<p>I agree - when looking at academics, job placement, school spirit, etc - these 2 schools are very similar. Virginia Tech is a great school, and because it is smaller - some students may be more comfortable there. The somewhat cheaper cost will also appeal to people.</p>
<p>My son is an Architectural Engineering major. Don’t know about the difficulty in getting classes (my son hasn’t had that problem). His degree program is designed as a 5-year program, so we went in knowing that.</p>
<p>And, yes, Penn State has a gym requirement (and an arts requirement). Lots of options available for the gym requirement - from golf to yoga to running and everything in between. My son is taking a 3 hour class this semester that involves 1 hour a week in the classroom and 2 hours a week in the gym working out.</p>