Which college should I pick?
January 5, 2010 7:21 PM Subscribe
How does University of Texas at Dallas compare to Texas A&M? I'm thinking about doing computer science, so obviously the strength of their relative programs count, but what about the two colleges overall? Is Texas A&M kinda hick? What are the dating scenes like at the relative places? Do people that go to UTD hang out with each other much? Also, I often smoke marijuana to help with my OCD and anxiety problems, something that improves my concentration on my schoolwork by a ton, so how does that scene look at either place? I know UTD would be safe since I live in Dallas and I know it's fine here, but would A&M be too conservative? By the way, I'm a senior in high school and will be a freshman in college this coming fall. Thanks guys.
This post was deleted for the following reason: poster's request -- cortex
I've known a lot of people who went to UTD and fewer who went to A&M (I went to UT). Almost without exception, the UTD grads I know rather hated it. It's up and coming, as far as the UT System goes, but it's still something of a commuter school, and for that reason you will almost certainly not have the same standard college experience that would be available at A&M. Moreover, while I know nothing about their relative Comp. Sci. programs, UTD isn't, as far as I can tell, a school that a lot of people have heard of. A&M is.
A&M probably is more conservative than a lot of major colleges, though whether it's "hick" depends on your definition of that word - and I'm not going there. But even if it's general personality is conservative, it at least has some discernible personality. My UTD friends say that UTD can't even be said to have that. On the other hand, UTD is in (or, rather, near) a real city, and A&M is not. I have no idea how important that is to you.
posted by ecab at 7:47 PM on January 5, 2010
A&M probably is more conservative than a lot of major colleges, though whether it's "hick" depends on your definition of that word - and I'm not going there. But even if it's general personality is conservative, it at least has some discernible personality. My UTD friends say that UTD can't even be said to have that. On the other hand, UTD is in (or, rather, near) a real city, and A&M is not. I have no idea how important that is to you.
posted by ecab at 7:47 PM on January 5, 2010
I'm a UTD grad, BSEE and I started a MSCS program there but left due to finding good work and needing to leave the city. This was about a decade ago.
I lived on campus and if you want any kind of campus experience I think that's nearly a requirement. When I was there there were ton of apartments right there on campus, no dorms. There may be more apartments there now. Thousands lived on campus, although also a lot of commuters. I met and hung out with a lot of people.
I've never visited A&M but I used to visit the "real" UT all the time and UTD did not really compare in terms of stuff going on, amount of people around, etc.
Can I ask why it has to be A&M or UTD? There are a number of good affordable schools in TX (why not UT-austin for example, which is an excellent school?). I also attended UNT for a few years, I wasn't there for CS so I don't know how it's program was regarded. It was a pretty fun place to hang out though.
posted by RustyBrooks at 7:55 PM on January 5, 2010
I lived on campus and if you want any kind of campus experience I think that's nearly a requirement. When I was there there were ton of apartments right there on campus, no dorms. There may be more apartments there now. Thousands lived on campus, although also a lot of commuters. I met and hung out with a lot of people.
I've never visited A&M but I used to visit the "real" UT all the time and UTD did not really compare in terms of stuff going on, amount of people around, etc.
Can I ask why it has to be A&M or UTD? There are a number of good affordable schools in TX (why not UT-austin for example, which is an excellent school?). I also attended UNT for a few years, I wasn't there for CS so I don't know how it's program was regarded. It was a pretty fun place to hang out though.
posted by RustyBrooks at 7:55 PM on January 5, 2010
UTD is kind of a commuter school. I went to UT Austin and a lot of people transferred from there with the complaint that it didn't feel college-y enough. A&M is pretty conservative, but you aren't doomed to being an outcast if you aren't. I had a lot of friends from high school that went there and a lot of them were uber-liberal atheists who were attracted to their strong biological sciences programs. They seem to have had a good time and several of them met their current spouses there, so clearly they weren't lonesome.
A&M does have a lot of rah-rah spirit football insanity and country/military-style band and Corps of Cadets roaming around, as well as a pretty significant ROTC program. The main public places to hang out (i.e. drink) are country bars like the infamous Dixie Chicken, so if nightlife is your thing, CS is not the best place to live.
One thing to know about College Station is that it's getting into East Texas. You probably already know this, but East Texas is much more Deep Southern than most of Texas.
posted by ishotjr at 8:03 PM on January 5, 2010
A&M does have a lot of rah-rah spirit football insanity and country/military-style band and Corps of Cadets roaming around, as well as a pretty significant ROTC program. The main public places to hang out (i.e. drink) are country bars like the infamous Dixie Chicken, so if nightlife is your thing, CS is not the best place to live.
One thing to know about College Station is that it's getting into East Texas. You probably already know this, but East Texas is much more Deep Southern than most of Texas.
posted by ishotjr at 8:03 PM on January 5, 2010
why not UT-austin for example, which is an excellent school?
I'm just guessing here, but UT Austin is nearly impossible to get into now unless you're in the top 10% of your high school class. (I was a provisional admit)
posted by ishotjr at 8:04 PM on January 5, 2010
I'm just guessing here, but UT Austin is nearly impossible to get into now unless you're in the top 10% of your high school class. (I was a provisional admit)
posted by ishotjr at 8:04 PM on January 5, 2010
Response by poster: Going to UT would be great, except it's pretty well impossible if you aren't in the top ten percent at your high school. I've applied to Colorado School of Mines and gotten in there, though i don't really want to go there for a variety of reasons, including out of state tuition, 75% male (I am male), and tons of work, and while I plan to work in college, I don't really want to do as much as I get the feeling is required there. By the way, why do I really need to make this an anonymous question? The only other question I've asked was a question regarding programming Java on my computer at home and reveals nothing other than my academic interests about myself, plus, won't the administrators like not accept a question if it contains a question about illegal activity? I mean, are the admissions people at the various colleges going to pass by this question and try and investigate and track down and find out who this is anyway?
posted by bookman117 at 8:08 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by bookman117 at 8:08 PM on January 5, 2010
The only reason I could think of is because you mention buying/smoking pot. But I don't think it's necessary to anonymize the thread but if you do message one of the mods and they could do it for you.
posted by kylej at 8:11 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by kylej at 8:11 PM on January 5, 2010
I'll second what youcancallmeal says. I graduated from A&M in 1991, Comp Sci and EE. Good education, a pretty big school in a college town with enough people that there are all kinds of people, though (when I was there) they definitely slant more towards the conservative side of the spectrum, and the presence of the Corps of Cadets kind of slants things even more that way.
Sometimes I wish I'd gone to UT Austin instead, but I didn't, so can't really comment on what that would actually be like.
posted by smcameron at 8:16 PM on January 5, 2010
Sometimes I wish I'd gone to UT Austin instead, but I didn't, so can't really comment on what that would actually be like.
posted by smcameron at 8:16 PM on January 5, 2010
bookman,
I'm a computer science grad (not from either school), but I'm born in raised in plano. I have a very close friend that did CS at UTD (ugrad), and another close friend that is getting his Ph.D. from A&M (EE). I'm pretty familiar with both places. My advice is going to sound weird-
If you envision yourself finding a job right after graduation, in the dallas area, I think UTD would be a better bet. Their CS department (though not their school) is highly regarded, and they have a TON of tie-ins to the surrounding tech companies. They're not cool, fun, startup CS jobs, however- there usually "work in our IT department" type CS jobs (at least at the entry level).
If you envision yourself moving outside of Texas in the long run, I would suggest going to A&M. They have a stronger reputation overall, but a weaker CS department- but the A&M name will carry you further if you want to move somewhere else in the United States.
Culturally, A&M is definitely a lot more redneck, but b/c it's such a large school, pot's obtainable everywhere. You'll definitely have more of a "typical" college experience at A&M, but I'm not sure that's what you want- the social life is dominated by the fraternties and the "Corps" experience.
UTD is primarily a commuter school, but being from Dallas, you know that already. All freshman are now required to live on campus for a year, so I think that helps somewhat. Socially, richardson is eh, so most of frosh year, you'll spend partying in the waterview apartments.
IF I WERE YOU:
I would do anything possible to transfer to UT-Austin- especially if you're considering grad school in CS or want to work on at fun software companies (as opposed to TI). Also, I think Austin would fit your vibe better.
I would a) live at home for a year, and treat college like a job (ultra-seriously). Take easy classes, get a 4.0, and you'll get an easy transfer into UT. I know the top 10% rule sucks and makes life hard. Attempt a transfer at either institution - just remember to take college seriously and take easy classes (especially first semester). Don't get caught up partying too hard, etc.
posted by unexpected at 8:16 PM on January 5, 2010
I'm a computer science grad (not from either school), but I'm born in raised in plano. I have a very close friend that did CS at UTD (ugrad), and another close friend that is getting his Ph.D. from A&M (EE). I'm pretty familiar with both places. My advice is going to sound weird-
If you envision yourself finding a job right after graduation, in the dallas area, I think UTD would be a better bet. Their CS department (though not their school) is highly regarded, and they have a TON of tie-ins to the surrounding tech companies. They're not cool, fun, startup CS jobs, however- there usually "work in our IT department" type CS jobs (at least at the entry level).
If you envision yourself moving outside of Texas in the long run, I would suggest going to A&M. They have a stronger reputation overall, but a weaker CS department- but the A&M name will carry you further if you want to move somewhere else in the United States.
Culturally, A&M is definitely a lot more redneck, but b/c it's such a large school, pot's obtainable everywhere. You'll definitely have more of a "typical" college experience at A&M, but I'm not sure that's what you want- the social life is dominated by the fraternties and the "Corps" experience.
UTD is primarily a commuter school, but being from Dallas, you know that already. All freshman are now required to live on campus for a year, so I think that helps somewhat. Socially, richardson is eh, so most of frosh year, you'll spend partying in the waterview apartments.
IF I WERE YOU:
I would do anything possible to transfer to UT-Austin- especially if you're considering grad school in CS or want to work on at fun software companies (as opposed to TI). Also, I think Austin would fit your vibe better.
I would a) live at home for a year, and treat college like a job (ultra-seriously). Take easy classes, get a 4.0, and you'll get an easy transfer into UT. I know the top 10% rule sucks and makes life hard. Attempt a transfer at either institution - just remember to take college seriously and take easy classes (especially first semester). Don't get caught up partying too hard, etc.
posted by unexpected at 8:16 PM on January 5, 2010
While many freshmen live on campus at A&M, most students live in the numerous apartment complexes near campus. I grew up in Bryan and went to A&M back in the day. Most everything is centered around the traditions of the school and even the most liberal Aggies find themselves loyal to these traditions. Having that Aggie ring on your finger can help you land jobs in the future. For undergrads especially, I would have to characterize typical students as smart kids from fairly conservative family backrounds, not much into alternative music or scenes.
My more hip youngest daughter hated College Station, especially the music scene. She is now at UNT in Denton and loves it. I have no idea about your program, but I would definitely explore UNT if I were you. That said, she mentioned this very evening that she ran into a friend about to graduate from Texas A&M, and his ring sure looked nice.
B/CS is considered deep central Texas, not east, more into country music than anything else, And lots of Ag Eco majors, etc. Graduate students seem to be a more diverse group than the undergrads. Even if you don't care that much about football, an Aggie game at Kyle Field is an experience, for sure.
posted by tamitang at 8:31 PM on January 5, 2010
My more hip youngest daughter hated College Station, especially the music scene. She is now at UNT in Denton and loves it. I have no idea about your program, but I would definitely explore UNT if I were you. That said, she mentioned this very evening that she ran into a friend about to graduate from Texas A&M, and his ring sure looked nice.
B/CS is considered deep central Texas, not east, more into country music than anything else, And lots of Ag Eco majors, etc. Graduate students seem to be a more diverse group than the undergrads. Even if you don't care that much about football, an Aggie game at Kyle Field is an experience, for sure.
posted by tamitang at 8:31 PM on January 5, 2010
Response by poster: Well, unexpected, that advice sounds great, except I've been advised not to do a transfer before (freshman year is important for making friends, etc.), thought obviously I don't really know the merit of that advice versus yours or really anything else about this process anyway. As far as the conservatism goes, I really don't give a damn what the kids' political views are like as long as they don't call in the cops if they catch me smoking pot or something. I looked up the town and they gave it a rating of 2.5, which wasn't that great, but they said the university was best place to get pot and it was from the perspective of someone who was just visiting or staying in the town anyway. Plus, I really do kinda wanna have a "real college experience" since I went to an all boy's high school (I know I'm giving a dangerously large amount of info here now, but there are like three possibilities, yeah?), which was great in some ways but sucked in all the ways a "typical high school experience" wouldn't have. Anyway, so I should probably go to A&M, yeah?
posted by bookman117 at 8:43 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by bookman117 at 8:43 PM on January 5, 2010
Response by poster: By the way, I don't give a damn about football or school spirit, though that could definitely change if I went to A&M, right?
posted by bookman117 at 8:45 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by bookman117 at 8:45 PM on January 5, 2010
I'm a TAMU freshman. I only came here because of the full ride they gave me (I'm National Merit, Valedictorian, etc.) and the strength of their Mechanical Engineering program — I had exactly the same worries as you coming in but now I love it. Let's break this down.
Is Texas A&M kinda hick
Yeah, about 5-10% of the guys here are hick douchebags. It's easy to avoid them.
What are the dating scenes like at the relative places?
Easy to find a hookup, easy to find a girlfriend. We're 51% female (I think?) and about 70% of the girls here are definitely attractive enough to hook up with.
Side note: the party scene here is insane. Don't listen to the above poster saying you have to hang out at country bars (though they really aren't that bad, remember only 5% of the guys here are hicks). Northgate (our club area) has dance clubs, a hooka bar, some cool resturaunts, etc.
As a freshman (speaking from experience here) you won't be going to many bars. Most of the freshman/sophmore crowd go to house/apartment parties on the weekend (Thursday, Friday, & Saturday).
Also, I often smoke marijuana to help with my OCD and anxiety problems, something that improves my concentration on my schoolwork by a ton, so how does that scene look at either place?
Its a college campus. You want weed, we have you covered. I know plenty of people who smoke regularly here.
Other disconcerting aspects about TAMU
Traditions:
Yeah they are a little gay, but you don't have to be a part of them
The Corps:
Don't know why people make a big deal out of this one. Yeah they walk around in uniforms on campus, get over it
Final asides:
Go to Fish Camp if go to TAMU — its where I met one of my best friends and where you meet all your party/weed connections.
Email me with any questions — nokry56 AT gmail DOT com
posted by nokry56 at 8:48 PM on January 5, 2010
Is Texas A&M kinda hick
Yeah, about 5-10% of the guys here are hick douchebags. It's easy to avoid them.
What are the dating scenes like at the relative places?
Easy to find a hookup, easy to find a girlfriend. We're 51% female (I think?) and about 70% of the girls here are definitely attractive enough to hook up with.
Side note: the party scene here is insane. Don't listen to the above poster saying you have to hang out at country bars (though they really aren't that bad, remember only 5% of the guys here are hicks). Northgate (our club area) has dance clubs, a hooka bar, some cool resturaunts, etc.
As a freshman (speaking from experience here) you won't be going to many bars. Most of the freshman/sophmore crowd go to house/apartment parties on the weekend (Thursday, Friday, & Saturday).
Also, I often smoke marijuana to help with my OCD and anxiety problems, something that improves my concentration on my schoolwork by a ton, so how does that scene look at either place?
Its a college campus. You want weed, we have you covered. I know plenty of people who smoke regularly here.
Other disconcerting aspects about TAMU
Traditions:
Yeah they are a little gay, but you don't have to be a part of them
The Corps:
Don't know why people make a big deal out of this one. Yeah they walk around in uniforms on campus, get over it
Final asides:
Go to Fish Camp if go to TAMU — its where I met one of my best friends and where you meet all your party/weed connections.
Email me with any questions — nokry56 AT gmail DOT com
posted by nokry56 at 8:48 PM on January 5, 2010
You've heard this already, but I know quite a few people who went to UTD, and pretty much all of them didn't really have a typical college existence. Parties and stuff exist, but it definitely doesn't have that "real college experience" thing going on. Texas A&M is a school that I could never imagine myself going to, but you can probably find people like you there simply because it's such a large school. Going to UTD for a year or so and then transferring to UT Austin is also a possibility you should consider.
posted by MadamM at 8:49 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by MadamM at 8:49 PM on January 5, 2010
Yeah they are a little gay, but you don't have to be a part of them
No offense, but let's please not use gay as a derogatory word on this site.
posted by kylej at 8:56 PM on January 5, 2010 [7 favorites]
No offense, but let's please not use gay as a derogatory word on this site.
posted by kylej at 8:56 PM on January 5, 2010 [7 favorites]
I am staff at Texas A&M University, and I can pretty much say what nokry56 said is correct. Especially the Fish Camp parts. The traditions are actually kind of fun if you get into them. And kylej, some of the cowboys are the "brokeback mountain" type if you get what I'm saying. ;)
A&M is not too conservative -- I'm a hippie liberal from Portland, OR and even as a thirty year old fat homebody computer nerd I don't have too many problems dating here. The campus is huge and you will have no problems finding a crowd to hang out with.
posted by SpecialK at 9:17 PM on January 5, 2010
A&M is not too conservative -- I'm a hippie liberal from Portland, OR and even as a thirty year old fat homebody computer nerd I don't have too many problems dating here. The campus is huge and you will have no problems finding a crowd to hang out with.
posted by SpecialK at 9:17 PM on January 5, 2010
Response by poster: Alright, looks like i have my question answered! No offense, SpecialK, but your popping in here is a little bit frightening given my paranoia and what i've mentioned about myself in this thread, since while you certainly don't care, who knows? There may be others... Anyway, thanks everybody!
posted by bookman117 at 9:27 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by bookman117 at 9:27 PM on January 5, 2010
2003: I got a full scholarship to UT Dallas without even applying to it (I never even knew the school existed!). It was surreal: they just sent me a letter in the mail, and then an admission officer kept calling our house until my dad had to yell at someone to leave me alone. That certainly gave me the impression that they did not have enough qualified applicants/students to make it a good school. I'm not an athlete; I used to be a musician, but I can't imagine that I was remarkable in any other way than having gone to a decent high school and earned decent grades.
posted by halogen at 10:32 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by halogen at 10:32 PM on January 5, 2010
I always assumed Texas A&M was a "hick" land-grant college, but I have a friend who is really liberal who went there --- and he loved it.
posted by jayder at 11:01 PM on January 5, 2010
posted by jayder at 11:01 PM on January 5, 2010
If you're really worried about smoking weed what about going to school in California, or Oregon? Those are probably the two most weed-friendly states out there. I actually know someone who was going to law school and actually got busted smoking weed in his student apartment by the RAs. What happened? He got a warning for violating the no smoking rules. In California you could probably find a doc to write medical marijuana "prescription" for your OCD, and you'd be pretty much legal.
Of course the downside is that the California government is pretty much collapsing and tuition is going up, out of state students would probably get gouged pretty hard core these days, unless you got a scholarship.
I also know two people who got busted for smoking in dorms here in Iowa, and both got arrested and went through the court system, and got banned from the dorms forever.
That said I've heard of Texas A&M and I've never heard of UTD, and I've spent a lot of time in Dallas (my dad lives there).
If you want to do CS though what about UT Austin? According to this site it's ranked 9th in the country on the U.S news and world report's school rankings for CS. That's actually for graduate schools, but I would imagine undergrad would be pretty good as well.
Oh and according to this page Texas A&M is rated 46th for their CS program, while UTD is rated 72nd. So it certainly seems like you'll get a better education at A&M.
Since you like math, it might be a good idea to double major in math and CS.
posted by delmoi at 1:16 AM on January 6, 2010
Of course the downside is that the California government is pretty much collapsing and tuition is going up, out of state students would probably get gouged pretty hard core these days, unless you got a scholarship.
I also know two people who got busted for smoking in dorms here in Iowa, and both got arrested and went through the court system, and got banned from the dorms forever.
That said I've heard of Texas A&M and I've never heard of UTD, and I've spent a lot of time in Dallas (my dad lives there).
If you want to do CS though what about UT Austin? According to this site it's ranked 9th in the country on the U.S news and world report's school rankings for CS. That's actually for graduate schools, but I would imagine undergrad would be pretty good as well.
Oh and according to this page Texas A&M is rated 46th for their CS program, while UTD is rated 72nd. So it certainly seems like you'll get a better education at A&M.
Since you like math, it might be a good idea to double major in math and CS.
posted by delmoi at 1:16 AM on January 6, 2010
Coming from a UT Austin grad, it means something that I would recommend A&M.
One valuable thing that UTD won't give you is the aid of a tight-knit alumni network which will be helpful in finding jobs after college.
posted by cross_impact at 7:50 AM on January 6, 2010
One valuable thing that UTD won't give you is the aid of a tight-knit alumni network which will be helpful in finding jobs after college.
posted by cross_impact at 7:50 AM on January 6, 2010
I am a grad of A&M (as you could guess from the tag), and was in the CS department back from 98-02 (aka 'ol army). I can't speak much from current experience for the schools, but I know then it was a respected department... delmoi looked up the rankings that I was going to look for.
Echoing what others have said the A&M alumni network is very strong, the "smoking" choices are available just as easy as most other place. Culturally A&M is more conservative that most colleges, but not just in the political sense - things like Off Campus Bonfire, Howdy, Fish Camp, and the myriad of other traditions tend to be conservative in the sense of not changing - which honestly can be a good thing (depending on your view).
Basically in a school of 40-50K you will have the whole gambit of people from the hicks, uber baptist, flaming hippies, queens, and still have tens of thousands of normal people. CS is a smaller town, but Dallas, Austin, and Houston are just an hour or two away.
From a personal experience I had one of the best times of my life (so much I sayed 5.5 years), but some people just didn't fit in... but then I don't think that they were trying either. I would say go visit, drink a Shiner at the Chicken, wander the MSC (or what ever they're using now that its closed) and you'll get a good view of the spirit of the place.
Good luck on your choice, and if you pick A&M hopefully the get a better football team coming up.
posted by aggienfo at 8:02 AM on January 6, 2010
Echoing what others have said the A&M alumni network is very strong, the "smoking" choices are available just as easy as most other place. Culturally A&M is more conservative that most colleges, but not just in the political sense - things like Off Campus Bonfire, Howdy, Fish Camp, and the myriad of other traditions tend to be conservative in the sense of not changing - which honestly can be a good thing (depending on your view).
Basically in a school of 40-50K you will have the whole gambit of people from the hicks, uber baptist, flaming hippies, queens, and still have tens of thousands of normal people. CS is a smaller town, but Dallas, Austin, and Houston are just an hour or two away.
From a personal experience I had one of the best times of my life (so much I sayed 5.5 years), but some people just didn't fit in... but then I don't think that they were trying either. I would say go visit, drink a Shiner at the Chicken, wander the MSC (or what ever they're using now that its closed) and you'll get a good view of the spirit of the place.
Good luck on your choice, and if you pick A&M hopefully the get a better football team coming up.
posted by aggienfo at 8:02 AM on January 6, 2010
I don't know, delmoi, is 46/72 really a striking difference? Also, it looks like you're taking a look at GRADUATE program rankings. And while I suppose that is helpful to a certain extent, I think that statistic should be taken with a giant grain of salt. Undergrads and graduates have access to very different resources. (Also, it appears that UTD is the dead last RANKED school. Which doesn't mean it is the worst, but it also isn't a glowing endorsement by US News.)
You're right to fear the Top 10% Rule, especially at UT-Austin which is allowed to limit the number of automatic admissions that it takes starting with the class of 2011. But anyone who told you transfer was a bad idea is not looking out for your best interests! Freshman year is important because you make friends? Good grief. The poster above who suggests you get into the best school possible - even if it means transferring - is the one you should be listening to.
I've known plenty of people who loved A&M. The test of whether someone is happy at A&M seems to be less about how conservative you are and more about how engaged in campus life you want to be. I am a surly misanthrope when it comes to team sports and other such things, so I would not have been happy there. (And the anti-gay shenanigans would have made me violent.) But in my old age (27) with two degrees under my belt, I have to question whether or not we should really even be focusing on enjoying college or fitting in with the community. Seems like misplaced priorities to me. You're there to learn. Keep your eyes on that prize and realize that all the other "stuff" that goes on with college - while fun and nice - is unimportant. That's not what you're paying for.
Consider other options. There are a ton of public schools in Texas which are affordable. Many of them have honors programs. You might not qualify to get into UT, but you may qualify to get into an honors program at one of the other universities in the state. Usually, you get a specialized curriculum (access to better/smaller classes), preferential treatment, and other random perks like better housing or secluded study areas or private speaker presentations. (I went to UH and was in the Honors College there. It was a good program.)
posted by greekphilosophy at 8:41 AM on January 6, 2010
You're right to fear the Top 10% Rule, especially at UT-Austin which is allowed to limit the number of automatic admissions that it takes starting with the class of 2011. But anyone who told you transfer was a bad idea is not looking out for your best interests! Freshman year is important because you make friends? Good grief. The poster above who suggests you get into the best school possible - even if it means transferring - is the one you should be listening to.
I've known plenty of people who loved A&M. The test of whether someone is happy at A&M seems to be less about how conservative you are and more about how engaged in campus life you want to be. I am a surly misanthrope when it comes to team sports and other such things, so I would not have been happy there. (And the anti-gay shenanigans would have made me violent.) But in my old age (27) with two degrees under my belt, I have to question whether or not we should really even be focusing on enjoying college or fitting in with the community. Seems like misplaced priorities to me. You're there to learn. Keep your eyes on that prize and realize that all the other "stuff" that goes on with college - while fun and nice - is unimportant. That's not what you're paying for.
Consider other options. There are a ton of public schools in Texas which are affordable. Many of them have honors programs. You might not qualify to get into UT, but you may qualify to get into an honors program at one of the other universities in the state. Usually, you get a specialized curriculum (access to better/smaller classes), preferential treatment, and other random perks like better housing or secluded study areas or private speaker presentations. (I went to UH and was in the Honors College there. It was a good program.)
posted by greekphilosophy at 8:41 AM on January 6, 2010
I don't know anything about UTD, but if you're at all concerned with how hickich A&M might be, then you won't like it. All of the people I've met who went to A&M who I would like to associate with (a minority) hated it.
Wht's wrong with Baylor, SMU, UNT, TCU, UTA, Wesleyan, TWU, or TCC?
posted by cmoj at 12:38 PM on January 6, 2010
Wht's wrong with Baylor, SMU, UNT, TCU, UTA, Wesleyan, TWU, or TCC?
posted by cmoj at 12:38 PM on January 6, 2010
No offense, SpecialK, but your popping in here is a little bit frightening given my paranoiaAnd no offense intended back to you, but it's a VERY small world out there. If you are doing something that you may not want someone to know that you're doing, do not post it to the internet in any way that could remotely be tied back to you. I can guarantee that I'm not the only TAMU employee that reads Ask Metafilter, much less Facebook or TexAgs.com.
posted by SpecialK at 1:05 PM on January 6, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by youcancallmeal at 7:39 PM on January 5, 2010