<p>I got accepted to both Texas A&M and Fairbanks Alaska...</p>
<p>Taking into account that I would much rather live in Alaska rather than Texas. Also that I want to work in Alaska once I graduate. I also like skiing, hiking, rock climbing, boating, fishing, rafting, water-sports, trekking and Astronomy and I do not like big schools.
I like cold weather. I don't like hot weather.</p>
<p>I went to a high school of only 350 students.</p>
<p>But Academics are incredibly important to me too!</p>
<p>Based on all this would you recommend I go to Texas a&m or University of Alaska Fairbanks for Petroleum engineering Bachelors degree?</p>
<p>It may seem like a pretty easy decision for me. But from what I understand Texas a&m is a better school overall and more prestigious. Is this true?</p>
<p>Will it be easier for me in the job market if I go to texas am vs alaska fairbank?</p>
<p>Your job for the next four years is to be a college student, learn what you can, have fun while at it, and graduate. It sounds that you would enjoy Fairbanks much more than TAMU, and enjoying where you are will help you finish school and graduate.</p>
<p>Upon graduation, if oil prices are sky high, you’ll be able to find work easily regardless of which school you graduated from. If they are rock bottom, you won’t be able to find a job regardless of which school you graduated from.</p>
<p>Oh, the fact that you have lived in Fairbanks for 4 years will help you get hired for Prudhoe Bay oil jobs because you have experience with the cold.</p>
<p>^ I’ve been to Fairbanks in winter. That was a question for the OP, who said:
Most of the time the cold isn’t that bad. You can still ski in below-zero temps as long as you’re prepared and take precautions, and there are lighted trails. Occasional chinook winds warm things up to let you defrost. The problem is that every winter includes a stretch or two when it dips down to -40° F and doesn’t get above -20 during the day. You just have to stay inside at those times.</p>
<p>Another factor to consider is the dark. Be prepared for less than four hours of daylight at the winter solstice. The sun will never be directly overhead.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to discourage you - I know someone who loved living in Barrow - but you should be prepared before committing.</p>
<p>I visited both campuses and it was a tough decision to make because both A&M and Fairbanks had its pros and cons. Even though logically my mind was telling me that A&M would be better because of its reputation my heart was telling me to go for Fairbanks. In the end I followed my heart.</p>
<p>I would have to say Texas A&M because there is a 90% chance that you will switch From Petroleum to other engineering degrees or even to business degree.</p>
<p>You won’t have time to do skiing etc. Beside, you can always go skiing in Utah or something.</p>
<p>Why do you say I will have 90% chance of switching from
a petroleum engineering degree to something else? I will have you know that I prefer a tough life. I love geology. And I like traveling to far off and isolated places. Along with many other reasons why I prefer petroleum engineering degree compared to other engineering degrees. I would rather serve in the Peace Corp than spend my time
earning a business degree. Now please explain to
me why you believe what you stated? Also, I have made my
mind up and will never allow myself to not reach the goal I have set. I will have time to ski. I will also have time to keep an excellent gpa. It is all possible with good time managment.</p>
<p>Glad that you brought this up. My dad was actually originally a petroleum engineering major, whom loved geology, and eventually changed his degree to geology (a field he’s been in since he graduated). My old roommate was a petroleum engineering major, who eventually changed his degree to business. What khoiey was trying to bring up is that many people in PetroE, or any other engineering major for that matter, change majors. This doesn’t mean that you will, just statistically speaking, many people do.</p>
<p>Also, good time management will not always allow you a lot of free time, especially if you start doing research or work on top of your course load. Just prepare for all possibilities, and I think that what khoiey was trying to get across (although I don’t agree with his statement about TAMU in your case).</p>
<p>I’m saying that because most people do change mind and any planning will have to prepare for adjustment. What your interest today may not be the same for tomorrow. Colleges are all about experiment to find out your interest. Texas A&M is good for petroleum and also good for other engineering majors. (I’m not sure how well Fairbanks does in other engineering majors). The chance that you will switch major to other engineering degrees are pretty good, which is also the normal. Things that may cause you to change major varies from love, change of interest, fail your engineer course etc. You name it. </p>
<p>Nothing wrong with being dead set on Petroleum Engineering although it sound like you dead set to get married to a girl you just met and find out later on that she’s not compatible with you.</p>
<p>Just an honest thought for you to have more options on the table in case if you do change major.</p>
<p>The reason why I think TAMU is a better choice because I have heard of it in general and as for Fairbanks is the opposite. I really don’t know the rankings of Fairbanks. </p>
<p>Factors you may also want to consider is internships availabilities. I imagined such opportunities are limited in Alaska if you decide not to major in Petroleum Engineering?</p>
<p>About Peace Corp, I checked out that awhile ago. It isn’t easy to get in as one may think since I think one of their requirements included a degree.</p>
<p>I will try and keep my mind open to other academic considerations but right now my complete focus is on getting a B.S. in Petroleum engineering and still enjoying my time in college.</p>
<p>Congrats. So I guess you’re going to start as a freshman this fall ? Best of luck to you my friend. Petroleum engineering has a wide scope in the oil industry and if you like “isolated” places then you will definitely get to see locations you could never dream of reaching if you’re not associated with the oil industry in someway.</p>
<p>i know its been three years since u enrolled in UAF for petroleum engineering. i currently find myself in your shoes. my heart yearns for fairbanks for petroleum engineering but my mind yearns for texas. please tell me how has your three years on fairbanks campus been like. how has their petroleum engineering program been like</p>
<p>I’d go with Texas if you still could. I used to live Fairbanks as a child and couldn’t imagine being a young adult (assuming you are one) and living there. Its a nice little town of about 30K but can get very boring. Unless you like skiing and hunting there isn’t really much to do there outside of the summertime. And being 6+ hrs from any decent sized city doesn’t help either. Just a thought.</p>