Comparing Univ Texas with other large state schools of similar stature - U Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin - I was surprised to see that UT has less than 10% out of state undergrads. What is it like to be an out of state undergrad? Are you accepted? Do you enjoy being in the Texas culture? Any/all comments would be appreciated.
I was accepted out of state from North East.
Being out of state is a bit odd to mention in conversations. When I spoke to people and mentioned that I wasn’t from Texas at orientation, it felt like I was dropping a bomb on them. Almost as if I were baffling them just by saying I was from another state. “Wow, what’s in Texas that isn’t from your state? What made you go to UT Austin? Isn’t Texas really far away from where you’re from? What made you come all the way down here?” Just from reading basic body language, most had a defensive stance on Texas and were eager to know my opinion on the state, the city of Austin, and the people. I could tell I had to give my approval no matter what, or I would be tying my own noose trying to network at UT Austin, and soon everyone became very welcoming.
However, residents of Texas will always have a bit of skepticism towards me because they represent the image of Texas to me. My entire view, bias, and judgement of Texas rests on their shoulders, so they won’t show their true colors, flaws, and personality because there is a high chances that they might believe I am privately judging Texas through the lenses of a foreigner entering a foreign place. It is now their burden to make sure I don’t have a negative view of Texas because I specifically mentioned that I am not from Texas, which means they have to act accordingly with the image of Texas on the line, and thus limits their amount of options they can follow to interact with me.
An extreme example would be me joining a South Korean university and saying I am from Japan to a South Korean student. Now the burden of the image of South Korea rests on his/her shoulders by befriending me who is from Japan. I risk polarizing myself to a specific category, experiencing either a very highly concentrated version of South Korean culture because they want to show me how awesome it is, or no version of South Korean culture because I might be too much of a burden or am viewed as an intruder to their culture.
Additionally on a different note, mentioning that you’re from out of state in the University of Texas mostly prioritized to accommodate Texas residents is a huge yellow flag for some people. Because I am attending this university, it meant that there was a good chance that I took someone else’s slot who would have been from Texas AND that I was prestigious enough to be one of the 10% of the people who could actually get into the university from out of state. This may or may not be a good thing to mention in any conversation as I mentioned above. I risk polarizing myself to one category or the other. It adds to the prestige of my image and shows that I have access to networks, property, and knowledge from other states/countries, but might also might hurt the connections I can make to people who grew up in Texas, are going to live in Texas, and will most likely die in Texas.
My conclusion is that psychologically it is not in my advantage to say that I grew up from somewhere 1500 miles away and am now attending UT Austin for academic reasons. People are hard wired to be on guard against foreigners based on a multitude of factors, and being from out of state certainly hits a lot of them. It is a balance of both, but I’ve stopped mentioning where I’m from and just let people assume that I grew up here. It’ll be my hidden wild card under the table.
Given hundreds and hundreds of good schools in the nation to choose from, what is the appeal of choosing a school w such an insular student body comprised of 90% in-state students?
Also, the academic caliber of the in-state TX students has gone down considerably since UT was obliged to admit the top 10% of students from all TX schools regardless of the academic rigor of the school:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/magazine/who-gets-to-graduate.html?referrer=
I’m not out of state but I can vouch that almost all of my friends from are out of state. I have some from illinois, california, virginia, and washington! Everyone thinks it’s cool that they bring something new to the table.
However, there are a few cultural things that they have had to get adjusted to. Cowboy boots, two-stepping, texas flags being everywhere, “y’all”, etc. Nothing major, I don’t think. The biggest shock I think has been the local politics, which are conservative. Austin is really the most liberal city in Texas and it’s not that traditionally southern.
I would say that the stereotypical “niceties” of holding doors/respecting your elders/ letting girls go first are much more predominant in the south. As a woman, often times I hold the door and the man will refuse to step through it unless he holds it for me.
I imagine that if you fell into a super southern group of friends it’d be much harder to adjust but there are people from all walks of life at UT.
Thanks to all for their comments - very helpful. I appreciate any/all perspectives. Any more?
p.s. is it really a 10% admission rate for OOS - ouch? At the admissions meeting they said 30%.
I have to say I am extremely skeptical of lmazoo’s story being representative of an OOS student’s experience. I don’t think most Texas 18 year-olds care about the politics of higher education admissions, they’re just excited to be in college and meeting new people. People will definitely ask you what brought you to Texas, but I do not think a typical conversation will be an inquisition about your opinions on Texas. Austin is full of transplants, and if anything, UT tries to get more OOS students across the board in their holistic reviews.
UT Austin is required by state law to limit OOS students to no more than 10% of the entering freshman class. Higher Education Code 58.103(j): “A general academic teaching institution that elects to offer admission under Subsection (a-1) for an academic year may not offer admission to first-time undergraduate students who are not residents of this state for that academic year in excess of the number required to fill 10 percent of the institution’s enrollment capacity designated for first-time undergraduate students for that academic year.” [www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.51.htm#51.803]
Again, thanks for the responses and clarification. So, maybe a 30% admission rate for OOS is correct, but the OOS students comprise less than 10% of the population.
My raised in California daughter says she gets asked every day why she came to UT. I think people are shocked that anyone would want to leave California (they apparently don’t know how expensive it is here). Her 3 roommates are all from Texas, and she has has assimilated nicely at UT. She loves it - she was looking for a big school with lots of majors and big time football - she found it.
Wow I disagree with everything Lmazoo says above. I grew up in the Northeast and have no problem in Texas. Austin is a great city and Texas people are no different than anywhere else. A little more hunting and cowboy centric, but every state has its thing. Most of the people I know who came here from other states love it and stay. Also lots of grad students come to UT from all over the world because if its reputation.
The bottom line is you can find issues with every state in the country if you are looking for them. Anything different can be classified as wrong or strange. Its a very close minded, intolerant person who views the world that way.
Thanks again for the replies. It seems like this would be a great place for my daughter, coming from the east coast. She really loved the campus and the people on our visit. Now, I guess its a matter of getting in!
I’m an OOS student from Florida. It was a little bit of an adjustment coming to Texas for school, but well worth it. People seem to ask about my status as a student a lot, but it’s something that sets me apart from others and makes me memorable. I have enjoyed my time thus far!
I am a current OOS at Texas. I think it is great and being an OOS is a non issue.
Don’t assume that all in state students were born in Texas. Texas’ population is booming. Thousands of people move to the state every year. Many in state students will have moved to Texas in the past 5-10 years.