Becoming Just a Number?

Colleges & Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

<p>Hello! My top two University Choices are UT Austin and University of North Texas. </p>

<p>The only con I'm worried about intensely is becoming a number, which is a popular complaint circulating around in regards to UT Austin. I currently live in one of those obscure little Nowhere Land, Texas', where Walmart is the biggest establishment and plan on majoring in engineering. If I do choose UT over UNT what are my risks of becoming a meaningless digit and how can I prevent this? I know about Figs, but do they truly help? </p>

<p>While I'm on the topic, here are some other questions that I would LOVE to get answered. </p>

<p>-What is the general ambiance of UT Austin, I don't want to walk around receiving bad vibes from everyone. </p>

<p>-I'm currently an extreme band nerd at my high school, but will continuing band along with majoring in engineering kill me? (Saxophone player) </p>

<p>-Whether UT Austin's students are liberal thinkers or not, I receive mixed answers. Would anyone wish to clarify this controversy?</p>

<p>-Is UNT a better or worse engineering school than Cockrell? </p>

<p>-Could anyone give me a story of their study abroad experiences? (Particularly France)</p>

<p>-Could any engineers give me a story of their UT experience with the engineering students. </p>

<ul>
<li>How is the sushi bar? (I love sushi)</li>
</ul>

2

<p>I’m going to be an incoming freshman so I can’t speak just from experience… but </p>

<p>-UT Austin has a very chill, laid back vibe. This is true of most colleges you could say but everyone is in jeans, t-shirts and so on. The actual campus is really sprawling and is not really united in any way (the buildings are look so different). Since it is a big state school, no one is there to judge you. Everyone is friendly and kind (I got lost a couple of times and people were more than willing to help). UNT is much more of an eyesore so UT does look better than UNT!</p>

<p>-I can’t say about band and engineering, but if you concentrate then I think you could manage. </p>

<p>-Overall, I would say Austin as a city is quite liberal. You’ll see protesters frequently on the capital and there are a lot of causes. But, from my many, many visits, nothing has ever really been out there when it came to political beliefs that would make any one feel uncomfortable. It’s still Texas and if you are more conservative, you’ll find a place easily (there are many churches!) Though, Austin’s “liberal/hippie” nature can show itself through the, um, very interesting people that walk the streets.</p>

<p>-UT blows UNT out of the water when it comes to engineering. We are talking about Cockrell, one of the top undergrad engineering schools in the nation, so if you really want to pursue that, UT is your choice. No doubt.</p>

<p>-My sister did study abroad. She loved it. I don’t think study abroad can necessarily be attached to a school, really, since it’s about the visiting country and its school. I do think UT offers much, much more expansive coverage for study abroad. </p>

<p>-Can’t say</p>

<p>-Don’t know about any sushi bars in ATX, but food, in general, is great if you pick the right place (of which there are many)</p>

<p>And another note, I don’t seem to understand your reasoning for “being just a number.” Yes, UT is big, but UNT is fairly large, too and I think the overall support from UT you’ll get will make you feel much more a part of the school. Of course, there are many ways in integrate yourself through organizations and research. UNT just isn’t the caliber of school that UT, so the resources just won’t be there. I think that complaint of blending in are those students who don’t take the initiative to DO something. They expect college to be like high school and just give them the opportunities. You have to make your imprint in some way by just starting to take a step.</p>

3

<p>Yes, UT is big. At first, it can be overwhelming when you come from a small place. I come from a town with 1072 people and a graduating class of 35. After a month into the semester, I no longer thought of UT and its size. It doesn’t seem so big after you are there a while. I see people I know every day. Professors know me by name. It is not as bad as you fear. </p>

<p>Austin and UT are liberal for Texas. This is not Manhattan or San Francisco however. I find the balance rather nice. YMMV. </p>

<p>I hate sushi and all seafood so I can’t help you there. Also, not in engineering or a study abroad program. Sorry. </p>

<p>UT’s engineering school is one of the best in the nation. UNT if fine, but not in the same league as UT. </p>

<p>As far as you being a band nerd and possibly not fitting it, I don’t see that happening. That is the best part of being at a large university. Anyone and everyone can fit in.</p>

4

<p>LHB has A LOT of engineering majors. </p>

<p>The past 2 drum majors have been engineers. They recently held auditions and the new Drum Major is an engineer! You’ll fit right in.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>UT is a far better engineering school. UT has one of the top ten engineering schools in the country–UNT simply does not compare.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. Unless you have financial or personal reasons for going to UNT, I would go with UT almost regardless of major.</p>

6

<p>The one thing about UT and engineering is… YOU BETTER HOLD ON THE NEXT 4-5 YEARS, FOR A TORNADO IS COMING YOUR WAY! I’ve heard from PLENTY of people that UT will do whatever it takes to washout the weak in the engineering department. I heard the engineering attrition rate is at around 50% for incoming freshmen. So you really need to make sure you can balance band and the curriculum, for you will most likeley be showed no mercy. goodluck on your decision.</p>

7

<p>A family friend went to UNT to pursue music performance, while there, he decided that he’d rather keep his music as a life-long hobby (he has a nice gigging income) and study engineering. UNT’s engineering program is so small that he has not been able to get the classes required to complete his degree. Since it is such a small program, it does not have many support services, like a strong career center or networking opportunities.</p>

<p>UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering REALLY takes care of engineering students. Not only is it a top ranked program with excellent faculty and research oportunities, they have their own Student Affairs Office, [Student</a> Support Services](<a href=“Undergraduate Education”>Undergraduate Education), including their own Study Abroad Office, [Study</a> Abroad](<a href=“Undergraduate Education”>Undergraduate Education).</p>

<p>My engineering son is in LHB. He said that over 70% of LHB members are engineers. Although football season is busy, the college band time commitment is less than a competitive HS band’s demands. A big plus is a built in network of friends, including upperclassmen in your major.</p>

8

<p>I majored in engineering many years ago at UT, and this fall my son will start studying biomedical engineering there (as an out-of-state student from a small Maine town). He was accepted to eight other schools, but decided on his own to go to UT. It does NOT feel that huge once you’re on campus. You settle in to your classes and make friends pretty quickly. I was “The Brain” in high school, not social at all, but at UT I felt comfortable and came out of my shell. I may have partied a little TOO much, lol.</p>

<p>My dad is still an engineering prof there. From knowing him and other engineering professors personally, I can tell you that they really do care about the students. Dad would have retired long ago if he didn’t enjoy guiding students. You’ll also have the opportunity to study under quite a few profs who are members of the National Academy of Engineering. When my son googled “biomedical engineering,” he discovered that the head of the UT BME department is not only a member of the NAE and NAS, he is considered one of the FOUNDERS of the field! How can you beat that??</p>

<p>My experience was that engineering students banded together to get through the tough classes. We studied together often.</p>

<p>Yes, Austin is liberal, but you won’t have any trouble finding conservatives on campus, if that’s who you’re looking for.</p>

<p>What kind of engineering will you be studying?</p>

<p>Good luck! I hope you go to UT - you won’t regret the decision.</p>

9

<p>There is NO CAMPARISON to UNT and UT…I would think that you would have a much better chance of meeting people at UT because of the fact the UNT is largely a commuter school. I would like for someone to chime in on FIGS though…</p>

<p>As far as UT being liberal…it does have that reputation, but there is also a huge contingent of conservative students there because, well, they are from Texas! I can say that there are about 10 students from my D’s high school alone that are going to UT in the fall and they are all VERY conservative.</p>

<p>UNT is nationally known for thier music program but that is really about it…you will have a HUGE alumni group pulling for you in the work place, if you stay in Texas, just because you are a LONGHORN…</p>

10

<ol>
<li><p>FIGS help somewhat, it all depends on who is in your FIG. It isn’t as cracked up as the administration makes it out to be in terms of meeting people (then again, what is?). I don’t even remember half the people in my FIG. </p></li>
<li><p>General vibe as best I can describe it is, “indifferent passionate longhorn pride”. Everyone loves football. Hook Em! B</p></li>
<li><p>Continuing band MIGHT kill you, it depends on how smart you are. If you’re a math whiz, then you’ll probably get by OK. </p></li>
<li><p>There are a lot of liberals at UT, but most of them aren’t “thinkers”. They are just SWPLs and Mexican Lovers. Then again, the conservatives aren’t exactly “thinkers” either. Probably 50L/30C/20I split.</p></li>
<li><p>Cockrell Engineering hands down. </p></li>
</ol>

<hr>

<p>Sushi-Uchi, Musashino Dokoro, Kyoto, lot’s of Sushi places, only a few good ones though.</p>

11

<p>@ WakeUp: Thank you for easing my concerns. I was worried about becoming a number because that is the most popular complaint I’ve seen on those sometimes untrustworthy “student review” websites. </p>

<p>@bizzee: Yay! The last 6 years of my life that I’ve spent dedicated to music wont be in vain!!</p>

<p>@Fiyero: I’m desperate to get out of Nowhere-ville, and Austin just sounds sooo great. I hope I do find somewhere to fit in as you’ve said!</p>

<p>@jr1038: +1 reason to attend UT. The UNT engineering school isn’t actually on the main campus…it’s 4 miles away. </p>

<p>@TigerBait: My status=intimidated. I’m no super genius in math, however I am above average. I hate quitting anything I begin and I’ve had a passion for engineering for awhile now. If I’m not one the super-genius math prodigies do I still have a chance?</p>

<p>@zlc: Thank you for the response. I didn’t realize that Such a high percentage of band members were engineers! 0.0 Now I’m positive that I will have no problems with networking. </p>

<p>@MaineLonghorn: haha once again your words have encouraged me to take the UT Austin route. Thanks for giving me such good advice. I still can’t choose between electrical and mechanical engineering as of right now, but hopefully a few resedential summer camps will help me out. </p>

<p>@ SWTCAT: Wow, it looks as if not very many are able to compete with UT in regards to reputation. </p>

<p>@Navyarf: I figured that the tour guide and brochures were exaggerating the
effectiveness of FIGs, nevertheless, I’m less concerned about fitting in now. </p>

<p>It would be even more reassuring if anyone else could post.</p>

12

<p>go to where you feel will be best for you, i have several friends that chose North Texas over UT for various reasons.(Size was a big factor) as you go on through life you will learn where rankings lack experiences acts.</p>

13

<p>

</p>

<p>Such helpful advice from our resident sage. </p>

<p>When UNT has 36,000 students and UT has 50,000 students, does the enrollment size really matter anymore? Both are going to feel like very large schools. However, UT actually has fewer large classes (with more than 100 students) and more smaller classes (less than 20) than UNT, according to the latest common data sets for the two schools. Based on this more important size metric UT would thus seem a better choice. </p>

<p>I would now caution the OP to ignore “advice” from pierrechn. Often you should just assume what he says to be false.</p>

14

<p>

joining the marching band or some other club would help</p>

<p>

The residential figs really give you a group of people to be with and people tend to stay friends. The “class” figs help ease your transition to UT but, as I understand it, have less lasting effect.</p>

<p>

People seem generally happy and busy. The campus is lively 24/7.</p>

<p>

Lots of engineering students in band. This is a great way to meet friends before the school year starts.</p>

<p>

It is my perception that most of the students are socially liberal. There are certainly plenty of economic conservatives, especially (perhaps - sorry to stereotype) among the fraternity members from the more traditional houses.</p>

<p>UT is great but you can’t just sit in your dorm and wait for fun to come to you and you can’t just show up at classes and hope knowledge will slide into your brain. You need to put yourself out there, join something (band is good) or be active in the dorm and make some friends. Start at orientation. Facebook friend the people you meet and keep in touch with them a bit between orientatin and the start of school.</p>

<p>You need to participate in class and study with friends and visit the T.A.'s. No one is going to spoon-feed you, especially in engineering. </p>

<p>UT is great. Good luck.</p>

15

<p>@Maine you have connects so do you think your dad helped your son get in? even with the stats im sure if my father was a professor their i would have got in lol thats pretty cool though</p>

16

<p>No, family connections don’t help at UT. When you think about how huge the school is, if they gave preferential treatment to each faculty’s family members, no one else would get in!</p>

17

<p>*What is the general ambiance of UT Austin, I don’t want to walk around receiving bad vibes from everyone.

  • This is my first semester here and I really like the ambiance.
  • Whether UT Austin’s students are liberal thinkers or not, I receive mixed answers. Would anyone wish to clarify this controversy?
  • I would definitely say the majority of people are liberal. I have met some conservative people. If you’re not in a class where this kind of stuff will be brought up, then you probably wouldn’t know either way lol. I just happen to be in a philosophy morals class. But in your major you probably won’t encounter this kind of stuff much.
  • How is the sushi bar?
  • Awesome- there are so many asian restaurants around here and several sushi bars right next to campus
  • On the topic of becoming just a number, I don’t think it’s that bad. There are tons of social events and things to get involved in to make friends. I have been to 3 different colleges in my past 2 years (public and private, small and big) and if you’re concerned about being a number when it comes to the school aspect, I think the only big difference is not being able to ask tons of questions in class and not having the teacher look after you as much to make sure you understand. Personally, I like UT better
    Also (not to sound stuck up or anything lol) I think you will get a better education and your degree will be looked on more highly if you go to UT over North Texas.</p>