<p>While not a common comparison as these two schools are very different, right now im deciding between villanova and virginia tech. the price is negligable as it would cost me the same to go to each one. im leaning towards v tech as far as non-academics, but any input on that would also be appreciated. Basically im wondering which school i should go to as far as an engineering education. Villanova has nicer facilities but im not sure that matters, and Virginia Tech has aerospace engineering. while i could just take mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace at villanova, im wondering if being in a top 10 aerospace program at Vtech gives any advantage if im interested in that industry as opposed to taking the broader mechanical degree. villanova is top 10 in the masters category and v tech is 14th in the national, so im not sure how that relates. I recently visited v tech and was turned off by their engineering facilities as opposed to villanova's. Does it really matter how the facilities look as long as the tools and technology is modern? Which engineering program is better? Which program would net me the best/most offers and admission to a top grad school?(Im in the honors program at v tech so i might be one of the better in my class there, if that matters). if im looking to be more in management and in the business side of engineering, which one is better for that? Do class sizes really matter? iv always been able to teach myself out of the textbook, but im wondering if i should go to villanova because the classes are smaller and i will never be taught by a TA. where would i get the best education? Please share any experiences at these schools. Any input on who i should pick come May 1st would be greatly appreciated. Thanks</p>
<p>also- which school has the best reputation? thanks in advance</p>
<p>Well, you said you were turned off by VT’s facilities…that should be something to consider.
I know both schools have excellent engineering programs and you will get a great education from both.
Personally, I don’t know enough about both of these schools to give you a good answer, but one thing I do recommend is just to sit down and find what you would like in a school and what you wouldn’t like. Then find this info on both schools and compare the info to your likes and dislikes.
Hope this is of use for you. And good luck with your choice. :)</p>
<p>thanks. im just wondering if the look of the engineering buildings is a valid enough deciding factor. any other input would be appreciated</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>Virginia tech just because I never heard of Villanova</p>
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<p>Then don’t give advice. If you don’t know things about both schools, then you aren’t qualified to compare them.</p>
<p>vtechornova:
Virginia Tech is definitely the better school for engineering. They are a well known research institution and have a good reputation in pretty much any engineering circle. However, like you started hinting at in your post, it is a large school and you may not get the personal attention that you may or may not like that could be offered at Villanova. Villanova is also a quality engineering school, just not at the level of VT.</p>
<p>As for your question about class size, it all comes down to what you are looking for. It is an individual preference. I didn’t mind my huge classes at UIUC because the opportunities for undergraduate research were much greater than at a smaller school and even though some classes were fairly large, I could still get help in person if I sought it. The main advantage of the smaller schools is that you don’t have to go out of your way for that personal help; it is there if you need it by default.</p>
<p>Both schools can get you into a top graduate school, though I would say that you have at least a slight advantage in that department at VT since they have lots of research that you could try and get involved with, and graduate schools love seeing research experience on applications.</p>
<p>For industry, VT will have a greater pull nationally for recruiting, but Villanova very well may compete with it nearly as an equal regionally, so if you want to work in California, you are likely better off at VT, but if you want to work in the Northeast, there probably won’t be a huge difference in which school you go to.</p>
<p>Honestly, you should just make a list of the pros and cons of each and decide which one is best for you. We can’t really make your mind up for you.</p>
<p>What do you mean by you didn’t like the facilities? Do you mean you didn’t like how they actually look? Or you don’t like the equipment they have there? The way you phrased it could go either way.</p>
<p>^^he’s from VT so any input he gives you better consider.^^</p>
<p>about the facilities- i recently visited both villanova and virginia tech, and i saw a couple engineering buildings at virginia tech and they were probly the worstlooking buildings on campus, as opposed to Villanova’s engineering building which is brand new and looks nice. As far as the equipment, im guessing VTech has more options but i could be wrong. i guess its just that Vtech’s buildings were a lot older, but im not sure that even matters. more input like boneh3ad would be very helpful. thanks</p>
<p>Which buildings did you see? Torg is the main engineering building and it’s one of the nicest and newest on campus. Plus we now have ICTAS and the CRC with more specialized equipment than I’d ever be able to use. Did you go inside the buildings? </p>
<p>I’ve never been to Villanova so I have no idea what their buildings look like, but the engineering facilities at VT really are top notch. If that’s what is standing in the way I’d say go to VT.</p>
<p>I think the OP is mistaking aesthetically pleasing for facilities not being nice enough. Do not pick a different school because you do not like how the buildings look. Virgina Tech is a great engineering school.</p>
<p>yeah i kno i went to randolph hall and hancock hall. while they arent exactly modern buildings, i guess i have realized that the look doesnt matter, seeing as they probly have great equipment inside. i guess my only concerns with Virginia Tech as opposed to Villanova are the large class sizes and the fact that its in the middle of nowhere as opposed to Philly (villanova). could any alumni or current students share their experiences? any further input about either school would be appreciated</p>
<p>I considered Villanova as well (I live right outside philly) but I was kind of turned off by the whole private catholic school thing and required theology classes. But it is a decent engineering school and is well known in the nj/pa area.</p>
<p>I’m a current student for about two more weeks.</p>
<p>Blacksburg is really a great college town. You’re not going to have a lot of the stuff you’ll have in a big city, but there is still a lot to do. What you have to remember is that Virginia Tech IS the town, so everything there is centered around VT. Class sizes are pretty big freshman year and a little bit of sophomore year, but my class sizes this semester are between 5 and 30 people.</p>
<p>As far as Randolph and Hancock go yeah, they are older buildings. VT has been a great engineering school for a long time so the buildings aren’t going to be new. The classrooms (in Randolph at least, never had a class in Hancock) were pretty nice from what I remember and the equipment is good too.</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>Well, what else do you want to know? If you want to know more about VT in general post a thread in the VT forum. There’s a few people that go to VT that don’t read this forum.</p>
<p>yeah im just really torn between these 2 schools. rather than flip a coin id like to see some more opinions lol. and yeah i did post this in VT and in Villanova forums. any comments could have me go either way (i know its sad lol). but yeah one more thing- does anyone think it would be foolish to pass up Villanova for VT? im from MA, and it seems like VT students are mostly virginians (obviously- state school) that go there for financial reasons, while Villanova consists of kids who could have gone anywhere but chose villanova. im pretty sure admission to villanova is more competitive and the school is more selective (looking at incoming class Sat scores and gpa, and admission rate). would i be settling if i chose VT?</p>
<p>VT is pretty hard to get in to, especially engineering. I’d bet you any amount of money that VT was most engineer’s here first choice, and probably most of the overall student body. </p>
<p>You’re not settling if you pick VT over Villanova for engineering, at all.</p>
<p>… VT is not hard to get in Chuy. Anyone with decent GPA and finish SAT without sleeping through the test.</p>