My son wanted to Know for Engineering which place would be a better choice for future success . He was admitted to UF ( but not Honors ) and Texas A&M admitted University Honors and Engineering Honors . Money has no baring as he has a full ride to both places essentially ( UF is a complete cost of attendance and TAMU is tuition is coved )
His stats are as follows just to know he definitely knows how to work hard so that isn’t a problem
4.0 uw
1580 ( 800 math & 780 w)
22 APs
National Merit Finalists
Eagle Scout
4 year two sport Varsity Athlete
300 plus volunteer hours
He wonders if having the honors with make a difference or not. He is very interested in research opportunities so wondering if they are more plentiful in Honors programs
Texas A&M has a stellar reputation in engineering - better than UF.
As far as I can see, it’s a no-brainer, TAMU has a reputation that equals or surpasses that of UF in engineering and he is going to be in Honors. Unless you aren’t talking about TAMU College Station.
Which specific engineering majors are of interest?
Texas A&M has secondary admission to specific majors (ETAM). 3.75 college GPA means automatic admission to the desired major, but some majors admit few or no applicants with lower than 3.75. Computer science, computer engineering, biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering are among the most competitive.
While I would initially say TAMU and Honors, You are not admitted to any major, ETAM
Direct Admit at UF into engineering major makes it a very tough decision. For this reason i would recommend UF
Full Disclosure, I’m an old Gator and Daughter is a current student
If TAMU was direct admit I would recommend TAMU and Honors
Visit both campuses and see where you feel the most comfortable. You will be there 4 to 5 years and It will rigorous at either school.
Not engineering but know pre nursing majors that had to change schools their Junior year and it was disruptive.
Can we calculate that by subtracting the MEEN auto-admits (238) with GPA > 3.75 from the number in the eligible applicants column (587)? That gives us 349 applicants GPA < 3.75 who listed their 1st choice as MEEN. 144 of those 349 (41%) were admitted by holistic review. I might be misinterpreting the chart, however.
Setting aside ETAM, which is discussed above, at A&M, you will be surrounded by Texans (it is somewhere around 94% Texas students) and at UF you will be surrounded by Floridians. Not sure if that is an issue, but consider it.
I’m sure the Office of Undergraduate Research would be willing to assure you that there are plenty of opportunities whether or not he decides to pursue honors. Generally, it’s their initiative to reach out and apply for undergraduate research opportunities that land them those experiences.
I don’t think there is any job someone can get with an A&M Engineering degree that they can’t get with a UF Engineering degree. For me, it would come down to this, is he more likely to live in Texas or Florida after graduation?
Both are well recruited schools. My opinion, though is that honors is something he can put on a resume that would make him standout when it comes time to do job interviews. It would also make him more competitive for internships. Either way, that’s just one factor to consider. Mainly, it comes down to preference. He shouldn’t have trouble finding a job out of college no matter which school he chooses. Good luck!
