University of Texas : Austin
University of Texas : Austin is a Public, Non-Sectarian, Research, University established in 1883. The campus is located in Austin, Texas, USA and hosts students with an endowment of .
Website: www.utexas.edu
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Institution Type: Public, Non-Sectarian, Research, University
Established: 1883
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I also want to stress that even though UT-Austin is one of the top schools in the nation, don’t apply there just because you want the prestige of going there; definitely research the school first, go visit Austin for a week or so (maybe during Spring Break), put yourself in the environment and see whether you like it there. Don’t make the same mistake I did. I learned the hard way that UT-Austin is not for me, and definitely not for everyone. And also, if you’re autistic, have down syndrome, or have any mental disabilities or disorders and you are considering this school, just remember that UT-Austin is a VERY social school and it may not be the right environment for you to grow and develop because fitting in is VERY important. Drinking alcohol, smoking, partying, etc are very common.
Definitely visit the university first. During Spring break or winter break, spend a week or so at UT-Austin and see whether you fit into the environment. Try to picture yourself as a student there, can you succeed? Do you feel safe and happy that you’re there?
Simply put, its overrated.
Its presented to you as a school with a great football team, a large diverse campus (great social life!), and still has a somewhat impressive showing on academics– participating in cutting edge research, tons of student clubs and activities, and great professors. But that is all for the brochures, in reality the school is large and has a massive economy. This translates into a culture where students are numbers digested by a massive machine, processed, and spit out (then asked to donate). Administrative procedures are notoriously loaded with red tape, a large majority of teachers are there for research and will teach from badly worded powerpoint slideshows, and opportunities are partitioned based on credentials and paperwork and not relationships with the faculty and advisors. Finally social life is vapid. The one plus is our football team isn’t overrated.. well at least it wasn’t a year ago.
Do yourself a favor and avoid UT if you feel your just buying into the hype its a great school. I would suggest community college for 2 years and then selecting a school with a program in your major that excites you. You should talk to faculty in this department, look into the opportunities available and the credential necessary to qualify for these. Next get a good feel for the administration and how it works, and finally the social life.
UT offers little before junior year academically, and socially offers little outside of drinking beer and going to football games. And nothing against either of those activities, but do you really need to suffer through college to do that… just buy some beer and find a friend that goes to UT and buy some football tickets off of them…. it will be cheaper than the tuition you’d pay that semester.
I could tell there was racial, gay, and social tension, although most people will not want to discuss it due to a fear of lawsuits. Also too many students and staff are pollyannaish,naive, or selfish. The administrators love to play on their ignorance and use people.
A lot of people there think that being curt, cryptic, and flippant is a sign of superiority but it’s really just a sign of bitterness, poor social etiquette, and inferiority complex. I personally want to be around happy people. A lot of the students didn’t come across as happy to me. They were mostly self absorbed, opportunistic, and sometimes outright bigoted. Sorry, but that isn’t my type of learning environment.
Diversity is completely overrated there because most people there do not respect or appreciate it. You are forced through social pressures to get into a group of your own kind and then look down on other groups that you deem inferior. Does that sound like a good learning atmosphere to you? Nope, it teaches you bigotry, duplicity, and insensitivity is what it does. You will see that everywhere at The University of Texas at Austin. Almost everybody there is two faced and shifty.
Ethics is an extremely low priority for faculty, staff, administration, and students that I knew, although I bet you they will always tell you what you want to hear to get you to think otherwise. Everything is just rosey and peachy all of the time on their website. Dealing with them is a whole other frustrating story.
Every problem you can think of is there at The University of Texas at Austin although they cover it up pretty well. You have to remember in the late sixties and seventies they had problems with violence and suicides, the murder of Jennifer Cave by two UT students, so obviously people weren’t pleased with the campus then. It’s obvious to me that they still have glaring problems but it has manifested itself into bigotry, chauvinism, favoritism, duplicity, and opportunism which you will even see in the counseling center.
If you are unhappy with anything staff and faculty will try to pin the blame all on you, try to convince you that your problems will follow you instead of them accepting responsibility for their poor customer service and incompetence and then they try to scapegoat you instead of trying to accommodate you or trying to improve their customer service. They sometimes get aggressive and tell you to leave if you don’t like it there.
I suggest you avoid The University of Texas at Austin and explore other options. UT often forgets that you are a customer and they will treat you like a number unless you know who’s feet to kiss and who to flatter. Some students play politics amazingly well and get great results. Maybe that is you. It wasn’t me.
Wouldn’t you rather go to a college where you actually learn because the professors are inspirational, respectful, and helpful? Also wouldn’t you rather go to a college where there aren’t social agendas that could work against you? In my experience other colleges are far superior in every way and offer far better resources and environments to learn in.
Also read other student reviews first before you make any moves to The University of Texas at Austin. Consider negative reviews of the college very seriously because you don’t want to waste your money, get involved with horrible two faced people, and waste your life away.
Pros: Nothing.
Cons: Too many problems to list.