<p>The weather, the area, the school??? What should prospective students be aware of if they choose UT?</p>
<p>Big school. Many comunity college students drain to UT (b/c it is a public school). and large classes</p>
<p>some really big classes, some bad instructors</p>
<p>aarosurf, any specific bad instructors for which class. I will mostly be major in biochem, maybe dean's scholars (does that help situation??)</p>
<p>The fact that the campus is smack dab in downtown Austin. Traffic's bad.</p>
<p>Well certain majors will have very large classes, foreign professors or worse, TAs doing most of the teaching. It's the same for many/most core classes.</p>
<p>Maybe you could look into an honors program, which tend to have smaller class sizes.</p>
<p>There are a LOT of people, and it's pretty easy to get distracted I've heard.</p>
<p>Yes, traffic is terrible, but the public transportation in Austin is stellar and is free to UT students, so there isn't any need to take a car. For freshman year it would be a very good idea to live near campus, either in an on-campus dorm or one of the Guadalupe private dorms.</p>
<p>Everyone I know who has gone to UT loves it. I don't hear many complaints. I truly can't wait to enroll next year.</p>
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The fact that the campus is smack dab in downtown Austin. Traffic's bad.
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<p>If the campus is "smack dab in downtown Austin" , *** are you doing driving? This is the problem with the mindsets of many Texans. They think they should drive everywhere.</p>
<p>theloneranger:</p>
<p>I'm glad to hear that Austin has a great public transportation system & my daughter can get around town without a car. </p>
<p>xtra:</p>
<p>If my daughter goes to UT, she'll major in Biology & perhaps do Russian. Do you have anything about the Biology department that you want to share? Is it OK to use a Mac instead of windows?</p>
<p>I know several people who have Macs and do fine. As long as you use Windows friendly software (particularly Office), there shouldn't be a problem.</p>
<p>Bio is a very popluar department--the largest actual major besides undeclared majors. I'm not sure how big the class sizes are but I'm going to guess that the introductory classes are huge, particularly since many non-Bio majors use Bio to fill the mandatory science requirement.</p>
<p>You can check ratemyprofessors.com to see what students have said about their profs.</p>
<p>If you're in DS, you'll most likely have some of the best prof's the school has to offer so I wouldn't worry terribly about that.</p>
<p>Campus is too big in area. There's also way too many people here. It's not really as elite as stated: "What starts here changes the world"...laughable. They seem to accept way too many people and then these folks just get by. Not really prestigious when 25,000 other students are getting a degree from the same university majoring in home ec or similar...
Another example of this: people in McCombs like to think they are really elite or something because it is so highly ranked. They like to think it was the toughest thing to get accepted into. I transferred in after freshman year. I think the cut-off was 3.3 or 3.4. Not difficult. I then quit the college, but the classes there are a joke unless you are in BHP or PPA program. Yet the thousands in the Business school that aren't in such programs act like they will be your boss after school's over...hah.</p>
<p>The reason I didn't go to UT was because the campus isn't close-knit enough for me. It's a little bit harder to make friends at UT compared to other state universities. The student body overall isn't outgoing enough for my tastes. I think part of the reason is because UT attracts a lot of "bookworm" types.</p>
<p>For example, when I was on campus at UT years ago, I stopped and asked for directions from students waiting at a bus stop. They had this "why are you asking me?" look on their faces. At A&M, I made friends with people I met at the bus stop.</p>
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Campus is too big in area.
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<p>I always thought the campus was way too small and cramped. Another reason I decided against it.</p>
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If the campus is "smack dab in downtown Austin" , *** are you doing driving? This is the problem with the mindsets of many Texans. They think they should drive everywhere.
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<p>This is coming from somebody who went to a school 300 miles away from everywhere else in Texas? You had to do a lot of driving yourself.</p>
<p>A lot of the stuff in Austin isn't in downtown Austin.</p>
<p>I grew up 30 minutes from downtown Austin and if I went to school there, yes, traffic would have been a very big issue for me. A LOT of the students there live within 50 miles of the school so traffic would be very big for them, too.</p>
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It's not really as elite as stated
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<p>Like I've said in other threads, UT-Austin is really elite only in a few programs, and the "brand name" of UT rubs off on the not-so-elite programs there.</p>
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people in McCombs like to think they are really elite or something because it is so highly ranked.
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<p>Well of course! They have jobs lining up for them.</p>
<p>But I kind of know what you mean. Business majors aren't really that hard compared to other majors, and at the same time they are pretty vocational. Some of the business students I've met weren't really that bright; they just had the credentials to get in. Considering that anyone with half a brain can finish in the top 10% of their Texas high school class, thus being admitted to McCombs or Mays, not everyone is going to be bright.</p>
<p>I don't think I would've had many friends at McCombs if that's the attitude they have, hookem, and I don't doubt you.</p>
<p>UT isn't Stanford or Wharton. But it is the best public university in Texas for most programs (the only real exceptions I can think of are geography, for which Texas State is exceptional, and computer science, for which UT Dallas probably takes the prize).</p>
<p>Things at UT do happen to change the world. But usually it's the faculty or alumni who do such things. The majority of the 50,000 students each year won't change the world. But a few will. And I'm fairly certain that UT doesn't have a home ec program, whoever said that.</p>
<p>And honestly, undergrad business majors are fairly pointless. Sure, you can get a job right out of college, but then you can get the same job with a lot of other majors as well. And to advance far in business, you need an MBA. And they really won't care what your bachelors was in when you have an MBA from McCombs.</p>
<p>The top ten percent rule is supposed to be an equalizer. Otherwise a large majority of the entering freshman class each year would have attened elite public schools like Plano and Highland Park or private schools, and there would be little diversity. The rule helps rural and urban kids get admitted as well. No one is saying that all kids admitted are exceptionally smart. But most do have the drive and determination to stay in their school's top ten, so will do well wherever they go to school.</p>
<p>And UT's campus is really small. I can't really think of where you could find a smaller college campus--most community college campuses are larger. It allows for you to be pretty close to everyone there, though with 50k it's hard to get to know everyone.</p>
<p>And I'd take the small UT campus over College Station because there is so much more to do at UT. If you want to commute to UT, it's going to be tough because of the traffic. That's why I'd say that even if you're from Austin you should live on or near campus.</p>
<p>idk where you got your info but I had a 3.87 and 33 hours after my freshamn year and was not accepted into McCombs...a 3.3 or a 3.4??? well looks like I got screwed on that one.</p>
<p>The 3.3 or 3.4 standard is for INTRA-COLLEGE transfers, not for transfer students. I don't think McCombs will let you transfer in unless you've attended UT before. So I'm guessing they didn't even look at you for transfer for McCombs because you were applying from UTSA.</p>
<p>I think that UT is ultra segregated. Probably it's just a Texas thing, because I'm from New York and it's definitely not like this.</p>
<p>Undergraduate</a> Programs - The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin</p>
<p>When I applied it was 3.4 and the year before, 3.3. I guess now it is up to 3.5; still a joke. 67% acceptance rate...</p>
<p>You're pretty delusional, lone ranger. Maybe you need to cut out some eyeholes for that mask of yours.</p>
<p>If UT was the best public university for most programs, then how come everywhere I go, positions are filled with either UT OR A&M grads? How come people who apply to UT also apply to A&M? If UT was so much better that wouldn't be happening.</p>
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And honestly, undergrad business majors are fairly pointless. Sure, you can get a job right out of college, but then you can get the same job with a lot of other majors as well.
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<p>Total, absolute BS. Many, many jobs will NOT accept anyone without an accounting, finance, economics, or related business major. Some of the auditing jobs only take accounting or finance majors.</p>
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And to advance far in business, you need an MBA.
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<p>The majority of corporate officers I have dealt with in Texas do not have a MBA. If you are intelligent and hard-working, all you need is a BBA from a good, ranked school.</p>
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Otherwise a large majority of the entering freshman class each year would have attened elite public schools like Plano and Highland Park or private schools, and there would be little diversity. The rule helps rural and urban kids get admitted as well. No one is saying that all kids admitted are exceptionally smart. But most do have the drive and determination to stay in their school's top ten, so will do well wherever they go to school.
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<p>So you're saying that you should get admitted even though you might not have as good academics as someone else? Total BS. Besides, it doesn't take drive and determination to be in the top 10% of your high school class; the cirriculum in Texas high schools today are a joke.</p>
<p>I've met top 10% kids who were total idiots and would not do well at UT or A&M. Some of them went to lower tier universities because they lacked the maturity levels to do well at the big schools. And you're telling me that they will do well wherever because they did well in a joke high school cirriculum?</p>
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And I'd take the small UT campus over College Station because there is so much more to do at UT.
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<p>Obviously you've never been to A&M.</p>
<p>But you're right, the standards for exteral transfers into McCombs are harder.</p>
<p>i've been to both a&m (dozens of my relatives have or are going there) and i go to UT and there is definitely more of a variety of things to do in austin, not necessarily more amount, depends how you look at it.</p>
<p>and all i can say about comparing the two schools, you always hear of people going to a&m because they couldn't get into UT or a certain school at UT, but you never hear about anyone going to UT because they couldn't get into a&m.</p>
<p>hey formidable
I'm just curious (since I'm out of state and stuff). What's there to do at A&M?
I recently got accepted, but I'm not too sure about the city.. seems like a pretty good school =D</p>