<p>To start off, I am very very worried because I'm not going to the prestigious college of my dreams. Rather, I'm doing the liberal arts honors program at the University of Texas at Austin. The absolute LAST place I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. The other (much more prestigious) schools I got into were far too expensive and I decided that going to UT (which saves me 100K of debt and is basically free for me because my parents are paying) was the smarter decision to make. </p>
<p>A few questions:</p>
<p>1) Did I make the right decision? I am still waiting to hear back from the Chicago, Vanderbilt, and Emory waitlists. If accepted, should I chose one of these schools (at a much higher price tag) instead of UT?</p>
<p>2) Should I go to UT freshmen year, save money, and attempt to transfer to somewhere better? Or does undergrad really not matter for law school?</p>
<p>3) WHAT SHOULD I MAJOR IN??? I love law and philosophy (I am a debater of five years and actually have somewhat of a background in the subject) but I don't want to be one of 500 other polisci/philosophy majors. So I'm thinking international relations with a minor in...? Or maybe I should double major? UT has a great business school so what about an IR/Business double major? Is IR better then Polisci? Is one more difficult than another?</p>
<p>I messed up in high school because I knew NOTHING of college admissions. Thus, I am spending at least the next year of my life where I absolutely never wanted to be. I don't want to make the same mistake for grad school. </p>
<p>All answers and/or advice are very much appreciated.</p>
<p>You should be happy you got in UT, its a great school. You got into LAH, so you might aswell stay in it. If you think you can get the grades to internally transfer into Mccombs go for it. If you really dont wont to go to UT, then go somewhere else case closed.</p>
<p>First, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’ve been given the opportunity to go to an honors college at a world-famous flagship university. You can graduate debt free. Don’t scoff at an opportunity most people could only dream having. </p>
<p>You’ve become aware that opportunities are tethered to how hard you have worked. That’s an important lesson, but one that’s more useful when considered prospectively. </p>
<p>I remember feeling smug when I learned that an elementary school rival was headed to a state university after high school. She later graduated first in her class from that state university, went on to get a Ph.D. from one Ivy League university, and is now a tenured professor at another one.</p>
<p>The course your life takes from this point on is unknowable now, but be assured that it will depend largely on how hard you work.</p>
<p>P.S. It’s pointless to think about what you should have done differently. Concentrate on what you should do differently from now on.</p>
<p>Jackdaniels, I think you’ll find UT a pleasant place to spent your next 4 years. UT has a good blend of academics and social life. UT has a better professional schools than all but UChicago. Guess what, if you are in-state, it’s easier to get into Texas Law. If you are planning to make a change, I’d recommend switching honors program. LAH is a bottom-rung honors program. If you want to stay in COLA, you should apply for Plan II. Else, I’d recommend Dean Scholars (Natural Science), Business Honors Program (McCombs), or Engineering Honors. Although entry to those programs are more difficult.</p>
<p>Kaiden: I have to respectfully disagree with your view that law is better than business. The supply for JD outstrip the demand for lawyers. Hence, firms are deferring or not hiring, even at T14. The actual job placement at T14 is probably close to 60% (including clerkship), not ~100%. Top bschool’s placement, although not good, but are in the 70s%. Associates work longer hours than even IBankers. The pay for BigLaw is only slightly better than the pay for MBA. Plus, bschool is 2 years and focuses on networking, you’ll be in less debt and have more fun.</p>
<p>^^ Sorry, it seems as though grammatically I’ve become incapable of expressing my opinion. </p>
<p>I was trying to make no such mention of the professional career of law versus business. </p>
<p>Rather, I was commmenting on the OP’s statement that he did not want to be a Poli Sci or Philosophy major because he did not want to be a dime a dozen among law school applicants, and was thus asking if he should instead apply to transfer into McCombs. </p>
<p>I was trying to say that Political Science and Philosophy were great majors and that, in terms of law school, would be far better than an undergraduate degree in business (that is in terms of law school admissions they would look more favorably upon a philosophy major than a business major). I should have included that there is no reason to switch to IR.</p>