<p>I'm an international student and have received admission to both Texas A&M and UT Austin..
I really need help in making a decision
I'd like to know if there is a vast difference between the two schools academically and also if students graduating from both schools receive equal opportunities in terms of jobs and admissions to really good graduate colleges.
Any help will be appreciated...</p>
<p>^How do Costs of Attendance compare at the two schools? (COA being how much it will cost YOU, after scholarships and need-based aid, to attend)</p>
<p>The two schools are actually very different. I might be able to help you with a few ideas. But to me, one of the most important factors will be “how do costs compare?”</p>
<p>UT is far superior in most academic areas.</p>
<p>Honestly I have trouble understanding why anyone picks A&M over UT, unless you’re ultra-conservative… A&M tends to be a liiiitle cheaper, but not much.</p>
<p>^Well, actually, there are some people who prefer A&M over UT. My son is one of them. He’s not at all ultra-conservative.</p>
<p>We visited UT twice, plus my son spent 4 days there last summer in whatever their honors visit program is called. He really wanted to like it. We know that it’s “supposed” to be THE place to go to college. We know it’s highly ranked. There are things he did like about it. But for the most part, it was so unappealing that he chose not to apply – even though he’d be an automatic admit and would likely qualify for some scholarships. </p>
<p>We know lots of other kids who feel the same way about UT. It’s not for everybody, as awesome as it is. And A&M isn’t for everybody.</p>
<p>I was asking about Cost of Attendance, as opposed to published costs. Did you get any scholarships or need-based grants at either school, confused001?</p>
<p>no, i haven,t received any kind of aid or scholarship as i am international students(incoming international students are ineligible)
The cost of attendance is around $9000more for UT per year and that is a good deal of money where i come from…
more importantly do u guys know how different the job opportunities for students at both the universities are??</p>
<p>Oh I definitely know that people choose A&M over UT Austin; as a Texas resident I see it happen quite a bit. Like I said, I just have trouble understanding why. I guess a so-called strange sensation while visiting could make someone pick A&M, but that’s just kinda weird.</p>
<p>Where are you getting UT as 9000 more? I have:</p>
<p>A&M: $36,672
UT: $35776 to $45960</p>
<p>Not sure what exactly accounts for the large range at UT; I know each major has a different tuition (business, engineering, and nursing on the higher end) but still. Anyways it would appear you could end up with a very similar price for both. Maybe you have some information that suggests UT will cost much more for you though.</p>
<p>@confused001, I should have asked this earlier, so that we didn’t have to waste time going back and forth …</p>
<p>What is your intended major? Some majors are stronger than others at A&M. Engineering is very strong at A&M. Business is good too. I’ve heard and read that liberal arts programs are weak at A&M. Lots of majors are strong at UT.</p>
<p>^
@UT -
“The McCombs School of Business was ranked seventh among undergraduate business programs in 2010, and the Cockrell School of Engineering was ranked ninth among undergraduate engineering programs in 2009.”</p>
<p>Don’t mean to be argumentative, just supplying information.</p>
<p>^Not argumentative. I will acknowledge those facts. UT Austin is undoubtedly ranked higher than A&M in most areas. However, rankings aren’t everything. And I don’t believe they dictate success or happiness to the degree that people assume.</p>
<p>MIT is arguably the best school in the world for engineering, and my son was accepted, but based on costs and a few other factors, he has decided not to attend. For many people, there are more things to consider than college rankings. MIT and UT Austin will still be there for grad school.</p>
<p>@confused, lots of people go strictly by rankings when determining which school is “better” than another. But, in my family’s opinion, the school that is “better” for YOU, is the school that is a better FIT for you. A better fit in terms of your personality, your goals, your desired degree, your finances, etc.</p>
<p>You asked solely about academics. (There are pretty vast differences between the schools in other arenas – most visibly, their locations, but I won’t get into that.)</p>
<p>If you are planning on majoring in the hard sciences, engineering, or business, then you really can’t go wrong with either school. If UT Austin is going to cost $9000 more a year to attend, and you’re majoring in one of those areas, and if the rest of the school’s differences (rural versus urban, etc) don’t matter one iota to you, then I would say that Texas A&M would be an excellent choice for you. Agriculture? A&M for sure.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on majoring in the liberal arts, then UT Austin may well be worth the extra $9K, only because I’ve heard that the liberal arts are weak at A&M. (Not sure if it’s true – that’s just what I’ve always heard.)</p>
<p>I’ll assume you’re majoring in one of A&M’s stronger programs for the purpose of these next statements …</p>
<p>Students at both schools receive excellent opportunities in terms of jobs and grad schools. Job fairs and recruitment events at A&M are HUGE. Tons of opportunity. A&M is known for its very strong networking – close ties for the rest of your life. UT Austin is very well respected across the country (not going to try to speak about “the world” – not knowledgeable enough). If you graduate from either school with a good academic record and job, internship, and/or research experience, you will likely do very well when applying to grad schools or applying for jobs.</p>
<p>Recap: if you graduate towards the top of your class at either school and have internships, co-ops, and/or research experience under your belt, your chances for a good grad school or a good job are very good. For that reason, a lot of the people we know, who choose A&M, do so more for the “fit” or the lower costs than because they think UT Austin’s education won’t be good enough for them. People know that UT is a great school. But some people shy away from its enormity, its gigantic classes, the potential unavailability of those classes, etc. The schools are very different, imo. But academically, in the majors I mentioned, they’re both very good and very well-respected.</p>
<p>confused001, I keep coming back to the idea that all you wanted to know about was academics … are you SURE? Do you already know about all the other differences between the schools? Are you the kind of person who can be happy anywhere? Because there really are big differences between them.</p>
<p>For just one instance, Texas A&M is a little weak on diversity. They have significantly less racial and ethnic diversity than UT Austin. A&M’s administration would like to fix that, but it’s a relatively slow process. Anyway, I thought that might be something you’d like to consider as an international student. Do I think you’ll be taken in as “one of their own” at either school? Yes, I do. But will you FEEL like you’ve been taken in as one of their own at either school? That depends more on your personality. Just one example of the schools’ differences.</p>
<p>As mentioned, your intended major is a pretty important factor as well.</p>
<p>As far as job opportunities, I know UT Austin has some crazy alum networks in engineering (particularly for chemE and the oil industry), though general consensus seems to be that A&M has a more loyal and overall stronger alumni network, even in areas where UT beats it academically (ex. business). But with either school, if you do well, you’re going to be fine in the job search.</p>
<p>Another factor is the type of city you’d like to live in. Austin is big and weird and incredibly active as a city. Tons to see and do. College Station is, well, a college town. Everything revolves around the college. Obviously I’m oversimplifying a more complex issue here, but just something to think about.</p>
<p>Why don’t u do BOTH!!</p>
<p>I intend to major in engineering (more specifically in Chemical or Computer Science)…
And yes, i am mostly bothered with the academics as i have heard about all the other factors… I am personally leaning towards A&M but my parents keep pointing out that UT Austin is better ranked which is why i wanted to know about the academics, jobs,etc.
Also could you tell me if international studentsfind it harder to obtain co-ops, research positions etc.??
Thanks for all the information…</p>
<p>Internationals shouldn’t have more trouble getting those positions, and if they do for some reason, the experience should be about the same at both schools. Both are pretty active as far as research goes for public universities.</p>
<p>What makes you lean towards A&M right now? If you’ve got a compelling reason to go there, just go!</p>
<p>well, i figured both the universities aren’t vastly different in terms of academics when it comes to engineering…
so i am thinking A&M because of the costs and also the small town setting
but then i’m afraid i might be at a disadvantage when it comes to applying to graduate schools…
Is there a stark difference between UT and A&M in terms of the grad schools their undergrads get admitted to??</p>
<p>hi confused. If you’re going to major in engineering and you’re already leaning towards A&M, then go for it! It is an excellent engineering school! It is very well respected. There are tons of research opportunities. As we’ve already pointed out, they’re probably better known for their networking than UT (though UT’s networking is plenty good). Employers recruit Aggies heavily. Grad schools will definitely respect your A&M undergraduate degree. I am certain!</p>
<p>Rankings are often derived from the amount of money schools put into research programs or other things that reflect more on a <em>graduate</em> education. Undergraduates don’t always get the direct benefits from the things that make a school “better-ranked.” There are all sorts of books out there these days that downplay the college rankings game. There’s kind of a whole movement against following rankings for an undergraduate degree. I think (many people think) it’s more important to go to the school that fits YOU better as an undergraduate. Then, if you do well as an undergraduate, you can go to UT Austin for grad school. And you (and your parents) will have the UT name on your degrees! 
(Austin IS an excellent school. There’s no question. But I do not believe it’s necessarily a better education for an undergraduate. Both engineering educations are excellent.)</p>
<p>You will definitely NOT have any more trouble getting co-ops, research positions, or grad school positions as an international from either school. I mentioned the diversity thing as a matter of “comfort level,” not in terms of discrimination. You won’t find any significant level of discrimination at either school – you won’t find that sort of discrimination at most any reputable school in our country. I only mentioned it because some people want to be around a group of people who are from similar backgrounds in order to feel comfortable. And, unfortunately, A&M is a little more “cookie-cutter” than UT.</p>
<p>If you already know about the differences between the two schools outside of academics, and you like A&M better, then you should go to A&M. You honestly have NOTHING to worry about in terms of research opportunities, internships, grad school selection, job placement, or career advancement from EITHER school. I am positive. Grad schools and employers are going to look at your success as an undergraduate student – your grades, your internships, your research experience, your letters of recommendation, etc. They will respect an undergraduate degree from either school; it’s your personal success at that school that will get you your job or grad student placement.</p>
<p>I don’t have any stats off the top of my head in terms of grad student placement. You could probably call the engineering departments from each school and ask that question (or email them). I am pretty sure you will feel comfortable with the answers from each school. They each do very well!</p>
<p>confused - A&M is a college town and so students concentrate a lot more on school related activities and also develop a lot of close bonds doing things together.</p>
<p>UT is in Austin, capital of Texas with about 650,000 people. There are a lot of high tech industries in Austin and it is considered a very liberal town. Due to its size, students have a lot more activities to choose from outside of school. </p>
<p>Chemical is ranked #5 at UT. </p>
<p>[Chemical</a> | Rankings | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-chemical]Chemical”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-chemical)</p>
<p>Agricultural eng is top ranked at A&M. I can’t find petroleum eng rankings but A&M is considered a top program for that too.</p>
<p>[Biological/Agricultural</a> | Rankings | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-agricultural]Biological/Agricultural”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-biological-agricultural)</p>
<p>Just my opinion from out in the work world…Pick UT. The Austin based Alum orgs carry a lot of advantage especially if you were to consider Grad level programs. This is just what I have learned from many years of working alongside UT engineers.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help guys, but now i have a different problem…
I also got into the University of cincinnati but but ignored it based purely on the rankings of the three Universities…
But recently, I went to this counsellor for something else and she told me that U of Cin and UT should be my first choice and that i shouldn’t even consider TAMU…
Can you guys rank these three on the basis of academics ( I know there are rankings on the web but i just thought u guys would know better seeing as you live there)
Thanks</p>
<p>^Whoa. No wonder you’re “confused.” jk</p>
<p>Her advice is very surprising, imo. U of Cincinnati over Texas A&M for engineering?? I’m beginning to wonder if your counselor has never heard of Texas A&M (for some reason) and is therefore discounting A&M substantially and irrationally. </p>
<p>You already know that I don’t put a whole lot of stock in rankings. But you said that you already know about the rankings on the web. To quote just US News & World (again, not that I put much stock in them):</p>
<p>National Public Universities: Cincinnati #156; A&M #63
Top Public: Cinci #83; A&M #22
High School Counselor Ratings: Cinci #247; A&M #47
Engineering <em>Grad</em> Schools (didn’t take the extra time to look up undergrad on different pages than all the above stats): Cinci #78; A&M #13</p>
<p>(Those are all the “free” rankings I pulled up on my first try, all on one page. Didn’t dig any deeper.)</p>
<p>I’m beginning to think that your counselor simply doesn’t know much about A&M, confused001.</p>
<p>I have never heard Cincinnati brought up in conversations as a great engineering school. But then again, I don’t live in the Midwest. Still, I think a lot of people all across the country know to associate Texas A&M with a good engineering education.</p>
<p>I could be wrong on all counts. I know very little about Cincinnati these days. I knew a lot more about it thirty years ago.</p>
<p>I would say you were right the first time – choose between UT Austin and Texas A&M.</p>