Tell me about Austin, TX (especially how it compares to Dallas)

[Greta]

I lived in Dallas for a short time many years ago (husband lived there for several years) but I have never even visited Austin. Is Texas pretty uniform culturally from one city to the next, or does Austin have a different "feel" to it than Dallas does? What is it like to live in Austin? Is there much there in the way of museums, performances, etc.? Does the city have a public transportation system of some sort? Is it generally a safe place to live (especially the area around the university)?

 

The reason I am asking is that the University of Texas has this program that allows the children of employees of national laboratories who live in other states to pay in-state tuition. So that means that even though we live in New Mexico, my daughter could attend UT and pay the same tuition as Texas residents (assuming my husband stays at his current job, that is!). So, that's pretty cool, because the state schools here do not have anywhere near the good reputation that UT has.

 

Daughter is only in 9th grade, so we have plenty of time to figure this out. She really wants to go to school in London, but I've told her that she has to pick at least one school here in the US in case that dream doesn't become a reality (and I noticed that UT has some great exchange programs with UK schools!). I think UT is probably the best school that we could afford (assuming no scholarships). And it isn't that far, so we will probably visit at some point to check it out. But in the meantime, I would love to hear your impressions, both good and bad, about life in Austin. She's going to be comparing it to life in London, so I think this is going to be a tough sell! Her only experience with Texas was a weekend in Dallas, and she hated it. Please tell me that Austin is different!

[SproutMamaK]

Austin is definitely different. It's a tech hub and in general a fairly "nouveau nerd" culture, for lack of a better term. It's much more liberal than anywhere else in Texas. I can't speak to the quality of post-secondary education or the transit systems, etc, but the culture is much more similar in feel to, say, San Francisco or San Diego than Dallas.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I've only visited Austin and Dallas, but yes, Austin is different. I grew up in the Bay Area. Austin felt like California to me, while Dallas felt more Southern. Austin has amazing nightlife. We walked around downtown and there was live music on every block, and lots of people out and about. Downtown Dallas is definitely making a comeback, but it isn't the same.

 

I've lived in London. You aren't going to mistake Austin for London. But Austin seemed like a great college town, and a fun place to spend a few years.

[Greta]

Austin is definitely different. It's a tech hub and in general a fairly "nouveau nerd" culture, for lack of a better term. It's much more liberal than anywhere else in Texas. I can't speak to the quality of post-secondary education or the transit systems, etc, but the culture is much more similar in feel to, say, San Francisco or San Diego than Dallas.

"Nouveau nerd" - I like that! :) It sounds great - thank you!

[Greta]

I've only visited Austin and Dallas, but yes, Austin is different. I grew up in the Bay Area. Austin felt like California to me, while Dallas felt more Southern. Austin has amazing nightlife. We walked around downtown and there was live music on every block, and lots of people out and about. Downtown Dallas is definitely making a comeback, but it isn't the same.

 

I've lived in London. You aren't going to mistake Austin for London. But Austin seemed like a great college town, and a fun place to spend a few years.

Great, thank you! This is a big help!

[Greta]

Austin isn't as hot or humid as Dallas. It's a prettier area, imo. Dallas has more of an impersonal, big city feel. Austin's motto is Keeping it Weird, or something similar. UT is an exceptional university, much more so than TAMU( and I'm an Aggie).

Thank you!

 

Still, it's going to be a hard sell compared to London.

Indeed. We'll do London if there is any way that we can manage it financially. If not, she'll have to settle for a semester or year abroad. Not the end of the world. More than I had. But not what she wants. :(

[hellen]

What did she dislike about Dallas? I've lived in a Dallas suburb and I've lived near Austin. They are different but maybe not different enough for your daughter.

[Lawyer&Mom]

I did graduate school in London. Could that be an option for her? Not sure that would necessarily change the financial calculus, but you can usually borrow more as a grad student than as an undergrad. Plus London might seem less overwhelming with a few more years of experience under your belt...

[Greta]

What did she dislike about Dallas? I've lived in a Dallas suburb and I've lived near Austin. They are different but maybe not different enough for your daughter.

Yeah, that's a good point. So, let me see. She didn't like the mega-highways -- she has no interest in driving and would rather live in a place where she can use public transportation and walk. Dallas is definitely a very pedestrian-unfriendly city! We were trying to walk in some areas where there weren't even sidewalks, so people were walking either in the grass or in the street itself. Weird! She really loved the beauty of the older architecture in London, but you just aren't going to find that in the US, so it's kind of a moot point in this discussion. But Dallas is a really unattractive city. Billboards everywhere, and most of them for strip clubs and the type of restaurants where they are really selling their scantily-clad waitresses more than their food. She was pretty disgusted by that. And though she's a city girl, she has a profound appreciation for a good park. There may be some beautiful parks in Dallas, we just didn't go looking for them on that particular trip. Also, I know it would mean a great deal to her to be in a place where she can visit art museums and see plays. So, do you think she would find Austin more to her liking?

[Greta]

I did graduate school in London. Could that be an option for her? Not sure that would necessarily change the financial calculus, but you can usually borrow more as a grad student than as an undergrad.

As of right now, she has no plans to attend graduate school. But that could certainly change, and this is a very good point to keep in mind.

 

Plus London might seem less overwhelming with a few more years of experience under your belt...

And that's part of the reason that I find a student exchange or study abroad program to be appealing. She could get a taste for what it's like to live there without committing to a full three or more years. She has lived her whole live in the same house, and she's been homeschooled the entire time. I think it's going to be a lot more culture-shock than she realizes when she's suddently alone in a foreign country half a world away from everything that she's ever known. Don't get me wrong, I think it would be a wonderful experience. But I also think she's got a little bit of a rose-colored view of what it's going to be like.

[UnsinkableKristen]

Austin is the polar opposite of Dallas. If Dallas is New York, Austin is California. Actually, lots of people in Austin are from California - lol. Huge music scene there, great food, lots of flair. It's pretty great and weird.

[Greta]

Austin is the polar opposite of Dallas. If Dallas is New York, Austin is California. Actually, lots of people in Austin are from California - lol. Huge music scene there, great food, lots of flair. It's pretty great and weird.

It sounds fun. Thank you!

[Lawyer&Mom]

As of right now, she has no plans to attend graduate school. But that could certainly change, and this is a very good point to keep in mind.

 

 

And that's part of the reason that I find a student exchange or study abroad program to be appealing. She could get a taste for what it's like to live there without committing to a full three or more years. She has lived her whole live in the same house, and she's been homeschooled the entire time. I think it's going to be a lot more culture-shock than she realizes when she's suddently alone in a foreign country half a world away from everything that she's ever known. Don't get me wrong, I think it would be a wonderful experience. But I also think she's got a little bit of a rose-colored view of what it's going to be like.

I can say from experience: 1) Going away to college is a big transition. 2) Moving to a foreign country is a big transition. 3) Life in a mega city is a big transition.

 

I did all three, but not at the same time. All three at once would be a lot. Not to say it can't be done, but it would hard.

 

Does she have experience with London? Or even big cities? I lived in New York after London, and there are a lot of transferable skills. How to navigate crowds, how to take the subway, how to assert yourself. If she was going to move to London as a freshman, I would recommend a summer in a big city (New York, Chicago, London itself) as practice if possible. Or foreign travel. Or even time on a big impersonal college campus. You need some worldliness. (Which of course you will have in spades after living in London.)

[vonfirmath]

I live in the Austin area -- but not Austin proper. Public transportation does not come out where I live or work. But I know there is some in the downtown area (And I'm sure UT).

 

Austin is much easier to navigate than Dallas-Ft Worth. Shorter to get from one place to another, etc. Its a smaller city and a smaller metropolis.  AND it doesn't ice and snow here the way it does in Dallas.

 

I grew up in Houston. When moving back to TX from Seattle-area WA, we chose between the three major areas where jobs were located -- Houston, DAllas-Ft Worth and Austin.  We chose Austin. 

[bettyandbob]

Your dd is in 9th grade?

 

I think you take a family vacation and spend several days in Austin.

 

Or a girls roadtrip. 

 

Visit the school. Visit the sites around town. Do it at a relaxed pace. 

[3in9th]

I have done a study abroad in London and then returned to do a work abroad program. I don't know if London is a good idea straight out of high school. The reason I say this is because Londoners are very reserved and it will be much more difficult for your daughter to make friends right away. So she'll be thrown into an entirely different country and culture at 18 with a more difficult transition to making friends.

 

A friend of mine moved to London several years ago because of her husband's job. She was in her late 30s, but she asked me before she even left about making friends with the locals. I told her to volunteer or get involved in some sort of organization and then after a time, they'd befriend her. She auditioned for a theatre group and then she made friends. They don't take to the friendliless of Americans without warming up to them through mutual interests/activities. My friend now has loads of friends, but if she hadn't followed my advice, it would have been much more difficult.

 

Also, their colleges are very different. They have much longer papers to write every semester and killer exams. So take that into consideration.

[texasmama]

Fort Worth rocks your face off.

 

*Dallas sucks.

 

Austin is cool and fun.

 

(UTA is in Arlington, which is smack dab between Dallas and Fort Worth.  It might be an option for your dd if you land in north Texas.)

 

* Seriously, as a native DFW-er, I hate driving in Dallas and avoid it at all costs.  It's a big, dirty city, and I always feel like I'm going to die at any minute on the freeways there.  Not so with Fort Worth, and it has a nice museum district.  The southern parts of the metroplex are nice, IMO.  That includes south Arlington, Mansfield, Burleson. 

[texasmama]

Also, my pet peeve is that Fort Worth gets lumped in with Dallas in "DFW".  They are so very different.  Fort Worth deserves to be separated. It is quite possible to live in Fort Worth and surrounding areas and almost never darken the door of Dallas proper.  Ask me how I know this.  :D

[MelAR05]

Also, my pet peeve is that Fort Worth gets lumped in with Dallas in "DFW". They are so very different. Fort Worth deserves to be separated. It is quite possible to live in Fort Worth and surrounding areas and almost never darken the door of Dallas proper. Ask me how I know this. :D

Not trying to hijack the thread, but why is Fort Worth so much better than Dallas? What makes Fort Worth so great? Fwiw, my husband is considering a job there.

[texasmama]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but why is Fort Worth so much better than Dallas? What makes Fort Worth so great? Fwiw, my husband is considering a job there.

Look at a map and see how much larger Dallas is than FW.  It is crowded, congested and very much a "big city".  Fort Worth is a large-ish city but retains a smaller city feel.  We have an original downtown stockyards that cowboys drive a herd of longhorns through twice a day.  I rest my case.  :D

 

I don't mean to suggest that FW has no traffic. It does, particularly up through the northern parts.  But it has a low cost of living, great museums, a world class zoo, great suburbs, a fabulous children's hospital, gardens (Japanese and Botanical), and a nice cultural district.  There is high end corporate living in apartments and houses in the suburbs on acreage for families and everything in between.  I grew up in Fort Worth.  I currently live in a suburb on acreage.  I might go to Dallas once a year.  There is really no need.

[brehon]

Because I am procrastinating writing a big patient care report...

 

I lived in Dallas for a short time many years ago (husband lived there for several years) but I have never even visited Austin. Is Texas pretty uniform culturally from one city to the next, or does Austin have a different "feel" to it than Dallas does? What is it like to live in Austin? Is there much there in the way of museums, performances, etc.? Does the city have a public transportation system of some sort? Is it generally a safe place to live (especially the area around the university)?

 

Dear heavens, YES <ahem>. Austin and Dallas do not have the same vibe At. All. And Texas has at least five different cultural "feels" to it - West TX is much different than San Antonio is much different than Austin is much different than Houston is much different than Dallas, etc, etc, etc. There are a number of good museums and performances galore of just about every type of music imaginable in Austin. Public transportation in Austin is not that great, honestly. However, UT runs the UT Shuttle Buses which have pretty decent coverage from multiple parts of the city to campus. The buses run until 10 or so at night. Yes, I think it is generally a safe place to live. Around UT will be more expensive than a little further out (but still in Austin), unless she lives in the dorms.

The reason I am asking is that the University of Texas has this program that allows the children of employees of national laboratories who live in other states to pay in-state tuition. So that means that even though we live in New Mexico, my daughter could attend UT and pay the same tuition as Texas residents (assuming my husband stays at his current job, that is!). So, that's pretty cool, because the state schools here do not have anywhere near the good reputation that UT has.

Daughter is only in 9th grade, so we have plenty of time to figure this out. She really wants to go to school in London, but I've told her that she has to pick at least one school here in the US in case that dream doesn't become a reality (and I noticed that UT has some great exchange programs with UK schools!). I think UT is probably the best school that we could afford (assuming no scholarships). And it isn't that far, so we will probably visit at some point to check it out. But in the meantime, I would love to hear your impressions, both good and bad, about life in Austin. She's going to be comparing it to life in London, so I think this is going to be a tough sell! Her only experience with Texas was a weekend in Dallas, and she hated it. Please tell me that Austin is different!

 

Austin is very different from London and doesn't even compare to <sniff> Dallas. Even though Austin has changed a lot in the decades since I moved here it's still a pretty great city, IM(rarely)HO. I'd really recommend taking a vacation here to experience Austin.

 

The kicker about UT (and other public universities in Texas) is the 10% Rule. (I think it may have been changed to the 8ish% or so rule, but I honestly haven't kept up too much with that). Basically, the top 10% (or 8% or whatever it is) of each public school's graduating class has automatic admission to UT, A&M, etc if they choose to attend one of those schools. This generally accounts for quite a lot of each school's entering freshman class (in 2008 it accounted for 81% of UT's freshman class). I believe UT only was granted special permission by the Leg to cap the automatic admissions to 75% in 2011 (?) or so. This obviously makes admission harder when so many slots are automatically reserved. 

 

This isn't to say that your dd shouldn't apply - not at all. Just be aware of this unique stricture. If you ask on the HS board, I believe there are some families who have had their kids accepted recently and can provide better/more up-to-date information.

 

 

[brehon]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but why is Fort Worth so much better than Dallas? What makes Fort Worth so great? Fwiw, my husband is considering a job there.

 

It's not Dallas...

 

 

:leaving:

 

:lol:

[Greta]

I can say from experience: 1) Going away to college is a big transition. 2) Moving to a foreign country is a big transition. 3) Life in a mega city is a big transition.

 

I did all three, but not at the same time. All three at once would be a lot. Not to say it can't be done, but it would hard.

 

Does she have experience with London? Or even big cities? I lived in New York after London, and there are a lot of transferable skills. How to navigate crowds, how to take the subway, how to assert yourself. If she was going to move to London as a freshman, I would recommend a summer in a big city (New York, Chicago, London itself) as practice if possible. Or foreign travel. Or even time on a big impersonal college campus. You need some worldliness. (Which of course you will have in spades after living in London.)

Her only experience with London is six days that we spent there in the fall of 2012. It made a huge impression on me, too, and I would move there in a heartbeat if given the chance! But I'm 41 and have moved before (not to foreign countries, but across this country. she's never moved at all.) She only has vacation experience with cities (we live in a small city of about 400,000 people), not live-there experience. But she always wants to vacation in cities, not rural areas or charming small towns, so I do think she would enjoy living in a bigger city. I'm just not sure her first move, and her first big city, should be THAT far away. But this is a very clingy mom talking here. :)

[Greta]

I live in the Austin area -- but not Austin proper. Public transportation does not come out where I live or work. But I know there is some in the downtown area (And I'm sure UT).

 

Austin is much easier to navigate than Dallas-Ft Worth. Shorter to get from one place to another, etc. Its a smaller city and a smaller metropolis. AND it doesn't ice and snow here the way it does in Dallas.

 

I grew up in Houston. When moving back to TX from Seattle-area WA, we chose between the three major areas where jobs were located -- Houston, DAllas-Ft Worth and Austin. We chose Austin.

Great, thank you so much!

[Greta]

Your dd is in 9th grade?

 

I think you take a family vacation and spend several days in Austin.

 

Or a girls roadtrip.

 

Visit the school. Visit the sites around town. Do it at a relaxed pace.

Yes, I think that is an excellent idea, and we've been talking about doing just that. I was also interested to hear people's impressions of it. Thank you!

[Greta]

I have done a study abroad in London and then returned to do a work abroad program. I don't know if London is a good idea straight out of high school. The reason I say this is because Londoners are very reserved and it will be much more difficult for your daughter to make friends right away. So she'll be thrown into an entirely different country and culture at 18 with a more difficult transition to making friends.

 

A friend of mine moved to London several years ago because of her husband's job. She was in her late 30s, but she asked me before she even left about making friends with the locals. I told her to volunteer or get involved in some sort of organization and then after a time, they'd befriend her. She auditioned for a theatre group and then she made friends. They don't take to the friendliless of Americans without warming up to them through mutual interests/activities. My friend now has loads of friends, but if she hadn't followed my advice, it would have been much more difficult.

 

Also, their colleges are very different. They have much longer papers to write every semester and killer exams. So take that into consideration.

Thank you so much for sharing this. I am going to pass this along to her. You are not the first person who has told me that it is tough to make friends there. In the sorts of casual interactions that we had on our vacation, I found the people to be exceptionally friendly -- friendlier than the US cities of similar size that I've been to. But that's a very different sort of interaction than trying to really make friends and establish a community!

[Greta]

Fort Worth rocks your face off.

 

*Dallas sucks.

 

Austin is cool and fun.

 

(UTA is in Arlington, which is smack dab between Dallas and Fort Worth. It might be an option for your dd if you land in north Texas.)

 

* Seriously, as a native DFW-er, I hate driving in Dallas and avoid it at all costs. It's a big, dirty city, and I always feel like I'm going to die at any minute on the freeways there. Not so with Fort Worth, and it has a nice museum district. The southern parts of the metroplex are nice, IMO. That includes south Arlington, Mansfield, Burleson.

Driving through Dallas remains one of the scariest experiences of my life!

 

I've been to Ft. Worth a couple of times and did find it to be much more pleasant than Dallas. Dallas is weird to me. For the size that it is, it just doesn't seem to have much to offer. It's so . . . I don't know, it's like it's all football and shopping and that's it.

 

Thanks for your post, because it's really great to hear that Austin is nice from someone who also thinks that Dallas sucks! :lol:

[Greta]

Because I am procrastinating writing a big patient care report...

 

 

The kicker about UT (and other public universities in Texas) is the 10% Rule. (I think it may have been changed to the 8ish% or so rule, but I honestly haven't kept up too much with that). Basically, the top 10% (or 8% or whatever it is) of each public school's graduating class has automatic admission to UT, A&M, etc if they choose to attend one of those schools. This generally accounts for quite a lot of each school's entering freshman class (in 2008 it accounted for 81% of UT's freshman class). I believe UT only was granted special permission by the Leg to cap the automatic admissions to 75% in 2011 (?) or so. This obviously makes admission harder when so many slots are automatically reserved.

 

This isn't to say that your dd shouldn't apply - not at all. Just be aware of this unique stricture. If you ask on the HS board, I believe there are some families who have had their kids accepted recently and can provide better/more up-to-date information.

Thank you for this heads-up, because I did not know that! She is considering the possibility of getting her associate's degree from our local CC at the same time she completes her high school diploma. I wonder if she applied as a transfer student whether that would help or hurt her chances. I'll see what I can find out.

 

Also, the part of your post that was in blue didn't show up in my attempt to quote it, but I wanted to thank you very much for explaining more about Austin. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that such a large state can vary so much from region to region. I'm so glad to know this. All I really know about Texas is Dallas, and I'm sure we must have board members who live in Dallas and love it so I didn't want to start with a rant about how much we hate Dallas, but, well, <whispering> we really do hate Dallas.

[texasmama]

It's okay to hate Dallas.

 

One of the good bbq places in Fort Worth has a slogan on their wall and on all of their plastic cups - "Life is too short to live in Dallas." 

 

Yep.  ;)

[Greta]

It's okay to hate Dallas.

 

One of the good bbq places in Fort Worth has a slogan on their wall and on all of their plastic cups - "Life is too short to live in Dallas."

 

Yep. ;)

:lol: Yeah, I'd have to agree with that sentiment.

[brehon]

You don't have to whisper. It's OK.

 

The big problem with Dallas is that it tries too hard. Houston has oil & gas; Ft Worth has the stockyards and the history of cattle drives; San Antonio has the Alamo and a great & thriving Hispanic culture; West TX has Big Bend; and Austin is just cool.

 

Dallas has a bunch of boosters who don't know when to give it a rest.

[texasmama]

Mostly I pretend like Dallas is not there and instead there is a huge Grand Canyon or something.  :D

 

(And I am not far away, in case no one has figured out yet.)

[vonfirmath]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but why is Fort Worth so much better than Dallas? What makes Fort Worth so great? Fwiw, my husband is considering a job there.

 

I would agree with texasmama from my one visit there. Fort Worth does have a bit more of a "small town" feel than dallas. Dallas is BIG and fast. Fort Worth is smaller (though still big in its own right. Like Bellevue near Seattle) and more country/western in feel.

 

[Lawyer&Mom]

The one advantage of starting as a freshman vs. studying abroad is that everyone in her program would be new and looking to make friends. I've basically done both in London. My first year I did a post graduate diploma, which consisted of taking a combination of second and third year undergraduate courses to get up to speed in a new subject. It was similar to the course load an exchange student would take. I didn't meet that many people, although I was living at home and not in a dorm. My classmates knew each other already. The next year I started a masters degree with a fresh cohort of students. We had a blast, one of the best years I've had. I've been miserable in London and deliriously happy. The difference was whether I had a gang of friends to hang out with, and whether I felt a part of something.

[isaac_megan]

The UT area is very walkable. Most residents also cycle the area, so a bike would be helpful. Restaurants, grocery, entertainment, parks, etc. are close and between shuttles and friends she should be able to get anywhere she needs. Busses are typically okay but as with any city, she'll need to learn where is safe. As pp mentioned, the hardest part is getting in as one of the 10% out of state students.

[Happy]

Look at a map and see how much larger Dallas is than FW.  It is crowded, congested and very much a "big city".  Fort Worth is a large-ish city but retains a smaller city feel.  We have an original downtown stockyards that cowboys drive a herd of longhorns through twice a day.  I rest my case.  :D

 

I don't mean to suggest that FW has no traffic. It does, particularly up through the northern parts.  But it has a low cost of living, great museums, a world class zoo, great suburbs, a fabulous children's hospital, gardens (Japanese and Botanical), and a nice cultural district.  There is high end corporate living in apartments and houses in the suburbs on acreage for families and everything in between.  I grew up in Fort Worth.  I currently live in a suburb on acreage.  I might go to Dallas once a year.  There is really no need.

Preach it, Sister!

 

The only reason I cross the county line to the east is on my way to see my son in McKinney....

[texasmama]

Preach it, Sister!

 

The only reason I cross the county line to the east is on my way to see my son in McKinney....

At least he didn't move to Dallas. (Whew! Close call!)

[hellen]

Are there schools in other states that have the same tuition deal? Austin might not be a bad choice but she might like somewhere on the East coast better.

 

Do you know how Texans have a lot of state pride? A lot of Texans have strong feelings about Texas being the best. That pride extends to cities as well. Visiting would be ideal. While Austin and Dallas differ, they don't differ as much as Austin and Philadelphia or Seattle or Denver and so on. FWIW, I've lived all over Texas but I've also lived in other states.

[AngieW in Texas]

I've lived in both. I grew up in Dallas and moved to Austin 11 years ago.

 

Austin and Dallas are very different. It's much hotter and much colder and much more humid in Dallas. Austin is a lot more liberal than Dallas, although it's still pretty conservative in my opinion.

 

None of my kids have had any desire to go to UT Austin because it's just too big. They didn't want to be stuck in a lot of giant lecture-hall classes. Because UT Austin is the most-desired school in Texas (judging by number of applications), the 10% rule (which I think is actually a 7% rule for UT) takes up most of slots. UT Austin gives out very very little merit aid.

 

My two older girls have both gone to UT Dallas, which is actually in Richardson, a suburb north of Dallas. UT Dallas is a very tech-nerdy school. It's well known for speech pathology, computer science, business, arts&technology, and having a chess team rather than a football team. My oldest is majoring in Arts and Technology and my middle dd is majoring in Speech Pathology.

 

Austin has a pathetic public transportation system and what it has does not extend to the suburbs. Dallas has a great public transportation system that extends to the suburbs.

 

I would much rather live in Austin than in Dallas, but I like UT Dallas much better than UT Austin.

[vonfirmath]

Are there schools in other states that have the same tuition deal? Austin might not be a bad choice but she might like somewhere on the East coast better.

 

Do you know how Texans have a lot of state pride? A lot of Texans have strong feelings about Texas being the best. That pride extends to cities as well. Visiting would be ideal. While Austin and Dallas differ, they don't differ as much as Austin and Philadelphia or Seattle or Denver and so on. FWIW, I've lived all over Texas but I've also lived in other states.

 

I've lived in Bellevue near Seattle for 14 years. I actually find the feel of Austin to be very similar to Seattle. On the conservative side for Austin, and liberal for Seattle. But a lot of similarities nonetheless.

[Greta]

The one advantage of starting as a freshman vs. studying abroad is that everyone in her program would be new and looking to make friends. I've basically done both in London. My first year I did a post graduate diploma, which consisted of taking a combination of second and third year undergraduate courses to get up to speed in a new subject. It was similar to the course load an exchange student would take. I didn't meet that many people, although I was living at home and not in a dorm. My classmates knew each other already. The next year I started a masters degree with a fresh cohort of students. We had a blast, one of the best years I've had. I've been miserable in London and deliriously happy. The difference was whether I had a gang of friends to hang out with, and whether I felt a part of something.

Thank you. I really appreciate you sharing your insights.

[Greta]

The UT area is very walkable. Most residents also cycle the area, so a bike would be helpful. Restaurants, grocery, entertainment, parks, etc. are close and between shuttles and friends she should be able to get anywhere she needs. Busses are typically okay but as with any city, she'll need to learn where is safe. As pp mentioned, the hardest part is getting in as one of the 10% out of state students.

Thanks!

[Greta]

Are there schools in other states that have the same tuition deal? Austin might not be a bad choice but she might like somewhere on the East coast better.

 

I do think she would like an East coast city more, but as far as we are aware, the University of Texas system is the only one that offers this discounted tuition arrangement. But my husband is going to look into it to make sure.

 

Do you know how Texans have a lot of state pride? A lot of Texans have strong feelings about Texas being the best. That pride extends to cities as well. Visiting would be ideal. While Austin and Dallas differ, they don't differ as much as Austin and Philadelphia or Seattle or Denver and so on. FWIW, I've lived all over Texas but I've also lived in other states.

Thank you!

[Greta]

Austin is a lot more liberal than Dallas, although it's still pretty conservative in my opinion.

Yeah, I know it has a reputation for being liberal by Texas standards, but I was guessing that would still make it pretty conservative by our standards! :)

 

None of my kids have had any desire to go to UT Austin because it's just too big.

 

Yeah, that's an important point to consider.

 

My two older girls have both gone to UT Dallas, which is actually in Richardson, a suburb north of Dallas. UT Dallas is a very tech-nerdy school. It's well known for speech pathology, computer science, business, arts&technology, and having a chess team rather than a football team. My oldest is majoring in Arts and Technology and my middle dd is majoring in Speech Pathology.

I would really love to know more about this Arts and Technology degree program, because that sounds like something my dd would be very interested in! I'll see what I can find out from their website, but if you have any other information to share, I would be grateful. What is your oldest child planning for his/her career?

 

I would much rather live in Austin than in Dallas, but I like UT Dallas much better than UT Austin.

It does sound like UT Dallas would be a better fit for her than UT Austin. Thanks for letting me know about this!

[Greta]

I've lived in Bellevue near Seattle for 14 years. I actually find the feel of Austin to be very similar to Seattle. On the conservative side for Austin, and liberal for Seattle. But a lot of similarities nonetheless.

 

That's interesting! (and surprising)

[MelAR05]

Look at a map and see how much larger Dallas is than FW. It is crowded, congested and very much a "big city". Fort Worth is a large-ish city but retains a smaller city feel. We have an original downtown stockyards that cowboys drive a herd of longhorns through twice a day. I rest my case. :D

 

I don't mean to suggest that FW has no traffic. It does, particularly up through the northern parts. But it has a low cost of living, great museums, a world class zoo, great suburbs, a fabulous children's hospital, gardens (Japanese and Botanical), and a nice cultural district. There is high end corporate living in apartments and houses in the suburbs on acreage for families and everything in between. I grew up in Fort Worth. I currently live in a suburb on acreage. I might go to Dallas once a year. There is really no need.

Thank you! This is good to know. We looked at a job in Dallas a couple of years and changed our mind after visiting. I was one of the ignorant folk who lumped them together.

[Greta]

The other thing I have to add is that UT must have the ugliest campus on the face of the earth. It just blends into Austin... My boys had no desire to go there as it was too big and too ugly. It doesn't feel like a college campus.

Wow, that's too bad.

 

The ten percent rule is also a big deal.

So, is this a big deal for getting into UT Austin in particular, or anywhere in the UT system?

[chiguirre]

UT is the hardest.  aTm is next, but I know plenty of homeschoolers who have gotten in there.  You won't have a problem with the rest of the system.  It is just UT that is very difficult.

Although getting in as a transfer can be easier, because a lot of the 7%s end up leaving without a degree. The 7% only considers high school rank, so some kids can get in but not really be academically prepared.

[Greta]

UT is the hardest. aTm is next, but I know plenty of homeschoolers who have gotten in there. You won't have a problem with the rest of the system. It is just UT that is very difficult.

Thank you for explaining!

[Greta]

Although getting in as a transfer can be easier, because a lot of the 7%s end up leaving without a degree. The 7% only considers high school rank, so some kids can get in but not really be academically prepared.

I had wondered about this too. Thank you!