Hello, I'm posting for opinions for the above schools for a friends' son. He is 23, been accepted at both places with wonderful offers but interests lie in orbitol mechanics. He currently works for NASA. He will be following this thread. Thanks. Hille
I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask. Given the son's age (23), I take it that you are talking F/T on-campus graduate school. Both MIT and Texas certainly have strong general reputations. (You mean Texas at Austin, right?) They are both excellent universities. So you will need to find the one with a particular strength in orbital mechanics. (Would that be astrophysics? Applied physics? Aero/astro engineering? Applied mathematics, even?) That's a pretty technical question, and the son may be better off consulting with his people at NASA and with others who have professional experience in this area.
Thanks for the reply. It's terrific stuff for a 23 year old to be in this position. He has surveyed and questioned many in his field but has hopes of some different insight from the forum. My guess is MIT can't be beat. This comes from a substitute teacher with a BA in Humanities. Fast food is starting to look like a career improvement. Have a great week. Hille
Ffrom a different perspective, what does he want to do with the degree afterwards. If his goal is to go into theoretical research and acdamaia, then MIT migh be the best choice. If his goal is work in the field at NASA or with a major corporation the UT might be a better choice. Even more important does he feel stronger (pro or con) about either one of the faculties. If so that should be the overriding input. He is going to have to work with them for the next couple of years. And they will guide his career for the next decade.
