I am having second thoughts about going to Texas A&M. I thought I was set on going to Texas A&M for a long time doing Chemical Engineering but I am starting to rethink it. Finances are not an issue at all but I am thinking about going to either UT, Rice, UCLA, USC or Vandy (all of which I got into) for Chemical Engineering. Please reassure me that I am not making the wrong decision in going to A&M. I want to work for an oil company and live in Houston later also… I am mostly worried that Texans will think less of me later as I did not go to the “Elite” Institutions in Texas like UT and Rice. I’m smart enough to understand that A&M is just as good as the other institutions but I feel like the general perception in Texas is not the case. I may be crazy as I have not lived in Texas for a number of years, but can someone please help me out with this?
No one’s going to care which university you graduated from, as they all have good engineering programs. A&M is just as “elite” as any of those schools when it comes to engineering.
How were you able to find out that you got into Rice, UCLA, and Vandy?
Did you apply ED? Those schools don’t inform RD applications until late Mar/early Apr. The only way to know if you’ve been accepted to Rice or Vandy at this point is if you got in ED. You can’t ED to more than one school. Plus, if you get accepted ED, you have to attend.
UCLA notification date is sometime in March.
Straighten me out here in case I am reading your post wrong.
@ChicagoSportsFn Sorry I was really tired when I was writing that. I meant “assuming of which I got into”. I’ll edit that
@jarededberg Unfortunately, you’re worrying too much about other people’s opinion of TAMU.
You need to go to a school that fits you. It seems like TAMU is it so that’s where you should go. Don’t worry that people will think less of you. Choosing your school based primarily on what people will think of you is absolutely the most incorrect way of doing it.
TAMU is a mighty fine institution - so don’t let others tell you otherwise.
Make your decisions once you know where you got in and how much each will cost.
TAMU is very highly thought-of in Texas. The college experience there is different from the one at Rice or UT, and obviously different also from USC or UCLA, but it’s pointless to wonder about decisions which haven’t been made yet.
You don’t actually have any choices yet except where you have actual acceptances. I’d suggest you do accepted student visits at A&M and your next two top choices that you get into and are affordable, then decide.
According to some rankings, all those other schools you listed (with the exception of UT) do not have as high a ranking in their engineering programs like Texas A&M:
http://www.shanghairanking.com/FieldENG2015.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-engineering-schools-2014-4?op=1
Also, since you said you want to work for O&G, TAMU has always been #1 or #2 in the country for petroleum engineering, something I’m sure O&G companies are well aware of. I’d say you shouldn’t worry about prestige, but rather other factors like class sizes, opportunities, the fact of being a state school, etc. (Not saying TAMU is all upsides, I’m a current student here and I’ll tell you, there are downsides here especially freshman year because of this 25x25 initiative that many believe is decreasing the quality of the education) Also, since you said you want to work in Houston, the Aggie Network there is really strong, so that’s actually a great advantage. So you don’t have to worry about it, choose instead the university that you think will benefit you the most.
^^ the shanghai rankings rate graduate programs, not undergraduate.
if you want to use rankings, you can use USNWR engineering programs
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-no-doctorate
Overall, though, KievanRus is right: “fit” is very important, so think of class size, resources, career center, research opportunities, Honors admission or not, state school vs. private, staying instate vs. out of state, how committed you are to the field, etc.
Thanks y’all for all the replies I really appreciate it! I’m thinking that I’m going to stay being an Aggie. There’s just too much going for me there that I don’t think I can tell them no. And I’m a legacy Aggie so A&M has been a huge part of my life and I love it. Also I’m fairly conservative and religious so t.u. is not really my people…plus my mom might kill me. Gig 'Em y’all!
DO NOT decide now. Wait until you have your decisions!
then decide.
Considering the above, Vandy, Rice, and TAMU would likely be your “best fits”.
Were you accepted both to TAMU and major of choice or just TAMU (because many don’t get the major they wanted so it’s important to check!)
@MYOS1634 At this point I have just been admitted to the university at A&M but I will hear about my major via engineering review hopefully next Friday at least according to what they told me on the phone yesterday.
Keep us updated!
@MYOS1634 Will do!
My son was down to A&M and Vandy for ChemE. He chose A&M and he is proud to be an Aggie. Vandy is a wonderful school but Aggie engineering can’t be beat!
@CrazyMom23 Great to hear! I’ve wanted to go to A&M since as old as I could walk but for some reason the other night I thought it may be not exactly what I wanted. However, looking back and reading what everyone has wrote, I am pretty sure I’m making the right choice. So excited to be an Aggie!!
I’d join the Corps of Cadets just to potentially have the privilege of wearing those senior boots!
@ChicagoSportsFn I am seriously considering the Corps. I am going down in February for one of their spend the night with the Corps programs.
@jarededberg Go to the college that you think you will be happiest at and which you think you can succeed. Take into factors such as do you really want to go to school in LA? For some people, that is a perk, for others, not so much. Do you see yourself missing home a lot? In that case, take into account how difficult it is to fly/drive to the college you choose. Do not make your decision purely on “prestige” of the school and other peoples perceptions of what is “prestigious” or not. A “prestigious” school may be great but if you are going to be unhappy there, you will not be successful. Take into account even the weather if it is important to you. Again, go to the college where you think you can be successful and happy. If you are religious and conservative, and that is what you are comfortable with, A&M may just be the best place for you! Also, don’t go into college having your future planned out. You will be presented with opportunities that you don’t even know about yet. I started out at RPI as a Computer Engineer thinking I would work for IBM in New York (I’m older than you guys). I ended up at CU Boulder as a Computer Programmer after a pit-stop in New York & California. I was presented with opportunities I had never considered and glad that I took them even though they were not what I had envisioned. And once you have a job, no one cares where you graduated from.
FWIW, I conducted an informal survey of engineers on a subscription forum we belong to about the importance of the prestige of an engineering program and how much it matters upon graduation. It is worth sharing that I am an Auburn alum and this was an Auburn forum. My son is graduating from a nationally ranked IB program in the Birmingham area. With at least 50 responses to this question from practicing and retired engineers, aTm was mentioned along with the likes of the engineering upper crust… consistently… aTm’s ROI rank is #16, the USNWR engineering college rank is #15, computer engineering is #20. If this doesn’t put aTm in the elite ranks for you, then you haven’t done your home work. My husband is a national sales rep in the engineering industrial power generation field, high voltage. He talks and visits with practicing electrical engineers every day. They all acknowledge the value and respect for Aggie engineers and the strength and devotion of the Aggie alumni engineering network across the nation. They say if there are 2 engineering candidates for a job and the interviewer is an Aggie… the Aggie candidate gets the job offer. For me, as much as I want my son to go to Auburn… I could love him being an Aggie if he gets a better financial offer. aTm is an outstanding school. Only down side I could see was the school being too large with 59,000 students at main campus and potentially too many freshman level classes having 200+ students, unless you get into Honors College. We visited for Aggieland Day, and I left knowing this would be a great place for my son.