<p>I have been accepted to both Michigan and Texas A&M and I cant decide where to go. I live just 15 minutes away from Ann Arbor so have a Wolverine all my life however I am thinking I would like to go somewhere else not because Michigan is a bad school but just to change things up. I visited College Station and like what I saw however that was not much. My major questions are how much better are the academics at Michigan and how important is that and does A&M have the same work hard, play hard attitude of Michigan. Feel free to put in any other opinions you have I am sure they will help!</p>
<p>Can you afford A&M out of state?</p>
<p>A&M is a solid engineering school and obviously its Football program is as good as UMich’s. I would say that Michigan has a moderately stronger reputation in this discipline and has alumni scattered all across the world while A&M is more of a regional school.</p>
<p>For instance, you will find a lot more Michigan engineers in Silicon Valley for instance while A&M grads will stay in Texas mostly. Not that there’s anything wrong with that given the strength of the Texas job market…that being said, why Texas A&M over UT-Austin?</p>
<p>Yes I can afford out of state tuition. I was too late to apply to UT that’s why they are not on the mix. Also I forgot to say that I will have over 20 credits at A&M from Ap test, at Michigan I will have hardly any. So golden boy do you think it would be hard for me to get a job back in Michigan if I went to A&M?</p>
<p>A&M wouldn’t raise eyebrows in Michigan by any means but its an accredited engineering program and the field in general guarantees instant job security so I would say you would be fine if you were to look for employment in the Big 3 auto companies for instance.</p>
<p>Even if you can afford it, is it really worth it? Michigan will end up saving you about $50,000 and even more if you chose to commute. Even if the costs were equal, Michigan is still stronger academically.</p>
<p>
Just curious. Why would you get 20 credits at A&M but hardly any from Michigan?</p>
<p>Living on campus in Ann Arbor is a whole different experience than visiting the school, even if you live 15 minutes away. I can understand the desire to “change things up,” but to pay a premium for an overall weaker program/school doesn’t make much sense to me.</p>
<p>A&M and Michigan are different types of schools. I would classify A&M as a bit more conservative, more rural in the student body and with very loyal alumni. If you plan to continue living in Texas after graduation, you will get the most out of your education (there are people offering jobs through oldboy network for A&M but as much loyalty exists with other schools). </p>
<p>A&M is also much much warmer! I am not certain it merits a much higher price tag than Michigan. So ask them for an OOS waiver and see how it goes.</p>
<p>In Engineering, Michigan and A&M are both good, but Michigan has the edge. Michigan’s peers are Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Texas-Austin and UIUC, while A&M’s are Penn State, UCLA, VTech and Wisconsin. Furthermore, Ann Arbor is a much nicer city than College Station. Also, should you wish to branch out of Engineering, the overall reputation of the university you attend could play a role in landing your first job. Michigan has a much stronger overall presence in many industries. Finally, if you wish to work in Michigan after college, you will be given special treatment having attended the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>If cost of attendance favored A&M, or if you wanted to work in Texas (or the South in general), I would say the choice would be difficult. But since Michigan will likely cost less to attend, and assuming you wish to work outside of Texas, Michigan makes much better sense. </p>
<p>And A&M’s football program is not as good as Michigan’s. Michigan is one of the top 5 programs in college football, while Texas A&M would barely crack the top 20. Michigan has indeed struggled in recent years, but given recent coaching changes and recruiting efforts, it won’t be long before Michigan returns to its winning ways. Even with its recent struggles, Michigan has averaged 1 more game per season than A&M over the last decade.</p>
<p><a href=“http://cfn.scout.com/2/1097657.html[/url]”>http://cfn.scout.com/2/1097657.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://bleacherreport.com/articles/805789-college-football-power-ranking-the-top-50-programs-of-all-time[/url]”>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/805789-college-football-power-ranking-the-top-50-programs-of-all-time</a></p>
<p>"A&M’s football program is not as good as Michigan’s.</p>
<p>Currently it is better, but that could change in a year or two. Since goldenboy likes to live in the hear and now, I could also say Michigan is as good as Duke in college basketball. Of course over time that simply is not true.</p>
<p>Michigan has higher standards for ap credit that is why I will not have as much, also I will most likely be getting an out of state tuition waiver so the cost will be almost the exact same. Also may I add Michigan’s engineering. Is tied for 8th and A&M is 12th, is it that big of a difference. Also I am constantly told that after your first job it does not really matter where you went to school but what you have accomplished. One last reason I am considering A&M is they have the number 1 overall college experience in the nation. Could anyone comment on the work load of the two programs as well?</p>
<p>So funny… S is doing the exact opposite. A&M right down the road, and many friends going, but we are making our visit to Admitted Students Day at UMich in March. Grass is always greener, I suppose… ;)</p>
<p>“One last reason I am considering A&M is they have the number 1 overall college experience in the nation.”</p>
<p>That, of course, is strictly a subjective opinion.</p>
<p>That is funny, could you give me any main reasons he has picked U of M over A&M? I liked A&M because everyone there seemed so friendly, the traditions, it is warm year round, much better housing options, and it’s a conservative school. However I don’t like the lack of diversity, seems like everyone there is from Texas, and I am not sure if Greek Life is as big there as it is at U of M</p>
<p>Greek life is almost non-existent at TAMU, but from what I’ve been told, it’s really not necessary as there is plenty of other social activity. I think it is MUCH more diverse than it was in years past, and even though I am a Longhorn, I agree that the campus is extremely friendly and warm (ouch, that was hard to admit!)… My S is planning to major in Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering and the Ocean Engineering program at TAMU is not exactly what he’s looking for… He is also looking at Virginia Tech, which we both LOVED when we visited and found it to be a very similar vibe to TAMU. Good luck with your decision, don’t really think you can go wrong with either choice!</p>
<p>You are considering passing up the #2 public university in the nation for the #2 public university in the state of Texas? That makes no sense to me.</p>
<p>It is not unusual to undervalue things that are close and overvalue things far away - in this case, your proximity could be skewing your perception. People from all over the country have UM as their first choice.</p>
<p>A&M can be a good experience for those that become enmeshed in the “Howdy” culture, walking around the seal and standing at football games. I know it would be very wrong for my kids.</p>
<p>“I liked A&M because everyone there seemed so friendly, the traditions, it is warm year round, much better housing options, and it’s a conservative school.”</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Friendliness is very situational. In a school with 43,000 students, you only need a few friendly people to make your experience special. It’s not like you need all 43,000 people to be friendly. I am no expert when it comes to friendliness, but I never had any issues at Michigan.</p></li>
<li><p>What traditions are you referring to? Michigan has plenty of traditions and will be celebrating its bicentennial the year of your graduation. I am sure A&M has great traditions too. </p></li>
<li><p>Warm weather is definitely not a Michigan forte! In this department, A&M has Michigan beat.</p></li>
<li><p>How do you know that A&M has much better housing options? Michigan has been renovating dorms for the last 7 years. Even in my days, dorms were very nice, but they have improved much in recent years. And if you are referring to housing off campus during junior and senior year, there are plenty of excellent options in Ann Arbor.</p></li>
<li><p>A&M/College Station are definitely more conservative than Michigan/Ann Arbor.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>“Also may I add Michigan’s engineering. Is tied for 8th and A&M is 12th, is it that big of a difference.”</p>
<p>Those sound like graduate rankings. At the undergraduate level, Michigan’s CoE is ranked #7 while A&M is #16. That’s still not a major difference, but it is worth noting. It also depends on your intended concentration. For example, Michigan has the edge in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. In other disciplines, the edge may not as defined.</p>
<p>The year end poll for college football has A&M ranked 5. Not sure if Michigan was ranked.</p>
<p>The preseason poll expects A&M to also start in top 5. They have the current Heisman winner who is considered a sophomore next year and until he leaves, A&M will do quite well. They are the only team to beat Alabama last year.</p>
<p>I did not see a specific engineering department listed in OP’s messages. Not all departments are equal despite the engineering school rankings. Some may be ranked much higher and some much lower as in the case of Ocean Engineering.</p>
<p>Michigan no doubt, and I say this as an A&M engineering undergrad. Both are big public Us with great sports traditions so your experience will likely be similar at either one. The only scenario I would consider choosing A&M over UM is for either petroleum or chemical engineering, purely by virtue of A&Ms proximity to Houston and the Gulf, and even then (for chemE at least) I’m not sure if its worth the cost differential. Both have great engineering programs and full time salaries apon graduation will be similar. </p>
<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>