I would be careful with viewing Virginia Tech as your safety school, especially for engineering. @DecideSomeHow Virginia Tech is definitely the largest, most recognized engineering school in Virginia. It is ranked # 15 by US News in undergraduate engineering. But UVa is ranked # 31 so it does fairly well as well, The program is much smaller but it is appealing to many kids. The average SAT in engineering at UVa is 1420 which is well above the average Virginia Tech SAT for engineering- (although there are of course some VT engineering kids who do also have SAT’s at or above that level). It is not a given that a Virginia kid would or should automatically go to Virginia Tech for engineering. UVa is well recruited for engineering and the lists of employers who come to campus tends to overlap quite a bit. UVa probably does tend to have a larger number of kids going to consulting firms although VT sends some as well , especially from ISE. There is a place for schools like UVa in engineering and some kids prefer that (some kids would rather go to schools like Duke or Vanderbilt or Yale for engineering as well ). The land grant universities are definitely producing the great bulk of the engineering graduates but that doesn’t mean that there is no room for programs like the one at UVa. If the OP prefers UVa and can get into the program there, I see no reason why he should not consider it in addition to Virginia Tech. Now, if the ONLY reason he wants to go there is because of “prestige” that’s a different story. And OP, there is no need to diss Alabama and other schools. It is a well regarded school, its engineering program is ABET accredited and its’ engineering graduates seem to be getting good jobs ( and certainly, engineering students there are not getting an average of 21 on their ACT’s!).
@DecideSomeHow Yep! NC State is on my list.
I didn’t say the engineering school was my safety school! Just talking general admission. Also, I never “dissed” Alabama and other schools. I simply said that I was looking more selective schools for regular admission.
Alabama and Clemson would be "too low ranked " could be perceived as dissing IMO.
I only said Alabama. And let’s be real here, it would be considered a lower ranked school comparatively. Yes there are many schools that are wide open, but compared to the whole spectrum it’s just a fact. Not saying you’re dumb if you go there or anything like that. My grandfather graduated from Alabama and Auburn. Got his Ph’D and was one of the smartest human beings I knew.
OP check you post #26. That’s where I read that statement .
Ah my bad. I partially misspoke there.
@DecideSomeHow If I recall correctly , part of the reason your son chose NC State was because you are NC residents ? I 'm guessing the OP seems to be keying in on the Virginia schools because he is instate for them and they would be cheaper than most schools unless he is able to get good merit aid. It seems pretty typical for most people to look to their state schools first for engineering, if there are good options. That is certainly what we did.
@sevmom , yep we are in NC. But this old hokie would have forked over the money for Tech. He sincerely liked NCSU better.
And that is what counts! Glad he is enjoying NCSU.
i know a few kids who were in state VA and turned down VA Tech for NC State. They are super happy. I don’t know the tuition at either but the mom said it wasn’t that much more (I assume had merit aid). I also know smart kids who have gone thru programs at george mason, west VA, VCU that were all happy. And the ones I know at Tech and UVA are no more happier and they all got good jobs.
We toured Volgenau at GMU and it seemed like a good program. The OP has made it pretty clear though that he and his father are pretty particular about where he ends up. He has already said he would not apply to VCU. NC State seems to have some good merit options that could make it comparable to or less than instate prices at his Virginia schools so that seems like a good idea that he has that on his list. If he doesn’t want to consider Alabama, with all the potential merit aid possibly available there , I have a feeling that it would be even more unlikely he would consider WVU. But you never know. Any ABET accredited school should provide good opportunities ,
We know some kids that went to VCU and were happy there as well , although none were in engineering. The OP only wants to apply to UVa and Virginia Tech instate. He has ruled out all the other instate engineering options like VCU and GMU already. He also doesn’t want to apply to Alabama, which could potentially offer merit. No interest in Clemson either. So, NC State is on the list and could be a very good choice if the money works out. It could also be worth turning down a Virginia Tech admission to go to NC State engineering if the VT admission was not to the engineering school .
@TheAutodidact , You say that “I also can’t apply to more than like 4-5 colleges since my parents won’t allow me due to cost.” You really need to discuss finances with your parents, in terms of how much they will give you for college. You have said, for instance, that Colorado School of Mines is on your list . It is essentially a $50,000 school for an OOS student. In addition, you would have increased travel costs. Although merit could be possible at some of these OOS schools that you are looking at, there is no guarantee. So, make sure you understand how much your parents are willing to pay so you have that info before you make up your application list (especially since you are only allowed to apply to 4-5 schools).
UVA and VT may not be the only instate schools I apply to. I’m looking at JMU and GMU for safety schools. I need to research JMU engineering to see how it’s been doing since it’s fairly new and doesn’t even have specific majors, just general engineering. GMU seems to be known for it’s good IT/CS but I’m not a fan of the location
While Colorado School of Mines has been on my list for a while, I’m likely going to remove it since they specialize in environmental sciences. Being someone who doesn’t have interest in chemistry, this would not be good. Like any of these out of state schools that would cost more than 25k, I’ll be relying on merit.
JMU has been accredited for engineering only since 2011 and as you say, is more general engineering. The school may have some data they can give you in terms of where their graduates end up. They also have an Integrated Science and Technology major that is ABET accredited (in applied science I believe). GMU is accredited in more things. CNU has some new programs as well (electrical).
Yep. If I end up touring JMU after VT and UVA during my spring break then I’ll definitely ask them about that. I can look some more into GMU too. CNU is definitely not where I want to be though.
Glad you are keeping more options open. You earlier said you most likely would just be applying instate to UVa and VT. You may end up OOS , you never know and merit aid is always possible, but always good to keep some financial safeties in the mix . JMU seems to be a nice campus with generally happy students. Good luck and have fun looking at schools during spring break.