<p>My position on this isn’t the result of any “RAH RAH GO HOOOOOOS!” attitude. UVA was very much my safety school when I was applying to colleges, and it definitely wasn’t one of my top choices. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, wasn’t even in the picture. It’s an OK school, but it’s not on the same plane as UVA by any means. Its engineering program is fairly good. But at the undergraduate level, departmental strength in one area is trumped by school prestige, student quality, and other factors. To argue that VT provides a better UG education than UVA in any particular field is ridiculous. It’s not a bad option, but it’s probably not the best option. At the graduate level, it’s probably different, but at the undergraduate level, the broad needs students are better met by the University of Virginia.</p>