The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

Best thing- the friendly people and the beautiful campus. Change - there should be more involvement between different types of groups, and better advertisements for events put on by on/off-campus organizations. School size- just right, because smaller organizations make you feel like you belong somewhere. People react positively, everyone knows UT is a great school. most time on campus- in class or FAC. what college town- there is always something fun to do in Austin with or without other students. UT's administration- well organized, but they need more feedback/interaction with the students. There is a lot of school pride, even though everyone is very different. Unusual about UT- diverse student body, but everyone is accepting and friendly.

The atmosphere. I would change the scheduling system. My school is just right. People seem impressed that I go to UT. I spend most of my time at the library and at the gym. The area around UT is collegey, but downtown is definately no college town. UT's administration is very effective. The biggest controversy on campus was when the Obama-Clinton debate was here and few students could attend. There is a ton of school pride! UT has one of the biggest, most disgusting dorm, Jester, in America. My first football game is unforgettable. Class scheduling.

UT is supposedly the biggest school in the USA. And Jester, the dorm I'm in, is the largest. And I still feel like I'm in a small school enviornment. My graduating class of high school had 120 kids in it, so a lot of people from my high school were shocked that I would opt to attend such a large school. But really, its not that big. I actually wish it was even larger! As for Austin, there has never been a college town so perfect!

The best thing about UT is the balance between academics and social life. If you want to party, there is ALWAYS a party, and 6th street is only minutes away. Studying is also important, and UT has many facilities and libraries conducive to studying; coffeehouses are great too and unique to Austin.

Best thing about UT is the school pride, when I tell people I go to UT they usually are surprised and say you must be smart(even though Im not), I spend most of my time at Gregory, in the Education building or the UTC.

one of the great things about UT is the diversity throughout the campus. Being surrounded by different people encourages you to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. Austin is probably one of the greatest college towns. You never run out of things to do and there is a strong sense of UT pride throughout the city. Because UT has such esteemed programs and a great athletic department, it is rare to hear people bash us unless of course it is our rivals.

the school is very large but it's one of the things making it unique. I love it and hate it at the same time

While coming to such a big university can be overwhelming for some, one of the best things about going to such a large school is that you are almost guaranteed to find a community that you share common interests with. You can get involved in anything, from your major to politics to art to community service. Austin has a vibe that is completely different than that of the rest of Texas. It's a decidedly young and liberal place that was going green and being socially conscious long before it became trendy. The unofficial slogan of Austin is "Keep Austin weird," which speaks to the city's emphasis on individuality and freedom of expression.

Many people would say that UT is definitely too large and that each student is no more than a number. However, I find this environment appealing. UT allows you to unabashedly meet another person without fearing an unwanted reencounter. If you make a horrible impression on someone or embarrass yourself at a party, UT saves you the misery and awkwardness of running into that person or group of people again. For those students who abhor large impersonal environments, UT offers a plethora of student organizations where you can get connected. In fact, it can be difficult trying to decide which ones to join, because for every one of your interests, UT has an organization. The extent and quality of UT’s resources allows every student to create their ideal college experience. Basically, we can cater to anyone. Austin is anything but a college town. It is home to a large population of culturally and ethnically diverse people not associated with the University. It also has a large variety of nightclubs, bars, and museums, but more importantly, it hosts Austin City Limits Music festival every fall, a three-day event that attracts some of the most popular and talented live musicians. Another interesting event held in Austin is the South by Southwest movie and music festival during mid-March. A directionally challenged freshman like myself might encounter some problems navigating Austin without a car. The bus system can be confusing, and although an online bus scheduler sounds great in theory, it usually worsens the situation. One of my good friends and I recently discovered this when, after using the route scheduler to plan a trip to a party at someone’s off-campus house, we found ourselves nicely dressed, walking on a sidewalkless road in the outskirts of Austin, and unknowingly heading towards an address that apparently doesn’t exist. So although Austin is an amazing place to live, getting around town using public transportation can be a long, tedious, and extremely frustrating process. Not that staying on campus over the weekend is boring, because it certainly isn’t. If you are in the mood for a huge, sweaty, drunk-fest, you need only walk a couple of blocks west of campus and viola! You have UT’s beloved fraternity row. But males beware. Unlike your female friends, you will be denied entry into frat houses unless you have connections with several brothers. Of course, if alcohol isn’t your thing, UT hosts various other sober attractions. You can go see a Friday night football or basketball game, or walk across the street to Guadalupe where there are several restaurants, music venues, and hookuh bars.

When I tell people that I go to UT, I get a variety of responses. Most commonly, people remark on the exceptionally large student population at UT and wonder how I keep my self-identity in the massive herd of Longhorns. The answer to that question is really quite simple. You make your own little group of closely-knit friends, and you go from there. It's no different than growing up in a densely-populated metropolitan area like Houston or Dallas. You can always meet new people, hang out with your close friends, and avoid people you don't like. The size gives you more opportunities to find your niche. Many people from more conservative backgrounds get a lot of slack for attending UT because it has a reputation of being more liberal. Yes, UT is more liberal than most other institutions of higher-education in Texas, but it's hardly as liberal as most northeastern schools. Austin is the last liberal stronghold of Texas, so a little liberal thought is to be expected. Still, the diversity on campus pretty much guarantees that you'll find some people with political and/or religious views similar to yours on campus. There are a plethora of student organizations to help students with similar goals and views to find each other on campus. UT has amazing sports teams and spectacular school spirit! Not everyone is into football, but we have lots of lesser-known teams (like the rowing and rugby teams, for example) as well. I have friends who deck themselves out in burnt orange on game days, but on the other hand, I have a few friends who would rather clean a toilet with a toothbrush than go to a football game. (I personally don't get that, but whatever.) If you want to be spirited, you can be, but if you don't want to, you won't be shunned like you have bubonic plague or anything. Austin is the best college town in the WORLD, in my humble opinion. There are so many interesting places unique to Austin that help to KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD! My friends and I went all around Austin on Spring Break this year, and we never ran out of new things to do. As a JUNIOR, I still have not come close to doing everything I want to do in Austin before I graduate. It's not your typical college town, but campus is still pretty well-defined. Many on-campus activities are available, but if you don't have a car and still want to go off-campus, there's a fabulous bus system! Basically, I couldn't ask for more. There's a reason many students don't leave Austin after they graduate: it doesn't get any better than this!