Help a brother out... (Houston, Prairie View: 2009, apartment complex, city hall)

[PhillybornKanPreacher]

Hey ya'll, my daughter is considering attending Texas Southern Univ next fall, my main concern is the surrounding area. We are from smaller military city in Kansas, so the big city will be shock enough, we are trying to avoid any extra obstacles. So if you can help a brother out, please hit me back....

[texas7]

I think the area around Texas Southern is rough and I wouldn't want my daughter living there. The school itself would be safe -- just not sure she would be good living really close by it. TSU has had its share of financial mismanagement and I believe they are trying very hard to correct those things but not sure if it is there yet. Has your daughter considered University of Houston (same neighborhood) or does she have her heart set on a tradionally black university? How much money will she (or you) have to spend per month on her living accommodations? Perhaps we can guide you to a little better neighborhood for her, although she may have to drive a bit to go to school.

[tstone]

For a traditionally black school, have you looked at Prairie View A&M? They certainly have a better reputation.

[dcoolbro]

TSU is going through a lot of issues. Hopefully they'll still be around when your daughter graduates. Otherwise I'd go with Tstone's suggestion and go with Prairie View. If you're from a small town particularly, that area around TSU might make you feel uncomfortable. Will she have a car?

[bostoner]

Was there ever a time TSU wasn't going through a lot of issues?

You might encourage her to consider other options, like the University of Houston or Prairie View, as suggested.

[Oildog]

Heard TSU has some finance issues and the area around it isnt the greatest. If your more comfortable with rural living Prairie View is within an hour of the city.

[cjester]

TSU is generally a good school and it continues to grow and attract more and more students. I have read that its entrance requirements is becoming more demanding. I've also known many TSU graduates who are now judges and pharmacists who are doing very well.

[PhillybornKanPreacher]

Hey everybody thanks for the great help, I'm now checking out Prairie View now. She likes the ideal of a traditionally black univ, but it is not a must. She will not have a car her 1st year. So any other info on Prairie View will be of great use.

[texas7]

I would go with Prairie View - better reputation than TSU and smaller town. If she doesn't have a car, the area around TSU is not very desirable. University of Houston (near TSU) has a much better academic program that TSU as well and she could live on campus in a door and presumably take metro buses to go elsewhere in Houston. The immediate area around U of H is not the best either. University of Saint Thomas in the Montrose Area of Houston is also a good school and plenty of places to live near campus - however it is private and much more costly than in of the others we mentioned.

Info from Wikipedia..............

Prairie View A&M
Demographics
The university enrolls 6,324 undergraduate students and 1,758 graduate students who come from all 50 U.S. states and several countries throughout the world.[citation needed] Currently 56% of the students are female, and 44% are male.


[edit] Campus
The university sits on a 1,440-acre (5.8 km2) campus in Prairie View, Texas and is 47.4 miles (76.3 km) from the city hall of Houston, Texas.

Students may live in campus housing owned by American Campus Communities. Freshmen students on campus may reside in the University College community. Upperclassmen may live in apartment style living either in University Village Phase I, II, or III. Phase III has a academic standard (3.0 GPA). The first of these apartment buildings was built in 1996.

University of Houston - Main Campus

The University of Houston is notable for its diverse student body, and U.S. News & World Report ranks UH as the second-most diverse research university in the United States.[22] With more than 35,300 students, the university has significant Asian American and Hispanic populations. Its international student population is primarily from Asia.[1] As of fall 2006, the demographic makeup of the student population was 38.5 percent non-Hispanic white, 19.5 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 19.3 percent Hispanic (of any race), 13.2 percent non-Hispanic black, 0.4 percent American Indian or Alaskan Native, 7.3 percent International (regardless of race), and 1.8 percent other or unknown.[1]


[edit] Housing

Moody Towers, UH's Largest Complex of Residence HallsTwelve percent of UH students live on campus.[40] UH has two main housing areas for dormitories: Moody Towers and the Quadrangle. Moody Towers, frequently just called "The Towers", is one of the tallest complexes on campus and the largest area of residence halls. Each of the two towers consists of eighteen stories and together house 1,100 students. The Quadrangle, also known as "The Quad" is the oldest housing area on campus and consists of several coed dorm halls: Bates, Law, Oberholtzer, Settegast, and Taub. The Quadrangle houses 800 students.[41] In addition to traditional dormitories, UH has an apartment-style dormitory called Cougar Place that is a housing area consisting of 400 units.[41]

UH also has several privately-owned apartment complexes on campus that are Cullen Oaks, Bayou Oaks, and Cambridge Oaks. In late 2006, it was announced that UH approved a new apartment complex on campus specifically for graduate and professional student living. The new housing area is scheduled to be finished by 2009 as part of UH's "Master Plan" and will include retail stores, lecture halls, recreation facilities, and has been dubbed "Calhoun Lofts".[42]