<p>Well, since we’re singing Aggie praises, I’ll say this burnt-orange mom was highly skeptical this summer when we visited A&M, but we all came back pleasantly surprised. It’s higher on ds’s list than UT. There is a section for college visits, and A&M (as well as SMU, I believe) have sections.</p>
<p>As a former expat - I can understand your frustration at not being able to visit too many campuses. That is one reason I am glad we came back to the US last year (for older son’s junior year).</p>
<p>Trinity is a lovely school and I know several people who have graduated and loved it. The smaller size might also help with getting to know people.</p>
<p>As for Rice - go for it! From what I have heard, they are trying to increase their “non-TX” population. Several people have recommended that DS apply there (since we really aren’t “from” TX), but since we live in Houston - I really want him to go somewhere else.</p>
<p>Uof Houston - there are a lot of positives about this school, but I think the high commuter population would be hard for your son. </p>
<p>Have you looked at TX A&M? My son has ruled it out completely (no interest at all) - but I think one of his friends is going there for a CS/CE type degree.</p>
<p>On the plus side - everything I am hearing from admissions folks is that the international/overseas experience my sons have had will serve them well in the admissions process. Not a slam dunk, but definitely something that is appealing and something that will give them the edge over someone with similar stats.</p>
<p>oops - I missed the whole serious of posts on A&M!!! Sorry!</p>
<p>Aggie!!! </p>
<p>j/k :D</p>
<p>Hey, thanks folks! Will look at the TAMU webpage again. Its really really hard to finalize a list without visiting. Very frustrating an very scary too. </p>
<p>But I am happy to hear from the Aggies on here! Perhaps some of you can PM me some more info? I would love to hear more, esp abt the CS/CE program.</p>
<p>Rice would have been perfect for son, only if only he had the GPA!</p>
<p>TAMU campus is not very attractive. My husband thinks it’s a scary cult school (sorry, Aggies!) what with the quasi-military Corp of Cadets marching around in huge knee-high leather boots, and the hole “gig 'em aggies” traditions. Some kids love it - usually not the liberal, artistic types… YMMV</p>
<p>^^ Thats is why I had taken it off the list, I had read about this somewhere and seen some hazing photos!</p>
<p>Son is liberal, laid back type. He has not really lived in the US, we left our very diverse Long Island neighborhood when he was a toddler. Having lived in Cosmopolitan countries he is not going to be very comfy in an environment where traditions/religion take priority. No offense to anyone but I just don’t think it will right for him.</p>
<p>This is why we thought of CA schools and UT-Austin/Rice at first, but after I came on these boards they have begun to look like a dream now, what with the 10% rule and all.</p>
<p>Trinity U in SA and Santa Clara U look very appealing. Would love to hear about more schools like that where an OOS student does not feel like a complete outcast and Greek scene is not a way of life.</p>
<p>This college thing is not easy at all!</p>
<p>anxiousmom - A&M is obviously not everyone’s cup of tea. But does your husband think the cadets at West Point are a cult? “The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets has produced some of the nation’s finest military leaders. While membership in the Corps carries no military obligation, the Corps consistently commissions more officers than any institution other than the service academies. All cadets select a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and enroll in ROTC courses during their freshman and sophomore years. Cadets may select from Army, Air Force or Navy/Marine ROTC.”</p>
<p>As far as the whole “gig 'em Aggies” - is that really so different than “hook 'em Horns”? And TAMU did produce American Idol contestant Jason Castro so I think there are a few liberal, artistic types floating around the campus ;)</p>
<p>Again, I understand it’s not for everyone, but it is a great school for a lot of students with many different backgrounds and interests.</p>
<p>austinmtmom, I think people really love A&M or really hate it. For someone who has grown up out of the country and can’t do a lot of visits, it would be a risky choice. (I think it would be a risky choice for someone who has grown up outside of Texas!)</p>
<p>missypie - Oh I agree completely! I just want people to know that A&M is actually more diverse than most people think ;)</p>
<p>Figured I’d throw my two cents in – for what it’s worth – as my children looked at the schools mentioned. </p>
<p>U of H – It’s retained a reputation as a commuter school and the location within Houston is not the best. On the plus side – some programs have an excellent reputation.</p>
<p>Rice – Rice has an excellent ranking. The students I personally know that attend Rice all seem to be nice kids. The dorms (known as colleges) are rather bleak to me and students have no say in which one they’ll be placed. Some have community bathrooms; some don’t. I know, I know … I should focus on academics not bathroom set-up, but still …</p>
<p>Trinity - We visited Trinity U on four separate occasions. Two of my children seriously considered accepting an offer of admission. The campus in my opinion is really nice. Trinity requires students to live on campus for the first three years. I’m always surprised that Trinity doesn’t receive more attention. </p>
<p>A&M – I found the campus and dorms surprisingly blah and am not quite into the Aggie spirit – kind of scary, imo. However, I know quite a few students and alums, and one and all seem to love the school and its traditions. A&M is more conservative than UT, Rice, and probably Trinity. One professor mentioned that having the Corp on campus reminds everyone that these young men and women will serve their country upon graduation and contributes to a more conservative atmosphere. However, don’t take this to mean that Aggies don’t know how to party; they do. </p>
<p>SMU – I’ve never visited SMU, but I think “money” and “Greek life.” Perhaps an undeserved depiction, but … </p>
<p>UTD – Okay, my children chose UTD.<br>
UTD is in the midst of lots of construction. Its reputation as a commuter school stems from its history – first opened as a grad school and has worked its way toward a freshman class. The new residence hall for freshmen is nice, and yes there is a meal plan. The dorm “room” actually consists of a small community area and then three small bedrooms – one for each of the roommates. Each roommate has a sink area and then the three share a shower area and a toilet area. The on-campus apartments have already been mentioned. My kids are not big football or Greek type kids and so the lack of that at UTD was a positive rather than a negative. (My oldest daughter now attends law school at UT and I think is somewhat amused by the hoopla, though she plans to attend the first game.) All freshmen take a small first semester class. My daughter just attended an arts performance on campus and participated in a “volunteer day” within the surrounding community – both fulfill requirements to be met in this small class. The purpose is to participate in a variety of campus activities and meet peers. The classes are small enough for the student to know the professor and vice versa. Academics: strong for computer science and EE, in particular – though my politic science daughter now attends the law school she wanted and her friends also moved to graduate schools of choice. UTD vies with UT each year for the public university in Texas with the highest SAT score. UTD is a great option for a student who cares a little less about the traditional football/fraternity/sorority scene – but not great for one who does. Personally, my kids wanted a smaller university than say UT or A&M.</p>
<p>The schools on this list are all very different from each other. There is no way all of them would make someone’s short list.</p>
<p>U of H - for southeast Texas locals mainly, no reason to travel from even another part of Texas, much less another state, to go there</p>
<p>UTD - for northeast Texas locals mainly, the hardest of all Texas state schools to get into (yes even more than UT) due to high academic standards, located in a blah suburban location, looks like it was all built last week, no sports, no arts, very diverse and nerdy student body</p>
<p>SMU - expensive, private, PhD-granting university in a beautiful, upscale part of Dallas, full range of undergraduate and graduate/professional schools including engineering, business and law, outstanding music and arts, big time sports, tremendous alumni support, nurturing environment, Cs are easy to get so hardly anyone flunks out, but As are hard to get so an SMU degree with a decent GPA will open almost any door anywhere, a very comfortable place to go to college, biggest drawback is the expense</p>
<p>Trinity - ditto SMU, except smaller, no PhD level programs, no professional schools, no sports, a good LAC in a great part of Texas, though if you are not from Texas there would be something similar a lot closer to wherever you are</p>
<p>TAMU - just like UT but without the trendiness, charm or glitter, lots of Ag and engineering students, ugly spread-out campus in a dismal little town far from anything fun, very non-diverse and conservative student body, fanatical school spirit, run by big state school bureaucrats with the main goal of keeping their jobs while flunking out a lot of freshmen</p>
<p>Rice - tiny, tiny school in a nice part of Houston, very hard to get into, nerdy students but also hard-partying (drinking), not in the same class academically as any others on this list, if you can get in you’ll do well</p>
<p>I’ll chime in as the mother of an OOS. She has learned that though the majority of students have a TX address, many have lived in many states/countries. TX is a very diverse state. Last year her suitemates were from SA, England, and one who had lived in six different states.</p>
<p>TU does not have DI sports, but has an extremely competetive DIII program. Every year there is a Director’s Cup (the name varies depending who pays for naming rights) for all the divisions. Of the 430 DIII institutions, only 310 earned any points, but TU finished 27th. TU is only “outranked” in SAT by Rice, of TX schools. </p>
<p>dt123, could you please elaborate on what you mean by “tiny, tiny” regarding Rice? Just curious. And I really don’t see TU as an SMU only smaller.</p>
<p>There are currently over 3,000 undergrads at Rice, heading towards a goal of 3,900, which is not really the definition of tiny, tiny. Tiny, tiny is usually under 1,000. It is small but does not feel like it. A lot of people who are not hard party drinkers are comfortable there, too. A lot of party but Rice students pretty much take a laisser faire attitude to those that don’t.</p>
<p>UTD does have sports but no football: [University</a> of Texas at Dallas Intercollegiate Athletics](<a href=“http://cometsports.utdallas.edu/]University”>http://cometsports.utdallas.edu/)</p>
<p>“I’ll chime in as the mother of an OOS. She has learned that though the majority of students have a TX address, many have lived in many states/countries. TX is a very diverse state. Last year her suitemates were from SA, England, and one who had lived in six different states.”</p>
<p>gloworm - excellent point. I know 6 students who are starting at TX universities this year. All of them graduated from Houston area high schools, and therefore - are considered “in state.” However, none of them have lived in Houston for more than 2 years and if you were to look at their passports - 1 from Norway, 1 from the UK, 1 from Canada, and the 3 from the US (home states of Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania) all spent several years living overseas. </p>
<p>Similarly, while my sons will graduate from a Houston area high school - they are “from” New Orleans and lived overseas (going to schools in 2 different countries) for 7 years. </p>
<p>There is a GREAT deal of diversity among the students (especially in the Houston area).</p>
<p>OP, if there is any interest in UT Austin, there is an option of doing the first year at another UT campus (UT San Antonio for sure, and I think UT Dallas also is eligible) with a guaranteed transfer to Austin sophomore year pending an acceptable GPA. It’s called the CAP program.</p>
<p>IMHO, Rice and UT Austin are the top schools in this state. Tx Tech and TAMU can be surprisingly attractive for some students who might have otherwise discounted them- they are worth a closer look as they may not always fit the typical stereotypes. TU is a good option to consider for those interested in a LAC. SMU is consistent with other posters’ opinions. UH has some strong programs, great and dedicated faculty, and is trying very hard to move up from their Tier 4/3 status…but campus life is lacking and I would agree that it has a commuter-campus feel. It has a very diverse student population in a diverse, urban setting that is not necessarily unsafe (I live in Houston and my weekend bike route takes me through the campus area). </p>
<p>For the record, DS is a senior and will apply to UT-Austin, TAMU and TxTech, plus several OOS schools. Rice and UH are too close to home for him, and SMU+TU don’t offer his intended major.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE=Psi]
OP, if there is any interest in UT Austin, there is an option of doing the first year at another UT campus (UT San Antonio for sure, and I think UT Dallas also is eligible) with a guaranteed transfer to Austin sophomore year pending an acceptable GPA. It’s called the CAP program.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>UT Dallas is not part of the CAP program. Applications at UT and UT Dallas are separate entities and acceptance at one does not guarantee acceptance at the other. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the CAP school is UT Arlington.</p>
<p><<for the=“” record,=“” ds=“” is=“” a=“” senior=“” and=“” will=“” apply=“” to=“” ut-austin,=“” tamu=“” txtech,=“” plus=“” several=“” oos=“” schools.=“” rice=“” uh=“” are=“” too=“” close=“” home=“” for=“” him,=“” smu+tu=“” don’t=“” offer=“” his=“” intended=“” major.=“”>></for></p>
<p>Yeah -my son refuses to look at Rice, too! UT-Austin has the program he wants but he doesn’t want to go there (probably couldn’t get in anyway, since he is not in the top 10%). A&M and TX Tech have absolutely NO appeal to him.</p>
<p>So - he’s only applying to OOS schools!</p>
<p>Oh, thank you all for such great responses! </p>
<p>As rightly said by so many of you, all these schools are so different and this is exactly why I need your feedback. Upon reading each schools pros and cons I can now “see” whether it will be appealing to son or not. I will show the responses to him. Sad that we were not able to visit this year.</p>
<p>I keep reading a lot of positive things about Trinity, my only worry would be too little exposure for a kid who has lived in 4 countries in the past 12 years! He is longing to go back to the US now.</p>
<p>He is not into sports so thats not an issue. Not a big partier either.</p>