<p>Just out of curiosity…</p>
<p>Do y’all (I’m practicing my Virginia accent here :P) think that the admissions staff gives those of us who are applying to engineering a break when it comes to the essays? Most people with a mathematical mind aren’t the best at expressing themselves in writing…</p>
<p>I really don’t know for sure, but my guess would be -no. The essays are so vital in the UVA process, or so I think, and I think that applies across the board. That’s my guess.</p>
<p>Everyone with the grades to get into UVa should be able to compose 250 and 500 word essays, regardless of what you plan on studying. I don’t understand why this is such a big thing–especially considering parents, teachers, etc. all look them over and make corrections. Suck it up and do a good job.</p>
<p>Okay, now I have a question. How far south do you go in Virginia before people say y’all?</p>
<p>Hay! Great question!>>>the answer is: Richmond. Capital of the Confederacy.</p>
<p>No, they don’t give you a break. UVA’s e-school is very writing/communication oriented. You have to take 4 (or 5, depending on your major) STS classes which are writing-based engineering classes. Plus humanity electives. They want to make sure your writing is up to speed to handle these classes.</p>
<p>yea, remember, uva is a liberal arts school. so the eschool is still a liberal arts eschool. you should consider that in your decision process.</p>
<p>^ um thats not exactly true. and i’ll put some of the things shoebox said in perspective. once you get into the e-school, you may have to take a bunch of engineering writing classes, but don’t expect the need to be particularly eloquent. a lot of my friends are in e-school and i’ve proof read a lot of their writings. most of the stuff is rather juvenile. if you come to UVa, an e-school joke about the STS writing classes has something to do with the line “I are engineer.”</p>
<p>Jags: you’re friend is a dolt then. STS classes are not easy, especially depending on what teacher you have. They combine critical engineering thinking while having to master language and composition skills. It isn’t easy. I consider myself a good writer and barely got a B+</p>
<p>shoebox,</p>
<p>Not to get into a fight or anything, but please don’t flatter yourself. “Master language and compositional skills”…I mean, I hate to break it to you, but the technical stuff aside, I’ve found that the writing in the e-school is sub-par. I’ve probably read through a dozen or so papers throughout my years for e-schoolers (usually in exchange for help in some god forsaken Math or Physics class) for different people–none of them what I would consider “dolts.” While I’m sure the engineering part was there, the writing…ehh, not what I would call Pulitzer Prize winning. </p>
<p>Obviously I’m not in the e-school, so I wouldn’t really know, but I’ve seen graded papers with B+s and As on them that wouldn’t really be acceptable in an English or History class in the college (and as a side note, I took 2 history classes in the fall and all of a sudden there was a huge emphasis on style by the professors and TAs–something I hadn’t really seen in the previous years). But hey, maybe I’m wrong and all the best writers are in the e-school and I’m the moron! Anyway, I’ll just leave it at that, you can have the final word.</p>
<p>I come back from the GRE to this?</p>
<p>The reason I got into the E-School, let alone UVA, was because of my eloquent essays, which my Ivy League cousin proofread for me.</p>
<p>There are a few jokers in the E-School whose written language skills are deserving of “I are Engineer.” However, there is a reason why we are required to take four semesters for STS, three semesters of HSS, and a thesis. Engineers are needed to have oral and written skills necessary to convey their ideas and such in the workplace.</p>
<p>I have taken three STS classes: two B’s and one A. I earned the A solely on the fact that the professor canceled class so many times that he had to pass the entire class. God, I love summer session.</p>
<p>I agree. I got all As and B+s on my 341 politics class papers, so my writing isn’t shabby compared to the college. Just because we’re engineers doesn’t mean we don’t have writing classes that are equal to the college writing classes. It’s just easier to have STS classes a) to organize schedules b) focus on real-world topics</p>
<p>That’s a Texas accent dude.</p>
<p>Please don’t say y’all… it kinda freaks me out, and we’re not in Alabama or Texas.</p>
<p>omg i agree the y’all freaks me out too.</p>
<p>haha, virginia is “northern” by alabama’s standards.</p>
<p>oh, and as an alabamian, i must correct you: it’s “ya’ll.” :)</p>
<p>umm half the people that go to UVA are from NoVA ( northern virginia)…nova is a mixing pot of alot of different people , it is not very southern. to each his own. it doesnt matter if you say yall or not.</p>
<p>i like how this topic totally strayed…</p>
<p>as a former Mississippian, I must correct you electric. “y’all” is a contraction of “you all” and therefore spelled “y’all”</p>
<p>Whoa…I didn’t mean for this to be taken quite so seriously. I was just suggesting that the admitted engineering essays are probably not as good as the ones for liberal arts, etc. </p>
<p>Personally, I’ve been in honors english classes forever, so my writing isn’t awful and I’m not incredibly worried, its just that my writing can be somewhat bland sometimes and I doubt that my essays are as strong as those coming from Liberal Arts applicants. My dad went through UVA engineering for both bachelors and masters (admittedly this was years ago), and his writing isn’t the best (he managed to convince his professor to let him do some crazy project with a shorter essay rather than a full blown thesis).</p>
<p>As for the ya’ll, my grandparents live in Virginia (east of Richmond, and slightly south if you must know) and I learned the word from my grandma (who never lived further south than Virginia) so that’s why I see it as part of a Virginia accent. And no, I don’t think that its required to fit in, and I probably will never say ya’ll in real life, it was supposed to be a joke.</p>