<p>I know that in Texas, UT is REALLY prestigious, but I want to know how prestigious UT is outside of Texas.</p>
<p>Yes it is prestigious everywhere. It is a Top 50 University and a Top 15 Public University. I live in NM and it is thought of highly here and I have a friend from Michigan who was a NM scholar and chose UT over UM and no one thinks it was a bad decision. My mom also went to UT OOS from NY. Pretty much as good as any other EXCELLENT public school. I really don’t think a degree from Berkeley or UVA is more valuable. It’s my first choice and I’m out of state and people are impressed when I say I want to go there.</p>
<p>^^^^Sorry but Berkeley, UVA, and Michigan all have better national reputations. You live in NM. There is a big world outside of the southwest.</p>
<p>rjk, don’t be a snob. UT Austin is a superb university that competes with the best.</p>
<p>There is no need to discuss if it is the “best” or if it is “better” than Berkeley or Michigan.</p>
<p>“I really don’t think a degree from Berkeley or UVA is more valuable.”</p>
<p>That was the sgdude’s opinion. I am entitled to mine.</p>
<p>There is a difference between value and reputation. </p>
<p>Employers see Berkeley, UT Austin, Michigan, UNC, et al as similar things: large, excellent universities with smart graduates. Regardless of imperceptible differences in academic quality, there are no jobs that are magically open to English majors at Berkeley but not their compatriots at Texas.</p>
<p>As an example, [UT</a> Austin](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063184079-post74.html]UT”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063184079-post74.html) has matched [Berkeley</a> and Michigan](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063176797-post23.html]Berkeley”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063176797-post23.html) in placing students into Harvard Law.</p>
<p>I like UT and think it has rising prominence from an academic standpoint. </p>
<p>Two Berkeley anthropology profs recently left for UT and claim the environment is more dynamic.</p>
<p>Mack Brown on the other hand… ;)</p>
<p>
I’ll agree with that. In my industry, a degree from Texas (esp. engineering and/or business will take you far).</p>
<p>I like UT and think it might be the most exciting college campus in the USA. There is an enormous energy to the place that can make for a pretty vibrant undergraduate life (in and out of the classroom). But in matters of student and graduate quality, when you get 35,000 undergrads in one place, it’s hard to make a lot of generalized comments. </p>
<p>No question there are pockets of student strength at the school and this group will have many post-grad opportunities, both within Texas and beyond. But there are also A LOT of students who would not be there but for the state’s 10% rule. This may be good social policy, but it probably doesn’t augment the school’s reputation and certainly impairs it in statistical comparisons with other colleges. </p>
<p>For its academic reputation, the school has vast resources and many fans within academia. As is the case with Chapel Hill in North Carolina, UT-Austin is a liberals paradise in the middle of a conservative state. In the case of U Texas, within academia, that works out to two steps forward, one step back. So U Texas gets nice regard from similarly thinking pointy-heads within academia, but they get demerits for hanging around with so many rednecks in an uncivilized place like the state of Texas (even if Austin is a very civilized and dynamic place). Put the school in California or in one of the Northeastern states and my guess is UT’s PA rating would soar. </p>
<p>Finally, if you’re looking for a BIG school with BIG resources and a BIG undergraduate experience, then U Texas should be at or near the top of your list. Among the big schools in the USA (25,000+ undergrads), I’d say that UT and U Wisconsin offer the best combination of academics, social life and athletic life in the USA.</p>
<p>“Finally, if you’re looking for a BIG school with BIG resources and a BIG undergraduate experience, then U Texas should be at or near the top of your list. Among the big schools in the USA (25,000+ undergrads), I’d say that UT and U Wisconsin offer the best combination of academics, social life and athletic life in the USA.”</p>
<p>The best post in all of CC!</p>
<p>I’m in state, and UT is my 1st-choice school, it seems perfect, but I just wanted a little reassurance.</p>
<p>Thank you all!</p>
<p>It’s a very good state school. Just ask hawkette.</p>
<p>UTexas’s reputation is somewhat regional. It is a lot more popular and privilege in Texas than other area of country. </p>
<p>However, that’s probably true for many big State schools. UFlorida is considered privilege in Florida due to its success in football and its Bright future scholarship. UGA is considered privilege in Georgia due to its Hope scholarship. Even Berkeley, the arguable the best public school in the country, is a lot privilege in West coast than other areas. </p>
<p>Only national reputation schools in term of privilege are Ivy League schools, Stanford, MIT, CalTech and maybe Duke.</p>
<p>Another example is high student’s choice for engineering schools.</p>
<p>Everybody picks MIT and/or CalTech for first two choices.</p>
<p>For northeast high school students, Cornell and Carnegie Mellon are second choices.</p>
<p>For Southeast high school students, Ga Tech is very popular second choice.</p>
<p>For Midwest high school students, Michigan, Illinois are very popular second choice.</p>
<p>For Texas, UTexas engineering is very popular.</p>
<p>For West, Berkeley is the popular.</p>
<p>In reality, all those schools are very good choice since they are all top ten engineering schools. But students tend to pick schools that are close their home and due to 10% rule in Texas and 10% in California, there is just not too many cross pollination going on.</p>
<p>I live in Northern New Jersey and UT-Austin has a strong reputation here. A decent number of kids here attend, and they’re invariably strong students. It’s considered in the same league as schools like Michigan and Penn State, and is definitely more desirable than Rutgers(our state school). </p>
<p>However, keep in mind that UT-Austin’s national reputation is not the same as that of an Ivy. Many people will be blown away upon learning that you’ve gotten in to Harvard, whereas getting in to UT-Austin requires strong high school performance but is not impressive in the same sense. </p>
<p>The key with UT-Austin, though, as well as peers like Penn State, is that the degree is extremely respected. Getting in might not be considered remarkable, but once you have an engineering degree from UT-Austin, that means something.</p>
<p>“Everybody picks MIT and/or CalTech for first two choices.”</p>
<p>Why does this sound like it comes from someone who was not born in this country? FYI, not EVERYONE who is interested in engineering applies to, or even considers for a nanosecond, attending MIT or Caltech. Most of those engineering schools that you mentioned are not a second choices for the vast majority of applicants.</p>
<p>rjkofnovi, please read the whole paragraph first before commenting it.</p>
<p>I stated that “Another example is high student’s choice for engineering schools.” (i.e. if students want to major engineering). For nonengineering, of course, MIT and/or Caltech are not their first choices.</p>
<p>In Florida, of course the local bumpkins think UF = Harvard but I think Texas is pretty well regarded too; at least I like it!</p>
<p>UT undergrad doesn’t really have a national reputation for employers from what I’ve seen around NC, GA, and the NE.</p>
<p>"rjkofnovi, please read the whole paragraph first before commenting it.</p>
<p>I stated that “Another example is high student’s choice for engineering schools.” (i.e. if students want to major engineering). For nonengineering, of course, MIT and/or Caltech are not their first choices."</p>
<p>I read your comments again and you never said that. I suggest you read mine again and then try to understand what I’m saying. You obviously don’t know how to express your opinions correctly and have reading comprehension difficulties. I am sure English is not your first language. Nevertheless, you stated that all top students who are interested in engineering have MIT and Caltech at the top of their lists. That is simply not true by any stretch of the imagination.</p>