Yes, that’s current contract based on 2022. Blinn Team is up to 2 years. They need to post 2023 to be sure. Mays 2022 requirement is 3.8 on required classes, 3.8 at Blinn and 3.8 at TAMU.
@Tam89 In years past, about 50% of the auto admits actually enrolled. Last years freshman enrollment was limited to about 14,000, which left about 8000 spots for holistic review enrollment. I believe the numbers include team and teab but not galveston, mcallen, etc. The chart below is just for auto admit candidates.
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TEAB did not have a waitlist option- maybe that is the difference?
My son got into Engineering at Galveston. We just don’t know what to do. We are debating between that and LSU where he got a ton of money and he would be assured his major…so hard!
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@Julie_Mallory LSU Engineering is fantastic! I’d follow the 
and guaranteed major.
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That’s what we were thinking, but we know A&M does have a better ranked Computer Science program. BUT it is so competitive at A&M. He would have to get that 3.75 to be assured CS which is probably no easy feat…
Yes, the guaranteed major sounds good! Is it possible to talk to some upper classman from his HS who took similar classes and are pursuing the same major? They might be able to give insight on the difficulty of getting that 3.75. If he is strong in chem, calc, phy, and comp and is motivated and understands the implications, he should do great. I think it is best for him to make that informed decision.
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A&M’s program might be ranked higher but at the end of the day, it might be better for a Computer Science student to be top of his class at LSU and graduate with money in his pocket than taking the ETAM gamble at A&M. It’s a tough one to game out, for sure.
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Would appreciate candid thoughts on these acceptances (roughly same net cost) for Son ‘23 (in-state Texas) who wants Mech E major:
TAMU (TEAB) — Son’s fave but for ETAM
RPI direct Mech E — Son’s 2d choice Mech E not impacted (have not visited)
Colorado School of Mines — Son’s 3d choice Mech E not impacted
Rose-Hulman direct Mech E — Son’s 4th choice Mech E not impacted
UT Dallas direct Mech E (have not visited)
SMU direct Mech E (have not visited — no net cost yet)
Texas Tech direct Mech E
Waiting to hear from Virginia Tech FYE (have not visited — no net cost yet)
Son is social, but not overly so.
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These are extremely diverse schools. Why is TAMU his favorite? I would think someone who has TAMU as his first choice would have Tech up there on the list - in state, big school, sports. Similarly, why is RPI his second favorite, especially as he hasn’t visited? What is he most interested in with all these? I think we can give better advice if we know his preference criteria.
Definitely visit Dallas schools before selecting either of them as they are very different. I did my masters at UTD. Academically great school, but a completely different vibe from A&M from social perspective. It felt to me like a commuter school. Not sure a student who wants traditional college experience would necessarily feel UTD offers that. Just my personal experience but my son felt strongly the same way.
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I think his friends going to TAMU drive that desire. He also loved the Zachry Building.
We have a family friend who went to RPI, just got his Ph. D. In Plasma Physics and now works on top secret projects at a government research lab. RPI’s history is amazing and it’s pretty easy to get close to professors there.
Mines is gorgeous and energy research focused (as is my son).
Rose-Hulman wants him for athletics and he has spots secured on teams there so he can extend that part of his life.
Candidly, I like Mines. It produces more Mech E’s than any of the others, is a short , direct flight and is in an incredible location with a beautiful campus in a small mountain town with great winter sports nearby and all four pro sports 25 minutes away in Denver.
Most colleges have a general core curriculum that is fairly similar between colleges, so if students want to transfer in the first year or two, most core curriculum hours can be transferred. That said, Colorado School of Mines does not have the standard core curriculum like most colleges. If your kid wants to transfer after a year, they will likely have very few core curriculum classes that will transfer to another college. They will largely have to start all over from the beginning at their new college. So, I think your kid should sure he want to go there and plans to finish there if he choose CSM.
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Good point. Also, if he decides to go non-STEM it’s slim pickings at Mines. He’s hard headed though. I expect he’ll stick with Mech E. But I like flexibility.
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I love Mines too. Tried to talk one of mine into it but they wanted a backup plan for majors if engineering wasn’t their passion and there is no backup at Mines. But the town and the vibe of the school is pretty cool.
I still think your son’s list is really diverse. All over the country, small, big, private, public, athletics opportunities… It’s hard enough to compare engineering schools but I don’t think an SMU student and a Tech student and a Rose-Hulman student generally share a lot of characteristics.
I’d put your list into two buckets:
TAMU, Tech, UTD, Va Tech, SMU
and
Mines, Rose Hulman, RPI
The first bucket offers a more traditional educational experience, with other majors on campus, more intercollegiate sports and most of them in state.
The second bucket is going to be all STEM students, smaller campuses, out-of-state, and more likely to be cold.
If all costs are the same and Mech E programs are the same, what kind of life does your son want to have for the next 4 years.
I like the buckets. I group them the same way. He is trying to figure that out. He worries about whether he will have fun. I went to a very small private LAC and had a blast. I think it’s hard not to have fun in college. I perceive RPI as the least fun and worst weather, but it’s a great STEM school. ETAM is TAMU’s only drawback. I think 80% plus got their first choice major last year but ai think that was with a 3.5 gpa automatic admit not a 3.75 (or 3.77 I’ve read recently).
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I agree with the two buckets. If he is social and wants to have at least some fun, I would stear clear of RPI. I have a friend who’s son is a freshman there right now and is really struggling with the culture. I currently have a sophomore in the engineering school at SMU (comp sci) - he is not a social kid but loves the small classes and campus (but there is definitely a social culture at smu). I also have ‘23 who will be at TAMU engineering this fall. He is open to considering several majors in engineering so ETAM works for him. Happy to answer any other questions about SMU if needed. Both of mine also considered UTD but neither really liked the campus and culture
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SMU is more interesting than I thought at first, but he and his mom want to rule it out. Not sure the financial package will compete and his mom is not interested in sharing her financial info on CSS.
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If only looking for merit scholarships, you do not need to submit CSS. My son '23 has SMU in his top 3 for business. I have no idea how their engineering school is. Their business school sounds wonderful, and Dallas has so much to offer in regards to internships and employment. They say they have more internships than students, and I keep hearing how great their placement office is. Their presentation at Mustang Days was very impressive.
If he likes the idea of grad school and research route at RPI, why not go to a “fun” state school, have that experience at TAMU or Tech, get a solid engineering degree at in-state prices and then go do his advanced degrees at RPI/ similar.
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