<p>To be terse, I am basically considering two huge state schools at the moment, one of which is UT austin. At UT, I will have less financial aid (being out of state this is an important factor) and I am just an inch below the requirements for the honors program. At OSU, I am getting decent aid (about 30%) and just meet the requirements for the honors program. So, where do you guys reckon I sould go to? For one thing, I know that being a honors at osu means priority scheduling, which is great since some intro classes tend to weed out incoming freshmen. Is the benefit of being a honors student in this case enough to counterbalance the fact that UT is overall more prestigious?</p>
<p>Also, would you say both schools will offer comparable opportunities and academics?</p>
<p>Money is somewhat a factor and honors housing is also a plus since I will dorm in the school. My intended major is psychology/neurobiology/accounting (bear with me) and I plan on applying to dentistry schools afterwards. At either school, I will likely try to transfer to a more competitve university, such as NYU or rice, at the end of sophomore year, so the plan is to go in and get the highest GPA and number of ECs possible.</p>
<p>Who told you UT is more prestigious? And if you are planning to transfer, why does it matter?</p>
<p>Go where you'll do well, expect to enjoy it and learn, and maybe you won't have to transfer. And for dentistry school, no one is going to care in the least.</p>
<p>Mark19 - for starters, I know very little specifically about either OSU or UT, so take my advice with that in mind.</p>
<p>Honors designation and priority registration is usually a huge leg up, and in general, the larger the school, the bigger the advantage of priority registration. Getting the classes you want as a frosh may make the difference between being able to transfer and not, finishing in 4 years or 6, going to summer school or not.</p>
<p>Also as a prospective dentist, sometimes it is better to be a big fish in a small pond, so if you fall a little short of honors at UT (I'm assuming regular honors, not the super prestigious program), you might have an easier track to dental school at a solid state university that is even a little less prestigious than OSU. </p>
<p>Do you plan to practice dentistry in Ohio? If so, I can't see the value in the UT-Austin degree or the extra cost.</p>
<p>If you are planning to transfer, the "prestige" of the UT vs OSU name will not matter even to those who believe in it and believe UT is more prestigious. As your degree will not be from either of these schools.</p>
<p>No, If everything goes as planned, I will probably come back to NY/NJ to practice the profession.</p>
<p>I mentioned prestige because everyone these days--well, at least hs students-- seems to be placing alot of emphasis on college rankings, and because I may persue a minor in chemistry.</p>
<p>One more thing, both shools are a match for my status; I also applied to psu, but I doubt I will be accepted due to the lower acceptance rate at UP, which is an extremely popular campus.</p>
<p>Actually, after giving it some thought, I am pretty sure I will aply as a tranfer to NYU and perhaps a smaller university after my second year at any of those schools. I would have applied now, but my current standing just aren't high enough for higly selective, private colleges.</p>
<p>I don't think grad schools or future employers care nearly as much as CC student posters about prestige. Though I will admit my undergrad degree at Harvard got me a job in Germany even though it was my grad school degree from Columbia (in architecture) which had actually taught me the material I needed to know. That however was an exceptional circumstance. Quick name the second most famous university in France (which is actually probably more prestigeous than the Sorbonne - can't do it can you?) :)</p>
<p>Why does a dentist need a "prestige school"? If if s/he did, wouldn't it be the prestige of the dental school (I'll admit that, to me, uninformed as I am, that sounds like an oxymoron) that counts?</p>
<p>As of now, I am taking in consideration the general school (undergraduate study) first. I don't really care about the prestige of the corresponding dental schools, fo I know this is irrelevant for the time being.</p>
<p>"Would anyone else care to touch on my original questions?"</p>
<p>Your original questions were answered. It doesn't make a hill-of-beans worth of difference. Go where you'll feel comfortable, feel challenged, do well, and have some money left over for dental school.</p>
<p>I second the above and add only that debt is no fun and that you'll incurr plenty of it at NYU if you go. So pick the less expensive option where you will also enjoy the benefits of the honors program.</p>
<p>That's a reasonable candidate, I was thinking of the Ecole Normale Superieure - which is really more than one school. We'd have to ask Marite for a definitive answer if there is one. The point - such as it was - being that prestige is a pretty local phenomena.</p>