Compare VT to these other universities

Emotive
Sun, 11 Jan 2015 22:53:24 +0000

In my view U of Florida is similar to the other 3 (or 4) state universities on your list. They all have top-notch engineering programs and are well regarded nationally. I would be hard pressed to rank them in any meaningful way for engineering undergraduate studies in terms their academic curricula.

Here are the numbers for Florida:

Number of undergraduate engineering students: 6000
Number of MS students: 1600
Number of PhD students: 1000
Number of engineering programs: 17
Number of engineering faculty: 264
Engineering research expenditure: $64

If I were to pick between Maryland and Virginia Tech, based on engineering curricula only, I would try to compare the two programs with respect to my specific academic interest(s). For example, if I was interested in robotics, I would try to find out which school provides more opportunities for undergrads in the area of robotics. What type of projects they work on? Would I be able to get involved? Would these opportunities be available throughout the year including summer? Would I be able to get a paying position during summer? Would these opportunities/experiences pave the way for graduate school or employment after graduation? Are the research faculty receptive to working with undergraduates? Would they be good mentor(s) for me?..

In short, I will think beyond coursework and try to answer a wider range of questions with very important long term implications.

From academic standpoint, any edge that one school may have over the other is dependent on your specific academic interests.

My son is studying engineering at VT in part because of the ongoing robotics research work and opportunities at the school.