<p>Coming from a large city where there's always a lot of things going on all the time, my daughter might find Austin a bit too quiet & boring, or is this just a misconception?</p>
<p>i suggest you go visit... thats what i'm doing. you never know what you're daughter will think. (and my conception was that it was a very fun town with lots to do, so i guess we dont share information sources, haha)</p>
<p>My son is a freshman there and loves it. He is from a big city but finds Austin to have as much, or more, to do socially than home. There are tons of live music venues, clubs and restaurants. There is also a huge social scene around the campus, with 45,000 kids running around the same area, there would have to be!!</p>
<p>I don't know quite what your impression of Austin is.</p>
<p>The city of Austin has a population of 700,000. The Austin-Rpund Rock metro area has around a million and a half people. The Austin-San Antonio corridor has a population of around 4 million. Austin is the 3rd fastest growing city in the USA (and San Antonio, with whom there is a lot of overlap in the metro areas south of Austin) is the 4th fastest growing. Austin is also ranked as the 2nd "Best Big City" to live in by Money magazine. It's considered to be the Live Music Capital of the World. There are approximately 60,000 students in Austin alone, and if you factor in nearby areas like San Marcos and Georgetown the total is probably around 100,000. It was rated by the Travel Channel as America's Best College Town.</p>
<p>What's your definition of a "large city?" I live in the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex, and to be honest there is a LOT more to do in Austin for people aged 15-25 than in Dallas.</p>
<p>Sure, it's really liberal, and sure, the town does love its "Weird" label, but even the staunchest conservative and most "normal" people in the world will enjoy Austin. It's got all the resources of a major world city without the crushing overpopulation and polution.</p>
<p>Wow, great post - I second all he said!!</p>
<p>You have a thread about what "don't" you like, and I will be curious to see what some write. My son LOVES it there!</p>
<p>I would say, personally, one drawback to the city is the traffic (especially on I35). The city has been growing so fast that the infrastructure has not been able to keep up.</p>
<p>I have lived in one of the world's most populated cities for a long time, then we moved here to the 4th largest city in the nation where my daughter was born & raised. When I said Austin may be a little boring, this is compared to our prior experience of living in a major metropolis with all the city conveniences & close proximity to everything.</p>
<p>My daughter was in the UT campus 2 times before with her high school when they had competitions with other schools in Texas. It was on a Saturday, the campus seemed so quiet. On other occasions, we drove past the city on our way to visit McKinney Falls, a very beautiful place, btw. I agree the traffic on I-35 was bad. I think Austin needs more & wider roads to handle that growth</p>
<p>"Too quiet and boring"?! You've got the wrong impression! I grew up in Austin and I can assure you there is always something exciting to do. It may be a bit quiet but when we party we party hard. We're also amazingly liberal ;D</p>
<p>Trust me, I am from a major metropolis, and there is as much to do in Austin as in any large city in the US (that includes NYC, LA, and Chicago).</p>
<p>Austin is a pretty big city (I think the 4th largest in Texas behind Houston, Dallas, and SA). And with over 100,000 college students within a 50-mile radius, there is PLENTY to do for college kids.</p>
<p>I can't think of anything that you could think of as necessary that Austin doesn't have.</p>
<p>There shouldn't be any problem at all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
here to the 4th largest city in the nation where my daughter was born & raised. When I said Austin may be a little boring, this is compared to our prior experience of living in a major metropolis with all the city conveniences & close proximity to everything.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Houston has been the 4th largest city in the nation for at least 17 years, so I have to assume that is the city you are talking about. If so, I laugh at the phrase "close proximity to everything" and the assertion that Austin could be as boring as Houston.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It was on a Saturday, the campus seemed so quiet.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Maybe you should have taken them to 6th street that night.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"I think Austin needs more & wider roads to handle that growth"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>LMAO @ that. You ever been to LA? You want to turn Austin into LA?</p>
<p>//I laugh at the phrase "close proximity to everything" and the assertion that Austin could be as boring as Houston.//</p>
<p>I'm sorry that you took my message the wrong way. That's not what I meant at all.</p>
<p>//Maybe you should have taken them to 6th street that night.//</p>
<p>What happens on 6th street on a Saturday night?</p>
<p>//LMAO @ that. You ever been to LA? You want to turn Austin into LA?//</p>
<p>Been there a number of times, & no I did not say I want Austin to become LA, that's entirely your fabrication.</p>
<p>6th Street is probably the clubbing captial of the southwest, and is Austin's live music hub. There are many 21+ clubs (assume for yourself what goes on there) as well as a few 18+ clubs popular with underclassmen. There are usually several very good bands playing as well. Many were also head to West Campus, home of the university's fraternity and sorority scene.</p>
<p>Friday night is rough on a lot of students, so many will sleep in on Saturday, which might explain why you didn't see too many. Many are also off doing their own thing throughout Austin. Quite a few students from throughout Texas go home many weekends a semester, so that's another reason why you might not have seen very many kids.</p>
<p>Texas is usually highly ranked on lists of "America's top party schools." However, the general attitude is "work hard Sunday-Thursday, and party Friday and Saturday." Also, with 50,000 students, there are a large number who don't go for the whole party scene and like a quieter weekend, so there really is a place for everyone on campus.</p>
<p>Traffic is only a major problem for students who try to commute to campus from homes and apartments. Many students live on campus or in the private dorms, apartments, or fraternity houses in West Campus, and simply walk to class or bike. The public transportation system is clean, efficient, and often used by students and is free, so students who don't live within walking distance but are on a bus route are also good. I wouldn't recommend taking a car to UT unless it's only for weekend use--driving around Austin or home. If your dorm has a parking garage, use it, otherwise you probably don't want to bring a car.</p>
<p>Most of the girls here are gorgeous.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Coming from a large city where there's always a lot of things going on all the time, my daughter might find Austin a bit too quiet & boring
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You're joking, right? I've had more fun in the Austin area than any other part of Texas. Way more fun than Houston because I didn't have to worry about getting shot as much.</p>
<p>I come from Los Angeles and I can tell you that I'm having more fun in Austin than I've ever had growing up in a large city like L.A. I'm in my second year here at UT and there is definitely something for everyone, no matter what they are looking for in their college experience. Don't worry about your daughter finding Austin boring; she'll find plenty to do no matter what her interests are.</p>
<p>Btw, what are some of her interests/passions? The answer to that can be partying; there's nothing wrong with that since Austin is a great place to do that! I might be able to answer some more specific questions if you have any.</p>
<p>Agreed, bballa. Austin is actually small enough that you can find what you want to do pretty quickly. UT-Austin also attracts A LOT of California athletes and I'm sure they wouldn't be there if they were getting bored.</p>
<p>bballa4life,</p>
<p>Thanks for replying, her interests are primarily in the arts/music areas. She has been playing the piano, & violin since elementary school. At one time she also had a band going with friends whom she met at the youth symphony of our city. In high school, she has wonderful science teachers & she enjoys science so much that she plans to major in Biology at UT. She's also currently taking Russian & would like to continue. From what she's heard so far, the Russian at UT is pretty good. I would appreciate very much if you know anything about the departments & would like to shed some lights on them. </p>
<p>I also read elsewhere that the UT campus is segregated, do you feel the same way?</p>
<p>In some other (pressure cooker) schools, students died because they commit suicide due to the high demand of academics. At UT, it seems that student deaths have been mostly associated with falling from balcony after getting drunk. Sorry that this is morbid. My daughter enjoys video games, ddr & be with friends, not so much about partying, tho that may change when she goes to college.</p>
<p>As far as segregation goes there probably is alot, but that happens almost everywhere I am a black male student and sometimes I am the only black guy, but I have been around white ppl for the better part of my life so it depends there is little segregation amongst middle class blacks and whites, whereas a poor student would face segregation regardless of race, bc kids with money go to places that require money and probably the vast majority of kids that go to UT have money, one I meet was a millionaire literally.</p>
<p>Well the fraternity scene is segregated...there is pretty much a white fraternity and sorority system, a black system, a Latino system, and an Asian system. A few kids of each race cross the traditional boundaries, but for the most part people join fraternities of their own race. They're remnants of the segregation era and though no fraternity is officially biased against minorities most people like to stay with their own race.</p>
<p>The ammount of segregation is probably similar to a suburban high school. You'll have your "jock" cliques (only now it's mostly ex-jocks and fraternity boys), your "pretty girl" cliques, the "goth" cliques, the "nerd" cliques, and then a lot of minorities will have their own cliques. This doesn't mean that there isn't interaction between races, or that people will be unwelcoming of people who aren't like them, but many people prefer to socialize with people from similar background to them wherever they are, not just at UT.</p>
<p>I'm half white and half Colombian, though I don't look like your stereotypical Latino at all (my skin is tan, but would be called "White" before "brown," and I have blue eyes and light brown hair). I love the Latino community and serving it and developing it, but I've been around a Caucasian majority all my life. If I pledge, it will be IFC (the "white" system), just because I actually get a lot of flack around Hispanics for looking and acting "white," but I hope to be involved in Latino community and cultural affairs at UT</p>
<p>It's a well-known school out of the state and it has enough prestige that you don't really need to major in something specific to get the career that you want.</p>
<p>Good topic! What I liked: </p>
<p>Mexican food on every corner in Austin, and GOOD stuff. If you ever leave Texas to live, you'll appreciate this more than you expected. </p>
<p>CHEAP. This is by far UT's biggest selling point. A top 50 school for less than $10,000 a year? Can't beat that. Also, UT is VERY generous with scholarships, both school-wide and departmental. You can also get scholarships after your freshman year. </p>
<p>They're constantly improving facilities and trying to make things better for students. </p>
<p>Huge student body means their bureaucracy is a fairly well-oiled machine. You may have to jump through a few hoops to get some things done, but overall UT is very organized because they have to be. </p>
<p>Lots of opportunity for on-campus employment for students, working as receptionists in various offices, as research assistants, etc. Beats working at Starbucks. </p>
<p>Great professors. Despite UT's rep for being impersonal and having huge classes, if you seek out your profs, they will be great mentors. </p>
<p>Big classes means you don't have to show up every day. This is especially nice for easy intro-level classes, where showing up is basically a waste of time. That's cynical, but hey, it's true. </p>
<p>Lots of students means lots of feedback on pickaprof.com (use this). </p>
<p>TONS of class offerings and flexibility means you can have entire days without any classes or without geting up before noon. Make sure you register on time, though. ;)</p>
<p>If you're in Texas, good chance that a bunch of people from your high school will go there, so you'll come to college with some built-in acquaintances if you choose to hang out with them. </p>
<p>The performing arts--opera, orchestras, and plays are held on campus and tickets are priced lower for students. </p>
<p>Oh yea, and the women are smoking hot, which sucks if you're a woman, but if you're a man who's lived outside of the South your whole life... come here, and you won't be able to pick your eyeballs up off the ground or shove your tongue back in your mouth to save your life. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I also read elsewhere that the UT campus is segregated, do you feel the same way?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Definitely, and Austin the city is, too. Most blacks/Hispanics live on the east side of I35, while the students/whites live on the west side. I didn't notice it as much when I went there, since I'd lived in Texas my whole life, but after moving to NYC, I will say there is definitely a difference between there and Austin.</p>