My daughter’s first choices are TX A&M and Baylor tied. We’ve visited UNT also, but it wasn’t her style even though she’d be an auto admission there.
She’s top 16% — 264 in a class of 1608
4.0 weighted GPA
Her top SAT score was 1280
She just took her first ACT so we’re waiting on score
Wanting to go into psychology or neuroscience
She’s not an auto admission to A&M yet, She loved her visit to Baylor and it looks good for her, but the price tag scares me.
So we need a good 3rd choice, a safety choice maybe, but she’s very studious and needs a school that fits her well.
We have a TX Tech visit tomorrow but I don’t have high hopes for that because of location.
Can anyone give me a couple schools that are on the same level as A&M and Baylor academically that won’t break the bank?
We have been really impressed with Texas Tech. I think they have a lot to offer. I can definitely see it appealing to a student who liked the conservative atmosphere of A&M.
Lubbock is not a vacation destination city but it is very accessible via air and is a fun college town. To me, the most unappealing thing about Lubbock is driving into town. The area around the college is more vibrant. Another plus for Lubbock is that it is very easy to navigate the town.
Have you considered U Arkansas? It looks like they offer some merit award for out of state students that make it comparable to Texas in-state tuition.
Texas Tech is either a “love it” or “hate it” kind of a place. Tech used to be the big alternative to the 2 bug Texas flagship schools. The problem is that Lubbock is 5 hours from civilization in any direction. Because of that, students are choosing UTSA and Texas State as the alternatives. Texas State is on the San Marcos River and UTSA is across the street from Six Flags. I believe she would qualify for a partial scholarship at both schools.
Texas State is not near as competitive as a school all around as A&M. I have a son at each school. For instance, for on campus parking you apply in April and it closes early July and tons of people don’t get on campus parking. Son at Tx State will go this week to get his on campus parking sticker. At Tx State, you don’t buy a $250 per year sports pass. Your ID is your ticket. Of course, an SEC game is better than the Sunbelt conference. San Marcos is like Austin used to be. It is a nice town. The nearest Costco is in Shertz. New Braunfels and Gruene (most say Green) are close also-
A&M costs me more per year and Tx State. A&M had about a ton more fees in addition to tuition last year and TX state, was about 2K less over all per semester, not including room and board. Also, everything is up hill on campus. Son lived in Sayers is freshman year, the year it opened (yes, he is taking a 5th year victory lap). Great dorm.
Don’t ever live in the Vista’s apartments on campus in SM. Great location. HEB right across the street. But they are horrible. Apartment floods with every heavy rain because the hallways flood and it comes in under doors. One flood came from apartment that back up to son’s and came into his place from under the kitchen cabinet. They also have horrible management. And they are high. Just don’t. If you want to know more, PM me.
Don’t get me wrong. We love CStat too but A&M is more $$. However, the apartment rents are about the same, though the apartment currently in in CStat and house next semester are less rent than what eldest has had in SM.
Have you considered SFA, UH, UTSA, or even Tarleton (in state)? They are good choices if not entirely equal academically. Trinity in San Antonio (my DD had similar stats with a higher wGPA and class rank and received a nice merit package this year) is an option. Out of state Auburn, U of South Carolina, Florida State, Ole Miss, LSU, Alabama are all likely to be a match, similar experience to A&M; but onlyLSU, Ole Miss, Alabama will likely give any meaningful merit $$$. My DD also received a very nice package from College of Charleston (a public U in South Carolina) but it is not a football school and the experience is more like an LAC than a state school, I’d say more similar to SFA.I
I know alot of kids who in your daughters shoes. They are just outside of the top 10 and are looking for a school that is is a great fit. It appears cost is a factor so I will not include any private schools. UT and A&M are the top public schools in Texas. The next level would be Tech, UH and UTD. Tech is a great school but the location turns some people off. UH is in a great location but some folks still consider it a commuter school (They have over 5k kids living on campus). UTD will not provide that typical college experience but it is also a great school. UNT, Texas State, UTSA, SFA and Sam Houston are at the next level. I have a kid who is a rising senior at Texas State and he simply loves it. The great thing about Texas is you can take I-45, I-10 and I-35 and visit 85% of the universities in Texas. We did this on a 3 day weekend and narrowed down what schools would be a great fit for my boy.
A second option would be to consider out of state flagship schools. They love recruiting Texas kids right outside of the top 10. OU, Arkansas and Ole Miss love Texas kids and they can make it affordable for you.
@tdawns SFA is a great school and most love the school. The main gripe I hear is from students who are from larger towns/cities, are not used to the small town feel of Nacogdoches. It is a great town but is limited a lot in features. To go to the mall, you have to go to Lufkin. You can’t just run to Target.
Another great school that is out of state is Oklahoma State. It draws a lot of students from TX. It is still a small town (about 50K) and 25K students but it doesn’t feel small. It is a true college town, much like College Station and San Marcos. The campus is really pretty. A lot of the dorms are newer and they have many that are suites with kitchenettes as well as campus apartments.
They give instate to Tx residents based on SAT score. Vhttps://financialaid.okstate.edu/out-state-scholarships. With her SAT, she would get $11,000 a year ($5,500 a semester) towards the tuition. It is a great school with a TON of school spirit and a homecoming that is amazing. Google it and the pomping murals the Greek societies make. It is similar to A&M in many ways. It used to be Oklahoma A&M before changing to Oklahoma State in 1957.
I love all of your suggestions and advice. She and I both liked TX Tech, but the drive from Dallas was a long one. The school was beautiful and I got a good feeling from it and the people.
She likes a school with big football and school spirit. Coming from Allen TX, she wants to keep that going!
I’ve looked into Trinity a lot and LOVE the sound of it. Good academics, smaller campus, and AWESOME housing, but no big sports it sounds like.
We’re driving from the Dallas area down to SanAntonio this weekend to see my son, so we’ll be passing UT Austin, TX State, Trinity and UT San Antonio. I told her to pick one or two to look at. For whatever reason she doesn’t want to consider UT Austin, TX State sounds really good. We’ll see what she decides. I’m hoping for TX State and Trinity.
I’ve asked her about OOS schools but she is adamant she wants to stay in TX. My family lives in OKC, so OU or OSU would be great, but sadly right now she’s saying no. That might change though.
She’s applying at Baylor, A&M, and Tech.
Y’all have been great with your info, and it’s much appreciated!!
UT is going to be a reach for her. I would suggest you check out TXST and UTSA on your trip. I’m not sure how much time you have but you can take I-10 from San Antonio to Houston and check out UofH and Sam Houston State on way home. Based on the information you have posted my guess is your daughter is going to love TXST.