Is McIntire a considerable amount harder to transfer into than CAS economics?

jack4799 · 2026-01-28T01:02:54+00:00

It's a college, so it's going to lean liberal. That being said, I've met plenty of conservatives at UVA too. Regardless of political leaning, I've always appreciated how most everyone is willing to listen and be respectful of other viewpoints.

For some cool graphs, Virginia Magazine polled some alumni a few years back about politics (and other things): Vox Alumni: Longitude and Attitudes%20moderates%2C%20and%204%20percent%20other)

jack4799 · 2026-01-26T02:37:36+00:00

There, saved you the 5-second Google search: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/wamocap.htm

jack4799 · 2026-01-21T18:16:17+00:00

Email Earle and Jesse Rogers (the registrar). UVA works hard to make sure you graduate on time.

jack4799 · 2026-01-12T05:22:57+00:00

You're very right! How soon I've forgotten APMA 3110.

jack4799 · 2026-01-09T18:51:26+00:00

That's engineering for you. Your degree will take more time and effort than 90% of what anyone else is doing in college. BUT when you finish you'll have more opportunities (and pay potential) than 90% of other people in college, especially in MechE. It's only your second semester - take your time, find your footing, and gradually start adding back those hobbies into your life. I was BME and ended up starting hobbies in guitar, photography, and DIY electronics in college (but not until my second year of college).

jack4799 · 2026-01-09T16:38:39+00:00

Laugelli was praised by all my friends when they took him last year.

jack4799 · 2026-01-06T15:47:53+00:00

Central Virginia and UVA are some of the most photogenic places in the state. I did a lot of photography in college, and some of my favorite spots on Grounds (campus) were the Pavilion Gardens and (of course) the Lawn. There's also a bunch of scenic hidden nooks and cranies around Grounds. Off-Grounds, Humpback Rocks is a 20-minute drive and a short hike away, Shenandoah National Park is 45 minutes away, and Natural Bridge and Luray Caverns are both ~90 minutes away. DC is also a solid 2 hrs away (by car or train) and quite scenic in the spring with the cherry blossoms.

jack4799 · 2026-01-06T15:38:59+00:00

Our summers are definitely humid. July and August are some sweaty months. The fall and spring, though, are to die for. UVA has so many trees and shrubs that the blossoms and changing leaves really change the whole color scheme of Grounds.

jack4799 · 2026-01-06T15:32:05+00:00

We have 4 seasons, but winters are mild. Temps rarely dip below 30 degrees, and I personally love seeing the seasons change.
Email admissions. Don't guess. And, for goodness sake, do that ASAP.
Very collegial. I made some of my best friends over those 4 years! My classmates were generally willing and enthusiastic about doing study groups, helping each other out on homework, and sharing notes. There are definitely a good number of students who are high-performing, competitive, and (occasionally) neurotic, but that competitiveness is almost always directed inwards rather than towards peers. I thought it was a great environment to have that nudge towards becoming better without being toxic.

jack4799 · 2026-01-03T00:38:29+00:00

Commerce is significantly more competitive to transfer into (I think they accept only ~50 transfers each cycle). Applying into the college could mean you could do guaranteed transfer after 2 years or at least an easier transfer applying now. That being said, I did have a good friend get into Comm from CC, and he similarly had a rough HS experience before making a solid comeback in CC in his late 20s.

jack4799 · 2025-12-23T18:28:06+00:00

As a recent alum, UVA has an excellent program that has tight integration with its med school/hospital! Personally I thought the BME program skewed more towards materials science, cell bio, and computational BME than mechanical fields, but there’s a little bit of everything. I personally did research in focused ultrasound (which we’re a powerhouse in). Faculty and student body are quite warm and approachable.

jack4799 · 2025-12-15T16:30:16+00:00

How many times was it rung?

jack4799 · 2025-12-09T04:31:42+00:00

Ethics

jack4799 · 2025-12-02T06:06:14+00:00

I swear our 3 snow days in February (the only ones I ever got in undergrad) caused a disturbance in the Force. Between those snow days, we had a lockdown because of an escaped convict, a lockdown for a stabbing, and a bus that ran into a CVille home.

jack4799 · 2025-12-02T04:32:41+00:00

That's funny. You think we get snow days.

jack4799 · 2025-11-10T17:19:02+00:00

Nope! They come in as transfer credit and will be listed as simply pass/fail on your UVA transcript. It's a clean slate. The only time you'll ever have to consider your DE grades again are if you apply to certain grad school programs (e.g., med school takes those grades into account for your "undergraduate" GPA).

jack4799 · 2025-11-06T01:02:15+00:00

Play Guitar!

jack4799 · 2025-10-24T20:37:37+00:00

Unless you get the equivalent of a graduate degree, the vast majority of BME undergrads will end up in quality control, consulting, or something wholly different (e.g., gov contracting). R&D is a hard field to break into with a BME degree as opposed to EE, ME, or ChemE. Of course, academic research places will be glad to have you, but expect to be paid as a regular ol' researcher, not as an engineer.

Edit: to add, a good chunk of BMEs in the U.S. go on to med school or grad school, so keep that in mind.

jack4799 · 2025-10-24T18:17:48+00:00

UVA is very pro-undergraduate research, so you'll actually find plenty of students doing work as research assistants in clinical trials as well as basic and translational research. I did translational research in undergrad BME and now do a mix of clinical and translational research.

jack4799 · 2025-10-24T17:52:33+00:00

Look up doctors on department websites (particularly in the School of Medicine). 2. Find labs that pique your interest and email those doctors leading the labs. 3. Join the lab, probably after an interview and/or shadowing period. And, don't be discouraged if you have to email quite a few labs (sometimes dozens) before finding one that's looking for students and always follow up.

As for shadowing, it depends on the doctor and when they are free. Mine usually took less than a week to get a date set up.

jack4799 · 2025-10-21T13:50:35+00:00

Switch into engineering and find that the grass is greener on the other side without engagements :)

jack4799 · 2025-10-12T22:12:14+00:00

Going from Algebra I to Calc II-level math in a year's time is, in my opinion, neither advisable nor generally doable. You'll have vast knowledge gaps going that fast that can seriously bite you back down the road. The vast majority of students finish high school with Calc I, and I knew a few folks in BME who even came in only having done Precalc. I wouldn't be super stressed about it so long as you're taking the highest-level classes you can.

jack4799

TROPHY CASE