What is UTEP like? (Austin, El Paso: credit, transfer to, neighborhoods)

[cutieness220]

I've been trying to figure out if I will transfer to UTEP next fall. I'll be a junior and most likely living on campus. (My Dad is a bit worried about me living so close to the border and wouldn't like the idea of me in off campus housing.)

I'd just like some general experiences people have had at UTEP both with the education as well as socially.

[smguy101]

El Paso is the 3rd safest city in the country. You can trust off-campus housing.
UTEP isnt like other colleges. It's a commuter school and there's alot of students from Mexico.
But it's a nice campus.

[Caltep]

I think the paper this AM said 2nd safest.

[Caltep]

If your intent is to live in campus housing, apply REALLY early...the waitlist is typically 200 students though for next fall, new apts. will be opening with, I believe, 200 more spaces next to campus on Schuster Ave. Good luck.

Originally Posted by cutieness220

I've been trying to figure out if I will transfer to UTEP next fall. I'll be a junior and most likely living on campus. (My Dad is a bit worried about me living so close to the border and wouldn't like the idea of me in off campus housing.)

I'd just like some general experiences people have had at UTEP both with the education as well as socially.

[ocean2026]

The neighborhoods near UTEP are all nice. Kern is a bit expensive - Sunset Heights south of the campus is one of the historic areas and has a good mix of students, people who work downtown and older folks. Arizona Rio Grande - near El Paso High is similar to Sunset Heights perhaps a bit quieter.

UTEP is a nice school to attend and one can get a good education there. Its not Berkeley or Michigan but still had decent academic standards.

[zdg]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

UTEP is a nice school to attend and one can get a good education there. Its not Berkeley or Michigan but still had decent academic standards.

This is not correct.

UTEP has no academic standards. It's a community college with 4 year accreditation.

Perfectly safe, but if you want a degree worth more than the paper it's printed on, go somewhere else.

[ocean2026]

Ok ZDG so you're angry at UTEP. Which university did you get your degree from? I've attended about 7 colleges with 4 degrees. UTEP still have requirements that are sent down from Austin. Many people have graduated from UTEP and gotten decent jobs in El Paso and around the country. Before I had ever moved to Texas I had thought UTEP and Austin were the same and many on the east coast would not differentiate.

It was important enough to me to graduate from one of the best universities, so I went to the University of California and was amazed. This doesn't make UTEP a bad school. I wish UTEP didn't care about publishing so much and selected the best teachers, those with experience in their field, but its a problem with many other universities as well.

[malamute]

For some fields UTEP is okay but for others, a student just has to have determination, repeat a course over and over and stick with it, eventually they'll be given a degree. I've seen UTEP graduates who are no better in math than a typical third grader should be. If UTEP wants to advance it's image, it needs to have some kind of admission standards but I suppose admission standards means less federal and state money.

[mistabinks]

Originally Posted by malamute

For some fields UTEP is okay

For some fields UTEP is excellent.

Originally Posted by malamute

I've seen UTEP graduates who are no better in math than a typical third grader should be.

That can be said of almost all universities.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by mistabinks

For some fields UTEP is excellent.



That can be said of almost all universities.

All universities with no admission standards at least. Those universities that require at least a level of third grade to enroll have better reputations. As much as people like to believe otherwise, when there are no admission requirements, a university cannot be considered top-notch.

Of course it depends on expectations of a universities, UTEP does okay in some fields, some fields are degree mills. I really don't understand the opposition to enrollment standards except of course it's big money to have people going there instead of to EPCC for remedial coursework.