Choosing between Virginia Tech & University of Iowa

[AdilB990]

I have been accepted to both schools for MS in Transportation Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering. As an international applicant, I'm still struggling to decide between the 2. Both are well reputed in civil engineering, have great faculties and each has a strong curriculum for my particular program (altho VT might be slightly ahead to be honest). Overall its a close call.

 

What factors should I consider before making a final decision? Please help me out. Any kind of feedback is appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[TexasGuy]

come on.....VT,...clearly..

 

congrats

[katethekitcat]

Are they both funded programs?

[AdilB990]

Are they both funded programs?

 

No, they're both unfunded! Coincidentally, their estimated annual cost of attendance is almost exactly the same.

[Monochrome Spring]

Virginia Tech.

[katethekitcat]

Look at the work the professors are doing and the projects they're involved in - which university has professors (plural - having more than one is imporant). This is the work you'll be helping out with for the next few years and the people you'll establish professional connections with. School ranking matters less than finding a program that's a good fit for you interests. A school might be lower ranked overall but be incredibly strong in a niche in the field.

[AdilB990]

Look at the work the professors are doing and the projects they're involved in - which university has professors (plural - having more than one is imporant). This is the work you'll be helping out with for the next few years and the people you'll establish professional connections with. School ranking matters less than finding a program that's a good fit for you interests. A school might be lower ranked overall but be incredibly strong in a niche in the field.

 

That's sound advice, katethekitcat (love your profile name btw ). Appreciate it!

 

Here's another point that I feel needs to be considered seriously before deciding a school: location. I've lived all my life in a big city in my country. So I'm used to having everything nearby: shops, cafe's, restaurants, etc. Now I really want to attend Virgina Tech but when I look at Blacksburg, it has a population of approx. 40,000 (60% of whom are VT students). And to make me a bit more apprehensive, its quite a boring place - from what I've seen and heard on the internet. Its worth mentioning that I'm not a party person or a socialite, but I'd still like to spend 2 years of my MS in a place that's got some excitement.

 

Tell me, am I being silly or weird? Or is this a worthy consideration?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Adil

[katethekitcat]

Here's another point that I feel needs to be considered seriously before deciding a school: location. I've lived all my life in a big city in my country. So I'm used to having everything nearby: shops, cafe's, restaurants, etc. Now I really want to attend Virgina Tech but when I look at Blacksburg, it has a population of approx. 40,000 (60% of whom are VT students). And to make me a bit more apprehensive, its quite a boring place - from what I've seen and heard on the internet. Its worth mentioning that I'm not a party person or a socialite, but I'd still like to spend 2 years of my MS in a place that's got some excitement.

 

Tell me, am I being silly or weird? Or is this a worthy consideration?

 

Not silly at all- it DOES need to be considred. When I visited the University of Iowa, a professor told me, straight out, that location affects how happy you're going to be. If you're applying to graduate school, it means you're at the age where it wouldn't be completely unrealistic to be married within a few years, and that means it automatically becomes harder to relocate. You have other people to plan for.

 

I didn't explore Iowa City extensively while I was there, but the impression I got from talking to other students (including a few close friends who go there) was there's a lot going on both at the university and within the larger community that you can get involved with. U of Iowa is the number one party school in the nation, so there's definitely nightlife, but it's much more of an undergraduate thing - grad students have their own bars they tend to frquent and are obviously more focused on research and classwork. The university is in a rural area overall, but there's plenty to do within the city itself.

[gellert]

I am not in your field, but having spent some time in Iowa City, I can definitely say it's a magnificent place.  It's got a strong art culture, especially given the Iowa Writer's Workshop.  It's quite a liberal town with good wine bars and food.  I've not been to Blacksburg, however.

 

Beyond my experiences with location, I think you should try visiting each place and get a sense for how you feel about the locations as well as the departments.  Fit is important, as others have noted.  It's better to be happy and successful at a lower-ranked program than anxious and restrained by unhappiness at a higher-ranked one.  Though of course, both could be perfectly lovely places, and it's simply a matter of flipping a coin. If you flip a coin and want to flip again -- well, there's your decision, right there.

[AdilB990]

Not silly at all- it DOES need to be considred. When I visited the University of Iowa, a professor told me, straight out, that location affects how happy you're going to be. If you're applying to graduate school, it means you're at the age where it wouldn't be completely unrealistic to be married within a few years, and that means it automatically becomes harder to relocate. You have other people to plan for.

 

I didn't explore Iowa City extensively while I was there, but the impression I got from talking to other students (including a few close friends who go there) was there's a lot going on both at the university and within the larger community that you can get involved with. U of Iowa is the number one party school in the nation, so there's definitely nightlife, but it's much more of an undergraduate thing - grad students have their own bars they tend to frquent and are obviously more focused on research and classwork. The university is in a rural area overall, but there's plenty to do within the city itself.

 

 

I am not in your field, but having spent some time in Iowa City, I can definitely say it's a magnificent place.  It's got a strong art culture, especially given the Iowa Writer's Workshop.  It's quite a liberal town with good wine bars and food.  I've not been to Blacksburg, however.

 

Beyond my experiences with location, I think you should try visiting each place and get a sense for how you feel about the locations as well as the departments.  Fit is important, as others have noted.  It's better to be happy and successful at a lower-ranked program than anxious and restrained by unhappiness at a higher-ranked one.  Though of course, both could be perfectly lovely places, and it's simply a matter of flipping a coin. If you flip a coin and want to flip again -- well, there's your decision, right there.

 

I'm so glad that both of you got the point I was trying to make. And the fact that you've been to Iowa City gives me much-needed insight.

 

As for visiting each place myself, well, being an international applicant (who's thousands of kilometres away), that's not an option for me unfortunately! I sure hope the final decision doesn't come down to 'flipping a coin'.

 

Thank you, kate and gellert, for your valuable feedback!

[gellert]

In case it's relevant to you, the weather's also quite different between the two.  Blacksburg is going to be more humid in summer whereas Iowa City is dry.  Iowa City and Blacksburg probably get equally hot in summer, but Iowa is MUCH colder in winter, with a lot of snow.  Blacksburg is closer to a beach, if that is important to you, though there are lake "beaches" in Iowa.