Hello!
I’ve been accepted into the ME program at both schools.
I am wondering if there’s any difference in the rigor of the ME program at each school (does the fact that UT is more selective make it harder?)
And weather tamu’s alumni network is more extensive and effective than UT’s. I’ve wanted to go to UT for a long time since it’s always been ranked really high but I am scared to be just one more person and I feel like TAMU is different in that sense.
Any input is greatly appreciate it!
The two programs are so similar that you are better off just trying to decide based on where you feel more comfortable.
Are you sure that you have direct admission to the major at Texas A&M, as opposed to a frosh year general engineering status, from which you must apply to enter the major later?
https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/advisors-procedures/entry-to-a-major
Yeah, I don’t know if UT does it but A&M has the entry to your major system. Mechanical is the most competitive program here - if I remember right, they only accepted 25% of the freshman that applied last year and the average GPA of the students that got in was a 3.8. One B in a calc or physics class first semester could shut you out of that major. If you are set on doing mechanical, I’d avoid A&M for that reason. Of course, if UT make you do the same thing then it’s a wash.
The school really sells that “family feel” and the Aggie network, but in my experience those things just aren’t true. A&M is a huge flagship state school, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it comes with the downsides you’d expect. In most of the classes, you sit in a lecture hall of 200 people while the professor reads off the powerpoint through a microphone. It thins out once you get to upper level, but even junior or senior engineering classes can have 50-60 students in them. I didn’t think I’d mind that before I went off to college, but it gets pretty old after a while, and I’ve found that the small 20 student courses have been my favorites. If I had to do it again, I’d definitely go to a smaller school. As far as social life at a 60,000 student campus, there’s plenty of people to meet here and always things to do, but from what I’ve seen most students tend to stick with the folks they know from high school or church. It can be tough to find a social circle after freshman year. It’s not like high school where you are around the same 50 or so people every day for the next four years - if you don’t get started early and make an effort to meet people outside of class, it’s easy to become just another face in the crowd here.
As far as the Aggie Network, I’ve never heard of someone being hired just because they went here. A&M engineering is respected and definitely well-recruited - a degree from here probably won’t shut any doors on you. But an Aggie ring isn’t an automatic job offer like the school sometimes makes it out to be.
And in short - if you’re depending on 3.5 GPA scholarships to pay for A&M, I’d consider going somewhere else.
@KF7LCE when you speak of the 20 person classes, are you talking about regular or honors classes?
@Commiserating One regular class and two honors classes.
Honors here isn’t anything special. It’s a must if you have a scholarship, because that priority registration lets you target the easy profs and get the seats in the blowoff electives that you’ll need to maintain your GPA. But really, I’ve taken most of the honors sections that have been offered so far, and probably 80% of the time they were identical to the other sections. You still sit in the same lecture hall with 200 people and do the same work. The professor might throw in one extra “honors” question on the homework, that’s the only difference you really see.
My son was just discussing this very phenomenon, how GPA can, if desired, be manipulated. His take was pretty simple. When standing in front of the white board during interviews, they’ll know if the number is legit or not. I’d be cautious of always taking the easy way.
Don’t target easy professors. Target good professors.
Now normally I’d agree with you two - but this is a school that pulls your scholarships if you can’t maintain a 3.5. Taking the easy profs may be the only way you can afford to stay in school.
Thank you for your replies. I just want to clarify, does there exist an automatic admission to the first choice major for applicants who earn a GPA higher than 3.5? From what I am understand, getting into ME is practically impossible?
3.5 GPA guarantees your first choice engineering major.
So I know that in US weekly, UT is ranked more higher for the mechanical engineering schools. Is UT’s program truly “better” because the were ranked higher?
Thanks!
YES
NO
MAYBE
Just saying something is “better” doesn’t mean anything without context. Furthermore, what is “better” for you may not be “better” for me.
What I’m saying here is, pick whichever school you like better… not the school that USNWR likes better, or your neighbor likes better, or your mom’s sister’s friend likes better; which one do you like better? From a career point of view, you can’t go wrong with either choice.
Malcolm Gladwell summed up rankings, of any kind, best here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/the-order-of-things.
In a nutshell, a Porsche might not be "better’ than a Chevy truck if your main goal is hauling wood. Hence my snarky reply.
As @fractalmstr said it’s really only about what matters to you. To take that a step further, non-academic things (weather, support for hobbies, location, accessibility to home, etc.) are all as important as academic concerns. When you are at an institution that feels “right” for you, you will thrive.