<p>Texas A&M is another very good school. Probably the second best academically but it easily has the best engineering programs. My parents are alums so I know a lot about the aggies.
First off it’s extremely conservative and rural and in some ways it meets a lot of the Texas stereotypes about people who say howdy and where cowboy boots. There are a lot of traditions and it’s a very tight-knit community and the people are amazingly nice. They love their Aggie football, even when they are terrible, and football games a very big deal and where you will see most the Aggie traditions. The school is becoming more and more international too so it might be a good choice for you.
Overall I’d say UT-Austin is probably the most American. University of Alabama is probably the 3rd best academically but also pretty well-known around the US, mostly due to their football team.</p>