<p>The size of the classes depends on the school, your major, and the level. It's difficult to generalize. There are huge 100 level classes at smaller colleges, and ones which can fit nicely around a big table at large schools. Probably in general, a big state school would on average have larger classes. You can usually look online at the list of courses available for next semester registration, and the pages often include the instructor name if available as well as the number of students who are currently registered. My D goes to a excellent public university and her classes so far have all been under 20! She is just starting out, and that will not always be the case, but that has just been our experience.</p>
<p>Petros - UT, UCSB and Boulder all have a similar reputation -- good public universities that offer excellent facilities, top professors and classes in just about anything a student would want to study. How much you get out of them depends on you: these are big schools and you will need to be proactive about your experience. No one will hold your hand at any of them, and if you want a closer relationship with your professors and a more personal experience -- it's up to you to make the effort. If you do, you will be pleased: American professors are very approachable and student-oriented. And everyone loves Italians :) You seem like an energetic, outgoing person so I don't think you will have problems there. </p>
<p>So the big issue with these three is the overall atmosphere: Austin is a wonderful city, but many people dislike Texas in itself - too conservative, too gun-happy, too cowboyish. About Santa Barbara, which I know pretty well: the campus itself is architecturally NOT pretty but the setting is stunning. Isla Vista is fun, but limited in what it can offer. The school does have a party reputation but in a school that size you will have no problem finding a group of people that suits you. The downside of Santa Barbara is that you'd need a car to get out of it -- and if you like more urban areas (such as Austin or Denver) you may be bored there. If you do have a car, however, you'd have access to a HUGE variety of places to visit: all of LA, the desert, mountains, wine country, rugged coast. California offers just about everything you'd want -- but again, a car is absolutely necessary. Boulder as you discovered is also pretty, and outdoorsy. You'd have plenty of opportunities to ski/snowboard (though the closest good areas are still an hour away by car, more for Vail/Copper Mt) but in terms of exploring it IS limited to mountains. If you get tired of mountains, you have to leave the state for a bit of geographic/cultural variety. Also, for an American campus, it's fairly white and upper-middle-class: there is relatively little racial/economic diversity at the school and in town. </p>
<p>These are nice choices to have. You really can't make a terrible decision no matter which you choose.</p>
<p>About partying: there is a lot of hard partying in most American schools, and yes, there will be partying on all these campuses. For a European it will seem strange: getting drunk seems to be a sport here. Also, at Boulder and UCSB, you'll notice a kind of anti-intellectual attitude -- which can be misleading. There are thousands of very serious students there. They just don't advertise it!</p>
<p>UCSB -Amtrak has a small station not far from UCSB in addition to the larger station in SB itself where you can head down south to LA. You can also take a grayhound bus to LA. Or I would bet it is fairly easy to find a ride to either LA or SF on any given weekend. You would not need a car to get around campus or IV.</p>
<p>the problem with taking Amtrack to LA -- without a car, what on earth can you do once you get off the train?</p>
<p>In the many countries I have visited in Western Europe, getting drunk was as much of a sport as it is here in the US. I didn't visit colleges, however, just places where adults go. :-)</p>
<p>spideygirl -- true, true europeans do drink. but because they can legally drink sooner, and because there is a culture of drinking alcohol with meals at home, they generally know their limits better than their young american counterparts.</p>
<p>I hope you are correct in general, Katliamom, but my personal experience showed otherwise. I saw some pretty wild partying in Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Italy. And that wasn't even at post-soccer championship bashes. </p>
<p>Just because American fraternities are perfecting the partying technique does not mean that it doesn't go on everywhere.<br>
:-)</p>
<p>OK - I guess I need to revise my opinion on second review. I would be surprised if European colleges had as much of a problem with people not knowing their limits as we do here. Big partying is everywhere, but it is true that we would probably win the prize.</p>
<p>he he he spideygirl -- you have the makings of a lawyer :)</p>
<p>Here in Europe we start drinking at early age..and we drink a lot!!!But from what i have seen in the USA people can´t hold their liquor..they drink until the pass out...that´s something i don´t understand..maybe is because you need to wait until you 21...so when they hit that age they jus go crazy....I drink because i really appreciate beer and wine..not to get waisted....
Ok let´s get back on the schools...
California is sounding very tempting right now....i need more feedback on UT austin and UC boulder</p>
<p>
[quote]
Austin is a wonderful city, but many people dislike Texas in itself - too conservative, too gun-happy, too cowboyish
[/quote]
But he will be in Austin, not in "Texas". Plenty liberal, not conservative, not gun-happy, not a cowboy in sight except perhaps at the Broken Spoke two-stepping (dancing) to the bluegrass band. Home of Barton Springs, birthplace of Whole Foods Market, location of failed political campaign of Leslie (a crossdressing street person who ran for mayor) and where we embrace the slogan "Keep Austin Weird". :) UT has a great rep - and the McCombs business school is top-notch. Check out the UT website, read the CC UT boards, etc. We know plenty, plenty of kids at UT that really like it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
UT has a great rep - and the McCombs business school is top-notch.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Petros, were you accepted at the McCombs School of Business!</p>
<p>If you were, then the question of reputation becomes moot. UT Austin is head and shoulders above the other programs in business. Unless one NEEDS to have access to the beach or the mountains, I do not see how one could turn the best school at the best price. You also posted "i hate beach" ...</p>
<p>And if selectivity matters to you, you should know that for many Texans, CU-Boulder is often the first school on their list when they are rejected by one of the UT-Texas programs that require a specific application.</p>
<p>As for Texas and the perceptions, as a transplanted Texan, (haven't met many "real Texans - our neighbors and co-workers are mostly former Yankees, and glad of it!) I can tell you that yes, there is this impression of gun-toting conservatives, but Austin, Houston, Dallas, SA, the larger areas are mostly transplanted Yankees, and are very multi-cultural and sophisticated. Austin is very liberal, and is the "live music capital of the world." The Texans that I have met are warm, caring, giving, people, who love to welcome you. Austin is such a vibrant city, with state legislature and college. You couldn't go wrong there, especially if it's cheap, plus it has a good national ranking.</p>
<p>If you want to pursue global business opportunities, then the choice is really between UT and UCSB. Yes, Texans are hard-partying, gun-toting and a tad conservative, but they are also among the most business savvy citizens in America. My sons run into UT grads all over the globe. And what are they doing? Setting themselves up to jump into global businesses. And having a good time along the way. ;)</p>
<p>Californians are very California-centric. It's the weather. It's too gorgeous to leave. That's why Stanford and USC take mostly California residents. If you want to go into entertainment or IT, then it makes sense to head to a Californian school. If you picture yourself somewhere else on the globe, then I'm not sure UCSB has advantages over UT.</p>
<p>All three business schools will be challenging. If you get swept away by the partying you will not do well. </p>
<p>Talk to your parents. What if you went to UT and used the 'savings' to travel to the best ski spots--and summer internships--in Silicon Valley or New York City, for example. You should be able to get amazing internships for all three summers. Or you could pursue immersive Arabic or immersive mandarin.</p>
<p>Think outside of the box.</p>
<p>ps..in case you don't know...xiggi is one of the student gurus on CC. He knows the Texas system quite well.</p>
<p>xiggi -- good point about Boulder being "the first school on [Texans'] list when they are rejected by one of the UT-Texas programs that require a specific application" As someone familiar with the school, I can tell you that at one point nearly 25% of the student body was from out-of-state (at that time mostly from California) many of whom did not get into the more selective UCs. Also, Boulder (as opposed to the UCs, don't know about Texas) is very welcoming to out-of-state students because they bring in more money than the locals.</p>
<p>Petros, congratulations on your choices.</p>
<p>My D attends CU-Boulder (School of Journalism and College of Arts and Sciences - double major) and my S will attend there in a year (rising high school senior). Great school for lots of reasons. Our daughter has an absolutely wonderful and academically challenging first year. Made a lot of friends and had a heck of a lot of fun. </p>
<p>I do know that The Leeds School of Business at CU will meet this fall in a brand new, multi-million dollar building.</p>
<p>I don't know anything other than by reputation about UT, Emory, and UCSB, so I can't make any comparisons.</p>
<p>But if you DO decide to attend CU-Boulder and have questions, please feel free to drop me a line.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>hi Petros-- I'm not a ucsb grad, but I have worked there and have friends/relatives there now. It's true ucsb has a strong faculty -- the Nobel winners of course, in chem/physics research -- but undergrads won't generally have contact with them. All the UC campuses have a decent reputation. At ucsb, the business major is as strong as any. You'd get a good education, and it's true Santa Barbara's Mediterraean climate is about perfect.
Downside? Definitely. Budget cuts creating overcrowded classes, disgruntled low-end faculty. Plenty of low-end students doing just enough to get by. Overwhelming binge drinking (blucroo spoke of the IV ghetto, but forgot to mention the vomit, stench, crudity).
But heh--life's a beach.</p>
<p>Katalia. LA now has a subway! I spent one summer job hunting without a car. There's more public transportation than you might think.</p>
<p>Blucroo, I thought you went to Boulder for rock climbing. ;) (At least it seemed that was pretty much my cousin's major there!)</p>
<p>ok..thank you guys
My mother gave me an e-mail from a Italian(son of my mothers friend) who studied at University of South Carolina so sent him an e-mail about my situation.He said that it would be more interesting to go to UC boulder or UT Austin because i would get to know the typical american lifestyle.It makes sense , if i´m wishing to experince something totaly new .what do you guys think?</p>
<p>There is NOTHING TYPICAL about the lifestyle in Boulder. Boulder is young, very white, very upper-middle class, intellectual, very liberal politically, very outdoorsy, very politically correct -- </p>
<p>Put it this way: it is often referred to as The People's Republic of Boulder (signifying its politics are so liberal they are almost -- gasp! -- socialist.)</p>
<p>PS I really like Boulder. But a lot of Americans wouldn't -- and don't. </p>
<p>PS If you really want something different -- Texas, definitely. It's exotic even to us Americans :) (And as others say, Austin is a fabulous city. Great food, great music, good people and a lot of culture)</p>