<p>I was accepted to engineering at UVA and I was also accepted to the Umd honors college. I know that US news report and other rankings put Umd above UVA for engineering but I try not to put too much weight on that. What are the differences in terms of engineering? Advantages/disadvantages of UVA engineering?</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptance to UVA!</p>
<p>I’m also an accepted student, so it’d be best to have current students or alumni answer some of your specific questions but I can give my general impressions of my visit. Like you, I am aware of the US News rankings which put UVA engineering around the 30s, but I am also wary of attributing too much meaning to these rankings. </p>
<p>UVA engineering seems to push the “Jeffersonian” engineer, which is a well-rounded engineer who combines technical prowess with an awareness of social context. This is most evident in the STS (Science, Technology, and Society) courses in the e-school. UVA is also the only school besides Princeton that requires a Senior Thesis. For a public school, UVA is also fairly small with around 15,000 undergrads with only 2,600 of those being in engineering. Students I talked to really appreciated that UVA engineering offered an intimate environment with all the school spirit and opportunities that come with attending a big, public school. </p>
<p>If you’re not completely sure on engineering, or if you have other academic/social interests besides engineering, UVA is a great place. It has excellent business, economic, public policy majors. The school overall is more well-rounded than, say, Georgia Tech, which is another excellent university but primarily geared towards engineering. In addition, Charlottesville is the quintessential college town and, in my opinion, better than College Park (I’ve visited UMD too). Also, I’ve yet to see a prettier campus than UVA. </p>
<p>However, I also share some of your reservations about UVA and how strong the engineering program truly is in terms of reputation, rankings, and recruiting. But UVA is such a great school that I am skeptical that a UMD student would have more engineering opportunities than a UVA student, even if UMD is more known for engineering. I think a big factor behind UVA’s lower engineering ranking is its small size. It doesn’t have the research output of bigger schools like Texas A&M, Wisconsin, etc. Just my thoughts…</p>
<p>Thanks cssounders! I appreciate your input. Just curious, are either UVA or UMD in state for you?</p>
<p>Both are out of state for me. </p>
<p>@cssounders had some excellent points and insight. Everyone loves rankings, but take the USNews rankings for what they are: a very rough guide to programs that aren’t always intended to be similar. Also note that there is little difference between schools in many of the ranking ranges in terms of “best program.” Where the real difference lies is in what the programs focus on. For example, is the program trying to produce technical professional engineers, or engineering problem solvers and project leaders? Neither is “better.” But determining which one fits what you want is very important. I went to a more technical engineering school in my day. My son goes to UVA. I was taught to solve engineering problems - he is being taught to solve problems through engineering. Subtle sounding difference, but very important. I can’t speak to UMD’s program, but I’m sure it’s solid. Just make sure whichever you choose, it’s the type of program you’re looking for. Best of luck!</p>
<p>I am a UMD BSEE graduate. Though I push my school because it doesn’t get the credit it deserves, I believe iinyour case it is a toss up. The schools serve the same metropolitan area and your decision should be based on cost and where you feel you will be MOST successful. Engineering is brutal, especially in the upper classes. So the environment and support system becomes critical for your sanity and success. Dump any thoughts of rankings when it comes to comparing these two schools. You will be surprised at the plethora of opportunities you will have in the Baltimore/DC metropolitan area for internships and employment. </p>
<p>I was also accepted into UVA for engineering and umd honors college for engineering. I have decided I will be attending umd next year for the following reasons- UVA is upwards of $50,000 OOS and UMD is $40,000. That’s a $40,000 difference! Also, I did not receive a penny of financial aid from UVA but I expect to receive some type of merit from UMD. It is also true that the A. James Clark School of Engineering is rated well above UVA’s engineering program and is actually quite well known. That being said, make whatever choice you believers right for you!</p>
<p>I work with UVA and UMD engineers, both seem to turn out top notch graduates. Having said that, I also work with engineers from ODU, and they also turn out top notch graduates. Throw US News in the wastebasket. The most important decision is to get into a well rounded discipline that is marketable (EE, ME, ChE) and stay away from the ones that are either too specialized (Medical, Nuclear) or too generalized (ISE, Industrial). </p>
<p>Thanks for your input guys! I visited UVA today and was really impressed with the campus, active student body, student life etc. I am seeing where your coming from though. I don’t believe from a professional standpoint either university will be vastly different. I don’t see the price tag of UVA resulting in a significantly better starting salary however I do see the liberal arts education I would receive at UVA being very valuable.</p>
<p>I went to UVA’s engineering open house yesterday, and I’m trying to decide between UVA engineering or VT engineering. I was accepted to both on Friday, and I love both schools. UVA seems to be more flexible than Tech, and it is a smaller school. I don’t know where I am going to attend, truthfully.</p>
<p>@apalapa I’m in the same boat as you. I have no idea which one to choose because they are both phenomenal engineering schools. jflkahgklsajfkla</p>
<p>@kwassakwassa I’m leaning more towards UVA, but I’m still considering VT. I’m mostly thinking UVA because it’s smaller and gives you more flexibility, whereas at VT we would be in a huge sea of engineers and it might hard to stand out, and the curriculum seems to lock you strictly into technical courses. I value a strong technical education, but I want to have it in context too :p</p>