Hey guys I just recently visited both UT Austin and TAMU in college station and I felt that UT was more congested with people and cars everywhere. In A&M, felt that it was more peaceful, quite, and generally a better place to study. What are your guys’ thoughts on this. I need your help decided on a college.
@krn123 I agree, but it’s subjective. I really like the opportunities Austin presents for culture and entertainment, as compared to College Station. I found the TAMU students to be more friendly than UT overall. Both schools are great opportunities. What do you intend to study?
My wife and I are both UT graduates and our son is considering both UT and A&M, along with several others. In general I agree with your description @krn123. Another difference is in campus culture. UT is more progressive, A&M is one of the most conservative flagships schools in the country. UT is more diverse, A&M is less so - especially respecting Asian Americans for some reason. UT has an urban setting in the state’s capitol, A&M is the focal point of what can best be described as college town. I agree with your perception that students at A&M tend to be more friendly, I think that’s a result of the unique culture of being an Aggie. A&M has a larger, tree-lined campus that. UT is more congested and located on a hilly urban campus.
Austin is an awesome town with numerous musical festivals and outdoor activities along Town Lake and great dining and entertainment options on South Congress. College Station clearly does not have the entertainment options of an Austin; however, its pretty much centrally located between Austin on one end and Houston on the other. Therefore, more cosmopolitan entertainment choices are only a couple hours away by car.
A&M provides more merit aid than UT and within the state of Texas, the A&M alumni network is pretty incredible. UT has better name recognition outside the state and internationally, in part due to its relatively higher ranking and probably more so because of the occupational and entertainment opportunities in Austin. Both colleges are among the top 20-25 public universities in the nation.
Thanks for the replies guys. I am planning on studying engineering (probably Biomedical or Aerospace). Which university offers the best program? Also, I don’t like the busy streets where pedestrians have to wait before crossing roads at UT (I’m impatient). How is it similar or different at A&M?
I can’t say whose engineering program is better in the respective majors you’ve listed; but if you want to put any stock in U.S. News and World Report Rankings, here they are:
Aerospace Engineering:
UT: #10 (tied with CU)
A&M: #12 (tied with Cal)
Biomedical Engineering:
UT: #16
A&M: (not ranked, U.S. News rankings only go to 21)
Respecting your remaining issue, I’ll just say this. At UT, you have to cross a busy Guadalupe Street to get to the nearest Chipotle. At A&M, you have to cross a busy University Boulevard to get to the nearest Chipotle.
I live in College Station and the school I’m shooting for is UT because the conservative environment at A&M is not for me. It’s all about where you can get accepted/be happy/be successful