<p>Kinda funny to hear this.
Parent asks, why should I send my kid to UT?
Someone answers, “Sixth Street and football.”
Parent, therefore, thinks, “Oh, great. Booze and weed and getting drunk at football games are the best reasons to go to Texas.”
Try this, instead:
UT is one of the leading state universities in the nation. It attracts top professors, because it can afford to pay top salaries. And although the campus aesthetic has been ruined by parking garages and overbuilding, Austin is a vibrant, diverse city with plenty to do – including the many activities on the UT campus.
Job opportunities after UT? Excellent within the state of Texas, unless you apply to a business owned by an Aggie.
Good luck.</p>
<p>From my experience, both Microsoft and Google hire deep into UT.</p>
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</p>
<p>'nuff said</p>
<p>. . . . . but then, I just got into Duke. </p>
<p>Groan.</p>
<p>I like the top ten list!</p>
<p>
[quote]
. . . . . but then, I just got into Duke.
[quote]
</p>
<p>go to duke. 'nuff said</p>
<p>My son got accepted to 9 schools, including Amherst and Washington University in St. Louis, but he decided on UT and is really happy there. But it sounds like you think Duke is the place for you, so go for it!</p>
<p>Yes… currently I am torn between two colleges and although this is the UT Austin thread, I wish people would reply with their most un-biased opinions ;)</p>
<p>I got into UT Austin, but I got denied into my first and second choice, which were pre-pharmacy and biochemistry, and I got into the college of Undeclared instead… However I am 100% sure that I want to do pre-pharmacy and an admissions counselor said I could switch into the College of Natural Sciences after the 1st semester. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I also got into the GPPA (Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For those who are unfamiliar with it, it is a program that guarantees you a spot into their Pharmacy school, provided that you maintain a 3.5 minimum gpa and take the PCAT with a decent score. </p>
<p>Campus:</p>
<p>I visited both campuses, and I loved UT’s. To me, it had such a “college-feel” to it, and the people there were really friendly to me. Also, from just 1 day of a tour, I knew UT was a place that always had something going on…I like that. However, I’m kind of intimidated by the notorious HOT TEXAN WEATHER! (lol, I know that’s a dumb reason but I have lived in Chicago my whole life so most of what I know is wind, rain, and snow haha) Also, I’m worried that by attending UT, I will be forever disassociating myself from the rest of my family and my friends that I have known my whole life… I mean, I will probably end up getting a job in Texas if I go to UT, and I will probably never return to Chicago afterwards… However, a part of me also welcomes the new atmosphere, the chance to start fresh in a foreign place.</p>
<p>UIC was another story-- although it is located in Chicago, 1 mile from the Sears tower and it’s really close to the Lakeshore, the campus did nothing to me. When I toured it, I couldn’t feel a connection to it; I couldn’t imagine myself there for 8 years lol. The architecture is drab and the people I met there were not very pleasant. But it is guaranteed admissions into their Pharmacy school which is ranked #7 in the country. I don’t know whether or not I should overlook how I feel about UIC’s campus since it has given me a safety net.</p>
<p>Financially, I’d be paying:</p>
<p>UT Austin: $25,936/yr
UIC: $ 26,214/yr</p>
<p>So, pretty much the same. (I calculated based off of the housing plan I liked lol)</p>
<p>Illinois, for those those of you who dont know is also in severe debt, and I’m worried that’s going to affect future job opportunities/tuition increases. Texas, from what I know is totally not in debt and has plenty of jobs. </p>
<p>I feel like I sound very pro-UT Austin right now, but inside, I still feel very attached to Illinois. I feel like my attachment towards my home is translating into a reason to go to UIC, but I need someone to tell me whether or not this is not a good reason/to grow up and go to UT!!</p>
<p>I need some fresh opinions. Please give me some insight/help me!!</p>
<p>Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>omg- pharmacy school admissions are very competitive, so i think you should take the UIC offer. in addition, you’re only at your pre-pharm school for 2 years before switching, so this way you get to stay at UIC for 6 years and maintain an actual friend base while at UT you would leave after 2 years and have to restart everything (unless you got into UT pharmacy school, which is one of the hardest to get into).</p>
<p>UT is a great school. But i voted UMN chemE over UT because UT was just too pricey. I loved it though!</p>
<p>Here’s my take on why attend UT:</p>
<p>A.) The crowd. With 55,000+ students you never know who you will meet, network with, end up marrying, or become future business partners with. The best and the brightest in Texas go to UT so you will be in the same classroom as students who were the top grads in their high schools.</p>
<p>The people who go to UT just seem different IMO. They’re more “cooler” than the one’s I’ve met at UH (no offense). The people I met at UT, I wanted to get to know better and hang out with, they also had lives beyond school and I learned a lot from my experiences at UT because of the diverse group of people I met.</p>
<p>B.) Top notch faculty. You will have a$$holes as professors and total jerks, but these professors are some of the best and brightest in the field and in the state of Texas. You may have an economics professor who hangs around with Joesepf Stliglitz and went to school/was friends with John Nash, professors who invesnted breakthrough inventions, or professors who have held important government posts and or are frequently relied on for their expertise by Congressmen and Presidents along with world leaders.</p>
<p>C.) The school and its sprit. Going to a UT football game is like nothing I have previously experienced. You can truely see that students are at UT for more than an education, they’re there to get the “UT experience”. The campus is huge and has some of the best libraries that I have seen with an excellent museum that rivals many of those in my own city!</p>
<p>Unlike other schools, UT makes you want to walk a little extra to class and you enjoy being their (or at least I did). There is a lot of history on campus and you never know, someone famous may have sat in the same seat you did!</p>
<p>D.) Networking/Future Career Opportunities. I don’t attend UT anymore as I didn’t get into their business school however, here’s a quick story. I attended a career/internship fair for college students with major corporations present. One particular consulting firm that I wished to work with, after I expressed interest in working for them, told me they don’t recruit anyone who doesn’t go to UT! I was told straight up that UT is considered the best in their view and that that in the entire state, they only recruited UT students and not those who went to TCU, SMU, Baylor, etc.</p>
<p>Point being is that the career fairs don’t attract “weak” corporations but major powerhouses. Lot’s of companies will gamble on you just because you’re a UT student because UT has a brand name which will help you gain an extra edge when looking for top internships.</p>
<p>I know this is a ramble but JMO so take it for what its worth…</p>
<p>omg, you’ve probably noticed how biased I am towards UT, but I agree that the UIC program sounds really good. Guaranteed admission, wow!</p>
<p>Having lived in the northeast for a long time, I’ve found that you CAN find people who are pleasant - you just have to look a little harder and be very friendly yourself! (I like to smile and say hi to strangers - it freaks them out up here!)</p>