<p>First of, one thing I love about the people of Texas is that they simply do not have this snobbish, stuck up attitude of the northeast (particularly the affluent). </p>
<p>Second of, Columbia ppl think that ANY university that's not ranked in the Top 10-15 is considered "second tier". For crying out loud, ppl who go to Princeton think that UPenn is "second tier". That's just the way it is. The school the person attends is only slightly ranked higher than another great school, but that person makes a big deal of it. I guess that's the price we pay for having a competitive society. <em>Sigh.</em></p>
<p>Well, in ursdad's defense, I'm in Texas and (granted I get in somewhere besides UT-Austin), I'm getting the hell out of Texas! Other than Austin, the culture in Texas is definitely too conservative for my taste.</p>
<p>ursdad-
As a native new yorker and a Rice junior, I just have to disagree with your statement that the culture is too different to deal with, and hence you would try to dissuade your daughter from attending school in Texas. Although there are certainly some differences between Texas and New York, on the whole these differences are interesting, fun, and not at all overwhelming. Rice is comprised of more than 50% of students from outside of Texas, and certainly has far more New Yorkers (in number) than Scripps (New Yorkers per capita at the two schools is remarkably close - 1.9% at Rice and 1.8% at Scripps). </p>
<p>I would argue, ursdad, that college should be a time of learning about diverse perspectives. Diversity should not only be about color of skin, but also about diversity of thought. Great minds don't think alike at all - great minds think differently, and want to explore these differences. </p>
<p>As a result, I would never discourage my daughter from attending school in Texas, or anywhere where I thought she would have the ability to step outside her comfort zone and learn from others different from her.</p>
<p>Also, I hope that you encourage your daughter, wherever she ends up, to study abroad - I'm in Australia right now, and it's been a great experience.</p>
<p>PS to all - As much as I think ursdad's generalizations about Texas are crazy, I also strongly dislike the generalization of Northeasterners as closeminded and stuck up. People everywhere are individuals!</p>
<p>I wouldn't be surprised if the top choice stops in Texas, after Rice undergrad, are BCM and UT Southwestern. If someone choses graduate school for a PhD or MBA, one will likely be headed out of state, e.g. California, Massachusetts, NY, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan or Penn. Maybe UT Law for a JD.</p>
<p>A lot of those top UT profs are either trophy or research profs that will not be expected to interact with hoi polloi undergrads. Even graduate schools, "reward" some outstanding graduate school students with fellowship options that require minimal exposure to undergraduates as TAs. </p>
<p>UT Austin has tremendous assets that can be credited with elevating the bidding game for fame to a new level in the 1970s. Plan II programs some interaction with some of the top faculty. A Plan II kid, with double barreled (near) 800s, patents or published papers, will probably be able to talk on a casual basis with most any top faculty s/he takes a shine to and makes an extra effort.</p>
<p>Yes. Basically Plan II = UT's stellar faculty and resources as a major research university + a smaller, more selective undergrad experience more in line with a private</p>
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waaat. I go to Rice and I just have to say that Rice is waaay better than UT
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<p>Rice is indeed an excellent school! But my initial point still stands... UT is stronger than Rice in nearly every academic discipline and has resources Rice can't match. The only real debate is how this translates to a comparison of the undergrad experience.</p>
<p>There are quite a few state schools that are stronger in nearly every academic discipline than most privates, including many in the top 25. USNWR doesn't really care much about that when they make their ratings.</p>