UC Irvine vs University of Houston

College Search & Selection
1

<p>With three weeks left to decide, I have pretty much narrowed down my choices to UC Irvine and the University of Houston due to the financial concerns. Unfortunately, even though I was accepted to my first choice (USC) on a half-tuition scholarship, my family would still be responsible for $35K/year, which, understandably, they aren't willing to pay. This situation is mirrored in several other college choices, thus leaving me with UCI and UH.</p>

<p>Personally, I want to go to Houston. I was offered a full ride there due to being a NMF, which is worth about $102K. That's seems like too much money to just turn down. I am planning on pursuing medical school, so I know that the school I attend for undergrad isn't so important as long as I get a strong GPA and MCAT score (and good extracurriculars, of course). Also, after contacting a couple of UH students, I've learned that the Honors College would be a huge asset for me, with its small classes (capped at 35 students), undergraduate research opportunities, and study abroad programs. Because it is located right next to the Texas Medical Center, I know that there are ample opportunities for volunteering and internships (in fact, internships are a requirement for the Medicine and Society minor, which I intend to pursue). Additionally, because attending UHouston would mean going out of state, I know that this experience will force me to "grow up" and be much more responsible and independent. as well as more involved with campus activities.</p>

<p>The only drawbacks to UH seem to be its prestige--or rather, the lack thereof (it's not listed in the USNWR College Rankings)--and the fact that its far from home. Concerning prestige, I don't think it matters so much as long as I succeed and graduate. In fact, I think it's a bit of a good thing that UHouston isn't so well known, because chances are, no one where I live knows enough of its reputation to judge the school; just hearing the full ride sounds impressive enough to them. As for it being out of state, I know that the full ride will save my parents enough money that airline costs won't be a problem. With that offer, I don't think it would cost more than $5K/year due to travel and personal costs. And as I said earlier, the distance would certainly force me to take care of myself a bit more.</p>

<p>My parents, on the other hand, want me to attend UC Irvine because a) I would be commuting (it's a 15-20 minute drive) and b) it's a more prestigeous school. Irvine is also a safer area than Houston. UCI has invited me to join its Campuswide Honors Program, which sounds great on paper, but my friends have told me that it "isn't worth it." Furthermore, I would be studying Psychology and Social Behavior. </p>

<p>Personally, I have nothing against UCI; it is a great school, and a great fit for many people. But not for me. I went to its Honors Experience Day, and I wasn't expressed. Maybe it was just a bad first impression, but any school that starts its program late and has poorly trained tour guides isn't doing the right things to win students over. Furthermore, I'm not fond of Aldrich Park nor the overall circular format of the campus. I've heard from current students that UCI's math department is understaffed, with new professors teaching freshmen, and the libraries are always overpacked...meaning that there probably aren't enough. Also, as a premed, I know that competition at UCI is much more intense than UH, which isn't exactly a good thing, especially since the UC system is notorious for having students cram 2 semesters worth of material into 3 quarters. </p>

<p>I know that UCI is more prestigious than UH, but the thought of going there when I could go to a "better" UC (such as UCB and UCLA, both of which I've been accepted to) bites. Personally, I think a full ride to any school sounds more prestigious than full pay at a mid-tier UC. Not only that, but it would save my family a lot of money. UCI would cost my family about $80-90K even if I'm commuting, and with the UC budget crisis, I just don't think it is worth it. Why pay for a school that's hiking prices while providing fewer services when I could go to another school (that's increasing funding, mind you, due to its recently obtained Tier 1 status) for free?</p>

<p>Taking these factors into considering, what are your thoughts on this? Do my reasons sound strong enough? If you were in my situation, why school would you choose, and why?</p>

2

<p>Interesting choices. I see your dilemma. </p>

<p>If you’re certain on eventually heading to medical school and you like Houston (and the swampy weather), I’d choose Houston. Free ride is hard to pass up, especially when the other option is commuting from home. Spread your wings and take the offer.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply! My parents and I are still discussing the choices. They aren’t comfortable about UHouston being in the middle of downtown, so safety is another big concern.</p>

4

<p>I would go to Houston. The campus is safe - just like USC is. If your folks wouldn’t have a problem with you attending/living by USC (or Yale for that matter) they should not have a problem with Houston. It makes no sense to pay extra money at UCI.</p>

5

<p>fliquer: Are you sure about Houston’s safety? A family member warned us a lot about the surrounding neighborhood…something about the 3rd ward?She’s a Houston resident, but even she wouldn’t send her kids there. Compared to USC how much safer (or unsafe) is Houston?</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your response! Any information would be really helpful.</p>

6

<p>[Houston’s</a> Third Ward and University of Houston area??? (Dallas, Waco: crime rate, houses) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum](<a href=“http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/691333-houstons-third-ward-university-houston-area-3.html]Houston’s”>Houston's Third Ward and University of Houston area??? (Dallas, Waco: crime rate, houses) - Texas (TX) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum)</p>

<p>It’s an older thread but it might help. Also most campus websites have crime reports.</p>

7

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<p>Not sure what this means; 2 semesters is 30 weeks of instruction; 3 quarters is 30 weeks of instruction, or theoretically the same amount of instruction and course material.</p>

<p>You may want to check the psychology offerings at each school, since that is apparently your intended major. Also, check the offerings in any other subject you may want to major in.</p>

<p>Were Berkeley and UCLA also too expensive?</p>

<p>According to [National</a> Trends in Grade Inflation, American Colleges and Universities](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/]National”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/) , Houston’s average grade was 2.64 in 2007, while UCI’s average grade was 2.98 in 2006 and 2008. I.e. not a lot of grade inflation at either school (grade inflation is beneficial to pre-meds). You need to see if the difference in student competitiveness at each school evens out the likelihood of getting a high GPA at each school, or if it makes one easier to get a high GPA at than the other.</p>

<p>It does look hard to turn down the free ride if you have a realistic goal of medical school (but remember that MD medical schools are extremely selective, which high MCAT scores and GPA as the first cut, followed by interviews and other holistic review processes). Medical school is expensive, so saving money (and avoiding debt) in undergraduate is an important consideration.</p>

8

<p>If you want a big NMF scholarship, why didn’t you apply to Bama? ** It’s not too late, you can still get it <a href=“I%20sent%20you%20a%20PM”>/B</a>. Free tuition, free housing (including honors), study abroad money, $1k, and new iPad. </p>

<p>Much higher ranked school, honors college classes capped at 15 kids, better weather, and Bama writes Committee Letters for med school apps (that is a biggie). And, Bama has very good pre-med advising <a href=“http://premed.ua.edu/[/url]”>http://premed.ua.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Houston isn’t even ranked. Bama is #75.</p>

<p>Another plus for Bama is that you’re from Calif. Of all the states, Calif is #8 for sending kids to Bama. Bama has a LOT of out of state kids…over 50% of the frosh are from OOS!! Houston only has 3% OOS kids! That is not good for an OOS student!!! That strongly suggests that the school is commuter/suitcase! Another negative for an OOS school.</p>

<p>At least get an app into Bama so you have that option. You’ll get the big NMF award if you apply NOW…no essays, no LORs…app takes like 5 minutes…it’s that easy.</p>

9

<p>There’s lot of people who live in Houston who say they would never go x because it’s in the x ward. (I have lived in Houston several times, including near the medical center.) Is it the safest part of town? No. Is it a life threatening proposal every day? No. My niece will be attending next fall coming from a nice, safe, Dallas suburb. There are a lot of reasons why you might choose not to attend UH but I don’t think safety is one of them. </p>

<p>You are absolutely correct about the prestige factor but like you said, it’s a full-ride. And UH is working hard to upgrade it’s status. It and Texas Tech are targeted by the state for next tier 1 status schools. Not saying it’s going to happen but there are a lot of people there who want to make it happen. The thing about UH and Houston in general, is that there is a sense that something is always possible. And worst case scenario, you can always transfer.</p>

10

<p>“Bama has a LOT of out of state kids…over 50% of the frosh are from OOS!! Houston only has 3% OOS kids! That is not good for an OOS student!!! That strongly suggests that the school is commuter/suitcase! Another negative for an OOS school.”</p>

<p>Hearsay. Don’t base decisions on hearsay. There is no evidence to suggest anything.</p>

11

<p>University of Houston IS largely considered a commuter school, though.</p>

12

<p>" Houston only has 3% OOS kids! That is not good for an OOS student!!! That strongly suggests that the school is commuter/suitcase! Another negative for an OOS school."</p>

<p>“Hearsay. Don’t base decisions on hearsay. There is no evidence to suggest anything.”</p>

<p>Ha! No evidence?</p>

<p>UH is not bound by any 10% rules like UT and maybe TAMU, so it can accept any student it wants. It’s not hard to get into from OOS. Those facts along with its 3% OOS student body strongly indicate that it’s a commuter/suitcase school.</p>

13

<p>Yes, U of H is considered a commuter school but it has nothing to do with 3% oos students. By that definition, Texas A&M would be considered a commuter school which it most certainly isn’t. But it still certainly isn’t good news for oos students.</p>

14

<p>"UH is not bound by any 10% rules like UT and maybe TAMU, so it can accept any student it wants. It’s not hard to get into from OOS. Those facts along with its 3% OOS student body strongly indicate that it’s a commuter/suitcase school. "</p>

<p>Again more false assumptions, without any actual evidence. Unless you have numbers to back up your claims? If so, where are they? Here is a FACT 140K out of pocket to go to UC Irvine (unless you are very wealthy) is simply not worth it when you have U of H as a relatively costless option.</p>

15

<p>I visited UH as a junior just a couple of weeks ago. I was interested in the music program, which has a great reputation. </p>

<p>1) it isn’t quite “right in the middle of downtown”. We drove downtown after our visit, and I don’t know how long we drove, but it was long enough for me to take quite the nap! </p>

<p>2) The surrounding area was uncomfortable to me - pretty run down. Some old buildings on the campus are suspicious. Crime does happen around the school and there were suspicious person warning signs in some of the hallways. </p>

<p>3) The students aren’t friendly or unfriendly… We didn’t receive the warmth from students here we did at other schools. I think this is due to the fact that most students commute. If you want a great sense of community, I’m not sure if this would be it. You can feel the commuter atmosphere. Lots of students come with friends. </p>

<p>3) On the plus side, the freshman dorms are brand new and absolutely gorgeous! The honors program is good. The school is extremely diverse with only 30 something percent of students being Caucasian, if diversity interests you. </p>

<p>Half tuition for USC is a great scholarship - are you sure there is absolutely no way to pay or possibly get more money to go to your first choice? I guess I have a naive view of money - I thought people could just take loans and work or do work study for money. Or call and ask the school about it… But I know nothing there!</p>