Hello everyone! I have created an account on CC to have this one question answered.
I will be majoring in computer science at college, and I was recently accepted into Virginia Tech’s engineering school, UVA’s engineering school, and William and Mary (I was also wait-listed by Johns Hopkins, but being a realist, that is almost as good as a rejection). Below I list all of the factors that are weighting into my current decision in order of importance and how I am currently leaning. I am just asking everyone else’s opinion because right now I am swinging back and forth so much that it is making my head spin. Here is some basic info about myself that is pertinent to my decision:
Location: 30 min away from WM, 2 and a half hours from UVA, 4ish hours from VT
GPA: 4.6 weighted, 4.0 unweighted
SAT/ACT: 2080 – (770 in math, 680 in reading, 630 in writing) Similar scores on ACT
Schooling: I attend a magnet high school that competes closely with Thomas Jefferson High School
Family connections to schools: None
Extracurriculars: I am an athlete…and that’s basically it. I played three years of varsity basketball and four years of varsity baseball. I looked into college varsity baseball, but it did not work out with the academic package I strove for. I am very likely to participate in club sports and/or intramurals. I have about 150-200 community service hours as well.
Factors (In order of importance):
Academics:
I feel that for a CS specific degree that VT and UVA both trump WM in the category, but in different ways. I think that VT is better for internships and jobs during school (More career fairs etc.) and they are far more technical in engineering and CS, not focusing on other subjects as much as UVA. I feel that I am more of a technical person and I like to focus on one thing. However, UVA is a better academic package as a whole without question. If I ever want to switch majors (Which I do not anticipate) then UVA has more to offer. In addition, I think that UVA is better for research. For William and Mary, they are behind UVA and VT in CS, but they are similar to UVA that they have a better overall academic package than VT.
How I lean: UVA very narrowly beats VT because of the overall academic package trumps VT, and UVA’s CS is very very close to VT. WM finishes in last here because, although they do not have a bad CS program, it does not compete with VT’s or UVA’s.
Campus Atmosphere:
I have not yet visited WM’s campus officially, but I have seen it many times attending sporting events and driving through it, etc. So I may be a bit biased towards VT and UVA here. Anyways, VT has a more inclusive feeling and seems far more welcoming. It is much more of a tight-knit community, which is a plus for me. As an example, when I first arrived at the VT visitor’s center (A brand new, lovely building), my mother and I had not scheduled a campus tour because we decided last minute to visit the campus over spring break. When we entered the building and got up to one of the many people working the desks, my mom explained our current situation and the guy said that there was a 11:30 tour and that he would do what he could to get us on it…and he did. In addition, he signed us up for the computer science department’s info session right after the tour. He was kind, and went out of his way to help us out. Not to mention that there were two students who helped direct us when we were lost on campus – without us asking. This did not happen at UVA. When we arrived at the UVA Visitor Center (A shabby, run down building), and my mother began the same explanation of how we were looking to tour the campus, she was cut off about half-way through by the one person working behind glass. She pointed us to a map of the campus… and that was really it. My mom also asked about where she could go to get a parking pass for the day, and the lady said we could get a blue pass at parking and transportation. But she didn’t know where it was. How do you not know where your own parking and transportation department is?
This is just an example of the difference in atmosphere. While I have not personally visited WM, I get the feeling from living in the area that they are somewhat in the middle. WM has an exclusive intellectual feeling like UVA, but is generally very welcoming and most people seem kind.
How I lean: VT gets a solid victory here, but WM also seems to have a good atmosphere. UVA trails in this category
Look of the Campus:
VT: Seeing every building made of the same, boring Hokie Stone gets old. Sure, it is a unique touch for VT, but I can imagine it gets old very quickly. However, overall VT has a very nice campus. Although it is large, everything seems to be in place and connected to the atmosphere.
UVA: Parts of the campus are very beautiful. Brick buildings are my favorite and with the trees beginning to bloom, it was a very beautiful. However, unlike VT some buildings seem to be out of place and just randomly thrown somewhere on campus. In other words, VT building scheme seems more planned out than UVA.
WM: I like small campuses more than large campuses, and WM has the most to offer in that regard. They have a very beautiful campus.
How I lean: WM wins this category for me, UVA and VT draw.
There are obviously factors I have left off, but I would just be rambling more than I already am. I think more will be cleared up once I actually visit WM tomorrow. I am just looking for other opinions to help me make a decision by May 1st. Keep in mind that I am going for CS. I appreciate any help you can offer.