University of Michigan & Teaxs A&M

[massphatness]

My daughter is going into her senior year of high school, and is looking at these two universities because they have rather good nuclear engineering programs. Would be interested in hearing from any alums as to your impressions of the schools as well as tips for visiting/touring the campuses. (Go on a non-football weekend is a given, I'd guess.)

I'll be contacting the schools directly, of course, but a little first hand, unvarnished info never hurts.

[fissure]

BigCat (Colin) might be able to shed some info on UofM. Went to law school there. Quite a few people to herf with in the area when you come to see your daughter too:D

[BHalbrooks]

I'm from MI. UofM is amazing.

I work at Childrens Hospital Boston, and a ton of Doctors have gotten their Doctrate and PhD from UofM.

I'm biased.

[AlohaStyle]

I have had a couple cousins attend Texas A&M and from what I hear and know, it's a pretty good school. My older cousin graduated 20+ years ago, and my younger one just finished her Masters this year so I feel like I got a wide range. They are VERY loyal to alumni as well... your daughter can have a lot of opportunities from alumni.

With that said, if your daughter wants to live in the MA area, I would bet there are more UM alumni than A&M.

[kydsid]

^ what AlohaStyle said rings true. A&M has a tradition of ring knockers. How good that will benefit depends on where she plans to live. Obviously much better if in Texas.

I am starting a Masters at A&M and it is a good school. From what I gather on undergrad though DO NOT apply to the specific school of interest for undergrad admissions unless extremely well qualifiied. A&M's admissions to their job specific colleges are uber competitive. You are have a much better time going general admission and then switching into the college and degree of interest.

If your daughter is looking to use her Nuclear Sciences degree in the DoD in any way I would argue A&M is the better choice as it has a military tradition and cadet corps. There are a lot of A&M ring knockers in the DoD.


Personally my advice, go to a cheaper school for undergrad then transfer to A&M for Masters and beyond. Might want to look into partnerships with smaller schools too. My undergrad was at Angelo State University in West Texas. They had and still have a 3/2 with Texas Tech for EE. Save big money attending ASU for 3 years and still end up with a TT degree.



Oh and visiting A&M - I'd fly to Houston or Austin. Pretty equal in distance, a couple hour drive. A rental car will be cheaper than a flight. Plus College Station is only served by American Eagle from DFW or United ex Continental Connection from IAH in Houston, both with those god awful small turbo props or occassionally a canadair regional jet, but still small. United is sucking balls these days IMO. I'd bet flying to Hobby in Houston from Mass will be a lot cheaper, plus Hobby is an easier airport to get around than IAH.

Oh and if you do fly into Houston, let me know, plenty of Houston guys to herf with! :D

[BigCat]

BigCat (Colin) might be able to shed some info on UofM. Went to law school there. Quite a few people to herf with in the area when you come to see your daughter too:D

I went to undergrad there. Not smart enough to get into the law school. I have nothing but great things to say about U-M. I was an economics major though, so I had more free time that I imagine your daughter will in the engineering school. My sister just graduated from the engineering school this past May. Her husband graduated the year before from the engineering school and is now in flight training for the Navy in Florida. They received great educations and my sister had plenty of employment opportunities when she graduated. Of course, she is a Navy wife now, which limits things for her, but that is neither here nor there. I would not visit on a football Saturday because the city will be packed, but you would get a great feel for the atmosphere, which is electric. I would definitely try to go during the fall or winter semester though so that you get a real feel for campus. It is pretty dead during spring term. She should also know that the engineering school is on North Campus, which will require her to take a bus to class unless she is housed on North Campus, which is less socially desirable. I would be happy to answer any questions you or your daughter may have at any point. Just let me know if you would like to talk.

[jjirons69]

Personally my advice, go to a cheaper school for undergrad then transfer to A&M for Masters and beyond. Might want to look into partnerships with smaller schools too. My undergrad was at Angelo State University in West Texas. They had and still have a 3/2 with Texas Tech for EE. Save big money attending ASU for 3 years and still end up with a TT degree.


With costs these days, I'll really like this suggestion! Undergrad - meh, the real meat comes from the post-grad programs. Spend that money wisely.

[billybarue]

Nuclear Engineering = US Naval Academy

[massphatness]

She has considered the service academies, and rejected them because she wants the full college experience without feeling like she's in the military 24/7. She's working at getting a ROTC scholarship from the Navy that would pay for her tuition and fees. Her brother successfully went that route, and she figures that if the military is going to train her and guarantee her a job once she's done, she's willing to do some active duty time to pay them back.

I figure she's got a great shot at winning a scholarship because, truth be told, she's a better all-around student than her brother. Higher GPA. Higher SAT scores. And like him, she also has the extra curriculars.

Unlike her brother, I think she sees the military as a tool to get her to the next level and provide some level of job security post-graduation. She's unlikely (at least from what she tells me) to pursue a full-on military career. Her older brother, on the other hand, wants to command some type of vessel one day ...