SMU vs. A&M: Engineering

Colleges and Universities A-Z Southern Methodist University
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<p>Hi!
I was accepted to Mechanical Engineering at both Texas A&M and Southern Methodist University. I need some input on deciding between the two. I understand that A&M is ranked significantly higher that SMU, but hear out my situation.</p>

<p>PROS OF SMU:
- I received the Hunt Scholarship, which will pay my full tuition (in combination with another scholarship). I also have received 3 study abroad trips paid for, and have the opportunity to be involved in the amazing Hunt Leadership Program.
- I have no friends going there, which I am not opposed to.
- There are small class sizes, numerous internships, and easy access to professors.
- It is closer to home, and Dallas is an amazing city to be a part of.</p>

<p>PROS OF A&M:
- I have two years of tuition being paid with scholarship.
- I have many friends going here, and am signed up to room with my best friend.
- It is ranked as the #8 engineering school in the nation, as opposed to #136 SMU
- It is more heavily recruited, and has a stronger alumni base. </p>

<p>I am very frustrated in the process of making my decision. Money isn't an issue at all for my parents, so discount that. I "see" myself at both schools, but I think I would have more opportunities and feel more motivated at SMU. However, A&M is such a fantastic engineering school, and is heavily recruited. I am also nervous to pass up the Hunt Scholarship opportunity at SMU...</p>

<p>Please help! I really need it.</p>

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<p>SMU Engineers must take at least two semesters of a foreign language
</p>

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<p>A&M, hands down</p>

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<p>Does anyone else have a more elaborate input? I love the campus of SMU and the environment, but A&M is ranked SO much better and has an amazing network
</p>

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<p>Hello, pmcneely1!</p>

<p>A CC friend of mine just PM’d me to point me in your direction. She knows that I have a son in each school, SMU and TAMU, and that I might possibly be of some help to you. I don’t mind sharing a little of my family’s experience “publicly” here, as opposed to PMing. That way, future CC readers might also benefit from anything that’s said between us and others.</p>

<p>My TAMU son is in engineering. My SMU son is not. Only for the sake of relating to you that my sons’ experiences may be somewhat representative of what you, personally, might expect at either school, I will say that both of my sons are high-achievers like you and both are on massive merit scholarships to their universities. Both have found ample opportunities within their universities, but the opportunities have come to them in different ways – ways that one actually might EXPECT considering the nature of the big state school versus the small-ish private school.</p>

<p>I like your list of PROs for each school. You seem to have refined your sentiments down to just a few major points. Great! I don’t have any disagreement with your summary either. You seem to be dead-on.</p>

<p>I would say that I’d have to know more about you and what makes you tick before I could give any specific advice as to the choice before you. I KNOW that this time is very stressful! It’s so hard to choose where you’re going to be for the next 4 years of your life! You’re lucky to have such a great choice before you – as many told my kids when it was their turn in the barrel – but that doesn’t diminish the difficulty of choosing.</p>

<p>Is there anything specific that I can try to answer for you?</p>

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<p>The two major benefits of SMU over A&M are size and scope. At SMU, because of purposefully smaller class sizes, you have a better relationship with your classmates, professors and potential employers. You get to work on projects as an undergrad that you couldn’t dream of touching until grad school at a bigger school. Recently, an A&M engineering school alum was touring the Lyle school and he couldn’t stop saying “Wow” - he was blown away at the equipment and research that our first-year students were doing. He couldn’t believe the opportunities they had right off the bat.</p>

<p>And, SMU prides itself on graduating engineers who are not only proficient in math and science but also language, reading and writing. We want our geniuses to be able to communicate and pitch their brilliant ideas to others. Our engineers aren’t “nerds” - they’re smart, involved in many different campus organizations and get to work on some of the coolest stuff you’ve ever heard of.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>^I’m sorry, but this is kind of a self-absorbed, presumptuous, and inappropriately condescending statement if you are intending to imply that A&M’s engineers are “nerds” who aren’t smart, involved in many different campus organizations, or working on similarly cool stuff.</p>

<p>My son, like the OP, was accepted to both Lyle School and A&M. I’m certain that plenty of others were as well. This year, last year, and for years before that. Are you suggesting that simply by choosing to attend A&M over SMU these students suddenly became less smart, less well-rounded nerds?</p>

<p>I can also assure you that my son and plenty of his A&M peers are similarly proficient in language, reading, and writing. Choosing to attend A&M did not change his proficiencies, interests, or drive. </p>

<p>And I would venture to guess that ALL engineering schools want their “geniuses” to be able to communicate and pitch their brilliant ideas to others. SMU is not alone in that. </p>

<p>Curious. When you refer to “our geniuses,” are you, yourself, claiming any ‘ownership’ of these geniuses? Are you faculty or staff? Or are you one of the self-titled geniuses – a current student?</p>

<p>In sum, I would say that the OP’s list of PRO’s is more appropriate to the debate than the factors you list in your second paragraph. Your concept of the differences between the two schools seems to me to be 
 myopic and uninformed.</p>

<p>My son was accepted early action to MIT and regular action to 8 other top engineering schools across the country. He has three other A&M classmates (he knows about) who also were accepted to MIT. There are likely others. MIT is really into well-rounded math and science “geniuses” who know how to communicate as writers and as speakers. It’s a shame that these students have suddenly been reduced to stupid nerds who can’t accomplish anything outside of science and math simply by choosing the “wrong” school. </p>

<p>Annoying. </p>

<p>That is not to say that I wouldn’t suggest SMU over A&M for the OP. In the OP’s case, given the money and Hunt Scholar status alone, I may well suggest SMU over A&M. But not for any of the silly reasons you stated above.</p>

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<p>SMU engineers are heavily recruited as well. With all the top tech firms in the Metroplex, they don’t have to look very far to find outstanding engineers. In fact, many students that complete an internship during the summer will be kept on part-time during the school year. That is the advantage of Dallas.</p>

<p>However, don’t just think about the Metroplex, Microsoft has hired 11 engineers from SMU as interns and full time employees this year. You have to think that company knows talent. In addition to Microsoft, SMU engineers in the last few years have been hired by companies like Boeing, GM, Toyota, Amazon, John Deere, etc. </p>

<p>The word is getting out that a small engineering school in a comprehensive university is giving students hands on projects with real-world applications as early as their first semester on campus.</p>

<p>You have a tough decision to make, but I am sure you will make the best decision for you.</p>

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<p>My son was in a similar position as you, but declared biomedical engineering at TAMU & mechanical engineering at SMU. He is premed. We spoke to Simple Life about both schools and felt her advice was right on the money. My son visited both schools twice and met with lots of kids. He decided to attend SMU. He chose SMU because it is smaller, has strong premed advising, and seems to have more leadership opportunities (crucial for med school). He also preferred the people/faculty/administration in the engineering program at SMU. My son felt the students were the same at both schools. As an aside, it seems that every engineering student we met at SMU or TAMU was in the top 10 of their high school class. Overall, he thought he had more opportunities at SMU than TAMU. Like Simple Life’s boys, my son got into far more prestigious schools & engineering programs. In the end, my son did not care about the name of the school or rank, it was all about the fit for him.<br>
I attended 2 UCs & Notre Dame and preferred TAMU, as did my husband. We thought SMU was too small. Our son, however, thought differently. I love the TAMU kids I met and liked the traditions. However, I didn’t think the campus was very “pretty” and thought it was rather isolated. I also thought it would be difficult to intern/volunteer at a hospital, or do a coop and live on campus at TAMU. My son really liked the kids, but was concerned that he would have less opportunites in College Station v. Dallas. Moreover, biomedical engineering is tough at TAMU and you have less of a relationship with professors given the sheer size of the school.
Overall, it really comes down to fit. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, but you! Good luck!! I am sure you will make the right decision for you. Feel free to send me a PM if you have questions.</p>

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<p>^Thanks for the back-up, exlawyer. I appreciate it! I’m so glad that your son is enjoying SMU! And that you’re happy, too. I think he made a really good decision for himself! :)</p>

<p>It seems like maybe pmcneely1 has not returned to his thread. That’s too bad. I had a few specific questions for him before giving him my general advice. But maybe my family’s experience can somehow help future readers who have this same question: SMU or TAMU for engineering?</p>

<p>In general, without knowing any of the applicant’s specifics, but knowing each of the schools quite well (though not as familiar with SMU’s engineering program specifically), I would recommend this:</p>

<p>As long as you feel like you’re a good fit and can thrive at either school, if only one of the schools gives you a massive, nearly-full-tuition-or-greater scholarship, go to THAT school! </p>

<p>In my family’s experience, schools continue to reward their major scholarship recipients throughout their attendance – with more and more opportunities, and sometimes with more and more money! Success begets success! Schools tend to be experts at picking students who really fit their programs well, who will really excel in them, and who will make something of themselves while in attendance. (That is not to say that schools don’t sometimes pass over OTHERS who would also fit that bill. But IF they pick YOU, then chances are very good that they knew what they were doing and that you’re going to (a) do well there, and (b) be happy there! :slight_smile: ) </p>

<p>That’s been my family’s experience with no exceptions.</p>

<p>We have found that the markedly lower college bills afforded by a massive scholarship (like pmcneely1’s Hunt Scholarship) allow for a remarkable amount of freedom to explore all sorts of opportunities while in college. All options are suddenly more affordable than they would otherwise be!</p>

<p>We have also found that once a student is “labeled” as a (Hunt, President’s, Brown, President’s Endowed, Fill-in-the-Blank) Scholar, doors open for him/her. Universities seem to want to reward those chosen few again and again. It’s almost like those students have already made it through the harrowing selection process and been deemed ‘worthy,’ so that all kinds of other things just fall into place once in attendance. Sweet!</p>

<p>Not only that, but we have also found that, because schools tend to know who to choose for their largest scholarships, the students who are chosen tend to be such great fits for the school that they just naturally succeed and excel there – because everything about the school and the opportunities afforded there just MATCH their skill sets and interests!</p>

<p>And for that reason, in nearly every case, I would recommend that a student attend the school that offers them a really special designation like pmcneely1’s award.</p>

<p>Opportunities are very likely to abound in terms of both finances and “privilege.” (The GOOD kind of “privilege” – the kind that’s earned.) Those opportunities will tend to propel those students to the top of their class at that particular university, in our experience. Hence, there is NO NEED to worry about who will be hiring from where in 4 years from now! If you’re at the top of your class and graduating with a multitude of enriching experiences that will most assuredly be yours thanks to your special status at that university, then you WILL BE a desirable grad student or employee for the next phase of your life! It’s a beautiful thing! :)</p>

<p>And so, in general, as long as an applicant feels strongly that both schools will fit, he/she should choose the school that says “You’re VERY special HERE, in THIS school!” For pmcneely1, that school is SMU! Yay! And what a wonderful school it is! :)</p>

<p>My best to all future college applicants!</p>

<p>(So good to hear from exlawyer and the other CC friend who notified me about pmcneely1’s quest! :slight_smile: )</p>

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<p>Thank you guys so much for the advice! I really appreciate the input. </p>

<p>For me, the ONLY thing that seems to be holding be back from SMU is my fear about their mediocre ranking and job placement rates
 I know college is what you make of it, but why would a company recruit at SMU when it could recruit at A&M, UT, or Rice? I like what SMU has to offer, but it still is small and almost unrecognized compared to A&M - which is precisely what scares me.</p>

<p>I am just fearful that I will work hard at SMU and get good grades, but fail to find many job opportunities at graduation. Would it be wise to go to SMU for undergrad engineering, then go to graduate school at UT or A&M? I feel like I would be more well-rounded then. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>SimpleLife: YOU ARE AMAZING. Hahah. Seriously though, thanks for taking the time to explain all of this rationally, it makes me relax about the whole situation.</p>

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<p>^Oh, my gosh! You’re back! It looks like we just cross-posted, pmcneely1!</p>

<p>I understand what you’re fearful about. I really do. My kids (and I) had that same fear. But please read my post above. It is very likely that you will thrive at SMU, since they pored through your files and elected to award you the Hunt. If you thrive like I think you will, you will likely be a standout in various ways when it comes time to graduate. If you’re a standout, you WILL get hired by some company that’s attractive to you. (In fact, it is my belief that most SMU engineering grads will get hired, though it’s true that A&M is one of the most highly recruited engineering campuses in the world.)</p>

<p>If you think at some level that maybe TAMU is simply a better fit for you than SMU 
 and if that feeling continues to gnaw at you 
 then I would say, as much as it hurts, and as long as money is not a factor, then you should turn away from the scholarship money and go to the school that feels right.</p>

<p>But I would urge you not to worry at this point about whether you’ll get hired in 4 years. You will. By somebody. As long as you’re the kind of fit for SMU that I think you must be because of the award that’s been conferred upon you! :)</p>

<p>(For that matter, you’ll most assuredly get hired by somebody after TAMU as well. You really can’t lose with this decision, pmcneely1.)</p>

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<p>Thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate it. Thankfully, the money difference isn’t a factor to my parents, and this decision is all on me! </p>

<p>I feel like I could fit in at both SMU and A&M. By the stereotypes, I’d probably fit in more at A&M. I wear conservative clothes and am totally not into the Greek scene, haha. However, I know not everyone at SMU is a rich fraternity brother, so that’s good.</p>

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<p>You’re right. Not everyone at SMU is a rich fraternity brother. And I think you’ll probably find that there are even fewer of those “SMU Stereotype” students (that many people tend to conceptualize) within the Lyle School (also within the Meadows School of the Arts).</p>

<p>My kids are also not into the Greek scene, neither are “party-ers,” and neither are anything like the “SMU Stereotype” that many wonder about. They are each extremely happy in their schools and are confident that they made the right choice for themselves.</p>

<p>About the noticeable-enough portion of the student body that DOES represent that stereotype, the bottom-line is: My son can afford to attend SMU on his massive scholarships because some people out there can afford to pay full price and because some people donate their money to SMU’s scholarship funds. And he LOVES SMU! So, we are very grateful for those good people. :)</p>

<p>I THINK you’ll find that amongst the SMU engineering kids, many will be more like you than like that stereotype. It is also likely true that the majority of engineering students at TAMU will probably be more like you, if you felt that way from your visits.</p>

<p>Again, though. You can’t go wrong. There WILL be a large enough contingent of people like you at either school that you shouldn’t have to worry about whether you’ll fit in. You can (and most assuredly will) hang out with the engineering students who are more like you.</p>

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<p>Pmcneely1 - I am sending you a private message. SimpleLife - you are awesome. I agree with all your comments. My son loved SMU from day 1 and couldn’t be persuaded away despite offers from higher ranking schools. School rankings are just that
 rankings. Leaders will always rise to the top.</p>

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<p>^I agree. Leaders will always rise to the top. I attended a small handful of SMU award ceremonies this week. Wow! Some of those kids are extraordinarily impressive! You’re going to find great leaders, great people, and highly employable graduates at every good school in the country. And SMU is undoubtedly a very good school. (Also in agreement with exlawyer: rankings, shmankings. Who cares?)</p>

<p>(Thanks for the kinds words, exlawyer! :wink: )</p>

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<p>SimpleLife, sounds like I may have seen you Monday and not even realized it! The many accomplishments of my peers I heard at Honors Convocation and Awards Extravaganza were certainly impressive</p>

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<p>I am a current mechanical engineering student at SMU. I chose SMU over UT and A&M. I really love SMU’s program because they have a lot more money for research programs and teacher assistant research. As a freshman, I have already gotten an internship this summer at Boeing, one of my peers is doing one at an off shore drilling plant, and a girl in my CEE class is doing one in Saudi Arabia. There are plenty of opportunities here at SMU, and it puts you in a much better position for networking because of the endowments, students family’s, and the smaller enrollment size creates a more tight-knit community in the real world. Hope you make the right decision! I am not Greek and still have plenty of friends that are and are not, but you have the entire first semester to make connections with people and decide what you really want to do.</p>

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<p>^^Yes, johnangle, those two ceremonies, plus two others. It was fun learning about the accomplishments of so many great students!</p>