UTA or TTU? (Austin, Arlington, Ranger: transfer to, community college, living)

[faceoff007]

I graduated with both BS and MS in computer science from UTA and can definitely say that they have a very strong computer science program. There are plenty of job options for UTA engineering grads.

[Aceraceae]

My wife is a UTA alum as a RN. She had a job immediately after graduating.

[J800]

Graduated from UTA with a double major in economics & math. You will be fine. UTA is generally good in engineering, nursing, and to a lesser extent, business (finance/accounting/econ).

Sure, it's not a "prestigious" university, but the strongest students usually find good jobs. I competed with students from SMU, UT, and Rice and was able to secure a position. UTA was very boring as it's a commuter school, but I usually ended up driving to Dallas on weekends anyway.

[smiles_chicago]

Thanks all for responding! Excellent points - we def need to do more research and will.
Much appreciated!!

[Walter Benjamin]

UTA has been putting massive investment into trying to shed the "commuter school" sobriquet. There is indeed a residential life at UTA, although not on the level of a TTU.

College Park Center - The University of Texas at Arlington
MBB: Going all out on Senior Night - UT Arlington Official Athletic Site
Maverick Speakers Series - The University of Texas at Arlington

Apparently about 5000+ of 33500 UTA students live on-campus, compared to 7000 of 30000 at TTU. However, an "off-campus" UTA student is probably more likely to be driving in from Weatherford for an evening class after work, whereas an "off-campus" TTU student might be more likely to be a 19-year-old living in a student co-op.

I've seen many TTU flags flying from cars and houses in Dallas, but few or none from UTA.

[4Movingeast]

It is also worth noting that so many people manage to find life worth living despite not having participated in the Greek system.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by 4Movingeast

It is also worth noting that so many people manage to find life worth living despite not having participated in the Greek system.

Agreed. I was in a sorority in college and for me, it was a complete waste of time. I don't keep in touch with any of them.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by 4Movingeast

It is also worth noting that so many people manage to find life worth living despite not having participated in the Greek system.

Yes, that is very true. Even at schools with "huge" Greek systems like UT-Austin or Indiana, less than 20% of students are Greek.

But for someone who is interested in it and ends up at a campus where there are only 2-3 small houses, it may be a big letdown.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Agreed. I was in a sorority in college and for me, it was a complete waste of time. I don't keep in touch with any of them.

I keep in touch with hardly any of my sorority sisters, but my sorority helped me land every single job I've had since graduation. I had a leadership position in my house and when I applied for jobs right out of college, the hiring manager had held the same position at his house and was impressed that I could handle that much responsibility (involved handling finances and herding cats, I mean 18-22 year old women) and still manager to work part-time and have a high GPA. While at that company, I met a recruiter who is in my sorority and she placed me at my last two companies.

You hear a lot of these stories.....

Of course, going to a university with a powerful alumni network like UT, Texas A&M, West Point / Naval Academy, Ivies, etc can provide the same opportunities. But if you're lucky and you go to a school with a powerful network AND you're Greek, you get 2X the networking benefits (IMO).

[4Movingeast]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

I keep in touch with hardly any of my sorority sisters, but my sorority helped me land every single job I've had since graduation. I had a leadership position in my house and when I applied for jobs right out of college, the hiring manager had held the same position at his house and was impressed that I could handle that much responsibility (involved handling finances and herding cats, I mean 18-22 year old women) and still manager to work part-time and have a high GPA. While at that company, I met a recruiter who is in my sorority and she placed me at my last two companies.

You hear a lot of these stories.....

Of course, going to a university with a powerful alumni network like UT, Texas A&M, West Point / Naval Academy, Ivies, etc can provide the same opportunities. But if you're lucky and you go to a school with a powerful network AND you're Greek, you get 2X the networking benefits (IMO).

My husband was both a double legacy and the president of his fraternity. No help in the workplace other than the (strong) alumni network, but lifelong best friends and I'm sure the leadership experience helped him. Honestly he is just one of those people in life that others gravitate to- it would be more work for him to be unsuccessful. I'm not against the Greek system; I just feel like it is overvalued in today's workplace. Smart kids shouldn't feel like they have to do it, especially at the expense of more worthwhile endeavors. I just saw my nephew go through the 4 year experience nearly identical to my husband's and the Greek experience has yielded 0. What he should have done is spent less time partying it up with his brothers Sr year and more time preparing for real life. Any I see my sweet niece, still in undergrad, hopeful to make it into PA school, completely wasting her time and energy in her sorority. As an affluent traditional student, she is not a likely admission to PA school. And she doesn't even LIKE most of the girls is what makes no sense to me.