<p>@flanaganml My major is Petroleum Engineering. Which good fraternities do you know? I am not near being “Vietnamese”…</p>
<p>Wellness centre works Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; and how could I have skipped that final?</p>
<p>Wellness Centre doesn’t even have a dentist; not sure what kind of services they provide; but I have to pay 1500$ per year for “Health Insurance” which proved to be useless when I got sick.</p>
<p>@andersfrom so what is the average number of classes freshmen have?</p>
<p>Sent from my PC36100 using CC</p>
<p>Depends completely up to you. I noticed that most American students have 12-13 hours; international students who are under scholarships usually take 17-19 hours.</p>
<p>@andersfrom I’m civil engineering. I suggest joining Engineers without borders. and you don’t have to be Vietnamese to join!! They welcome everyone. And you aren’t necessarily invited to parties, you just hear about them and go. And @notagdi I took 14 hours this first semester and I’m taking 16 in spring.</p>
<p>
It’s not as easy as it sounds; first, how do I get to know the location/time? second, even if I do know, how do I get there? If for me getting to the Walmart and buying food is a great challenge (have to wait 1 hour before the cap arrives! they also charge me 40$ which is ridiculously expensive), how am I going to move around the city?</p>
<p>@andersfrom usually I have friends who text me where the parties are, and we all go together. Just start talking to people in your class/people around your dorm. They know where parties are.</p>
<p>As far as transportation, splitting a taxi with friends or having a friend with a car can solve that issue. But there are many great parties that are just a walking distance away.</p>
<p>
I was initially at another dorm, but I basically now reside in New Boston Hall, and to be honest, I really can feel the great difference in the atmosphere between the Boston Hall and Wall/Gates Hall or any other dorm. I found the students at Wall/Gates to be more “united” and having a greater interaction with each other; in my new dorm, Boston Hall, everyone is like more affluent and higher in class than students in other dorms, and students in Boston Hall are alien to each other and don’t normally talk. However, Boston is much comfortable in its layout than other dorms (personal rooms, semi-private bathrooms, etc), but again, the atmosphere is not so warm there as it is in other dorms.
I plan to rent an apartment my second year, but I heard that you have to own a gun to be able to live safely off-campus, is that true?
I personally found it much easier to talk to someone in other dorms (besides boston).
As for approaching people in the classroom, it just happened that I took some classes that were mostly composed of international students, and this really was a set-back because I want to befriend mostly American students (from Dallas/Houston).
But when I managed to “spark” a conversation, it all was gone once the lecture was over, and everyone went their own ways, despite appearing friendly and such. This is what drives me nuts! How can somebody appear so friendly, and then just throw you away?!</p>
<p>I guess it’s just a part of a culture of people there; there’s definitely a very poor international body which is mostly composed of Indian/Bangladeshi students. The thing is that those students, despite being officially “internationals,” are not really international students. For example, an Indian student who attended a British High School in Delhi and studied there 12 years in English Language, is not so “international” as compared to a student from Poland, who studied 11 years in Polish language, had no interaction with the native speakers of English, and just came to the U.S. And, it seems that tech’s problem is that they have everybody mixed up, and “real” international students are really being put into a significant disadvantage than American students. For instance, let’s consider a Thanksgiving holiday. An *average Tech student (definition of an average Tech student at the bottom of the reply), went to his/her home to have a “relaxing break” and eat turkey. Meanwhile, I and other fellow foreign students were left to starve, as the university closed all food places around the campus. I was personally left with no choice other than to go to the local fast food restaurant, which was 3 miles away (6 miles on foot both ways), and nearly escaped being hit by moving vehicles. I don’t understand; why doesn’t this city have a single pedestrian line?! I had to run across the highway, and sounds of honking and asphalt friction had horrified me; I said to myself, “What?! I could have died b/c of this?!.” The way university managed the Thanksgiving for international students was totally out of the border; we were left to starve, and had to risk our lives to get some low quality fast-food burgers.
As for academics, some professors have no compassion nor any reasonable understanding of a student. Especially in English classes, this is blatantly evident; I found studying to be really challenging; I don’t know, maybe I took it much seriously than the rest of other students, but this is a college after all! It seems as if 80% of tech’s students really came there to socialize, have fun, and party 24/7. I also heard some disturbing news: 2.5 GPA+1500 SAT, and a student will be guaranteed an admission! I was like “what?!” What about the Extracurricular Activities? Application Essays? Personal Statements? Recommendations? SAT IIs? Nothing. IMHO, the university should really toughen the admission process, and really monitor what kind of people they are accepting. Maybe, Tech wouldn’t be 175th in the nation then.
Anyway, I would really appreciate if you could comment/advise/give feedback on information that I presented throughout this reply.</p>
<p>*An average Tech Student
–>U.S. Citizen
–>Lives within 5-7 hour (driving time) radius of Lubbock (f ex. Dallas/Houston/Austin/etc)
–>GPA 2.5
–>SAT 1400-1550
–>Takes 12-13 hrs per semester/gets a D in 1 of these classes; earns ~10 hrs with Bs and Cs;gets As in summer while attending a local community college
–>Goes home 2-3 times a month</p>
<p>@Andersfrom where did you get the info on the average tech student? That sounds like very few people that I know! And There is a Whataburger and Mcdonald’s right across from campus on both sides of campus. I would just take the dive into being social and talking to people. Trust me, that works.</p>
<p>
The information about average tech student comes from my observation of students there. To which characteristic do people that you know not fit? I went to McDonalds that day; it was very far; I had to walk for a while to get there.
Where besides classroom can I meet people? Any more of comments about my previous reply?</p>
<p>@Andersfrom The sub usually has a lot of social events where you can meet other people. And about dining off campus, there are a host of restaurants right across the school on university. But I say the best way to make friends is to just ask people in your class about the assignments. Also, suggest studying together prior to taking a test.</p>
<p>I recently got admitted to ttu.I am from Nepal and plan on majoring in petro eng. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are foreign students treated equally in ttu? According to andersfrom, ttu does not provide a good atmosphere for international students.Is it a good idea to study here?</p></li>
<li><p>Can you also tell me the dorms which would be best for me. I want to make many friends.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>@dustaatma</p>
<p>I can’t really say anything about how foreign students are treated, since I don’t know any. </p>
<p>However as for the dorms, it depends on what you atmosphere you are comfortable with. Weymouth has a bunch of frat guys, lots of partying, and many visits from the police. It is a very social atmosphere though if you are into that kind of stuff. I know a lot of guys that are in Murdough and like it. It is mostly freshman but it’s very open and social from what I hear. The dining hall there is also one of the most affordable(half off) and best tasting in my opinion. If you are very studious and need your own room to study and such I would try Murray. Murray is a suite style but you do share a common room with 3 other people, so it isn’t antisocial unless you choose to stay in your room with the door closed all the time. Murray is about half freshman, half upperclassman and is pretty social overall. There are study lounges, a TV lounge, and a dining hall downstairs. It also has a fairly good location on campus for the rec, science, and engineering buildings. Not sure why, but the people in Boston seem to not socialize much from what I have heard. Boston and Carpenter/Wells are going to be the least social for sure.</p>
<p>@andersfrom: </p>
<p>Well, I was going to ask you the specific country you came from in Europe, but I am assuming it is Poland? Either way, I think it is terrific that you decided to come to the US to study. I do apologize, though, that your visit thus far has been definitely unpleasant. You asked for comments and such at the end of your last post, so if you don’t mind I would like to do so:</p>
<p>Firstly, I am not sure if I said this before on this thread but this upcoming semester will be my first semester at Tech. I am actually transferring from Texas A&M because honestly, I was indecisive in my planning. My first year there I was in the Corps, and say what you all want about it but it was definitely challenging; especially with my hours above the “average Tech student”. But with that and not being exactly sure what to pursue, I took mostly my general education classes, coupled with naval and foreign language classes. It wasn’t really 'til last semester I decided to go into business; at A&M, however, there is a cap on how many hours one can have before matriculating in the business college. I am over that limit, and so, I am here. So far I haven’t regretted but then again, Spring 2013 hasn’t started.</p>
<p>I definitely understand when you said, “This is what drives me nuts! How can somebody appear so friendly, and then just throw you away?!” And I agree with you wholeheartedly! Currently, I am residing in the Dallas area (about 5 miles from Dallas), but I am from New Orleans. I moved here in 2005. I do like the area somewhat but what you mentioned does not seem like a Tech problem but rather a Texas problem! My family and I all agreed that Texas just seems indifferent to newcomers, even if they’re from the states. Majority SEEMS…again I say, SEEMS to care not for a little change and to me, my family; and a classmate, whom I befriended and is from South Africa, this come across as unfriendly. There are some who take the time and talk with you in class but at the end of the class period, it’s as if you never talked with them. The “friendship” ends at the door of the classroom as the students leave. It aggravates me verily! Louisiana is much more vibrant and friendlier. Perhaps, as some have conveyed to me, it is because of the history–being of European (French) decent. It doesn’t really matter to me what it is, but Texas needs to do something about it.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that Thanksgiving was miserable! I remember last year that it was the same for me. I stayed on campus for Thanksgiving because a couple of days later I was going with the German department to, naturally, Germany! That part was worth it for me I guess. But to reply about everything closing down and such, I am not sure if it is for every school but at A&M it was the same. For the Thanksgiving break everything was shut down on campus, including the delicatessen and other food places. I, being the kiddo I am, decided to just order some Chinese and spaced it for the few days. </p>
<p>You mentioned the academics at Tech, and now I am a bit worried about the professors. It’s not that I am looking for a hand out or an easy grade, but I do hate when it seems as if the professor only wants a certain number of A’s, B’s, etc. in the class so he/she makes it nearly impossible. There weren’t many of those at A&M except for the math professors, though. I agree with you again with the standards of Tech. But then again, looking at what you posted as the standards and comparing those with the acceptance rate (66%), I suppose the school does not want to change too quickly and lose out on more people? Looking at those scores, I am really surprised that the rate is what it is. I am definitely not saying that I am the brightest thing since sliced bread because I do have my streaks when I am lazy…especially my senior year in high school; but, I do think Tech can and should raise their automatic acceptance standards along with the rest. As you said, it will help their rank. As long as Tech continues these standards, the longer the students will think that college is 24/7 party and it is acceptable to make D’s! Or maybe is it the American culture? That may be pushing it a bit by saying it’s a cultural problem, but I’ve recalled a girl at A&M who was an English major, in her junior year, didn’t know basic grammar when writing, and told me it’s okay because Daddy is paying for it. I am definitely not trying to say I’m better but at the same time my parents and grandparents are not from here. Though born in America, I definitely wouldn’t say I grew up like most Americans. And the same with a few of my friends. </p>
<p>Anyways, I apologize for the long reply, man. I do hope you have a better semester in America and at Tech. Perhaps, I can see you there!</p>
<p>Are freshmen allowed to live in murray hall?</p>
<p>Do you know anything about sneed hall or Bledsoe Hall ?</p>
<p>@dustaatma</p>
<p>Murray used to be only for upperclassman, but is now open to freshman. The housing website doesn’t reflect this, but plenty of freshman live there.</p>
<p>I heard that Bledsoe is pretty good. From my understanding it is fairly social, but not as many Frat guys. The buffet attached to it is decent.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about Sneed, sorry.</p>
<p>For staying in the dorms , what is Coleman Hall like?</p>
<p>@skilli1109</p>
<p>I haven’t heard anything bad about Coleman. I’ve been told it is mostly freshman but besides that I really don’t know much about it, sorry.</p>
<p>Do yall know of any students at tech with the IB diploma? It’s a super rigorous highschool program and I was just wondering how these students fair at tech? I do not worry about being able to keep up with work at tech but from what i hear the IB students at UT in McCombs business find even that extremely easy and barely have to work.</p>
<p>I applied for Petroleum engineering, but have been accepted to the pre-engineering program, what is that? how long will that take to complete?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>@dustaatma Congratulations on your acceptance!! Since you are a petroleum engineering major, I recommend staying at Bledsoe or Sneed next year. These two dorms are 90% engineering students I believe. I personally recommend Sneed because it’s convenient and the rooms are nicer. If you want to make friends it’s best to stay in an area where people are the same majors. You’ll most likely take the same classes and you can study together.</p>