whciov01 – I believe it depends upon the department and the scholarship but it looks like notifications will continue to go out until late May or maybe even into the summer.
@lee6666, @Beaudreau yes the OOS tuition is tough as the winters but only 1 winter out of 3 so far has been brutal - and in fact my daughter has adjusted to the weather by now ( I think Boston would have been worse). She has had some great opportunities during her time at UofM and I don’t think TAMU would have been a good fit for her. Best of luck to all on their decisions - college choice is a very personal decision and I think in the end the students end up making the best choice .for them after weighing all their options.
@beyondtx @lee6666 My son’s adviser last during last year’s NSC was someone from the department of his first engineering choice. The adviser didn’t spend a lot of time with each student. It’s impossible to do that during the NSC. Too many kids and too little time. He looked at my son’s proposed schedule, test scores, and which AP credits he was accepting and said it looks good and went on to the next student.
@kidat1 That was exactly my son’s experience at the NSC, maybe five minutes with the Aerospace Engineering advisor.
@kidat1 @beaudrea My son’s advisor wasn’t even at the NSC last year. He ended up calling her after the NSC. His biggest questions were about which AP courses he should accept. Other than that, the schedule is pretty well set for first year engineers.
What about Computer Science? I plan to major in it or Computer Engineering. If I choose Computer Science my classes would be different than the rest of Engineering? While if I went with CE I would go through same process and be under general engineering and have to apply to CE?
I was wondering what classes freshman would take since they are all now under general engineering… I’m guessing it would just be the same as the current degree plan for general engineering that’s online?
@Decision2015 Here’s a listing for the required first year courses for Mechanical Engineering, which looks the same as for other majors: http://engineering.tamu.edu/media/1915800/MEEN-Curriculum-Flowchart.pdf So first-year electives will be different. Also, freshmen may use AP credits, which will change the courses taken. For example, my son took his AP Calculus credits and a bunch of core curriculum credits. So his first term he took Eng 111 and Phys 218, like most freshman, but used his AP credits for Eng 111, Chem 107 and Math 151/152. Instead, he took Math 253, German 201, and History 334. He also took honors sections of Eng 111 and Phys 218. So he had quite a bit to get done at his New Students Conference. Then, his high school failed to send his final transcript in time, and he had to go through drops and adds to finalize his fall schedule.
@beyondtx The data is now posted. http://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/advisors-procedures/entry-to-a-major/resources/analysis-spring-2015-admission-cycle
Some highlights:
Mechanical admission: 26% Average GPA: 3.8
Petroleum admission: 52% Average GPA: 3.6
Chemical admission: 55% Average GPA: 3.6
Aerospace admission: 60% Average GPA 3.6
Civil admission: 70% Average GPA 3.2
Electrical admission: 85% Average GPA: 3.5
Industrial admission: 96% Average GPA: 3.2
Nuclear admission: 100% Average GPA 3.2
The next round of the entry-to-a-major process opens on May 20, 2015
Good stuff @kidat1 I would not have guessed that ME would be the hardest to get into this round.
@Beaudreau Mechanical historically has been the largest department. I think earlier in this thread someone said that mechanical applicants were higher than expected. That helps explain the lower admission percentage for mechanical engineering for this wave of admissions.
It’s also interesting to note that “Co-curricular activities since enrolling at Texas A&M” was the second highest factor after academic performance.
I wish they posted counts for each department.
Thanks for posting @kldat1 . Interesting stuff. The number of spaces in each major, and the number that applied are really needed for a fuller picture. Mechanicals numbers really surprise me just because you don’t hear about it being the ‘hard to get in to’ major.
It seems like a number of petroleum and maybe chemical changed their mind considering what’s going on with oil. I remember advisors saying appox. 500 put petroleum as their 1st preference when applying to TAMU. Petroleum usually admits around 160 each year, but maybe a tad lower this season, to adjust for demand.
I’m yet another parent who isn’t impressed with A&M’s new engineering admissions policy. Dr. Katherine Banks, Dean of Engineering, came to A&M from Purdue and brought the new admissions policy with her. According to A&M website, she "initiated the 25 by 25 program, which will increasing the engineering enrollment at Texas A&M to 25,000 by 2025. Doesn’t sound like a good idea to rapidly expand when A&M can’t place some of their very high-achieving students in their top 2 choices of major. I was told by an advisor that his department (which I won’t name) didn’t acceot any freshmen candidates that took Calculus at a community college. Calculus at A&M isn’t taught well at all. My son’s Chemistry professor was excellent, and Intro to Engineering professors are ok, but not great. Not a fan of A&M engineering; can’t wait until my son decides he’s had enough and moves on with his life.
Those statistics are so interesting —thanks kdat1 for posting! Mechanical Engineering didn’t surprise me as much as they told the students they recommended applying to two disciplines and I think Mechanical Engineering was a common second choice, if not a first choice. That was the case for my daughter. It would also not surprise me if these statistics eased up a bit on the next go around in May.
@texasmom316 It’s not correct to say that “A&M can’t place some of their very high-achieving students in their top 2 choices of major.” This was only the first round. There will be another in May and several more next year.
As for Dr. Banks, you would have to agree that Purdue is one of the top engineering schools in the world. There are 80,000 living Purdue engineering alums. One in 50 engineers in the U.S. is a Purdue graduate. Purdue has done a lot right.
As for the 25 by 25 initiative, it is true that there will be significant on-campus enrollment growth. However, much of the growth will be in distance learning, especially masters degrees for current engineers. TAMU is second in the U.S. in engineering research dollars and has the 7th highest university endowment in the U.S. Engineering graduates continue to be in high demand. 25 by 25 should be doable.
I agree with texasmom. These new standards with different rounds of acceptances will just lead to high achieving students pursuing other majors. And why not? The students that did not gain acceptance in the first round certainly are not receiving any encouragement about their chances in the next round. No one wants to lose hours in one degree program without some valid hope they can gain a degree in that program. Just because this new admissions plan may work at Purdue does not make it appropriate elsewhere, especially if TAMU is trying to grow the number of engineers. Prospective HS engineering students need to go elsewhere to avoid unnecessary uncertainty about their degree program.
@texasmom316 Judging by this post and your post in another thread your son must not have been offered a spot in the first wave. Stay positive. There are several more waves including one next month. If he is dedicated as you say I’m sure he will do fine.
The stats are interesting, but hard to see a true picture without actual numbers. How many will actually be accepted into ME, for example, and did they just let the upper tier in in round 1? I assume there are 4 rounds – two chances freshman year and two chances sophomore year. Is this correct? Also, what happens if you’re not accepted in round 1 or 2, and hold out to be accepted to that major in during sophomore year – wouldn’t you miss out on many required MEEN courses? And how does the new program affect a minor (for example, a major in ME, minor in PET)?
It is probably critical to make sure students stay advised with intended departments. There are many disciplines in Engineering and it looks like some even took 100% or close to 100% of the applicants. I’ll offer an option that my son’s roommate took (he was under the old system, though, but could be applied to new students who may not get their first choice): He was automatically admitted to Chemical Engineering, but during his sophomore year did not feel he had a high enough GPA, so he transferred to Industrial Distribution and was accepted. Granted, it was not what he set out to do, but he is very happy and it fits his personality and skills. He still gets to stay in Engineering, but is in an area now that he feels he will thrive in. Industrial Distribution/Engineering Technology do not exist in many bachelor programs, but do at A&M.