Decision deadline is approaching this week, and can’t decide between Texas A&M or University of Georgia. Can get in state to both schools due to using VA benefits, no other financial aid was awarded. Looking at majoring in political science with plans to go to law school. Help us decide!!!
Enormous or enormous.
If interested in international politics, UGA.
For poli sci, any school in America.
Have you visited both ? Similar but different. Athens is range of Atlanta. A&M a bit further but Houston
To me Athens is not as nice but many love it. College Station is like a very nice suburb
You can’t go wrong. As for law school - any major and any college are fine. One provides no advantage over another so law school isn’t relevant.
There’s no wrong answer.
Good luck.
He is very interested in domestic politics and law.
Unfortunately we are unable to visit either school before a decision has to be made next week. Although we haven’t been to TAMU specifically, we have been to Texas multiple times as we were military stationed near the Oklahoma/Texas border. Never been anywhere near Georgia. Our son is graduating hs with a 4.9 gpa, 33 act, and a good head on his shoulders (we are military and moved to a new state his junior year which heavily impacted his extra curriculars). He viewed both these schools as ultra safety schools and really thought he had a chance at some higher schools (he applied to 14 schools, but was only accepted to 4 including TAMU, UGA, Clemson and University of Tennessee). So he did not apply for the honor colleges, which he should have.
But here we are with these schools as his options and he is so depressed about it that it’s hard to get him excited about either school. He keeps saying he wants to transfer to a better school after a year, but now after experiencing the admissions process, it’s like trying to win the lottery. Don’t know how to help him make a decision and be optimistic about this next chapter.
College Station/Bryan is not the same as north of Dallas. Might as well be different states.
All four acceptances are fine schools and would set him up for success and law school. If you picked the final two based on overall rank, I’d think again and determine what does your student want - city, rural, etc. For poli sci and law school, ranking just isn’t relevant. PS - since you noted large publics and I’m not sure what a 4.9 is unweighted - but assuming it’s like a 3.9 on a 4 point scale, you could still apply to U of Arizona (in a major city) and with auto merit, tuition would be $10K. It’s based on GPA. And U of Alabama (test required) - you’d be $4K tuition with $28K auto merit…both by May 1 (and easy applications).
But since you mentioned two, I’ll stick there. Travel wise, A&M has a near by airport - you’d fly likely through Dallas - e flights a day on American. UGA - you’d go to Atlanta and have to shuttle, etc.
All Honors programs are not created equal. Please see the curriculum and benefits. Not everyone wants to be in Honors. My son applied to some but not all. Here’s some other info to review on each of the two schools - at A&M you can still take Honors courses and at both you can try to transfer into the program (but again, check the programs and curriculum to see if they meet your needs/desires).
Good luck.
TAMU HONORS PROGRAMS
Texas A&M offers Honors Programs at University, College, and Departmental levels. Students may participate in one or more programs that are applicable to their major(s).
Admission to some Honors Programs as an incoming Freshman requires a separate application. Admission to other Honors Programs requires only an indication of interest and the proper qualifications. In either case or to confirm choices made through ApplyTexas please click on the “Apply to any Honors Program” link after August 1.
Students not enrolled in an Honors Program may still register for Honors courses 1) one week before the start of classes as an incoming freshman if they graduated in the top 10% of their high school class and have an SAT of at least 1360 (reading/writing + math, with minimums of 660 and 620, respectively) or a composite 28 on the ACT (minimum score of 27 each on verbal and math) OR 2) at their regularly scheduled registration time as a current student if they have earned a cumulative GPR of 3.5 or better. See Student Rule 16.
Please note that TAMU has gone “test-optional” for Fall 2023 freshman applicants, and Student Rule 16 has been temporarily changed such that it does not depend on test score.
The pertinent section for incoming freshmen, 16.1.1, reads: Incoming freshmen who are not in an Honors program will be considered Honors-eligible if they graduated in the top 10% of their high school class or have been identified as National Merit Semifinalists, National Merit Scholars, or National Hispanic Scholars, and have submitted a request to be marked Honors-eligible to LAUNCH. Students who meet these requirements will be sent an invitation to submit a request later in the Spring.
UGA
First-Semester Entry
To learn more about First-Semester Entry, we will be holding virtual information sessions throughout October. To see the available dates and to register for a session, visit https://ugeorgia.ca1.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/jfe/form/SV_8qvgc00KoqACDYO.
Current first-year UGA students in their first semester at the university may apply for acceptance into the Morehead Honors College. The first-semester entry application process is the only opportunity that current UGA students have to apply for Honors acceptance.
You must meet the requirements below during your first semester in order to be eligible to apply:
- 3.8 cumulative University of Georgia GPA
- 14 credit hours for the semester in which you are applying (all must be graded A-F)
Credit hours earned through Advanced Placement, summer classes, or joint / dual enrollment courses will not be counted toward this minimum credit hour requirement. However, grades earned through summer classes or joint / dual enrollment courses taken at UGA will be counted toward the minimum GPA requirement.
Entry into the Morehead Honors College is competitive. The fulfillment of the requirements listed above does not constitute automatic admission into the Morehead Honors College. In addition to the fulfillment of the requirements listed above, applications will be evaluated based upon UGA grades and the overall quality of the application, including required essays and a faculty recommendation.
You must submit an application by Reading Day of your first semester to be eligible for acceptance. In all cases, you will not know your exact cumulative University of Georgia GPA before the application deadline. However, you must submit your application by the deadline in order to be considered. Admissions decisions will not be made until all grades have been posted.
Students who apply for entry during their first term will be notified of the college’s decision via their UGAMail account over the semester break and given the opportunity to register for Honors courses for the following semester if accepted.
Applications are due Reading Day by 5 p.m. ET.
Letter of recommendation
One of your first-semester instructors (either a faculty member or TA) must submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Your instructor must email the letter to honors@uga.edu no later than 5 PM on the day of the application deadline for your application to be considered complete.
The Morehead Honors College will not contact your instructor to obtain a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
I know nothing about TAM, but my kid is heading to UGA and is excited. Like your son she is a high performer in high school and UGA is not where people predicted she would end up, but she’s excited. she has liked the people she has met who are entering freshmen, and has yet to meet a student who has not loved their time at UGA. Downtown Athens seems really cool and is right outside the campus so you can walk there. As a political science major that means your kid is in SPIA (School for Public and International Affairs) which seems to really have it’s stuff together, with good advising, guest speakers, semester in DC…
getting into law school from UGA is no problem at all and they place well, although a lot of them stay South (UGA, UF, Duke, Emory, Vanderbilt…).
My daughter is not intending to stay on any wait lists and would never consider transferring. she’s decided to love the school that loves her back. And UGA’s reputation is starting to really pick up here in the Northeast, with lots of kids saying they wish they had applied (and lots getting rejected, too). it seems to be a really fun place but with all the academic rigor and opportunities you need, if you take advantage.
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Thank you for all the information. My son has a 3.92 unweighted. He was in the top 3%, but we moved to a new state his junior year and he dropped to 10.5% in class ranking due to going to a more competitive school.
How difficult is it to get accepted into the semester in Washington at UGA? Being able to intern or network with a government agency or politician is something my son really wants to do. Is that only available senior year?
Each school has its pros and cons. Tamu is so big. Rank isn’t everything. Wanting a school that will provide good networking opportunities for future career and provides a good education. Really at a disadvantage being out of state and can’t get a feel for each campus. Son focused on state schools because of cost, but he got zero aid and is now just full of regret he didn’t apply to other similar but slightly more selective private schools. Is he going to feel like an outsider being an out of state student at UGA? We live in Nevada.
I can’t answer all that since we are new to UGA as well- daughter is starting in the fall.
But I don’t think being out of state will be any issue at all. It’s at least 20% out of state and they all seem quite comfortable and feel welcomed. We are out of state and there is a big NY/NJ cohort. Not sure about Texas but I think there are quite a few from there as well.
I have no idea yet how tough that semester in DC is to get or what year you can do it but I suspect you can do it before senior year.
Again, if you want cheaper tuition, you still have options. Both Arizona and Alabama are great and you can apply to May 1st. Both have a DC option - but frankly I think most large publics do.
With a 3.9, you get $30K off at Arizona and with the GPA and ACT, you get $28K off at Bama -Zona will be $10K tuition and Bama $4K - if money were a thing. But you have no bad choice amongst the two you’ve come down to - but like I said b4, if there was an international interest and if you want to be in DC, there is even if he doesn’t realize - then UGA.
For poli sci in general though, where you go just won’t matter. Netorking, etc. on campus - overrated unless the schools have a special program. You are putting too much thought into rank or other things that are less important.
Example - my kid is a Charleston Fellow at her school - sort of the creme de la creme - and they have the Mroz Institute - it’s a no name school but she’s meeting diplomats and ambassadors. It’s too late to research special programs at each school now but you see the point. You might ask both UGA and A&M what kind of extra enrichment or speakers are available to their undergrads, even non-Honors.
My daughter will be in DC in the Fall. Here’s the deal though - it’s a full time intership and she has to find it, not the school. But if she can’t, the school will be there as a safety net getting her a role with a congressman, etc. So these things don’t just happen.
You might ask A&M about a DC program - but they do have interns and the Bush School there so I’m sure there’s a program.
PS - my kid had a higher GPA, high rank and similar ACT. Your kid is not “under attending.” My kid turned down UGA Honors (campus too big) - just wasn’t the right fit…and UF, and Washington & Lee, etc. I get the sense that you all are feeling like you’ve failed- and you haven’t. UGA was actually not an easy in for your son with those stats - crazy as it seems. More a target then a safety. And at both A&M and UGA, he’ll be amongst loads of kids with his stats and stronger. In other words, he did well!!! So don’t think otherwise!!
Washington Semester Program (uga.edu)
Washington, D.C. | Public Policy Internship Program (tamu.edu)
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The overall vibe at TAMU is highly influenced by the Corps of Cadets. Some like it some don’t. The bills passed by the Texas Senate are troubling to the future of state schools in Texas. I think it is still unclear if they will make it through the House.
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He can apply to the honors college at UGA after his first semester. For his major, only real benefit I see would be priority registration. Many smart kids not in the honors college at UGA so even if he decides not to he would not be alone.
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