My daughter got accepted OOS to UVA and Virginia Tech- Honors College. She wants to study biomedical engineering but not 100%. VT doesn’t have biomedical as a major so she would have to choose a different field of engineering, UVA does. Any advice?
Virginia Tech honors: smaller classes, greater resources and support, equal peer group, great job prospects. Offers BSE (Biological Systems Engineering).
What are her career goals? Is each affordable without parental loans?
Where else has she applied/been admitted to?
Thank you for your help. She also got into Penn State, UCONN, and is waiting on Vanderbilt, Duke, Maryland. She got deferred at Michigan. She isn’t quite sure of career goals- that is the issue. VERY strong STEM student so anything math or science would work for her. . We could pay in full for Virginia Tech without loans- $39K and only half of UVA which is $69K I know it seems like a no brainer to most but she fell in love with UVA and they have biomedical vs biological systems. Any other advice?
@ColleenF Is UVA $120,000-worth better? Speaking as a Hokie Engineer, no way! Engineering at Tech is superb and VT is gorgeous & fun… they have that great Carilion Research Center which would probably provide some opportunities of interest to your daughter.
Waiting on Maryland?! Did she apply by the 11/1 deadline for Honors and merit scholarship consideration? If so, she should have heard 1/26
Did she apply for honors at Penn State and UConn?
Can you plan for an overnight with a freshman English class as well as a BSE class, visit and talk with honors students…?
My S chose UVA biomedical engineering over VA Tech. He wanted to major in biomedical and really loved UVA. He is now a junior and has changed his major to Mech E. He’s having a great experience at UVA, but I think there are times when he wished he had chosen Tech. Their engineering program is so much stronger IMO. In addition, I encourage your daughter to research job opportunities available to students with only an undergraduate degree in biomedical. The lack of opportunities was one of the reasons my S changed his major. Tough decision - good luck!
Engineering program at VT is great and UVA’s biomedical engineering is good too. Maybe consider the size factors of the school too? (VT is more of a rural area while UVA is in a larger town) Maybe also try planning an overnight visit where she can sit for some of the classes to make the decision. I believe that tuition rates at UVA are higher than VT, especially for out of state students. Both great schools, but I would suggest UVA because it is her intended major and in the end, students go to college to get a degree in their field. (Also would suggest reaching out to UVA and VT students/ admissions officers to find out how easy it is to change your degree) Best of luck to your D!
I am interested to see what you decide. My son is a junior and also wants to go into engineering – not really sure what kind. I went to UVA and loved it! My child also liked it a lot. I was a little weirded out by their engineering school though. I think it’s a great place to go if you want to do something other than engineering, but not sure what an engineering degree from UVA looks like in the job field. Schools like Virginia Tech (and Georgia Tech which is in state for us) have tremendous job opportunities, alumni networks, etc. I wonder if it is the same as getting an engineering degree from UGA versus Georgia Tech to some extent. Great question and good luck!!
Engineering at UVA has not historically been a strength, but I think they have made gains in specific areas like biomedical and overall placement and salaries mow seem to be strong (there is a placement summary online). VT has a much larger engineering school and covers the field with more breadth and depth than UVA.
As you know, the cost differential is fairly substantial. She needs to assess how committed she is to biomedical.
PSU has a very strong engineering program. Is there any interest there?
My daughter took the advice of a friend who hires engineers; she recommends Tech. She says UVA engineers “think they went to MIT”.