shoebox10

Someone's gotta build the computer that ercmilla is happily using without second thought. And power it. And make fridges. And roads. And bridges. And blow stuff up. And put people on the moon.

Yeah, that engineering thing...boring

galoisien

Civil engineering is pretty boring (to me) actually. The problem I think is that I can't imagine it as an exciting field of research. The materials science used to discover new kinds of concrete or build high-tension ropes for a space elevator .... or building the space elevator itself -- ah, that's exciting.

ercmilla

whether engineering is vital does not have anything to do with my opinion of its excitement. You feel me? Im sure there is an aspect of engineering that would interest me (hidden deep in the abyss), but I come from a big family of engineers - and I just do not like what they do. Biomedical engineering sounds cool. As does aerospace/aeronautical engineering.

And for the record - I built this computer im using. ;D


Sorry to get you guys off topic, thought. Carry on!

HartinGA

I have very serious concerns about this program. If it were limited to a number of students, then I think it would be another good way to expand access along with financial aid programs. But to a offer a blanket guarantee to all seems like a massive loophole. It is such an insult to the many kids who were denied admission despite great stats. They will now be replaced by JC transfers whose stats are much lower.

galoisien

This program was already implemented a while ago, wasn't it?

Plus, it seems to me (from what I've seen) that the VCCS tends to be more rigourous than most other community colleges.

shoebox10

Galoisien: Yes and no. There is an agreement with the College that came into affect (as in, students began entering as a result) this past Fall07. However, the E/A/Nursing/Education/McIntire were not part of this. Now, SEAS has it's own plan with requirements more geared towards the e-school, but still has the GPA limit of a 3.4. And I agree that VCCS is a good CC system, but CCs in general do not have the same resources, environment, and rigors of a 4-yr like UVa. I've taken classes over the summer at NOVA, which is considered the best system within VCCS, and they really are no where near as challenging as a 4-yr program. I spent maybe 3-4 hours a week/subject for a class, when here, most e-schoolers spend 3-4 hours a day/subject. Sure, not all classes are like that and it may have been different because they were over the summer. But people are naive if they believe CC engineering and a top school's engineering programs are even close to being on the same level. It's not putting down CC, it's just that again, they lack certain features causing the amplitude of the rigor to be hampered.

bernie2242

UVA is not the first college to do this. Berkley, Michigan, and almost every other public tier 1 college does the samething. UVA is doing a good thing. They are increasing the number of high caliber engineers, and this is good for everyone. The U.S. is already way behind in the number of scientists and engineers it produces compared to its peers.