What Students Say
Likes
- The quality of education - the staff was generous, genuinely wanted us to do well
- The on campus apartments availability
- Recreating center that provided access to amenities like bowling, gym, etc
Dislikes
- It was a university village, no exposure to city life
- The summers were excruciating, with very little help from University to make our lives better
- The career fair was arranged at other campus
Course Curriculum
- The course curriculum was mixture of theoretical as well as practical experience. The difficulty of the entire course was 8/10, considered one of the toughest courses in the engineering department of the college.
- The positive aspect of the course was resources available to make the most out of given opportunity and negative aspect was industry exposure.
Admission Experience
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My undergrad major being Petroleum Engineering, I applied for similar courses
Colleges Applied to - 3
Admitted in two
Rejected by oneUniversity of Texas, Kingsville - admitted
University of Alaska, Fairbanks - admitted
University of Houston - rejected -
In my opinion, I was not accepted to UoH as my undergrad records were not in top 5 percentile
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I always wanted to continue my education in Texas, world's biggest oil and gas hub. I choose Texas A&M University over Alaska for the same reason.
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Admission steps involved - GRE+TOEFL, Online Application, Sending transcripts & SOP, Collecting I-20
Eligibility criteria was GRE+TOEFL, GRE minimum 290, TOEFL 80
The experience was smooth and I had my undergrad college alumni already studying in the University so it made it easier for me. -
I applied for spring intake. My hometown is a small city in Maharashtra, India and I completed my undergrad in Pune, India. I had just completed my undergraduation and I wanted to take a break and spend some time with my family before moving abroad.
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The entire application process took 2 months starting from GRE till getting my I20 in hand. The experience was well guided in the application brochure itself.
Class Schedule
- Typically 2 hours of classrooms are scheduled in a day depending upon availability of the professors.
- 4/6 are indian students enrolled in my course
Faculty
- The faculty to student ratios in my class was 1:6 on an average. The course I had applied for, MS in Natural Gas Engineering, had a niche student applications.
- The teaching was exemplary, with faculty that had on field professional experience, which is considered with high regard in oil and gas sector.
- The professors usually connect students to industry connections.
Campus Life
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The Texas A&M University System has 11 universities and eight state agencies:
1. College Station - The flagship campus in College Station, which is the largest university in Texas
2. Prairie View A&M University: A public institution of higher education in Prairie View
3. Tarleton State University: A university in Stephenville that offers a Texas A&M University System degree
4. East Texas A&M University: A university in Commerce
5. Texas A&M University-Kingsville: A university in Kingsville
6. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi: A university in Corpus Christi
7. Texas A&M International University: A university in Laredo
8. Texas A&M University-Texarkana: A university in Texarkana
9. Texas A&M University-Central Texas: A university in Killeen
10. Texas A&M University-San Antonio: A university in San Antonio -
The amenities/facilities available on my campus such as the library, sports facilities, and medical services
Part Time Jobs
- 3/10 students typically secure Teaching Assistant (TA), Research Assistant (RA), or Departmental Assistant (DA) positions
- Pay range for TA/RA/DA positions were approximately $12-15 per hour
- Other on-campus jobs available for students were usually helping at rec centers and selling popcorns during match days maximum hours of work allowed per week were 20
- Students typically earn $12-15 on hourly basis in their part-time jobs. It is difficult to get part time jobs in the beginning but once you make connections and have friends who can refer and vouch for you, it gets easier.
- The usual process is through online portal and there is always a wait period. It helps to have connections. The steps usually involve searching for job openings, submitting applications or resumes, attending interviews.
Placement
- 6/6 students in my batch secured employment upon graduation. It means there was 100% placement.
- The average salary depends on your past professional experience. It typically ranges between 75k-100k
- Students usually find jobs through online connections and applying online or through consultancies and staffing agencies.
- My batchmates got jobs in Houston, California etc
Accommodation
- I went on the facebook groups and whatsapp connections to get on campus accommodations. My alumni from older colleges were already studying there which helped me in a long run.
- The monthly rent was 900, divided amongst roommates
- The biggest challenge was avoiding bed bugs
- The accommodation was inside the college campus
- It was just the beginning and easy to save money by staying on campus
Exams
- In the Texas A&m University - Kingsville, GRE and TOEFL are considered mandatory for admission.
- The documents required for admission were transcripts, Statement of purpose, letters of recommendation from 3 of my professors or professional guides with whom I had completed any project work in the past. Although the hard copies of LOR were submitted, the college had their own process to get the authentic email recommendations by directly contacting the recommenders.
Fees
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The fee was approximately $30,000 for the entire course.
Tuition - 21k, hostel - extra, Stationary + Amenities + Insurance - 9k
It was charged per semester, -
The monthly expense estimate-
$900 on rent per apartment, if you share it, it will cost less
$250-$350 each on electricity, wifi and grocery
transportation was provided by the college
other regular expenses depending on personal choices
Scholarship
- I did not receive any scholarship for the course, although there were scholarships available for the students opting to go for thesis work and not project work.
- The amount awarded was half of the tuition fee and on campus RA/TA job
- My batchmates who opted for thesis work received scholarships
- Approximately top 5 percentile receive scholarship, the typical award amount was half the tuition fee for each semester
