I’m going to TAMU for auto admission and I’m interested in all engineering and computer science. The CS program is apparently ranked 43 on US-News. Is that good enough? Do people find stable jobs with a TAMU CS degree? And then also engineering. I’m interested in all types of engineering. BME, mechanical, chemical, aerospace etc. What are the best majors between these in order to be a competitive applicant for jobs? I could go to HCC and then transfer to UT, but I love TAMU.
@YKsnitch10 Transfering into UT or A&M engineering is extremely difficult. Never, ever count on that being a possibility. Even with a perfect 4.0, if there isn’t a spot open in a particular major, then that major doesn’t take any transfers. That happened to a Chem engineer on this forum the year my son was applying to A&M engineering. It is easier to get into UT or A&M in a competitive major as a freshman than to transfer in.
There is a job market for all of those majors you mentioned. A&M is growing their engineering program to meet the demand of the retiring babyboomer generation.
There are many opportunities for internships as well. It is up to you to be a competitive candidate for them.
US News actually has A&M at #12 https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings but don’t be too caught up in that. Besides the institution listed on your diploma, you need to be a person someone would want to hire and be an employee that would bring a lot to the company.
A&M will expose you to the different areas of engineering and then it is up to your performance to what major of engineering you are accepted to. All freshmen are admitted to general engineering. Then, if you complete the core engineering classes with a 3.5 or better, you are guaranteed your first choice major when you go through the ETAM (Entry To a Major) process. This past cycle in spring, the stats are not out yet, but of those eligible, a great many got their second and third choice with a 3.0 (as per the parents on the Parent Aggie FB page). It was that competitive to get into a major.
If you want computer science for sure, and won’t be happy in any other major (MechE, Aero, CompSci and CompE are highly competitive) then you may want to find a university where you are placed directly into your major, like UT Arlington, UT Dallas, Texas Tech or UofH.
What are your test scores?
@Thelma2 Thanks a lot! I’m a junior in highschool so far planning on attending TAMU in a couple years
1470 SAT, will definitely improve probably march, screwed up on math dumb mistakes, should have been 800 (740 / 730)
GPA is top 9-12% UW 3.8 W. 4.4
Marching Band 10-12
USABO 11-12
HOSA competition 11-12
Could add more EC’s if necessary
Also that engineering system for A&M sounds great. I’m mostly interested in MechE because it’s a broad set of skills that can be done in all programs. And as you can see from my rank, I won’t be able to go to UT austin. It sucks that it’s super competitive to get in even as a transfer from community college, because I would have liked going. But oh well, my fault for my weak gpa. I can try my best to maintain the 3.5. Is it really difficult though? I’m not sure how difficult college is. if I can’t get in to MechE for TAMU maybe i could try computer eng or aersopace which are both cool? Btw, I’m not really leaning towards one way to engineering or computer science. I just love math and these 2 subjects from what I know of require good math skills. I don’t want to be a math major or something like that, but a type of job that requires me to think with what math does is what I want! That’ll be really fun. If you know any other type of major similar to that hit me up.
A&M and UT do not consider your GPA, only class rank. The only time A&M uses GPA is if your high school doesn’t rank and they must assign you an quartile rank. You would be considered an academic admit with your scores and top quarter of your class, if you are not in the top 10%.
Engineering wants to see your calculus readiness as well as physics.
Yes, maintaining a 3.5 in the freshman general engineering pool is hard. In my son’s freshman class, only half of the students who started out in his Engineering cal class remained after the second exam. If they stayed in the program, they then had to repeat the class. Some end up not passing and didn’t drop, ruining their gpa to be competitive for their preferred major.
The freshman calculus classes weed out a lot of students. A&M engineering classes are nothing like your high school classes. Even if your high school is competitive, college isn’t high school, especially for a top engineering school. Good grades are not impossible but I have seen many a talented math student who didn’t have to work that hard in high school to get top grades, national merit commended, etc, take that same philosophy to engineering at A&M and have a rude awakening with bad study habits, procrastination, etc. You will have to work hard like you have never worked before.
If you want to work in the state of Texas, having a degree from TAMU is EXTREMELY valuable. There is a lot of help out there to find a job in any major, but especially in any of the Engineering fields. An Aggie degree will get you noticed and chances are, there will be a lot of Aggies at any company that you interview with or work with eventually. A TAMU degree is highly respected.
I know someone with a TAMU Mechanical Engineering degree who graduated several years ago. He took about 2 1/2 years off to lead international religious mission trips. When he was back in the US and ready to use his degree and started job hunting, it only took him a couple of months to find a well paying job using his TAMU degree.
It sounds like you will do well at TAMU, you have a strong background and test scores. It will be a huge benefit to you to start out in General Engineering so that you have the opportunity to explore all of the options and the time to decide which branch of Engineering is truly your forte. At this point, there is no way to know what might be the best fit for you.
But you will also have to really work hard and keep up with everything. You can’t let anything slide as it all will pile up and swamp you in a heartbeat. Also, find a small group that you can join so that you have a core group of friends as the students in your class will constantly change. And some will find out that they don’t want to major in Engineering after all.
All “work and no play” isn’t healthy, but too much play is detrimental to your college degree. Try to find a balance that works for you and don’t sign up for too many classes during your first semester, give yourself time to settle in. TAMU is not like your High School, even if it was a crazy competitive HS. You will have to self motivate and use your time wisely, but you can succeed!
It is a wonderful opportunity to get to live the Aggie life in Aggieland!
Good luck!
My brother-in-law went there with a degree in CS. He didn’t have any trouble finding a job out of college, and has never had trouble getting better ones. I graduated from Tarleton State, which would be “unranked.” I haven’t had any trouble finding a job or getting better ones either. The real driver in the tech job market is experience. Texas has a very strong economy. You should be just fine.
My son graduated from TAMU in May of this year. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He had intended to continue with his graduate studies, but he was heavily recruited by a major auto company. They offered him an excellent package including salary, relocation and of course they will pay for his graduate degree. All I can say is having TAMU Engineering on your resume is a huge plus. My son was not only pursued by his current company, but also Tesla, TI and a few others.