I am a senior who has been accepted to both Texas A&M and UT Austin with a CS major. However, I cannot decide which I should choose.
Texas A&M will give me the $42,000 National Merit Finalist Scholarship, and after negotiation, I might get the full-ride (covers tuition, housing, meals, etc). I was also accepted to the Engineering Honors, and am on the waiting list for University Honors.
UT Austin denied my applications for both Turing’s and Dean’s Scholars; however, I know that I can apply as a continuing student. I have also heard that this school does not like to give out money. (No Finalist Scholarships)
At first, I thought that A&M was the obvious choice. However, many others still preferred UT Austin because it has a better program (?) and because I can still apply for Honors.
Here are my questions: Is UT Austin worth the cost and risk of being denied from Honors again? (Does anyone know how difficult it is to get into Turing’s or Dean’s after a semester) Also, what is the likelihood of making it out of that University Honors waiting list for A&M? Finally, this question is a little off topic, but one of my concerns is that A&M isn’t diverse enough. Does anyone know what the social and cultural environment is like in A&M in terms of diversity?
Thank you so much. Any response would be appreciated.