UT vs. Wabash College

Colleges & Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

<p>I have just gained admissions to both UT Austin and Wabash College. I have visited both campuses, and I loved them very much. Nevertheless, there's a huge discrepancy between the two schools. UT Austin is a huge school, with 50,000 strong, in a cosmopolitan area. It has great academics and athletics. The research facilities are also amazing. Classes can be huge, and professors are a lot harder to contact personally. I don't know what the job opportunities or the acceptance rates for grad school are upon gradaution, but I suspect they're good.</p>

<p>Wabash College, on the other hand, lies in the small town of Crawfordsville, IN., about 45 minutes from Indianapolis. It is a small school with about 800 students. In addition, the liberal arts program at Wabash is huge, and the acceptance rate to graduate school is astounshing. Professors are a lot more easy to contact, class ratio is about 10:1, and the Alum support upon graduation (so I've heard) is fantastic. </p>

<p>What do you guys think? Academically, both school seem pretty fit, but I don't know which school would be better for my undergraduate studies. I plan to pursue a major in the Liberal Arts branch in either school. Please feel free to comment on any subject regarding the two, and try to give at least a small experience with it.</p>

2

<p>Well think about this:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>UT is big, but you can make it as big as you need it to be: frats/clubs/FIGS (first year interest groups) can help you meet people and shrink the size of the school. As with professors, yeah intro classes are probably huge, so it’s in your best interest to do what you need to do to get yourself known by your professors. Any opportunity you have to meet or contact them, even starting by introducing yourself, shows the professor (ideally) that you are willing to put aside nerves and extend your hand-it shows bravery.</p></li>
<li><p>Cost? I don’t know how expensive Wabash is, but if you’re IS, UT is a bargain compared to many private colleges. Heck, even OOS it’s significantly cheaper. For example:</p></li>
</ol>

<p>BU-private close to 50-55k tuition
UT OOS-public close to 30-35k tuition</p>

<ol>
<li> It’s important to have a strong alum network, and Wabash seems to have it, but UT has a HUGE network of alumni that have generally strong commitment to their alma mater. Now, I’m not sure if the Texes-Exes are so quick to vouch for job applicants than say the Aggies (I have a friend whose brother went;if you have a class ring from A&M it’s apparently instant hire if the interviewer is also an Aggie)</li>
</ol>

<p>The point is having a much larger alumni network opens more doors, plain and simple. Plus, if Wabash is expensive, wouldn’t it be economically smarter to get out of college with less debt especially if you’re looking for a graduate school?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>UT repeatedly records having a significant number of fortune 500 CEOS and many graduates wind up working in Austin at some of these companies’ HQ’s (Dell for example).</p></li>
<li><p>UT consistently sends a large number of students to graduate schools and UT itself is a very respected graduate school.</p></li>
<li><p>Regarding liberal arts majors: UT probably has a more wide variety of liberal arts classes. Granted some may be huge (like 200 ppl or more), it’s all about how much you’re willing to put yourself out there.</p></li>
<li><p>Indianapolis vs. Austin I mean, is there a debate there ;-)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>At the end of the day, it’s important to know what you really want: You’re in a hard position it seems because you want UT and Wabash which seem to be polar opposites in terms of location and size. You could do the whole pro-con list, or you could visit each school again to refresh your mind.</p>

<p>Also, it’s important to know that you’re not trapped to a college if you go there. My friend from last year went to McGill in Canada for a semester then transferred to Maryland; it happens. </p>

<p>Also, while both schools seem to catch your eye, know that the name of your school is not a golden ticket anywhere. Wabash may have 100% grad school acceptance, but you have to see that it’s smaller and statistics will mean little compared to UT stats. </p>

<p>Good luck I hope you discover what’s best for you</p>

3

<p>I am assuming that you are going to the Honors Scholarship weekend that is coming up at Wabash. You will be able to see then if the school is truly right for you. If the right aid package is there, Wabash is a great choice. UT Austin is a great school, and there are opportuities at a big school that a school like Wabash can’t provide, but the men that I know who have attended have an extraordinary love of the school and opportunities that are amazing after graduation. </p>

<p>If there is a big discrepancy in the aid packages, then I say go to the cheaper school for undergrad, since it sounds like you plan to go to grad school, but I did have to say that Wabash is a great place.</p>

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<p>MizzBee, I didn’t attend Honors Weekend, but I was there for the Lilly Scholarship weekend just a few days ago. I’m will deposit in a couple of days to get ready to join the Wabash community next fall. I had attended Wabash College for the Top Ten Day, but I was still unsure about my decision. The second visit, however, pretty much nailed it for me. </p>

<p>And you’re right, Wabash College came to be a lot more convinent in terms of money. I got close to full-ride already. Not to mention that I felt very comfortable during my visit with current students and staff.</p>

5

<p>Andres1 - congrats! Good luck for the Lily, and good luck at Wabash.</p>