Which university should I choose? (Austin, Lubbock: fit in, credit, job market)

[lperin]

I can choose between texas tech, texas state, midwestern state. I am a psychology major. I only care about the educational aspect. Which university will give me the best education and degree.

[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by lperin

I can choose between texas tech, texas state, midwestern state. I am a psychology major. I only care about the educational aspect. Which university will give me the best education and degree.

I almost attended Texas State back when it was Southwest Texas. I don't know anything about Midwestern State or Tech. I'll offer a very general overview of the advice I would offer a sibling, or some such; but please bear in mind these are based on my own processes, so please don't take offense if you see them as obvious or overkill.

• If you can, visit each of the campuses. See what kind of feel you get for the place. Believe it or not, it can make a difference as you will be spending lots of time there. I worked while I was in school so I didn't really get to join clubs and such, but it was helpful to know the layout so that I could get to classes quickly and find places to study in between (cafes, departmental libraries, benches).

• Determine if it's possible to visit with the instructors and staff in your department. Try and meet the undergraduate advisor. Believe it or not it can be helpful to exist as more than just a social security number; for example, when it comes time for registration.

• Find out how and where graduates in your department place in the job market or if they go on to graduate programs, and if so, what type of graduate programs?

• Browse through each department's course offerings, see if the school offers courses you think you would find yourself interested in taking. Bear in mind, you might not be taking those courses right off the bat as most schools require the completion of standard course credits before you are able to move on to your major course of study. Also look at the faculty members' pages. Are you satisfied with who will be teaching in the department? Do full-time, tenured faculty teach courses, or is the responsibility handed off to graduate students?

• If you need it, find out what type of financial assistance the schools offer. Fill out a FAFSA ASAP.

• Speak to alumni and enrolled students and ask them for honest opinions.

Good luck to you! And congratulations!

[GayleTX]

There are many factors to consider other than just 'how good' a certain department is, particularly at the undergrad level. Chances are that you'll change your major 3 times before you graduate anyhow so you need to look at other factors such as location, housing, jobs, safety, extra-curriculars, general atmosphere of the campus, etc. The 'personality' of those 3 schools (and I happen to be quite familiar with all 3 of these particular schools) is quite different....explore that a little and see where you think you'd fit in best. The way you fit in and feel about yourself on a campus is very important to your success, especially as a freshman. Best wishes to you......

[TT Dave]

I graduated from Texas Tech with a BA degree in Psychology and when I was there the psychology department was a very good one. It's been a while since I attended Tech so I'm not sure what it's like now but when I was there the psych department was very research oriented. Most of my professors had published quite a bit of research in various professional journals and there were plenty of opportunities for undergrads to volunteer for various research projects for additonal learning. Some of my lower level undergrad courses were taught by teaching assistants (primarily by people working on their PhD in Psych), which is common in a large university setting like Tech. The TA's I had were good too and all the upper level undergrad courses were taught by PhD's. With all that being said, I would also concur with the advice above by saying that it would be wise, if possible, to visit the three universities you are considering and meet with advisors at each to get a feel for which Psych program and campus atmosphere would be best for you. Good luck!

[Heimdall]

It's psychology, not nuclear physics. The university in this case can be chosen simply by going eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

[triwing]

I would lean towards Texas State. I went to Texas Tech for a summer semester and although I didn't go to Texas State, I knew a lot of people who did and I lived in the San Marcos/New Braunfels area before.

Back when I was in high school, Texas State was known as being primarily a school for education majors that drank more than they studied. Nowadays it's ranked higher than Texas Tech. Plus I would much rather live in San Marcos than Lubbock. WAY more to do in the area.

Part of the reason I left Tech is because there just wasn't much to do up there besides get drunk at various parties. At Texas State there's plenty of lakes in the area as well as rivers to tube down. You also have Austin in the area. Lubbock on the other hand is 300 miles out in no where.

I didn't go to Texas State, I went to A&M after I left Tech.

Avoid Midwestern State, it's more or less a school for Wichita Falls residents who still have a high school mentality. Wichita Falls is probably my least favorite city in Texas... I had friends at A&M from there who said the same thing.

It will be a huge downgrade to choose Midwestern over Tech or Texas State.

It's psychology, not nuclear physics. The university in this case can be chosen simply by going eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

You don't have a clue, Heimdall.

Chances are that you'll change your major 3 times

Not if you're focused. If you have to change your major this many times you probably shouldn't be in college yet. Besides, with the 180 credit hour (I think it's 180) rule in Texas, it's foolish to go to school and just change your major whenever.

[88txaggie]

Texas A&M. I know it didn't make your list, but I have a psych degree from there......

[Alphalogica]

Originally Posted by Heimdall

It's psychology, not nuclear physics. The university in this case can be chosen simply by going eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

Yep. Not only that. It's undergrad. When you advance, where you went for your BA/BS becomes less important. *If you kick some f-ing @ss as an undergrad, and got a 3.8 at Tx State, and slide into an excellent grad program, you're still good to go.*

IMHO, to me it's best to go to a smaller teaching-oriented school for your undergrad, bust your ass, and later go to a more research-intensive school for the grad. level. Going to Tx St. for your BA, and going to A&M for your MA (just saying, for instance), looks a lot better than the other way around.

A lot of profs. at "name-brand" schools are more caring of their research than their undergraduate students.

[Alphalogica]

Originally Posted by triwing

Not if you're focused. If you have to change your major this many times you probably shouldn't be in college yet. Besides, with the 180 credit hour (I think it's 180) rule in Texas, it's foolish to go to school and just change your major whenever.

It's not just that. Some people just realize what they originally wanted to go to school for wasn't them. A lot of people originally study something due to parental or peer influence (i.e. a lot of business majors), but eventually they say "F that. I will do my own thing." You have people who major in something because their parents think it will make money, and you have others who study something (i.e. music) because well...it's something they love. That's the dilemma a lot of people have when picking a major.

[Alphalogica]

Originally Posted by triwing

Not if you're focused. If you have to change your major this many times you probably shouldn't be in college yet. Besides, with the 180 credit hour (I think it's 180) rule in Texas, it's foolish to go to school and just change your major whenever.

Also, if one is unsure about what they want to do...*They can always get another degree.* That's what I highly recommend.