I was admitted to both Vanderbilt and UT Austin’s Engineering Honors Program. Now I am faced with the tough decision of deciding between the two schools to attend. I applied for mechanical engineering and I managed to get my desired major in both colleges.
I understand that Vanderbilt is more prestigious and in a great location, but it is not really strong in Mechanical Engineering (#36 in US News) On the other hand, UT has a great Mechanical Engineering Program (#11 in US News). Can anyone offer advice on which is better? Also, can someone give me more details as to UT’s EHP? (Job prospects, rigor, etc…)
Thanks!! 
Funny, I Have never seen any ranking where Vandy is above UT in Engineering. UT is consistently around #10 overall, and higher in specific engineering disciplines. I’m not sure why you would consider Vanderbilt more prestigious.
@texasfan1 I completely agree. Engineers graduating from UT are heavily recruited and I know many accepted into graduate school programs.
@student98226 I would encourage you to compare the 4 year plan as all engineering programs are different. I also encourage to compare what each place accepts as far as AP credit, etc. I know many engineers who came in with 36+ credit hours at UT and will graduate early. I also encourage you to compare career fairs offered, companies onsite and how the graduates do at each of these schools. Career placement at these campuses should have these statistics posted.
Really your decision is will you perform better as a big fish in a smaller pond or as a small fish in a bigger pond.
@texansfan1 I agree with you completely, the engineering program at UT is much better that that of Vanderbilt’s. I was just commenting on the overall rankings, where Vanderbilt was ranked 15th this year. UT seems like a great school, despite its lower ranking.
@comptechmom I was wondering about how much better is UT’s Engineering Honors Program compared to its regular engineering programs and how that helps with job prospects. Also, though I am considered a Texas resident by UT, I am an international student so how are job prospects for a UT ME undergrad in today’s job market?
If you know you are doing engineering, then that is the ranking you should be focused on. Also the UT Business School (McCombs) is around #10 in the rankings and CS is #8 last I saw. The other schools, such as as Liberal Arts may be lower than Vandy, but I’m not sure. UT is a great school, and for engineering, CS, and business, its hard to beat. Also every engineering student I know who graduates gets jobs. The market is good, and UT is well situated.