<p>The choice is mostly down to UVA Engineering vs. VT Engineering (in Honors program).
The goal is to double major or minor possibly in Business or Math. In at UVA, VT, Vandy,
UNC-CH, JMU (honors), and waitlisted at Duke. Unfortunately $ is an issue so will probably stay in-state. Any advice or advantages or disadvantages of the two programs would be
appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>tnalflncva, Congrats on your acceptances! All of your choices are great schools and don’t feel that by staying in-state you will be hindered in your quest to get a tremendous education. Virginia schools rock! 
</p>
<p>I hope chuy will reply, he has been through the engineering program at VT, but very rational and I am sure will be able to give you a lot of credible information about both programs. </p>
<p>From what I have heard from various parents/teachers, VT offers more of a technological/hands on approach to their engineers, UVA’s is much more liberal arts based. No “right or wrong way”, just different approaches that may appeal to the different interests of perspective students. With your interest in double majoring/minoring, UVA may be the best bet as I have heard that the program at VT is insanely engineering intensive. </p>
<p>I used to think that the honors program designation wasn’t all that it is at other schools, but I am coming around to seeing that it opens up a lot of doors regarding the prospect for undergrad research and upperclassmen scholarship potential. That may or may not be of interest to you. </p>
<p>Good luck to you and I hope other students and parents will respond with their perspectives.</p>
<p>The programs overall are very comparable. It largely depends on what you want to major in as well the non-academic aspects of the schools. I think you would really benefit from visiting the two schools if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>First a few questions.</p>
<p>Why are you interested in double majoring? What are your goals for after graduation? A minor in math isn’t too difficult and may make sense if you’re EE or possibly CE, but in any other major it will never help you. A minor in business as an engineer is frankly like putting a lawnmower engine on a scramjet. Completely pointless; you’re already qualified for every business job with just your engineering degree.</p>
<p>If you want to actually double major yet again it’ll be pointless (with the POSSIBLE exception of CE or EE paired with Math) and you’ll be adding a couple years to your undergrad. You might be able to get through in 5 with summer classes but you really ought to be doing internships or research.</p>
<p>The point of all of that is think very long and hard before you decide to double major or minor, and forget about business minoring or majoring.</p>
<p>Now as for UVA versus VT, they are two very different types of schools. VT is more technical and hands on. If you want a job actually in engineering VT is probably the better choice. UVA is going to give you a broader education with a bigger focus on liberal arts. If you want a job not in engineering, such as in the financial sector (good luck right now) you may be better off at UVA. To be honest though, both programs are pretty good and unless you really know you want to work in heavy industry (in which case you should go to VT) just visit both campuses and go to the one you like better.</p>
<p>I find it amusing how people keep referring to UVA’s engineering school as being more “liberal arts” based. Judging from the curriculum for chem engineering found on the UVA website below, I don’t see much in the way of coursework that could be construed as being liberal arts. As far as hands on, I have several UVA engineers who work for me who touted the opportunities they had at UVA to apply their studies, whether in the lab, in the community on works projects, or in their senior thesis. Check the web below and compare to VA Techs, you won’t find much of a difference.</p>
<p>[The</a> Department of Chemical Engineering > Curricula](<a href=“http://www.che.virginia.edu/undergraduate/curricula.php]The”>http://www.che.virginia.edu/undergraduate/curricula.php)</p>
<p>I have been a die hard UVA supporter for nearly all my life, and I’ll be attending Tech in the fall. While I was visiting for the honors weekend, one of the students who knew the son of the head of UVA engineering had an interesting story for me. The UVA head told his son, when his son was searching, that he should go to Tech if he wanted to do engineering. Tech just has so many opportunities because of the size of the department.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your decision indecisive. From following your posts, I know you went back and forth on this one. I guess you could change your screen name now </p>
<p>I wish you all of the best. I think you will be very challenged, yet very happy in Blacksburg. It is a special school. Just watching today’s remembrance events online, you can feel the sense of community and family atmosphere that is always present on that campus. Not too many schools have that. For you and all the new Hokies, do great things!</p>
<p>Indecsiveness, I would hesitate before I based an important decision like yours on what may be nothing more than rumint (rumor intelligence), hearsay, or a disgruntled individual with an axe to grind. Suggest you reach out to the engineering department at UVA, maybe even the head of the dept itself to get his unvarnished opinion and discuss with faculty there. My D, when she attended the SEAS engineering open house, met the dean and a number of the other profs there (and did the same at Duke, GaTech, Rutgers, Penn State). They were very enthusiastic about the school, its programs, and future. Please don’t base such an important decision on what is probably false info, do your research.</p>
<ol>
<li>I trust my source</li>
<li>That story had no effect on my decision. I did not make my decision against UVA for anything at all related to engineering but instead turned them down well before I decided I was going to add engineering to my major. I know what I’m doing.</li>
</ol>
<p>
I’m sorry, but your source is wrong on this.</p>
<p>[Dean</a> James Aylor’s](<a href=“http://www.seas.virginia.edu/about/message.php]Dean”>http://www.seas.virginia.edu/about/message.php) son went to UVa. He graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2004.
[Dean</a> Ed Berger’s](<a href=“http://www.seas.virginia.edu/admissions/undergraduate.php]Dean”>http://www.seas.virginia.edu/admissions/undergraduate.php) children aren’t even in high school yet. :)</p>
<p>Frieeeeed!</p>
<p>Please allow me: the fact that the son went to UVA doesn’t exclude tthe possibility hat his dad may have recommended that he should go to Vtech.</p>
<p>I assure you that the “source” is mistaken. Jim Aylor is a triple Hoo and has been at UVa since 1968 (with a short stint at IBM in the early 80s).</p>
<p>This is not a comment about Tech. As some may know, I am a big proponent of public higher education in the Commonwealth. I just want to nip that little rumor in the bud.</p>
1 Like
<p>Who really knows what someone has said to their kid? Maybe he was thinking his son may want to spread his wings and go to a school where he wasn’t the dean…</p>
<p>Girl I went to college with married a guy whose dad was an university administrator at a terrific school in Virginia. The dad had no problem when his son opted to go to another great school in the state. Too close for comfort for the both of them? Maybe, but also a really good fit for the guy. </p>
<p>But…haven’t heard any recent Cville news reports about a UVA engineering dean being chased down The Lawn by an appalled wahoo mob because he told his son to go to Virginia Tech. So, maybe the story indecisive heard was just a rumor ;)</p>
<p>LOL. Dean J, you have apparently stirred the faithful, the apologetics are in full swing.</p>
<p>;>)</p>
<p>Boneyard, with comments like this I am really starting to have serious doubts about the type of students who go to UVA. Kandksmom’s comments have always been fair and balanced as opposed to your comments and others like yours. How immature!</p>
<p>But I found it amusing that despite Dean J’s presentation of facts to refute the rumint presented earlier, attempts to preserve elements of the story through speculation continued. This is no slam against K or others–heck his entire website is full of apologists, ■■■■■■, and baiters. Oh, and BTW, as I detailed in an earlier post elsewhere I went to Rutgers. We’re a contentious bunch–must be a Jersey thing.</p>
<p>Go to Virginia Tech. Whether or not it’s this, or that, or liberal arts or you love the school or you like the drill field, Virginia Tech’s engineering program is simply better in every way shape or form and I’m sure some will try to be unbiased, but my job isn’t to be unbiased, mine is to get you to come to this school. The undergraduate stats say 14th is better than 42nd. Sure, don’t put too much into rankings, but 14th vs 42nd is substantial. If you want an objective opinion, talk to my father, Notre Dame Class of '79 and a civil engineer. He has YET to meet a UVA engineer in his 25 year career. There is absolutely no comparison unless you’re purposely going out of your way to be classy and unbiased. Put up anything for argument, but UVA’s engineering program is inferior. Go ahead and scan through the professor bios and see how many times Virginia Tech pops up as one of their degree programs.</p>
<p>Good lord, I was just teasing with the last remark and with the first one was just saying that many factors could make a UVA dad suggest VT to his son. </p>
<p>I took your reply as tongue in cheek Boneyard, no apologies needed. But, I will say for guillaume, sometimes it does come across that you have a small “bone to pick” with Tech. Maybe YOU didn’t go to UVA, but I read in another post that your daughter picked UVA over VT engineering, so therein lies the rub.</p>
<p>Seriously, let’s keep this stuff fun and non-confrontational…I have a cartoon in my head of blue and orange panties getting more and more into a wad with every mention of Virginia Tech and smart kids choosing to go there Personally, I don’t think TJ would care where they went as long as they learned…</p>
<p>Everyone should probably chill…a lot</p>