Feeling conflicted..UT vs UA

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

Okay, I’m going to try to not be offensive in this post, but if I do offend you, I’m sorry, and that wasn’t my intention.
I am a senior in HS who’s trying to decide what college to go to (whoopdidoo). My two major choices are the University of Texas, and of course, the University of Alabama. I’m considering Alabama for numerous reasons: scholarship money, weather, girl to guy ratio ;), honor’s college, and the location is pretty nice too (oh, and everyone there is extremely friendly).
I’m considering UT for these reasons: Austin is awesome, not a bad price, prestige, and a high chance of getting a better job upon graduation. UT would cost about 40k more (I’m in-state).

I feel like I’m on the verge of making the decision to go to Alabama; there’s just one problem; I want to be assured that if I do well in my classes and apply myself that I will have a good chance of getting a decent job. My major is mechanical engineering, and I also want to make sure that I can get a co-op (preferably a co-op, not an internship).

Can anyone share some light on my situation, and maybe make me feel more confident in the Alabama name? Maybe if you have children who went to Alabama and they have good jobs now? I’m sorry if I sound pretentious, I just really want to make sure that I make the right decision. Thanks guys.

2

I’m a current sophomore girl majoring in mechanical engineering. The internships are things you’ll have to find yourself for the most part. The honors college and career center can help you a little. However our co-op office is AMAZING! So if you’re interested in co-ops that’s gonna be easier in the sense the university helps. So how co-ops work here is you fill out one application and send it to the co-op office. Then you get assigned a sign up day. On that day you can select up to 4 companies to interview with. Personally I slept in the building overnight so I could be first in line for sign ups. And I got 4 good companies plus 3 for wait list. Then they have a designated day where you got and interview with each company. I got off some wait lists so I ended up having 5 interviews. The next morning I already had an offer from Jordan & Skala. And I got a second interview for Alaska Airlines. I’ve also been offered site visits to further see my interest in other companies. Given this isn’t always the case, but our co-op office handles everything for you. They help you defer scholarships and everything. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.

3

Also if you’d like to see the list from this year of all the companies that came to interview day, here’s the link…

http://coop.eng.ua.edu/company-summaries/

4

Going to UT doesn’t give you a higher chance at a better job.

5

As you can see, I am in Texas. Texas native.
My oldest is a jr at Alabama. She took UT off of her list upon hearing one thing: there is a limit on how many students they accept into certain areas of study. Engineering is one such. UT does accept a few incoming freshmen into the Engineering school and the Business school. Otherwise, you apply in your sophomore year to start the program your jr year. If more ahead of you have better grades, you better have a second and third option. My daughter did not care to spend 2 years at a school to be told, “sorry, what is your second choice”
Alabama does not do this. You want to major in Mechanical Engineering, no problem.

I am also not a fan of the “top 10” rule we have in Texas. It is hurting our large flagships (UT and TAMU). It is taking longer for students to graduate, the retention rate is dropping, more and more are coming in not prepared for college. These are not good things for a school that wants to be recognized as a top tier school.

Save your money on your undergrad, go to Bama then you have the money you saved to use on grad school. Coming out of school with little to no debt is the smarter way to go, imho.

6

If you look at all the companies UT and TAMU has for co-op in the various geographic areas you are interested in TX (your home state), you will find that you can have UA co-op office make contact with the companies for you to be considered there.

A lot of companies are looking for very competent female engineers, so you have a bit of an edge with your gender.

I use to work in Cooperative Education (Associate Director). You can do very well as a strong scholarship student.

DD is a civil eng major at UA (currently a sophomore). She has interviewed for a summer internship position that is a phenomenal opportunity - she will find out in a few weeks when they finish the interview process with other candidates.

H and I lived in TX before we moved to AL. I received a graduate business degree from TAMU.

I have talked to a TX student that came to AL to study engineering, and the scholarship had him come to get the experiences with the group of students in another state.

UA does have a lot to offer. If we were your parents, we would advise you to get into an engineering school at the get-go and also save the $40,000.

7

Ok, thanks everyone for your reply. And @mom2coIIegekids thanks for all your posts; you’ve made me and my family find Alabama and you’ve supplied us with so much information! I am eternally thankful! :smiley:

And also @SOSConcern I’m a guy, and it sounds interesting on what you said about finding a UT co-op while at Alabama. Honestly, if Honda and Mercedes both come to UA to offer co-ops, I’ll be more than happy.

8

Sorry OP - the second on this thread had me on the girl track…

The Mercedes Plant in Vance AL is very close to UA. There is a very strong relationship and the Mercedes Plant is doing well.

UA is very pro-students. A student with initiative and solid grades in engineering will do well with internship and Co-op.

9

As others have said, the UA co-op department is amazing!! Tons of companies look to UA for co-op students… MANY great opportunities. You don’t have to worry at all, as long as you keep a good GPA (3.0 or better). The co-op office lets you know exactly what you need to do… just follow their lead and meet deadlines!

10

OP, UT is a great school and Austin a fantastic city, so only you and your parents can decide if it’s worth the extra $40,000 to attend. Spread out over four years, that’s not a big deal to some families at all, while for others it’s a deal-breaker.

If you’re a top student and want a co-op, you will have plenty of options at UA. ME at Bama is particularly strong, so I really don’t think you’re risking much if you decide to come to Tuscaloosa. We live in PA and my kid passed on Penn State Engineering to study ME at UA and has no regrets. He landed a co-op he wanted at the end of freshman year.

11

If your interest is in automotive, then Bama is definitely the place to be. Females definitely have the upper hand in getting engineering jobs these days. I’d recommend going the co-op route rather than the internship route. However, co-ops DO NOT guarantee you a job at the end of your employment. If you have connections to a Texas company, know people that work there, and get into UT, I’d go there, since you are from Texas. It depends on what your interest is. While you may not pay that 40K at Bama for your undergrad, you’ll perhaps have to pay it in grad school to make yourself more competitive. Most master’s programs do not offer funding. If you’re willing to take the five extra years to get a Ph.D. and get funding, and hope that at that point, you’ll get a job, it’s up to you. Good luck to you!

12

While many master’s programs may not offer funding, many employers do provide educational reimbursement for at least a portion of graduate studies. While it is difficult for most to maintain full time employment and full time student status simultaneously, there are many distance and part time graduate programs designed for working professionals. With the exception of law and medicine, I wouldn’t encourage anyone to pay full price out of their own pocket for any graduate program.

And I’ll repeat what was said above: I think UA has a great co-op office with wonderful opportunities. My son will be starting his final co-op work term in January. He’s decided that he is not interested in staying with the company permanently even if they do opt to offer him a position, but having more than a year (he also worked a summer internship before beginning his co-op) of work experience in his field should make him a very competitive applicant when he finishes his degree.

13

It’s really great to hear that someone has done exactly what I want to do and be successful at it. Thanks for this post. Looks like I’m going to put down that $200 class spot reservation fee! Roll tide!

14

We were at Iowa State last Friday for their Experience Iowa State day. Among other sessions, we attended a very informative presentation from the mechanical engineering department, ISU’s most popular major. The professor assured us that Master’s and PhD engineering students do not pay to go to graduate school, except maybe for living expenses. Generally, these students are funded by fellowships obtained by the professors. TA stipends also help. I can’t speak for UA, but this is generally the case for most top engineering schools. An exception may be for on-line or other programs paid for by employers.

15

That’s good to hear, Beaudreau. UIowa offers funding for its masters programs. Bottom line, don’t make a college choice based on who is giving you a free ride, especially if the alternative is a good school, offers great job placement opportunities, and is affordable. Some lucky people do get free ride for undergrad, grad, heck, even some of my son’s friends are getting free rides at med and law schools after their free ride at Bama. You’ve got to choose a school that is right for you, both socially and academically, but is also going to be an investment in your future, not just because it’s free.

16

My son had several friends graduate from the College of Engineering at Bama. One did an ME co-op in Kansas City. The firm offered him a job following his graduation. Another friend is currently at Stanford earning her PhD in ME. She won all kinds of prestigious scholarships while at Bama. Her internships included Gulfstream.

So the opportunities are there.

17

For a minute there I read that as “Her scholarships included a Gulfstream” and I was like “Whoooaa…UA gave her a G4!”…but then I re-read your sentence…bummer…

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/07/large_UA%20jet.jpg

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^^^ LOLOL @Gator88NE

Yes, the UA schollies include a chicken in every pot and a Gulfstream in every garage. :slight_smile:

19

UA has updated its Quick Facts http://viewbook.ua.edu/quick-facts/

My UA sophomore civil eng DD just found out she has been hired as a summer intern with a large construction company (an office and construction project is near parents’ home). This is a huge career opportunity for her. She pursued it after finding out about their early selection process.

20

@TxNewCollegeMom I think some of your information respecting the top 10% law and entry into UT engineering majors is incorrect. You stated that the top 10% law is wrecking UT/A&M graduation and retention rates. The top 10% law has been in effect in Texas since 1997; therefore, there is 18 years of data already out there. Below are Bama and UT/A&M graduation and retention rates:

Retention Rate:
UT: 94%
A&M: 91%
Bama: 87%

Graduation Rate:
UT: 79%
A&M: 79%
Bama: 67%

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?228778-The-University-of-Texas-at-Austin
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?228723-Texas-A-M-University-College-Station
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?100751-The-University-of-Alabama

Personally, I think the top 10% law should be repealed and UT/A&M should do holistic admissions, but to allege that the Top 10% is depressing those schools retention and graduation rates is simply not supported by the data.

Also you stated that UT accepts a “few” freshman into its engineering programs but otherwise “you apply in your sophmore year to start the program your jr year.” I think you are confusing the freshman admission process with internal transfers after a student has been admitted to UT. Admission to any of UT’s engineering programs is determined in the freshman application process. If OP applies to UT as a mechanical engineer and is granted admission to UT’s mechanical engineering program, then he/she is guranteed that major. I believe what you are referring to are internal transfers, that is UT denies a student freshman entry to a certain major but offers a second major which the student accepts. However, after admission the student attempts to transfer to their original preferred major. Internal transfers are extremely competitive at UT because UT knows that students try to game the system and accept entry into the College of Liberal Arts and thereafter transfer into Engineering or Business. UT makes it well known that those type of transfer are very difficult to pull off and UT actively discourages students from doing this. However, if you get into the program as a freshman admit, you are guaranteed that major.

@awsamb, I can’t tell you which option you should choose. Similar to @LucieTheLakie, I think it may simply come down to whether the $40,000 differential is a make or break it deal for your family, or whether Alabama is simply a better fit because you are interested in a Greek Life and college football Saturdays. Respecting the single issue of quality of engineering program, I’ll just note the following:

US News & World Report ranks the top twenty Mechanical Engineering Programs. The blurb on their website states the following: “Mechanical engineering includes the study of thermal and mechanical systems. These are the top undergraduate schools where the highest engineering degree offered is a doctorate.” (I woud post the link, but you need a paid subscription to access the deparmental/major rankings).

  1. MIT
  2. Georgia Tech
  3. Cal
  4. Stanford
  5. Michigan
  6. Purdue (tie)
  7. Illinois (tie)
  8. Cornell
  9. CalTech
  10. UT-Austin

Here is comparison of the median average salary of mechanical engineers who graduate from UT and Bama, and the total amount of research expenditures for mechanical engineering at each school per startclass rankings.

http://engineering-schools.startclass.com/l/91/The-University-of-Alabama
http://engineering-schools.startclass.com/l/126/The-University-of-Texas-at-Austin

Alabama
Median Salary for Mechanical Engineering: $55,000
Research Expenditure for Mechanical Engineering: $2.6 million

UT-Austin
Median Salary for Mechanical Engineering: $70,800
Research Expenditure for Mechanical Engineering: $29 million

Of course the numbers above are all based on medians and averages. Certainly, there are going to be some Bama mechanical engineering grads who make more than UT mechanical engineering grads. Additoinally, there will be some Ole Miss or Arkansas mechanical engineering grads whose incomes exceed those of both Bama and UT. You may be average, above average, or you might be below it, who knows. Additionally, the one thing @TxNewCollegeMom stated that I agree with is that its much easier to get into Bama’s engineering program than either UT or A&M. Bama’s engineering program has a 61% admit rate whereas UT has 26% admit rate - most applicants to Bama’s program get in, most applicants to UT’s program don’t get in. Therefore, it really comes down to whether you can get into UT’s mechanical engineering program through the freshman admission process. If so, then (just based on the average salaries mentioned above) you might find that you can make up the $40,000 tuition differential in three years of post-graduation salary. Of course, if the extra $40,000 is a deal breaker for your family, then I’m sure you’ll be extremely happy in Bama.

Good luck with your decision, either way you have some great options.