@ucbalumnus thanks for the advice.
I have no intention of receiving a PhD, but my understanding is that schools with a PhD program is more desirable to employers (but I may be wrong).
It’s so difficult, and in my opinion just flat out wrong, to expect a senior in high school to have to pick a specific major inside the engineering school then make it almost impossible to switch. UT is the smartest move for me to make (first year tuition free, in state tuition, close to home, great engineering school), but the strict transfer policy frightens me.
On the other hand, there is Alabama (free tuition then 2500$ a year) where I think I could get into honors and be one of the smarter students in engineering so I would have a little more room to switch.
Then, schools like A&M make everyone go in undecided for like a year or semester or something and base your chances of getting into your major of choice on college GPA which would make all the hard work I did through high school mean nothing.
I’m just not sure which one is the best option.
Cal Poly is off my list because I just don’t think think it would be the 40-50k extra to go there over UT and its kinda in the middle of no where California.
SMU’s engineering program is extremely lenient and it sounds like switching majors is not a problem.