Texas State University?

Parents Forum
101

<p>Here is a link to information regarding the Honors Program. Looks like you get smaller, more discussion oriented classes. Also get to register early. Doesn’t say anything about special housing.<br>
[Why</a> Join? : University Honors Program : Texas State University](<a href=“http://www.txstate.edu/honors/prospective/join.html]Why”>http://www.txstate.edu/honors/prospective/join.html)</p>

<p>I don’t know anythng about the calibur of the students in the program. I don’t think they had an honors program when one of my cousins went there. The one that just graduated wasn’t honors material.</p>

102

<p>While I don’t visit the Parent’s Forum very often anymore, I peaked over here and had to see what people were saying about TSU. I went there for my first two years of college (yes, it was many years ago, and I know it’s changed) before transferring to UT-Austin. I also grew up in Houston and am very familiar with the area around Rice. </p>

<p>The problem with describing Rice as being in the inner city is that no one who lives in Houston would ever describe the area inside the loop as inner city. Inner city usually refers to an area where the poor, impoverished, uneducated residents live, an area also with high crime rates and gang activity. The problem is that the majority of readers on CC know that this is how this term is used, and they don’t know that inner city (as alluded to in this thread) is really what is referred to as inside the loop (one of the most desirable places to live in Houston and where the real estate prices are the highest). You have to take into account the reality that most people reading here will come to the same conclusion when they hear the term inner city, but many are not even familiar with the area. I would ask you to name a city where the description ‘inner city’ has a positive connotation. </p>

<p>And MikeWozowski has it correct… I’d be surprised if there’s even a handful of students who put both TSU and Rice on the same list… even a list that contains reaches and safeties, unless their list only contains reaches and one safety.</p>

103

<p>FYI, Texas State and Rice were on ds’s long list. Texas State fell off when he decided to use A&M as his safety. For kids from Central Texas, it might not be THAT unusual, but surely there’s not A LOT of overlap in the general population, to be sure. Ds liked the vibe he got there on the tour, the diversity of students, the rolling hills, laid-back atmosphere. In the end, he just didn’t think the academics were strong enough.</p>

<p>There is honors housing: [University</a> Honors Learning Community : Department of Housing and Residential Life : Texas State University](<a href=“http://www.reslife.txstate.edu/Learning-Communities/University-Honors.html]University”>http://www.reslife.txstate.edu/Learning-Communities/University-Honors.html)</p>

104

<p>youdon’tsay - notice I said a handful of students. I almost (ALMOST) added, "and it wouldn’t surprise me if one of those handful of students (or their parents) were posters on CC.</p>

<p>You’re probably right about some of the kids from central Texas. Also, if TSU is still as inexpensive (relative to other schools), some kids might go there with a hope of transferring into Rice, although I also doubt Rice gets many transfer students (but of course, we will hear from at least one of the few they take a year now on CC - see I covered my bases).</p>

105

<p>The minimum requirements for admissions to the honors program are either graduating in the top 10%, or having an SAT score of 1180 and above (ACT 27+). Of course this is the bare minimum, I am quite positive they won’t admit everyone who meets the criteria. </p>

<p>[Admissions</a> : University Honors Program : Texas State University](<a href=“http://www.txstate.edu/honors/prospective/admiss.html]Admissions”>http://www.txstate.edu/honors/prospective/admiss.html)</p>

<p>Again, as the saying goes, it might be better to be a great student at an OK-school, than to be an average student at a top school. Many opportunities would be offered to a top student at TSU that would be not be available to the average student at UT. The honors program should be a great way to excel at TSU.</p>

106

<p>OK- I’ll bite (and welcome back Teriwtt!! Nice post #102). I have a relative who transferred to Rice last year. She was at a top 50 school but didn’t feel the atmosphere there was right for her for a variety of reasons. She visited Rice, fell in love and luckily was able to transfer her soph year. She is as happy as a pig in a poke.</p>

107

<p>Yeah, there are several competitive schools in Central Texas with lots of kids who are super-bright but can’t get guaranteed admission to UT because they’re not top 10%, so that starts the hunt for an in-state public safety. For many, it’s being CAPped at UT and going to UT-San Antonio (or elsewhere) for a year. Some opt for A&M, some for Texas State, some for North Texas. University of Houston is an up-and-comer, maybe because of its improving football team. The great thing about the San Marcos locale is it allows kids in Austin and San Antonio to commute if they want/need to. TSU runs a shuttle into Austin and San Antonio daily: [Bobcat</a> Tram : Texas State University](<a href=“http://www.tram.txstate.edu/]Bobcat”>http://www.tram.txstate.edu/)</p>

<p>Wow, I know a lot more about this campus than I realized!</p>

108

<p>OK… I’ll bite again. When I went to TSU in the late 70’s, I went there because of its reputation for a party school. Literally, Playboy had ranked it as the #1 party school in the country. I attended a fairly selective private high school in Houston, but also did not apply myself and was lucky to have a place to go. However, when I decided to major in journalism, I knew better than to stay at TSU when one of the best journalism schools was 30 miles up the road. One thing I remember about TSU is that it was definitely a suitcase college (maybe this is what is so appealing to your daughter). Campus would empty out on Friday. My freshman year, I remember spending exactly two weekends on campus, and was miserable. But I guess I’d be described as being a prestige whore because I wanted to attend the absolute best program I could for my major. </p>

<p>Regarding my own children, they were both as equally competent as the OP’s daughter. However, they knew what they wanted to major in as freshman, and applied to schools that had strong programs in their chosen fields (with our full support) as opposed to schools that are known to have ‘prestige’. But the private LAC schools they attended were very competitive in their fields, yet they still both got wonderful merit scholarships, allowing them to get an excellent, challenging education for the price of our in-state flagship (in Illinois we only have one). </p>

<p>I will say, though, if your knows that grad school is in her future, it will not matter where her undergrad degree is from when she enters the job market. All that will matter is that the undergrad school properly prepare her for the GRE and grad school application process. If she wants to be competitive for top-notch grad school programs, then she will need to be strong coming out of her undergrad program.</p>

109

<p>Many kids (both of mine included) would not be happy with a peer group that was, for the most part, not equal to them. Maybe this is not the case with the OP’s daughter. A lot of that depends on what you were used to in the school years prior to college. We’ve talked before on this site about “finding your tribe”. I know my son did a brief stint at a high school that was not challenging and where he was way ahead of the other students. He was miserable.</p>

110

<p>MOWC, that’s how my ds feels. Has no interest in being the big fish in the little pond. Finding a safety that he thought offered a lot academically and that we could afford was a challenge. But as I wrote to John in a PM, I have friends with really bright kids at Texas State who are very happy.</p>

111

<p>“so, limbwalker, go ahead and send your kid to TSU. whatever. i don’t think it is the best choice, for many reasons, but you don’t seem to want to listen to any of that…”</p>

<p>MikeW, like many others you are not reading my posts very carefully. I never said TSU was MY choice. In fact, after we saw the results of her SAT’s, going to visit Rice was MY decision, not hers. As was our visits to Southwestern and Trinity. I would have been very happy to see her apply to all of these schools and get excited about any of them. However, she has not and TSU is one of her two choices, along with UT. </p>

<p>So, what’s a parent to do? It doesn’t look like we’re going to see any merit aid from UT, and that would pretty well bankrupt our savings and leave nothing for the son who follows in 3 years. The notion that she could attend a school that she sincerely likes, and participate and possibly excel in an honors program sounds pretty good right now, considering her lack of interest in any other “more challenging” schools.</p>

<p>And again, for the LAST TIME, I never meant anything negative by referring to Rice as “inner city.” I didn’t grow up in the city, so to me, being that close to the center of Houston felt very “inner city” to me even though I was pleasantly surprised by the campus and the surroundings. My daughter was very uncomfortable however. So that was no longer on the table. My personal impressions of Rice were both good and bad. And I said so. I never expected the flames to follow like they did. That’s too bad.</p>

<p>Simplelife, all I can say is THANK YOU for understanding where I was coming from… Thanks.</p>

<p>Youdon’tsay, thanks for the tip! I didn’t know about the daily tram…!</p>

<p>“I will say, though, if your knows that grad school is in her future, it will not matter where her undergrad degree is from when she enters the job market…”</p>

<p>Yea, teriwtt, I agree. She enjoys school so much and has expressed an interest in graduate school already, that I fully expect her to breeze through undergrad in 3 years and then really think deep about grad. school. This would not surprise me at all really. I’ve never heard her talk about “going to work” after her undergrad. But she has talked about earning advanced degrees more than once…</p>

<p>John.</p>

112

<p>Any other helpful thoughts?</p>

113

<p>I went to Texas State my first two years of college before transferring. San Marcos is a wonderful college town, and Texas State is a great school, it just doesn’t get recognized for much other than being a party school. I transferred to a school that brings in a lot of students from out of state, and most of them have no idea what Texas State is. My sister graduated from Texas State with honors, VP of Zeta, and close to a 4.0 GPA, and several employers she interviewed with in Texas asked her where Texas State was. I think it is a great college experience, and although I think many of the classes are just as challenging as a school that is a little more competitive, the academics are just not given much credit (with the exception of several programs). If your daughter isn’t concerned about the school’s reputation, then I think she will have a good time at Texas State. I’ll be honest though, a lot of the students are there because they didn’t make the best of grades in high school and they just want to have a good time. I know this because that was the majority of my friends there. BUT, I’m sure a lot of students that go there made great grades, and just fell in love with the campus. I really enjoyed my experience there, and I wouldn’t take it back if I could. I just left because I wanted a school that would look a little better on my resume, and I actually wanted a school that was a little more “inner city.” San Marcos is really just a college town, and I got sick of that. I’m happy with my transfer, but I go back to San Marcos to visit all the time.</p>

<p>AND I’m not sure why people are trying to fight you about a first impression. That’s something personal. If everyone wanted the same, there wouldn’t be thousands of universities to chose from. Rice is an outstanding school, but I’ve heard many students say they didn’t consider going there because of the location. To each is own. </p>

<p>P.S - I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and grew up in Houston.</p>

114

<p>^^ But you left, and for very valid reasons. A student with the academic record (as reported to us by the OP) of this student would normally set her sites a little higher and. (gasp) venture away from home.</p>

<p>Our issue with the OP and Rice wasn’t that we were not willing to accept his “first impression”, it was with the way he stated that impression with the intent of being antagonistic. As I said in my own posts, there are plenty of people (my own son included) that have no interest in going to college in Houston. However, for the benefit of others reading these threads, we chose to correct the impression that Rice is an inner city school surrounded by “crowded neighborhoods”.</p>

115

<p>News flash: you can actually find out info about colleges at other websites besides CC. I know, it’s shocking! :wink: John, your daughter should do a google search and see what turns up. Look at news and blogs and videos. Look at the school newspaper. Go on facebook and look at the alumni website and the pages for current students. That’ll give her more of a sense of what the students are like. If she’s interested in the honors college, she should contact the school, ask to be put in touch with some honors college students, and then ask them for their impressions. She should be the one initiating contact, not you, not your wife.</p>

116

<p>Kyle, thank you for your perspective. That’s really what I am looking for. First hand experiences and knowlege. </p>

<p>As I said before, her mom and I attended SFA, and grew up in Texas, but I guess I wasn’t aware of the “party” reputation that SWTS or TSU had. I thought all colleges were considered “party” colleges. Really. That’s what they said about SFA too, but I didn’t see that at all. No time to party in our program. We were heading out to the field every afternoon when all the other majors were throwing the frisbees by the rec. center and playing intramural sports… For some, it didn’t seem fair. But to me, I thought I was the lucky one, so I guess I picked the right major…</p>

<p>Slithey, I briefly searched for other college websites. But honestly this looked like the best one. That was until I accidentally bumped into the class bully and knocked her books off her desk… LOL! Since then, I have looked around a bit. And I’m sure some here would just love it if I left and never returned. </p>

<p>As for her initiating contact, that sounds good. Do you think it’s okay for a 17 year old girl to be contacting folks like that though? I guess it’s okay, but the whole facebook thing makes me a little nervous. I graduated college pre-internet, so I guess my comfort level with the kids being on is not as great as some. Mom and I monitor what activity goes on at the home computer pretty closely. She has a facebook page, but we’re allowed to “drop in” from time to time to check on her (and that’s okay with her). So you think that letting her contact other students there via facebook is going to give her a realistic impression then? </p>

<p>I’m sure you’re right. In another 8 months, she will be on her own anyway… :rolleyes:</p>

<p>John.</p>

117

<p>John, yes, she’s old enough. If she’s almost old enough to attend the school where the facebook students attend, then she’s certainly old enough to contact them through FB. </p>

<p>I actually agree with other posters that the school seems an odd match for her. A studious, introverted kid with excellent stats going to a school with a significant party reputation can work. It’s a big school, there’s bound to be someone she’ll get along with. But she should know exactly what she’s choosing.</p>

<p>I agree that this IS the best college advice website around. I’ve found it absolutely invaluable.</p>

118

<p>I graduated from HS in 1980 in North Texas, and SWT was definitely known as a party school back then. I really don’t hear that kinds of stuff these days, but then I’m not so much looking to par-tay these days. :wink: When I hear about a party school these days, it’s UC-Boulder.</p>

119

<p>Slithey, what can I say… I agree it’s not the first school that came to mind when I saw her scores. But it’s a fight to get her to apply at all. She’s applied to UT and TSU. That’s it. Not exactly “reaching for the stars” I know… Personally, I think she would fit in great at Trinity, and we’ve finally ( I hope) talked her into applying there so we can at least see what kind of merit aid she might qualify for and determine whether it’s realistic or not…</p>

<p>She’s always been sneaky-smart. Quiet, you never see her study, doesn’t stand out in any real way, and no discernable passions to pursue… The idea of leaving for college has always been something she’s seen as inevitable, not necessarily something she’s looked forward to…</p>

<p>John.</p>

120

<p>It sounds like she might have been a little too sheltered and is, perhaps, not ready for college. Maybe a gap year or a PG year at a prep school would be a better idea.</p>