools have an edge in STEM education for undergraduates. They seem to have much more momentum there, perhaps out of a desire to optimize education with large class sizes. I will look into UVA, but I know that places like Michigan, Berkeley, Georgia Tech, UT Austin are just insanely good, especially in the tech and physical sciences portion of STEM. Many of these places do their STEM courses in such areas very rigorously and with quite a bit of innovation still not as prevalent at private schools which are often very traditional (unless you are an LAC).
Socially these places are similar (minus size. They are both know for being classically fun college settings and having true work-hard play hard atmospheres). Academically, you should visit the campuses and hit up departmental websites to see the academic and co-curricular opportunities at each (and if on a visit, just ask about it. Visit the depts). Also, avoid being too blown away by shiny facilities. Schools at these levels will have them. When they market these buildings to you. Pay less attention to the newness and more to what happens in there including cool research, design of social spaces, design of classrooms (especially those targeting undergraduates) and even how instructors use the classrooms to teach (as in consider visting a class).
Also, This is not hands down as apparently UVA has a ranking edge over Vanderbilt for UG engineering though I would consider it marginal to the point where it should not be a deciding factor (even if there was a large gap, it still should not be a deciding factor). Take your visit very seriously and pick one based on fit (please do not choose on prestige, rank, or selectivity of the programs or the school. Both are very selective, and differences in these will not predict differences in academic quality or rigor. You will have to research or visit the departments to see which one you like better based upon your own values). You will likely not go wrong here if you make a mature decision.
Perhaps the reason I would lean towards Vanderbilt (mind you I am a critic of many of their and other schools’ life sciences classes, but their physical sciences and engineering seem excellent so the “lower” rank means nothing academically as far as I can tell.) is, again, quicker access to smaller class sizes in STEM sections once you get your “weeder” courses over with. I am willing to suspect UVA’s program is much larger in terms of enrollment, but it likely depends on the engineering discipline you are studying. I have a huge bias toward smaller (less than 90 students) section sizes for STEM, but who knows, UVA may very well surprise and do something great with larger classes (again, there is much precedent for this at elite publics) or provide some neat co-curricular opps not offered at many places that draw you. Give both a fair chance and investigate intelligently. Good luck!
The OP started this thread as well on the UVA site where I already wrote a response based on our visit to Vanderbilt this past weekend. It was the first visit for my child who was offered a CV merit scholarship at Vandy and Echols/CSS at UVA. My response is on the other page, but to summarize since it hasn’t been mentioned here- the campus settings are VERY different. We were surprised at how loud and urban Vanderbilt has become (maybe always was, but not sure). We had pictured more of a WUSTL peacefulness despite being in a city. For some people, this is a draw for Vanderbilt- they feel it is energetic and full of possibilities; for others (like my child) it’s almost a deal-breaker. UVA is in a vibrant town, but a college-town feel.
How happy you would be in either setting is an important point. We can’t afford UVA since child wasn’t chosen for an at-large Jefferson and though our FAFSA EFC is zero, UVA wants $30,000. Vanderbilt would have been no-cost with merit and aid. Child is still leaning toward taking a full-ride at another state flagship that has a college town and is quieter.
Point is- it might be important for the OP or anyone else using this thread to understand that though Vanderbilt and UVA have many similarities on paper, their settings are quite different if that is important to you.
Two great schools with lots of similarities. Highly ranked, academically elite, southern universities. Serious greek presence on both campuses. Both are in big time sports conferences but usually stink at football. To me, the vibe of the two is quite similar. Parts of the campuses even look very much alike. FYI, Vandy’s Peabody campus was closely modeled after UVA’s Jeffersonian Lawn.
If the money is even, go with your gut and pick the one you like better. UVA is a big state school (17,000 undergrads) but that is not as big as you’ll find with other state flagships. One-third of UVA’s enrollment is out of state. So UVA feels a bit more like a private school than many big state schools do. Charlottesville is a nice college town and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.
Vandy is smaller (7,000 undergrads) and private (smaller classes, more resources per student). Nashville is a fun cool midsize city (seems kind of like Austin TX to me). Despite the post above, it is a stretch to think that Vandy is in a hard core urban setting.
Degrees from either place will be strong. UVA though might register a little more strongly in DC or NYC. Vandy might trend a bit more to the midwest and the southeast. Depends on what you like.
A few other distinctions. Vandy kids typically live on campus for 3 or 4 years; frosh all live in the Commons. UVA kids typically only spend 1 or 2 years in the dorms. Then rent an apartment in the student zone of town adjacent to campus. Pluses and minuses to each of those set ups.
UVA has invested a lot in its engineering program recently and it is well regarded. Not sure how it ranks as compared to Vandy. But historically UVA has been known as more of a liberal arts type of school. VaTech historically was the engineering school in VA. So don’t assume UVA engineering is the kind of big state school engineering program like you might find at a Michigan, Penn State or VaTech. Do your homework on that.
@sursumcorda Thank you for both your responses! I started the thread in each page just to try and get a good overall picture and weed out some bias, but i appreciate your insight! You are very right about the different environments.
@northwesty UVA is 32 and Vanderbilt is 37, effectively no difference considering all the ties and stuff. Also, I don’t have a problem with large engineering programs, especially if they are like Michigan lol. That one is so good that I would get over it. On the other hand, Michigan makes those introductory classes in math and physics (for engineers) unusually challenging. Perhaps because it is big, the weeding culture is very real.
@enginero : Again, if you visited or will revisit, make sure to actually visit those departments or try to maybe sit in some introductory classes (maybe engineering, physics, math, or if you are doing something like BME or ChemE, bio or chem) for them at each. Often the first year in college STEM is often make or break. If instructors are what you consider not good or often use a teaching style that does not vibe with you, many may under-perform or just leave those majors just because they refuse to do anymore courses in them. Try to avoid being merely blown away by amenities and general beauty of campus (both will be similar anyway) so much that you forget about this aspect.
I’d choose Vandy (again) in a heartbeat. For me, it came down to size. UVA was just too big. I love both Nashville and Charlottesville (where I now have a kid in high school) very much. Both offer quality academics.
@thecoldeye : That statistic seems to mean very little to their business school where students report pretty high intensity and the specifics of the required curriculum suggest so as well. Good multiple choice test takers is nice, but what instructors do with them is more important. An argument can be made that each school does similar there and the “vibes” of each school indicate so. Also, at bigger schools, scores tend to sort because usually larger public schools have more undergraduate entities (as in full blown schools). Both student bodies are still really good IMHO.
