Why UT Austin didn't make top 10? (PhDs, degrees, private schools, master's)

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by Marlow

Mine is settling in and I think she'll end up liking it as well. I went to UT a million years ago when it was cheap and easy to get into. I had a good experience, but when we visited it for her, I didn't like it at all. It felt crowded and impersonal. Parking and traffic were a nightmare. I would have supported her decision to go there if she had wanted to, but I'm glad she didn't.

Same here. Auto admit into both UT and A&M a long time ago before their standards got quite so high, LOL. But, if other state schools are employing a show me the money strategy to entice students away from the flagships, and it works, that's fine. All's fair.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Same here. Auto admit into both UT and A&M a long time ago before their standards got quite so high, LOL. But, if other state schools are employing a show me the money strategy to entice students away from the flagships, and it works, that's fine. All's fair.

IMO the problem is a very large number of the UT and A&M cast offs leave the state many to never return. That is awful on several counts.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by Marlow

I think those schools have also increased the caliber of their student bodies with students who were accepted at UT and A&M but chose not to go there for financial reasons. Texas State, UH and UT Dallas offer very generous scholarships to top students. My daughter was an auto-admit at UT, although not into her chosen college. They didn't offer her any money. All three of the other schools offered her academic scholarships and she's attending Texas State on two scholarships that pay all of her for tuition and part of her housing. Assuming no major changes and that she graduates in four years, she'll have paid $60,000 less for her bachelor's degree than she would have at UT. I think it hurts her pride a bit to say she's going to Texas State instead of UT, but the $60,000 makes her feel better.

While I wholeheartedly with the cost savings aspect, there is one wrinkle which may not apply in all situations. I was an accounting/finance major in college (TCU). I can say with a fair amount of certainty that if you want to take the elevator to the big bucks in this field (as opposed to the stairs that a ******* like me took) then you HAVE to be able to land a job with one of the "big 4" audit accounting firms (KPMG, Ernst and Young, PWC, etc).

The only problem? Those firms will only recruit out of certain schools, and it's not going to be the smaller less glamorous schools. So graduates of those schools automatically have one strike against them in this field. I believe it's a similar situation in Finance. Goldman Sachs ain't coming to career day at UT Tyler. Now again, this may not be an issue in other fields making the savings aspect more relevant, just thought to bring that up.

[PriscillaVanilla]

Is UT Austin prestigious outside of Texas?

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by PriscillaVanilla

Is UT Austin prestigious outside of Texas?

Depends upon particular programs but generally speaking yes.

Undergrad
https://admissions.utexas.edu/explore/rankings

Grad
https://news.utexas.edu/2017/03/14/m...news-in-top-10

[Marlow]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

While I wholeheartedly with the cost savings aspect, there is one wrinkle which may not apply in all situations. I was an accounting/finance major in college (TCU). I can say with a fair amount of certainty that if you want to take the elevator to the big bucks in this field (as opposed to the stairs that a ******* like me took) then you HAVE to be able to land a job with one of the "big 4" audit accounting firms (KPMG, Ernst and Young, PWC, etc).

The only problem? Those firms will only recruit out of certain schools, and it's not going to be the smaller less glamorous schools. So graduates of those schools automatically have one strike against them in this field. I believe it's a similar situation in Finance. Goldman Sachs ain't coming to career day at UT Tyler. Now again, this may not be an issue in other fields making the savings aspect more relevant, just thought to bring that up.

I agree with this 100% and it's something my daughter and I talked about a lot. If you have a particular career path in mind and you know that potential employers will limit hires to a particular set of prestigious schools, or you want to get into a prestigious graduate or professional school, then name and rank of your undergrad degree certainly matters. This wasn't an issue for her but it certainly could be for other students.

[L210]

One factor in the rankings is SAT and ACT scores. The idea behind the auto-admit law is that it will give poorer and minority students an opportunity to attend top schools. High school grades are more closely correlated with college performance than SAT scores are. SAT scores are correlated with family income.

People from more well-to-do families usually attend better schools, are exposed to a broader range of vocabulary, and have the money to pay for SAT/ACT prep courses.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

I believe it. Now, the other side of this coin is that I believe there is a trickle down effect that benefits all the other state schools that aren't UT or A&M. I am of the opinion that places like Texas Tech, UH, Texas State, for example, have greatly increased the caliber of their student body with well qualified Texas students who didn't get into UT or A&M. Students that a generation ago, would have considered all these other schools only as a back up plan. I know I certainly did.

Very true. I know a woman whose kids were at or near the tops of their classes, high SAT scores, etc. Both chose universities other than UT-Austin because those schools (one of them out of state) threw bags of money at her kids. I think they chose wisely.

I got into UT back when it was easier (about 25 years ago). I graduated on time too, though most people I know who matriculated the same year did not graduate on time.


I sent my SAT scores to some safety schools and got admission offers from them without even applying. I hear admission at those schools is much more competitive nowadays. Our university system hasn't kept up with Texas's growth, for sure.

Originally Posted by Marlow

I think those schools have also increased the caliber of their student bodies with students who were accepted at UT and A&M but chose not to go there for financial reasons. Texas State, UH and UT Dallas offer very generous scholarships to top students. My daughter was an auto-admit at UT, although not into her chosen college. They didn't offer her any money. All three of the other schools offered her academic scholarships and she's attending Texas State on two scholarships that pay all of her for tuition and part of her housing. Assuming no major changes and that she graduates in four years, she'll have paid $60,000 less for her bachelor's degree than she would have at UT. I think it hurts her pride a bit to say she's going to Texas State instead of UT, but the $60,000 makes her feel better.

It shouldn't hurt her pride at all. I know several Texas State grads and they're all doing very well.

Originally Posted by PriscillaVanilla

Is UT Austin prestigious outside of Texas?

Eh...depends on what program and who you ask.

[jobaba]

These lists are really, really stupid.

And my alma mater is very high on that list...

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by jobaba

These lists are really, really stupid.

And my alma mater is very high on that list...

If school rankings and metrics were stupid, then no parent would seek sending their offspring to the best schools available. But as we all know, that is not the case. Therefore, they matter to some people.