My D25 will be studying ME, possibly Aerospace, at VT in the Fall. He is a social kid, loves sports and wants to join a frat. Knowing the academic rigor that Engineering will require, we are discussing the possibility of him doing 5 years of undergrad to have some balance and be able to enjoy all the things that VT offers. Putting aside the financial piece, is this crazy? Do kids declare this from the beginning or is it better to see how 1st semester goes? Will potential employers view this negatively?
IMO, if your child had strong enough academics to get into VT, they will be fine finding the balance between academics and fun, and still graduate on time.
My impression is that most schools are not going to want to take a hit to their 4 year graduation rate for a planned 5 years unless there is a co-op involved and in that case, it’s still only 8 semesters.
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Interesting and I’m sure you’re right. I hadn’t even considered that piece.
A good piece of advice that my D received as an incoming freshman was to look at school like an 8-5 job, M-F, regardless of class schedule. There is a lot of down time in comparison to HS but in that downtime between classes, stay on campus and study/work. That way nights and weekends have more free time for fun. Totally worked for her!
I’ll also add that as a non engineer, I was worried that she was going to struggle and find her classes really difficult. That wasn’t the case. She loved being able to dive into the STEM classes and found them useful, fun and fulfilling. She thought HS was much more of a grind because she had to take and work hard in classes she just wasn’t interested in.
(My daughter was at Purdue, not VT, but I think they have similar cultures).
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I think it’s a play it by ear.
They go first semester - how’d they do?
They could always downsize the schedule if needed, but I don’t think you need to go in with that idea.
I do know some parents see all the APs credit and recommend the other way - start slow and as you adjust, speed up.
Given engineering is rigid schedule wise, I don’t think you go there.
Your son got into VT. Trust the process and adapt as needed.
Will potential employers view this negatively? Unlikely - although I can’t speak for individuals specifically.
My son is a sophomore aerospace engineer at VT. It isn’t uncommon for some kids to take 5 years. However, it really isn’t necessary - if your kid got in he can do the work.
My son actually started in the college of science but transferred in after his freshman year. He had to take a winter class his freshman year to stay on track since he couldn’t register for that class in the fall because it was reserved for students already in the engineering program, but that was it. He’s on track to graduate on time with a minor in physics.
It is a lot of work, and your son will need to be disciplined. HOWEVER, it isn’t only work… my son still has time for rock climbing, a research assistant position, a club, and going out once a week with friends.
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I have an engineering student at VT. He will graduate in 4 years, as will his roommates who are also engineering majors. They’ve all had time for football & basketball games, fraternities, clubs, girlfriends, hiking, gym, downtime for video games and just hanging out, etc. Engineering is tough but it can definitely be done in 4 years, while also enjoying a balance of college life.
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I would start with the idea of graduating in 4 years and adjust if needed. It is fine to keep the five year idea in your back pocket.
Both of my kids were happy to graduate in four years as the majority of their friends were graduating and leaving college then as well.
Another thought might be to take a few summer classes (particularly for gen ed requirements) to lighten the load a bit during the school year.
And agree with others that time management will be key. In general, there is less classroom time in college – if the outside of classroom time is utilized well, most kids can mix study and fun. Every student needs to figure out a system that works for them.
And congrats on VT!!
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I don’t think 5-years is terrible, but I think having fun in 4 years is very achievable. Once you get off schedule, there will be classes you won’t know many other students and that can make working on projects or finding a study group more difficult. My son is a junior and is off-sequence in thermo and knew no one there because most take it in their 2nd year. He likes knowing who he works well with on projects and that is a big motivator to stay in sequence. He did start with quite a few credits from AP/IB, but is also in the marching band so spends many full Saturdays at that.
My daughter is tentatively planning on 5 years because she is adding a minor in animation. But going into year 2, she is still on track for 4 years. We will see how it plays out a year from now and if she is able to stay on track for both ME and the minor.
If you do want to keep the door open for both 4 and 5 year plans, make an actual plan. Make a spreadsheet with all the required classes in it. There are so many sequential classes in engineering it is very easy to find you’ve messed up and are off track when you don’t want to be. So write it out and make sure prerequisites are happening when they need to be.
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Yes - he could theoretically bypass Calc but he’s not going to do that. Feels like it would be better to take these classes at VT and capitalize on his base of knowledge from high school.
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This is such a relief to hear! His sister is a marketing major at a different big public university and while knows he won’t have her level of free time (and is ok with it), he also wants to be sure he can do alot of the other things that college and VT offers! I’m hoping he can stick it out and do the work and focus but I also don’t want him to be miserable for four years.
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Some (on here) disagree with this - but at the Col School of Mines student panel, they advised against taking any AP credit in major related classes - Math and Science. My son didn’t listen and had to WD Calc 2 his first semester. He should have listened. Of course he said it wasn’t the class but a bad prof 
I agree with your son’s strategy!!
Good luck to him.
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My daughter was in Civil and was encouraged by her advisor to use the AP credit for Calc. She had trouble in a couple classes one semester and ended up withdrawing from one and took the other at CC in the summer. I think it was statics. I believe she stuck with Calc II but had a few crying fits thinking she was going to fail, but ended up with a
B- as I recall. Lots of students have problems with math at VT - the math dept instructors really aren’t that great. Some regret not taking the AP credit, bc either way it’s miserable.
D took advantage of the accelerated masters program which allowed her to get her BS and masters in five years. She had jobs almost every semester, a boyfriend, went to games, and joined a academic sorority.
The first two years were definitely her hardest.
VT has punishes those who take too long or too many credits to graduate. For in state students, once they are determined to be off track, they must pay double the in state tuition rate. Not sure what the rules are for OOS students (apparently there is no adverse payment policy for OOS students).
I believe students may lose their qualification for financial aid for the same reasons, but the rules are a bit different. It may be this issue that applies to OOS students also.
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