<p>I keep hearing how Texas A&M has the absolute best network of job connections and how the career placement at that school is unparalleled. </p>
<p>I am practically regretting choosing UT at this point with all the people I hear raving about how great the TAMU alumni network is at finding grads jobs.</p>
<p>So my question is, specifically in the engineering department, do TAMU grads really have that much better of a time finding jobs than cockrell grads? Do texas exes not look out for their own like the gig em crowd does?</p>
<p>No I’m being completely serious. However, I would like to expand the question outside of cockrell because that is one of UT’s strongest programs. So how about for the schools as a whole? </p>
<p>I am still interested in cockrell vs. look in terms of job placement though. It would be interesting to see if there were some statistics on % of students from each university who got jobs (that utilize their degree) 6 months after graduation</p>
<p>I don’t think you can compare one university as a whole against the other because it’s so variable within UT. Some colleges at UT do a great job with job placement, others not so much. There are also social groups within UT that provide networking support, including social fraternities and sororities, but also including things like academic and service fraternities. Like everything else in life, if it’s something you want, it’s up to you to seek it out and find it.</p>
<p>Okay lets rephrase the question again to only include the schools of engineering, business, and I guess architecture because those are the 3 most selective schools i think. So between those 3 schools who has better job prospects, TAMU or UT grads?</p>
<p>Yes, as a whole, Aggies have better job placement than UT grads. Here’s the thing though, it’s for average quality jobs. If you want to pursue something highly competitive like I-banking, S&T, strat. consulting or engineering at the big integrated oil and gas guys/F500 tech companies (Microsoft/Google), then you have an exponentially higher chance at McCombs/Cockrell.</p>
<p>set your ambition higher, man. next to practically everyone else here, I feel like a ■■■■■■. but that’s not going to prevent me from applying to NASA :P. you also have to take into account that it’s not all about what you know, but also who you know.</p>
<p>A lot of times, at least in engineering, it’s the professors who recommend their students to different companies. My dad has probably helped thousands of students get jobs in the last 40 years! It was ironic - I graduated in 1986, just after the oil prices fell through the floor, and he couldn’t help get me a job in Texas! He still feels bad about that, but there were just NO jobs at that point.</p>
<p>To the op - actually Texas is considered THE school to recruit for engineering. A&M’s reputation has suffered lately. The Aggies do a great job of networking and you will have a better chance of getting a job from an Aggie if you are one, but overall UT has the better reputation.</p>
<p>heck ya thats what I like to hear! It did not seem fair to me at all considering I know people who got into A&M engineering in the 24th percentile with a 600 math SAT score, and most ppl in cockrell were in like the top 5% of their high school classes with 700+ scores. So it would suck if cockrell grads were not rewarded for working that much harder</p>
<p>I’m not a native Texas and didn’t really understand the Aggie network, until about 3 years ago. I am the resource manager for a large company with offices in Dallas, LA, Boston and Philadelphia. For our company the Aggie network is alive and well - I have specific direction from our CEO to interview all Aggies that apply and to hire Aggies whenever possible. For those that we interview and don’t hire, the CEO goes out of his way to connect them to other positions in other companies (through his network) that may be a better fit. I have to say we have had some great success with the Aggies we have hired. I don’t know that I totally agree with the Aggie preference but it has served us well. </p>
<p>The Aggie network is in play in all of our offices and we have success hiring Aggies across the country. </p>
<p>This doesn’t make UT the wrong choice - just one that does not connect you to the very active Aggie network.</p>
<p>" I have specific direction from our CEO to interview all Aggies that apply and to hire Aggies whenever possible. For those that we interview and don’t hire, the CEO goes out of his way to connect them to other positions in other companies "</p>
<p>So, your company gives preferential treatment to this group instead of looking for the best person for the job?</p>
<p>I am sure just like the Aggie network at the company mentioned in this thread, there are companies out there that prefer Longhorns. It is just a matter of company direction and preference. What you have to do is not blame your own short comings (and we all have them) on being a part of the “wrong” network. Because really, is one network wrong while the other is right? I don’t think so. You either choose to be great or not. Do not place blame on the alumni network because you are not manifesting the skills necessary to secure a good position.</p>
We ended up liking Maine! Who knew? I’m hoping one day to live here some of the time, and Austin the remainder of the year.</p>