UT Austin vs University of Houston

[lnghrn11]

hi one of my friends is trying to decide between UT Austin and University of Houston. She's getting $11,000 a year from ut in financial aid and around $4,000 in scholarship a year from UH. she also wants to do pre med and cant decide which school would be better in the long run for med school acceptance.

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[Saluki]

Either one will be fine, but I would suggest UT-Austin. Since it's the main state school, it's well known and well respected even outside of Texas. It's an incredible school in a really nice city to live in. It is rather large, which I wouldn't have liked, but I think it would still be a great experience. My little sister goes there, and she absolutely loves it!

 

[GoodEats]

Not even close: Austin over Houston. Better school, better reputation, FAR better city and weather, much better college town, much more fun, more options if she chooses not to go pre-med, cheap as crazy, new outdoor swim center at gregory with two leisure pools in addition to the temperature-controlled lap pool, more organizations to get involved with, four sno-cone places i can think of within 5-10 minutes from my house, barton springs/lake travis/bike trails, breathable air, hotter people, and so on and so forth. also, a more significant proportion of houston's population commutes from home, and so it's easier to get to know people at UT. to reiterate: not even close - choose UT.

 

[potato51]

For this comparison, UT Austin all the way. I cannot stress that enough. I've been to both (graduated from UT, taking a class at UH this semester only), and I hate U of H. Students there are fine personally to know, but they will absolutely drag you down academically... at least from my experience from meeting the science/pre-med types there. Not to mention the science labs at UH are terrible.

Of course, UH people can get into med school, but there are far better resources at UT Austin. If your friend is shooting for a high-tier med school, UT is the preferable option.

Also UH science courses are curved I believe. I know in my class of 20, only 2 people will get A's. No such system exists in the bio/pre-med courses at UT. Plus at UT, any grade in the 'A' range gets you 4 points for your GPA, unlike UH which assigns A minuses which gives you 3.6(?) grade points. Just something to consider.

So yeah... Hook 'em all the way.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

This seems like no-brainer to me -- UT Austin definitely. It sounds like UT is cheaper for her, and it's a better school. From what I understand, UH is more of a commuter school anyway, so I think she'd have a more fun experience at UT if she's a traditional student. Yeah, Austin's also a better city than Houston.

 

[browniegirl86]

Yeah. Unless she has some particular reason for wanting to live in Houston, I say definitely UT. And getting that money is a big deal, UT is pretty damn stingy with the cash.

 

[Shredder]

I don't see where the dilemma is here. UT dwarfs UH and Austin's a better city--nicer, safer, more fun, younger

 

[the12thmd]

U of H is not a good school. A&M or UT, or leave the state.

 

[Bluemirage]

An Adcom member here in San Antonio rated UT-Austin and Rice as the two premier (or Tier 1) Texas pre-med Universities, based on the quality of the applicants and the rigor of their premed cirriculum. Definitely choose UT-Austin unless you have strong reasons to remain in Houston.

 

[MikeyLu2010]

this thread has got to be a joke

 

[dbhvt]

Austin=texas' redemption


woooooooo

 

[GoodEats]

well, we do have the benefit of perspective...remember what life was like as an entering freshman? well, i didn't really until my younger brother came up to visit this weekend, and the kinds of questions he asked...i just wish i could still be up here next year when he goes through freshman year so i can be around to help out. hopefully he'll call once in a while...

 

[karirunner]

I took only O Chem II lab at U of H so I might not be the best person to comment but here is my two cents: UT-Austin definitely. If she wants to get involved in research, there are way more opportunities there. Also, U of H is in a neighborhood that is quasi-sketchy and the buildings (at least the science one) are falling apart. The class I took there had inadequate lab materials and the TA did not know how to use a Pipetman.

 

[potato51]

I took only O Chem II lab at U of H so I might not be the best person to comment but here is my two cents: UT-Austin definitely. If she wants to get involved in research, there are way more opportunities there. Also, U of H is in a neighborhood that is quasi-sketchy and the buildings (at least the science one) are falling apart. The class I took there had inadequate lab materials and the TA did not know how to use a Pipetman.

Couldn't agree more. The inadequacy of materials has been my #1 frustration with the UH labs. It's been a pain just to get latex gloves for use with toxic chemicals.