<p>Has anyone here picked A&M over UT? If so, why?</p>
<p>I'm trying to decide which one to attend and have visited both colleges. I want to major in aero engineering and I got accepted to that at A&M, but UT however accepted me to a geosciences undeclared major. I know you can change majors later, but I'm not sure how difficult that would be at UT. Also, I'd likely have to live at home my freshman year if I went to UT (parents decision). Does anyone have any unbiased input that might help me?</p>
<p>A lot of people of are picking A&M over UT at my school. The Valedictorian is choosing it over UT. After visiting both campuses, most people find the overall atmosphere of A&M to be more friendly. They are like one big family there apparently. Some also pick A&M over UT because they prefer the small town atmosphere rather than all the hustle and bustle of Austin.</p>
<p>I think I'd pick A&M in your case since they are giving you your major because UT is super packed...I think it would be difficult to transfer.</p>
<p>A&M and UT are almost equal in aeroenginering. Both very very good.
If you are looking for a more laid back conservative atmosphere then you might want to go Aggie.
If not, then you might want to go to the more fast paced, certainly larger and more liberal UT.</p>
<p>IMO, if money is not a factor, you need to move away from home your freshman year. They are both great schools, but you will enjoy college more while living amongst your peers.</p>
<p>Yea wemel, I feel the same way; I don't want to live at home. Money isn't a factor, it's just my parents would like to save as much as possible (of course all of MY money is going to college either way).</p>
<p>I'm a lot more into the music scene at Austin, but A&M gave me my 1st choice major + honors + more money (thus, my parents are willing to shell out for a nicer dorm).
UT gave me my 2nd choice major, which I'm not very interested in. I know switching majors is a possibility, but I don't want to get screwed over.
I hope I made the right decision.</p>
<p>^You made the right decision. You will be much happier with your 1st choice of majors. The good thing about Austin and College Station is that it is a close enough drive if you want to spend a weekend away to get your music fix.</p>
<p>I don't particularly like either school but I pick A&M over UT. UT's campus is really cramped and not that pretty. That, and you're in the middle of Austin with all that traffic.</p>
<p>UT's a good school but there's too many bookworms there for me. That and I really don't care for how they brag about their education standards while at the same time bragging about their football team. Kind of contradictory to me.</p>
<p>Another mark for me against UT is back in '01 or '02 I got lost of campus. I stopped and asked directions from several different students there and they all had this snotty attitude. Nothing about me, for all they knew I was a student there. NEVER had a problem like that while on campus at A&M or Tech.</p>
<p>I would have went out of state for school myself if I could have.</p>
<p>A&M is packed as well but it doesn't feel as overcrowded at UT. At UT, you are just a number. In all honesty, if your professor doesn't really even know you, how is the school that prestigious? Except for a few of the better programs.</p>
<p>Besides picking A&M, without worrying about tuition cost I would even pick TCU and SMU over UT.</p>
<p>please explain this contradictory bragging. I'd be really interested in hearing how bragging about football is able to "contradict" a brag about academics.</p>
<p>Cornell contradicts itself all the time, since they brag about how they have the number one lacrosse team in the nation, but also like tell people they're smart too. ha!</p>
<p>I go to A&M, but here's an unbiased reason to go to A&M:</p>
<p>You said you wanted to major in aero. Come to A&M and major in aero right away. Sign up with NASA to do their co-op program if you'd like (Its an amazing program where you take a couple of semesters off to go work for NASA, and they in turn pay for your schooling. If you go to texas you may never get to transfer majors, and may be stuck with a liberal arts degree you dont want.</p>
<p>Plus aero is a tough major, so you need to find out right away if its for you. If it takes you 2 years to transfer into it at texas and then you decide you dont like it, you'll be in danger of having to stay about 6 years just to get a degree.</p>
<p>"Another mark for me against UT is back in '01 or '02 I got lost of campus. I stopped and asked directions from several different students there and they all had this snotty attitude. Nothing about me, for all they knew I was a student there. NEVER had a problem like that while on campus at A&M or Tech."</p>
<p>That's the truth too. Same thing happened to me. At texas ppl ignored my requests for directions. At A&M they literally walked with me if I didnt understand the directions they were giving.</p>
<p>I picked A&M over UT because:
1) Texas A&M students were friendly, helpful, and generally seemed happy. UT students were pretty nice, but there was nothing to equal the camaraderie I saw at A&M.
2) UT has gone the way of Rice and the UC schools and stopped offering really good scholarship packages. They have some stuff, but nothing like A&M.
3) Politics: A&M leans more right while UT leans more left.
4) The traditions, camaraderie, and, yes, Aggie spirit just kind of won me over.<br>
Hope that helps!</p>
<p>"please explain this contradictory bragging. I'd be really interested in hearing how bragging about football is able to "contradict" a brag about academics."</p>
<p>That's easy. UT constantly brags about their academics, which they have every right to. They are more or less a public Ivy. But at the same time, they WORSHIPPED their '05 football quarterback, who academically had NO business being at UT. He barely had enough brains to throw a football and remember some plays. It gets to the point where the school is more proud of athletics than academics. I went to public schools with good athletes who were dumber than rocks and had no other aspirations in life. I'm sick of it; I wouldn't want to be exposed to it again at a university.</p>
<p>I'd rather go to a university that has good academics and doesn't pay attention too much to athletics. UT Austin and Stanford don't count.</p>
<p>What's funny, PremedPenguin, is that the Aggie spirit turned me off. My BIG complaint about A&M though is that I've met way too many underachievers there. You know, the type who's perfectly happy working some dead end job in Houston. It seemed like just going to A&M was the highlight of their life.</p>
<p>I picked A&M over UT because I thought that I would like the country atmosphere better than the city. Once I got here, I realized that people are very conservative. Everyone dresses exactly the same. It is so homogeneous. All the guys wear t-shirts and baseball caps. Most have short hair, and they all look alike. There are few that 'stick out' from the crowd (that makes them 'cool' because compared to the rest, they have an IDENTITY). My friends and I feel as if we will look out of place, such as if I wore a pin-striped blouse, because everyone here is so casual and cookie-cutter. Oh well, we're here to learn, aren't we? though the sameness strikes me as bland.</p>