Hey all!
To preface, I understand UT Computer Science is super super difficult to enter, especially for a transfer student. While I am not yet 100% sure I want to transfer, I just want to see what needs to be done to increase my chances if I do decide so.
Would be transferring from Rice University with >24 hours of credit with higher level calculus and several comp sci classes. For anyone who has transferred to UT Comp sci or anyone who has any info on this topic, I would greatly appreciate the help!
Are you already a student at Rice?
Are you thinking of transferring for financial reasons, or for some other reason? Why do you want to transfer?
Would you be in-state for UT Austin?
I am a student at Rice and I would be in-state for UT. I’m not entirely sure how well this school is a match for me yet (hence why transferring is only an option not a decision).
Is your first year at Rice starting very close to right now?
Being in-state should help your chances. If you are a strong enough student to get accepted to Rice, then you should be a very strong student. If so then this will also help your chances.
I think that the best I could predict is that it is at least possible that you might be able to get accepted as a transfer to UT Austin.
However, Rice is a very good university, and is well ranked for CS. I think that you should definitely give it a chance.
Also, once you start looking for a job (perhaps in a bit less than four years), any internship or coop experience that you have will be far more important than any difference between these two excellent universities. UT Austin and Rice are both very good universities with very good CS programs. If you have a CS degree from either of them, plus some internship or coop experience, plus good grades, then you will have a very good start on a career.
Finally, be careful of the “grass is greener” thing. You are starting at a very, very good university in the very near future (or very recent past, or right now). No university is perfect. Do not expect either UT Austin or Rice to be perfect either. You can however expect both of them to be very strong, and to be academically challenging. A degree from either will be respected anywhere in the US, and to some extent throughout the world.
A couple of other things come to mind: Moving to a university is a big disruption in your life. It is normal to be missing family and friends. You will make friends where you are. Both UT Austin and Rice are likely to be significantly more challenging compared to high school. Keep ahead in your classes and homework. Be aware that debugging your software can take more time than you might expect. In whatever spare time you can manage you could look for clubs or other activities, which will provide a good way to meet people. There will be some annoying fellow students at any university, but you are going to meet more very smart people who are quite a bit “like you” than you have ever met in your life up to now, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to do well at either of these two very good universities (specifically including the one that you are already attending).
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Thank you for your response! It has been extremely helpful! I think a part of the reason I want to transfer is financial reasons. Like you said, several years down the road, whether I got the degree from Rice or UT won’t matter as much as the external experience I gain. I’m wondering whether it would be worth paying so much at Rice when I could possibly go to UT for a lower cost and still have a comparable experience.
If anyone has any suggestions on good practices when looking to transfer or have any experience with this specifically with UT Comp Sci, I would love to hear!
I don’t think the experiences at UT or Rice are comparable.
Will you do well from both ? Yes.
Will the experience be comparable ?
Highly doubt it.
Why did you choose Rice to begin with ? There’s likely a reason.
If you’re looking to save $ and have solid outcomes, then some OOS publics could work for you.
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I think that @tsbna44 has a good point. The outcome years down the road may be the same either way. The experience over the next four years will not.
One daughter graduated from a relatively small university a bit more than a year ago. Her experience there has made me appreciate more strongly some of the advantages of being at a small university. One issue is that it is easier to get to know your professors. This in turn can make it easier to find internships and/or coop opportunities.
Regarding the expense, you might want to have a chat with your parents regarding how much the difference in price would matter to them. I certainly know people who would struggle to be full pay at Rice (although I do not know whether you are full pay), and I know other people who could handle the cost of four years at any private university without needing to be concerned about it.
You are enrolled in an excellent university in a field with high income potential which should enable you to repay loans that you or your parents assumed rather quickly. I would not worry about the price difference