I understand why people find rankings interesting and even helpful in the absence of other data points. But the top student at Mays is going to have more opportunities than the bottom student at McCombs. CEO’s come out of all those schools. So do yoga teachers.
The difference in rankings is based on quantitative data that one group of people have determined is helpful. Okay, cool. The difference between a top ten and a top twenty program could be based on some particular metric that won’t even matter to a specific undergrad student.
But at the end of the day, any successful student at Cox, Jindal, Mays or McCombs has a great future in front of them. A prospective student should pick what program feels good to them (if they are lucky enough to have a choice between these) and where they want to find their success.
Agree… Rankings have been kind of starting point for us and it can’t be looked in isolation.
Having said that, rankings is the easily available objective data or one can can go to individual school websites and capture what is important to them.
It is not easy to understand/objectively analyze a school based on one school visit.
Now specific to our top choices (SMU and A&M), comparing them is like splitting hairs. They are so close in rankings and in number of key areas.
Good point! The salutatorian at my high school went to an Ivy League school… and opened a yoga studio when she graduated. True story. She’s an amazing person and apparently an excellent yoga instructor.
@Ab2026 you’ve visited both SMU and A&M? I toured 12 schools with my daughter. Hands down, campus visits are what either kept a school on her short list or crossed it off. You can look at websites and rankings all day long, but nothing beats actual campus vibe, walking & driving around campus.
A&M and SMU are soooo different-size, sports/athletics, location, demographics, and cost. They are both in Texas, both used to be in old SWC (may it RIP…) both have great reputations but completely different types of schools, really hard to even compare the two schools.
You asked about McCombs several times. McCombs isn’t an option anymore?
Thanks for all your inputs and feedback.
We did visit UT, A&M, SMU, UTD and few other schools. We are still waiting on UT and my daughter didn’t get the best vibes during the tour. We did cut down both the Arizona schools after the visits. Nothing bad but she liked SMU, A&M more.
She is conflicted between SMU and A&M and liked both schools for different reasons. SMU is still pending too. Meantime, we are trying to gather as much information/knowledge we can.
My daughter did several events and tours at both SMU and A&M. Spend some time at each. For us- We liked both but the Greek life culture at SMU was a turn off. The Visualization program is much stronger at A&M compared to SMU’s creative computing and art dual major which is the closest they have to a visualization degree. Also even though she received scholarships from both, SMU still would have cost us a lot more- about $30k a year more.
@FriscoDad we tailgated outside of Wehner this past weekend and saw ALL the construction fences my Aggie has been mentioning. It’s pretty difficult to get in & out of Wehner.
I’m bummed for my ‘23 Aggie, that the new BEC is delayed and won’t be open for her, but SUPER excited for the students who will get to use it! MUCH needed!! #aMAYSing
Cox just started its $140 million renovation and will be complete in 2024. Its finance grads earned an average of $71K last year. It’s a smaller program with about 400 per class.
I would apply to both SMU and TAMU. Wait to see on acceptances and scholarship offers. Then do a tour again. My son did not like his UT tour at all. He found Austin wasn’t for him. All this said, your daughter needs to send in the applications ASAP!! Space in the business schools is VERY LIMITED, and it can be first come, first serve. I know TAMU sent out emails mid-november last year that they were no longer accepting business applications due to space.
Traffic is not bad for the students who live on campus. SMU students are required to live on campus the first two years. After that, even the off-campus housing is close by.
Same College for my son and no word from CStat yet. I haven’t seen much movement on holistic that aren’t NMSF or excellent scores. Reddit post yesterday had 10.4% in class rank admitted and is in Engineering Review. All her other stats were 4.0 and normal stuff.
My Nephew is Comp Science in SMU, he complains a lot being trapped at campus. I take it FriscoDad means travelling in nearby area along Mockingbird is a nightmare. Nephew has to ride Dart in weekends for his parents to pick him at Parker station, no one wants to go there during rush hours. The area is old and no space to widen the roads.
Hello, I was accepted for the Fall Of 2023 and am confused about aggie assurance. Does anyone know how aggie assurance works if your parents make from 60k-130k? My parents make just barely over the 60k threshold, which sucks, and on the website, it is extremely vague stating that they will provide “tuition assistance”. Does that mean that everybody whose parents make in between that money gets some sort of assistance or only some people? I’ve also heard mixed responses from some people who say that you’ll get absolutely nothing if your parents make over 60k and other people say that it’s like a linear graph in assistance from 60-130k.
She’s an amazing person and apparently an excellent yoga instructor.