How is Texas A&M

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is considering UT Austin for engineering - but likely wont get an admit there.

However, Texas A&M seems to be a great choice too.. I have heard good things about their Engineering and Business Program - and also the Bush School of Govt and Public Policy.

Any first hand experience as a OOS at Texas A&M?

You should visit. It's a great school for engineering. But Texas A&M is a certain kind of Texas - pretty conservative, very clean cut, very traditional gender roles, very patriotic, very protestant Christian, very into football. It can be a little cultish. It's not for everyone. But a lot of people do really like it. It has a great professional network too. But Texas A&M is very much a love it or hate it school.

The “very protestant Christian” is the only part above I take issue with. TAMU has a very proud and active Catholic student body, too. Largest collection of Catholic undergrads in the country. Many, many active Catholic families happily send their kids there and they attend St. Mary’s in CS is possibly more active than anything in South Bend. There are also lots of Protestants there.

I am an Aggie, but Texan that went to rival schools. I’d describe it as a right of center place that will appeal to more traditionally oriented kids. School spirit is off the charts (misplaced) and it can come across as cultish. If your kid wants to party it up they’ll find plenty of that in CS, but TAMU can also accommodate the kid that isn’t looking for that. the more restrained student will find enough like minded people that they’ll find their “tribe” within the school and not feel isolated.

Oddly enough, while the other major Texas schools seem to distribute their grads throughout the major Texas figures, I’ve always felt Aggies seem more likely to end up in Houston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have a very strong alumni network.

My boss is an Aggie and I have learned to always refer to Texas as TGSOT in emails.

Definitely a strong alumni network.

What is TGSOT?

The great state of Texas. Cult stuff.

I’m a Texan and have never heard this.

[Anonymous]

Bumping up this old thread to ask — is Texas A&M worth out of state tuition? My kid really wants to go there but will be $1k short of the scholarship level necessary for in-state tuition, and he has two options that are about half the price with scholarships but not as highly ranked for engineering (Nebraska and Missouri).

Wish he’d gotten into our state school (though it would have been more expensive than his cheaper options).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping up this old thread to ask — is Texas A&M worth out of state tuition? My kid really wants to go there but will be $1k short of the scholarship level necessary for in-state tuition, and he has two options that are about half the price with scholarships but not as highly ranked for engineering (Nebraska and Missouri).

Wish he’d gotten into our state school (though it would have been more expensive than his cheaper options).

To be 1k short of the 4k scholarship money needed to waive the non-resident portion of tuition (a huge waiver) often means a student is NMSF (which gets 3k) but did not advance to NMF (which gets 10.5k and hence qualify for the waiver). Does this describe your son? If I'm not mistaken, an NMF gets to attend with a COA of only around 23k which is a great price. An NMSF doesnt get to enjoy that, unfortunately.

Also, an NMSF and NMF who wants to study engineering is accepted to their major of choice, bypassing the need to go through the entry-to-a-major (ETAM) process, which is attractive to those who don't want to worry about not getting their desired majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping up this old thread to ask — is Texas A&M worth out of state tuition? My kid really wants to go there but will be $1k short of the scholarship level necessary for in-state tuition, and he has two options that are about half the price with scholarships but not as highly ranked for engineering (Nebraska and Missouri).

Wish he’d gotten into our state school (though it would have been more expensive than his cheaper options).

To be 1k short of the 4k scholarship money needed to waive the non-resident portion of tuition (a huge waiver) often means a student is NMSF (which gets 3k) but did not advance to NMF (which gets 10.5k and hence qualify for the waiver). Does this describe your son? If I'm not mistaken, an NMF gets to attend with a COA of only around 23k which is a great price. An NMSF doesnt get to enjoy that, unfortunately.

Also, an NMSF and NMF who wants to study engineering is accepted to their major of choice, bypassing the need to go through the entry-to-a-major (ETAM) process, which is attractive to those who don't want to worry about not getting their desired majors.

That describes him! Nice to bypass ETAM but rough to have missed the NMF bar (he has adhd, great scores but really uneven grades).

[Anonymous]

Amazing Aggie alumni network! My brother and uncle always wear their class rings.It has opened many doors and definitely made interviews and jobs possible. Aggies help one another out.

[Anonymous]

Saw Varsity’s Horns Off!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Amazing Aggie alumni network! My brother and uncle always wear their class rings.It has opened many doors and definitely made interviews and jobs possible. Aggies help one another out.

But everyone else laughs at them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Amazing Aggie alumni network! My brother and uncle always wear their class rings.It has opened many doors and definitely made interviews and jobs possible. Aggies help one another out.

But everyone else laughs at them.

Nope! They are happy, healthy, wealthy, and surrounded by friends.

[Anonymous]

How is post-college placement/job finding after college - nationally?

[Anonymous]

Texas A&M is in my opinion the most underrated college in the country. The pros are great programs and facilities in a number of different majors that lead to jobs, a strong alumni network, one of the most fun football atmospheres in the country, and a surprisingly nice and inexpensive town that isn’t that far from Houston or Austin if you have a car. Also the student body is large enough for everyone to find their crowd. The “Aggie cult” thing is real in that people get really into the traditions, but other than symbolically the corps has little impact on the rest of the student body. but because tv crews highlight them on game day and you can pick out the corps students because of the uniforms on a tour it seems like they are more central to the school than they are for the average non-reg student. It’s 95-5 non-reg.

The cons are it is huge, the bureaucracy of the school can be annoying at times, and the summers are very hot (although most people aren’t there for much of it). And there are for sure more republicans than many schools so if meeting some republicans is going to annoy you then it’s probably not the best place. But my experience is that the student body is pretty apolitical and center right to center left outside of the corps and some obnoxious people that want to be in Texas state politics. I am left wing and never felt out of place.

Loved my time there and it was a great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Saw Varsity’s Horns Off!

Short! Ay!

[Anonymous]

It's one of the biggest in the country. For that reason, your kid will find groups that he likes. Within Texas, there is a strong divide between UT/TAMU and so there is a strong spirit which veers into quirky and hence the cultish reputation.
It is in the middle of nowhere

Must visit, and have your kid ask around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's one of the biggest in the country. For that reason, your kid will find groups that he likes. Within Texas, there is a strong divide between UT/TAMU and so there is a strong spirit which veers into quirky and hence the cultish reputation.
It is in the middle of nowhere

Must visit, and have your kid ask around.

True, it's in the middle of a very large triangle with San Antonio, Houston, and D/FW at the verticies. But Bryan/College Station has a total population of 268,000, so it's a pretty good sized city in its own right. B/CS isn't just the university anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who answers to the name “Jimbo” is suspect to me.

IDK Jimbo Mathus is pretty cool.