LSU vs UTexas

Colleges and Universities A-Z Louisiana State University
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<p>For a geology/ geography related major...</p>

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<p>My parents would be fine to pay for UT but I may want to attend grad school so if I chose LSU they would pay for that. </p>

<p>My primary concern is obviously to get a job afterward but I am planning to get a masters degree so how important is it that I choose the more prestigious school for undergrad? Which school would make it easier for me to get into a respected grad school program and ultimately get me a better job?</p>

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<p>Wow, your almost in the same boat as me, except my parents don’t wanna pay for any of my college. :p</p>

<p>Anyway,I’ve been doing my own little search for things that would make LSU worthwhile, since, as you said, it isn’t the most prestigious school ect. and I think it comes down to what you do at LSU. A few years back, even before LSU started pursuing the flagship agenda, they had a student win a full ride to Oxford. More recently, honors students have won some of the more prestigious national awards (take what I say with a grain of salt, since I cant find the links.)</p>

<p>I don’t know about a geology major, but I want to go into chemistry, and eventually get a doctorate. I asked some of my professors how much a lesser know school would have a impact on getting into grad school, and they said that the transcripts and the research had way more an impact then name. Send some emails professors in your desired field, or to grad schools you want to get into and ask what they think.</p>

<p>That being said, you gotta go where you’ll be happy. I think if your a bright enough student, LSU wouldn’t hold you back from any opportunities, but if you were to be miserable for 4 years, it probably would be better to go to UT, if you would like it better.</p>

<p>Anyway, sounds like your in honors since you got a full ride, so maybe I’ll see you there next year. Or better yet, the Spring Orientation. If you don’t, good luck at UT. Either way, you still have a month and a half before the national college deadline.</p>

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<p>I had a similar dilemma with my d2 who was choosing between LSU and UT. She found out about LSU and basic full OOS tuition in December and there was a long wait for UT admission which came in late March. She chose UT for a number of reasons and I think school quality was not as important as proximity to our home and her best friend going there. When we visited LSU for an event we were very impressed with the geology program–a number of PHD’s there seem to have gotten their degrees from UT. </p>

<p>My d is interested in paleontology and info I got from one of those types at LSU said some of their graduates had gained admission to some top paleo programs; one that comes to mind is U of Chicago. </p>

<p>The bottom line is you cant go wrong from an academic standpoint picking LSU. I’m thinking my d3 will select LSU, because of the opporftunities in the Anthropology department.</p>

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<p>@af090391- So you chose LSU? Are you doing the honors program?</p>

<p>@mypsych97- So you think there would not be a significant advantage for grad school admission with a geology UT undergrad education vs. LSU?</p>

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<p>This is the reason a lot of Texans come to LSU. The scholarships are a big perk.</p>

<p>I’m in the honors program, if you have questions about that I can answer.</p>

<p>As for your grad school question, not only would there not be a significant advantage, there would be NO advantage. LSU is a reputable school and grad schools know if you succeed here, you can succeed anywhere. LSU has a high rate of dropouts, but the students who graduate have ample opportunities.</p>

<p>In fact, LSU might be more advantageous in grad school admissions, because a lot want more diversity in undergrads and Texas schools are far more represented than Louisiana ones. </p>

<p>LSU has graduates at just about every graduate school, Harvard Law, Johns Hopkins Medical School, and just about any you can imagine.</p>

<p>That said, UT might be a better fit socially. LSU isn’t very accomodating for out of state students in terms of on campus dining and weekend activities (not including parties and football games).</p>

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<p>I think if you want to study at UT for graduage geology you might have a leg up if you graduate from UT, but I know many professional people who are LSU grads who are impressive. Houston is a real hotbed for LSU alums. Rambling a bit here, but no I don’t believe there would be any significant advantage in terms of getting into graduate school.</p>

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<p>@LSU8888- how have you liked the honors program so far? Are the classes harder than those at the regular program? I’m worried joining the honors program would loweor my GPA do you think thats valid?</p>

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<p>I know that this was directed at LSU8888, but I thought I would answer anyway. I’ve experienced, with one exception (Orgo I), that all my honors courses were easier or the same than other similar courses that I’ve taken or friends have taken. That being said, it’s not that the material or the coursework is easier per se, but that I feel like that on the whole either the professor are more lenient towards grading the work or that just in general everyone in the class tends to do well (All As and Bs with some Cs).</p>

<p>On another note, I think when choosing where you decide to go, you should consider what your career ambitions are. If you plan on being in academia, I think <em>might</em> help that you have a diversified background (i.e. don’t do your undergrad and grad at UT-A or LSU for that matter). Otherwise, if just as a career, I think your grad school plays a bigger role in where you end up.</p>

<p>But as I’m a firm believer in, as long as you apply yourself and take advantage of opportunities around you, you can end up in great grad schools independent of what undergrad you went to.</p>