Considering Transferring from Vandy to Pitt - Would like advice!

Transfer Students
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Considering Transferring from Vanderbilt to Pitt - would like advice

Hello everyone, I’m a first year engineering student at Vanderbilt who is not enjoying the experience. I’m originally from Pittsburgh.

First off, there are some things I really enjoy about Vanderbilt. The classes are easy enough and don’t ever seem to get too overwhelming. I’ve seen and heard that the grade inflation at this school is very generous. I really like the ECE program because it essentially combines two very interconnected fields instead of making them separate like some other colleges. I don’t have a big issue with most people and do have a couple very close friends and other smaller friend groups. The school is also very generous with their financial aid, and ultimately that was my deciding factor in attending.

However, there are many things that I do not like. I don’t like many of the career outcomes for ECE and engineering majors as a whole. Many students here seem to go down the engineering consulting pipeline and that seems to be Vanderbilt’s specialty. I’m much more interested in having a more technical engineering job after graduation. Additionally, the ECE program is heavily overshadowed by other engineering programs—like CS, BME, and even MecheE— and grad school. ECE research here is either heavily focused in the radiation effects realm or combined with BME, which are two fields I’m not too interested in. I don’t think the opportunities provided by Vanderbilt outweigh Pitt’s either. Pitt does a better job at giving students opportunities for co-ops and internships. There are good resources at Vanderbilt, but they aren’t anything special. The career fairs are lackluster and the career center hosts events that can be helpful but doesn’t contain much information that I couldn’t find online. Additionally, the median post-grad salary of a Pitt computer engineer is around 80k and has increased since 2019. The median post-grad salary of a Vandy ECE major is around the same, but it has seen a decrease. Outside of academics and professional opportunities, I feel like I’m in a bubble. Not speaking for everyone at Vanderbilt, but many people fall into the category of being very corporate. The school is very pre-professional, and that is not something I’m big on. Branching off of that, there is a big frat atmosphere and being that the school is already so small it feels even larger than it might actually be. I have been going out and joining all sorts of clubs, but I still am not having a good time even doing activities that I know I would like. I’m also not a huge fan of Nashville. The city isn’t terribly walkable. I’m not a big fan of the music and bar culture here. It’s an underwhelming city for the amount of people who were telling me it was amazing. I think Vanderbilt also does a good job by giving people good opportunities to explore their interests, but that also means many people aren’t the most passionate about engineering.

I understand that part of these problems are just me and my mindset, and that’s why I’m trying to find all the opportunities I can to give Vanderbilt the fair chance it deserves, but right now I’m struggling to be super satisfied with my experience. I also feel a lot of pressure from friends and family to continue at Vanderbilt because of its perceived prestige and the fact that if I leave I’m squandering a cheap opportunity to attend a school like Vanderbilt and “downgrading” to a school like Pitt.

I’m asking for some guidance on how to make the best decision for me. I also understand that I have some personal issues that might be affecting my decision, but I’m trying to look at this from the most neutral perspective I can. I do think I made this decision very hastily as I did not even visit Vanderbilt. I think I also fell into the prestige trap because I just assumed all programs at Vanderbilt were just as highly regarded as the overall prestige. I wish I could love this school because I can see why people love it, but I am not having a great time here and was wondering when I should know that I should leave because I don’t want to leave with any regrets. To whoever has read this far, thank you so much and any advice is so appreciated! And don’t be afraid to ask any question!

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So I’m reading you like lots of things. And that’s great. It seems like you are enjoying things.

I’m also reading you don’t like the career outcomes - but ultimately, that will be determined by the student and not the school or school name. So how do you know you’d do better at Pitt. UCB is arguably the top ECE school in the country. Look at their 2024 placement report - at last time they updated (months after graduation), 24% still were seeking employment.

As far as where many students go - that’s them. If you’re not interested - you won’t. You’ll apply to jobs that meet your needs.

So for career outcomes, there’s zero reason to switch.

As for co ops and internships - Pitt doesn’t do anything other than other schools. If you want a co op, go on indeed, find them, and apply. My son co oped with a kid from Ole Miss - he was an intern. He found his internships. He found his 19 interviews and 5 offers - no different than a kid at Vandy or Pitt will.

You are creating something that doesn’t exist - in this regard.

The career fairs are lackluster? Many don’t like the companies that come anyway.

Set up an indeed search. Put in ECE or Electrical Engineering Summer Internship and go - and you’ll find the same jobs that you will on handshake - but earlier. One poster had a kid at Alabama and noted her friend got the exact same roles on handshake as their friend at Michigan.

You might be homesick - that’s very common and understandable. And I get it - but you have friends. Stay busy with them. Know that getting an internship after first year is near impossible. After second year hard but not impossible.

But the reasons your are giving - if they’re true and I don’t want to diminish your feelings - but are - not a legit reason to change in my mind.

If you had no friends or were miserable or couldn’t handle the South or it’s too Greek or whatever, I get it.

But the career stuff - nope. No reason to transfer out.

You need to learn how to find a job, how to search for a job.

Pitt or Vandy - nothing will be different from this POV…if anything, you’re more likely to get better attention at Vandy (just because of its size and financial resources).

My guess is you are homesick. You kind of acknowledge it. It’s very common…and hopefully by Christmas, it will be past.

Ps -budget matters. Can your family afford Pitt ? I don’t see it as a downgrade. I see it as a sub but if your family can’t afford it, that’s another issue.

But get involved, talk to your RA, invite someone for lunch at Pizza Perfect !! You’ll find your place I’m sure.

Ps - both mine wanted to come home. One went through school fine - didn’t love, didn’t hate. The second can’t imagine have gone anywhere else. In fact she just returned for a few days this past weekend ( graduated last May). It got so bad early I had to fly her home - she recovered and then some. So what you are experiencing is very common.

Good luck.

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For engineering, you can have the opportunities you seem to want staying at Vandy. Many students do internships that are an “aside” to their actual eventual jobs.

I would suggest that you head over to the career center and have a conversation with them.

For most engineering jobs, you will get a huge amount of training on the job. You will learn the culture of the company as well as their way of doing things. Many engineering firms have mentoring as part of the probationary period.

I think you can achieve your goals from Vandy or Pitt. If you really want to move back to Pittsburgh, then apply to transfer.

It’s my opinion (and I asked my career engineer husband the question) that your engineering concerns are not well founded.

I will add…my DH thought he wanted to only work on the technical end of engineering…but he had an extremely rewarding career as a consulting engineer.

So…keep an open mind!

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What kind of a dorm are you in?

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OP- you are early in your academic journey. So my guess is that you are taking prerequisites- which means you’ve got a LOT of people in your classes just trying to get their ticket punched. You won’t get to the cool and interesting stuff until next year. So slow down!

There isn’t a single engineering professor at Vandy who doesn’t have connections into industry. That’s what professors do- they teach, they do research, they consult for companies trying to solve complicated problems. So for now, just ignore career fairs and the “official” job and internship market, and understand that once you’ve developed relationships with your professors, interesting opportunities could be a phone call away for you.

Ignore the sub-specialties, or what you perceive to be “stuff I’m not interested in”. Engineering is inter-disciplinary. Regardless of what “box” someone sits in, engineering requires a LOT of collaboration with people who learned different things than you did. And so research, collaboration, internships, jobs, projects, etc. aren’t always going to have the right nomenclature for you- but could be VERY cool and interesting regardless. Young guy on my street who is a mechanical engineer working on a quality control team for a medical device company. He says that other than the required bio class (every engineer takes it at his college) he had no knowledge, experience, skill, mastery of the sophisticated medical and anatomical issues needed to work in the biomedical field. But that’s not why he was hired. He was hired because something implanted in someone’s chest needs to have a zero defect rate– and he was the guy who developed the manufacturing protocols for the company. Start up which is already getting tons of attention from the VC community- such a cool and groundbreaking invention– and he’s one of the few people on the engineering team who had actual “line production” experience (internship at a food company).

So slow down. Maybe you should transfer or maybe not. But it is WAY too early to conclude that Vandy can’t meet your intellectual interests while you’re still covering off the pre-requisites.

Can’t help you on the social front. Except to say that it’s also very early there.

Hugs. It gets better.

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OP: You are comparing apples and oranges. Transferring to a large public university with 20K undergrads is going to bring up an entire set of other issues. You’ve only been there for 2 months. I can guarantee that a year from now, you will look at this very differently. Give it time and listen to your parents :slight_smile:

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And one last career thing - studies show 75% of engineering majors don’t work in engineering. That’s what the headlines say (google it). The article and this headline say STEM - but engineering is a huge portion.

So if you decide not to be a career engineer, that will be an option. But as a degree, it’s a door opener.

One of my son’s internships (second one at the company, based not too far from Vandy) - wasn’t an engineering role I asked him - why did they want you in that role? He said they hire engineers in that group - because they want people that think like engineers.

When I got my MBA, the engineering undergrads seemed to have the most career success.

So that degree - from Vandy, Pitt, wherever - will help open doors but at 18, it’s too early to plan your life.

But let’s be honest - and you note it at the end after you get past the career stuff - you are homesick.

Totally normal - get involved, get a part time job, join clubs, play intramurals - you’ll have a great experience.

One thing I’ll note - you said classes are manageable. Engineering has a 50% drop rate - drop out, change major. Whatever. It’s hard EVERYWHERE. Some parents will say it’s manageable. My kid struggled for two years - even in classes with AP credit (one he had to drop). You got into Vandy - so you’re brilliant - but be glad they are not overloading you too. It may, or may not be the same, elsewhere.

Give it a go - you have a wonderful opportunity in front of you. At Christmas, if you still feel this way, talk to your family and maybe they’ll endorse you throwing an app into Pitt for next year.

Remind them to put prestige aside. My kid had to when he chose Bama over Purdue. At first I didn’t get it. Then he reminded me - companies don’t care - they care about ABET. Rankings are to sell magazines, etc. But it’s a hard thing to overcome - but hopefully your family is flexible to it.

But hopefully more, by Christmas break, you’ll have found your groove and you’ll be in a situation where you are excited to come back to campus in January!!

Welcome to Music City!! I’ve been here 19 years. There’s a reason everyone is moving here. it grows on you!!

What Percentage of Engineering Graduates Actually Work in Their Respective Fields?

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Stambaugh

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I do admit i’m super homesick, and it is having a serious effect on mental health, but like I said I have friends and I genuinely am trying to go out and have fun, but a lot of the times I just feel miserable. In addition, the clubs here haven’t helped me much. I’ve found some new hobbies, but I still feel kinda dead inside. And the engineering clubs here are super disorganized and those clubs were something I was super excited about. For example, the FSAE team hasn’t gone to a competition since 2022 and Pitt has managed to build a new car and compete every year for a long time.

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If they’re disorganized, can you show huge interest, maybe get into an impactful role and then future leadership.

My daughter actually started a club at her school four years ago. So maybe start one of your own interest. Connectivity, as an example, is huge today. OEMs care less about the product and more about the services - that’s where the future $$ will come from and a lot of the investment is today - selling subscriptions as a profit center, vs. the product. Maybe you can find someone at Nissan and set up an informational interview - to find out about the industry. And then start a club around it - maybe it’s a career exploration of people interested in automotive. Nashville is a home run city for the industry. You can set up tours of the Nissan facility in Franklin, the huge plant in Smyrna, and help establish contacts for others interested. You don’t have that access in PA.

Or go to the leadership at the club, express your interest and concern, and see if you can help make an impact. Maybe you can muscle the club to activity. You’re likely not the only one disappointed - but maybe they need a true leader, someone passionate. That can be you!!

And please discuss your homesickness or other challenges with someone. Make an appointment at the counseling center. It’s important you find someone to speak with.

The good news is - what you’re feeling is likely far more common than you think.

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Is the faculty Head of House at Stambaugh someone you can talk to? One of the benefits of the residential college experience is intended to be access to a faculty mento who in fact can be a confidant and mentor to help you process the challenges of adjustment to campus life and the challenges of career and life planning.

If that person isn’t approachable (?) and since this is having an effect on your mental well being, perhaps you might consider an appointment at the university’s counseling center. That’s what they’re there for. One of my kids went through the same issues as you’re experiencing when she was a freshman and she found it to be a big help. I feel for what you’re going through and I hope it works out for the best.

You can certainly begin the transfer process with an application. The option will be out there for you to follow through on or cancel as you move through the process. But that won’t solve your immediate challenges, wgphuch you should address one way or another.

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I do realize that part of the problem may be me, and I have been going to counseling once a for about 6 weeks. I’m also trying to get my apps in as soon as possible so I can take transferring off my mind and make use of all the time I’ll have here for the rest of the year. But ultimately, I think I committed to Vanderbilt very hastily. I didn’t visit, and I didn’t do any research on what Vanderbilt had to offer other than financial aid. I basically solely committed based off name prestige, not based off program. I do really appreciate your input though because there is a lot of confirmation bias when talking to people I know.

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Wanting to transfer is a common theme for a freshman so it’s not odd.

Academically both engineering programs are fine. Both ABET accredited. Freshman classes for engineering are pretty standard. You might enjoy your electives more next year. Pitt does have some cross enrollment options with CMU. Might be something to look at.

I wouldn’t get too deep into career outcomes yet. Both schools are fine. Your internships or co-ops are on you. You’ll have to find them. Look at small and medium companies. They get overlooked. Everyone wants to intern at Google. There’s currently a lot of activity around Pittsburgh with data centers and infrastructure.

As for missing home that’s a valid consideration. It’s nice having a support system when you need it. I graduated from Pitt many years ago. I had family within driving distance. I spent most time on-campus but it was nice to get away a few weekends for a home cooked meal or to sleep in a comfortable bed. No wrong choice here. Good luck.

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You are NOT part of the problem. You are entitled to your own thoughts, your own feelings, and your own preferences. I’m delighted to hear that you’ve pursued counseling. Smart move!

You seem very self-reflective, so I take you at your word that you committed too hastily. I’m sorry that it hasn’t worked out better. If that was a mistake, welcome to the club. Mistakes just prove you’re human. There are a large number of college freshman who have second thoughts about their choice after getting to college. It’s not unusual to transfer at all.

You said in your original post that you’re looking for guidance about how to make the best choice for you. Do you have any specific questions that we can address?

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How important is the budget issue? What can you afford - i.e. can you afford Pitt or others?

Many have far less aid for transfers than first years.

Not all but many - so if you are putting in apps, you need to research. The schools you applied to last year may not be affordable as a transfer.

But you noted your family’s influence above.

While you are going to school, they are paying the bills - so their input does matter. That’s always a tough one to manage. Other than noting you are going to school, not them - it’s a tough one to get past - but you might show them the Pitt career report for engineers which is quite strong.

Is engineering for you do you think?

Some kids choose a school based on budget alone - they don’t have a choice.

Is that you? I know you said prestige too - and as you’re learning, in engineering, short of a few schools, that doesn’t matter much. And a US News overall College Ranking doesn’t speak to strength of engineering either.. And I agree, no one looks at Vandy as an engineering powerhouse - but no one looks down on it. It’s a great school and I’m sure the program is very strong. Vandy’s is tough - you can see “engineering” but the school salary ($80K) stays fixed - so their website is no bueno. But no doubt they place well - and in areas of interest to you (not just consulting). But honestly, the career issue isn’t an issue for a few years - and that’s not really the issue anyway. But you might use it to sway your family - that you’ll do fine from Pitt. And the COL there is much cheaper than Nashville.

But budget does matter - and perhaps that’s why you are really there?

And if you’re a football fan - you’ve really stepped up over PItt - especially this year although Pitt is doing well too.

I do think there are many like you but Vandy has a high freshman retention rate. There’s a reason - so I do think you can get on track with the school. It’s still very early and it’s hard for an 18 year old to be away from home for the first time. On the flipside, if you went to PItt, and went home on weekends - that’s not good for the college experience either!!

Job Placement

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What schools are on your transfer list? Is it Pitt only? I’m assuming you’re wanting to be closer to home?

WVU? Penn State?

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I was just looking for neutral opinions on transferring. Talking to my friends and family can only do so much and in a lot of ways is confirmation bias, and I wanted to know if my reasons for wanting to leave were reasonable at all. If I do leave, I don’t want to make the same mistake of not putting enough thought into the decision.

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There is basically no budget issue. Pitt was slightly cheaper than Vanderbilt, but not by a large enough amount to justify going just for cost. I think being here has made me realize I really want to do engineering. In high school, I did competitive robotics and being here made me realize I really missed being involved in something like that. I want to be a part of clubs that meet regularly and do stuff like that and I would really like to make a career out of that. lol I am a football fan but more than just watching the game, I miss attending them with friends that are just as passionate about it and can goof off before, during, and after games.

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My list as of now is Pitt, Penn State, and maybe CMU.

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You may want to check with clubs of interest at those schools to see if they meet regularly.

Don’t assume they are better / more frequent than Vandy. Colleges don’t tell you but many clubs are half dormant.

Also run the NPC for CMU.

Penn State is the outlier here - with Vandy, Pitt, and CMU all city schools.

I just hope, if you end up transferring, it may not be as different as you think - so research your areas of concern (ie talk to people in clubs, the career center) b4 making the move.

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