<p>Hello. Thanks in advance for reading and helping. Let me first shed some light on my current situation...</p>
<p>I'm a senior in high school, and I'm trying to choose between two engineering schools: Texas A&M's Dwight Look College of Engineering and the University of Texas's Cockrell School of Engineering. Unfortunately, I got deferred to the Blinn and CAP program for each, respectively (due to my school having a graduating class of 8 and none of us, including the valedictorian, qualifying for the top 10% law). However, either path I choose, I will end up at the main/flagship universities within 1 year or less. In weighing my options and considering the pro's and cons of each university (such as distance and transfer of my dual credits), I recently decided on Texas A&M University, as the UT CAP program will not take any of my credits (of which I have accumulated 70 hours). It seems that A&M will take about 40 of them. All in all, I'll have to be in the Blinn program for a semester or two before I can transfer in to TAMU. Ironically, that's how long I would be in the CAP program at UT, if I chose that.</p>
<p>Getting to the main point of my question... Currently, I'm still deciding between ME, EE, and BIOMED-E for my engineering major. My plan, at this point, is to get a bachelor's degree then apply for graduate school, possibly, at MIT, as well as the university I'm in, just as a back up (and to still leave the option open). Will both universities give me the same chance as far as having a competitive application to MIT?...furthermore, if I decide to go to graduate school at whichever university I'm at, will either one differ much as far as my job opportunities? From what I've found in my own research, TAMU's and UT's graduate engineering schools differ only by 4 in the U.S. News and Rankings, with UT currently in the lead. Also, their individual engineering department rankings are pretty close, with most of UT's departments ahead by 5 or 10 ranks in some areas. Does this really matter that much?</p>
<p>//I apologize if this should go in the College Admissions or Colleges forums. I've been reading posts for the past year or so, but I'm fairly new to actually posting on College Confidential.</p>
<p>Easy there. Kind of early to plan for graduate school without even knowing what major you’d like to pursue for undergrad. It is also kind of foolhardy to single out MIT for graduate school. Don’t get me wrong, it is obviously a great school, but the important thing for graduate school is going to a school with a strong program in your area of interest. This is true of Masters programs and absolutely essential for doctoral programs.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that both schools will give you plenty of opportunities. In general, UT is considered nationally to be the slightly better school, but lately TAMU has been catching up in a hurry. For all practical purposes, the two will likely get you to almost all of the same places, so for undergrad it should just come down to where you fit best, gives you the best deal, etc.</p>
<p>For grad school, just wait on that until you at least know what you want to study. Grad school is a whole different animal than undergrad, particularly if you are looking to do a research-based degree. You can plan on doing it now and make sure your grades are good and get undergrad research under your belt, but until you start deciding what particular topic(s) you want to study within your major, it is a bit premature to plan which graduate school you will attend.</p>
<p>Hm… You’re right… I am probably jumping a little ahead of myself. I try to take everything into consideration as far as plans for my future, but as you said, it is a bit early for that. Plus, I’m not sure which engineering to pursue yet. I tended to single out MIT because I’ve dreamed about the name for several years now, but I’m slowly beginning to learn that dream may not be all that important to me anymore. We’ll see.</p>
<p>That helps to hear that. I have definitely noticed that TAMU is catching up quickly, and as far as the better fit, I would choose TAMU. So… I think that helps me feel more at peace with my decision to go there. I had already accepted the Blinn Program, but I was having second thoughts.</p>
<p>I’ll definitely keep the grades up and such in plan of attending grad school, but yeah… I’ll try to slow down on worrying about all of that.</p>
<p>Thank you for the reply boneh3ad! It helped.</p>
<p>They are both great schools and either would be a great pick. I would suggest you visit the campuses and surrounding areas. I wanted to go to A&M until i visited college station, now i go to UT.</p>
<p>IMO, sounds like you’ve answered you’re own question.</p>
<p>They’re both great engineering schools. Go to the one that you feel fits you best. Make sure to factor in cost as well, if you’re paying for any/all of college yourself. 40 credits is over a year’s worth of work, and is something pretty substantial to consider when deciding between two engineering schools of similar caliber.</p>
<p>From my perspective, the demand for a TAMU degree has been increasing. DS sent a complete application file in November, and half the engineering degree programs had already been closed out. Scholarships are slightly less and harder to get than last year. Based on CC posts, the Honors Program turned down some National Merit Commended students with excellent credentials. Perhaps the same is going on in Austin, but in going to TAMU, you will not be “settling” for an inferior offer. That year’s worth of credits not only represents a year of tuition, but also a year’s salary.</p>
<p>I believe the same thing desilu. I’m sure I wouldn’t be settling for less either way. Though, I just found out that I read the fine print on UT’s website wrong, and they WILL take my credits. So… Back to square one. >_< I guess it comes down to the cities and which I like best. I’m definitely a more conservative person, though I do like UT’s campus. It’s pretty.</p>