Elite private schools and college admissions

[Fudge Nuggets 19190]

10 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

hands down, my most successful classmates all started out as mud engineers. It’s not mudd, but their success as a group is just unreal 

Another plus for yours truly.  When you get blamed for everything that goes wrong on the rig up to the cook burning the steaks, you got to be on your A-game all the time.

[Sbbruin 21851]

1 hour ago, Hefeweizen said:

My daughter never really got interested in UT.  Only applied because mom and I insisted.  It was a good safety for her but not in the cards.  She wound up getting denied at MIT and CalTech but got into her third ranked Stem which was Harvey Mudd.  So now I’m getting ready my 55 gallon lube tub.  Because it ain’t cheap.

She'll like the Claremont Colleges scene.  Good mix of brainy and normies.  And Claremont is a cool little town.  

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

I've said this before, but we did a 2-day deep dive at UT Dallas with the System before Covid.  Got to really look under the hood.  And I was really, really impressed with that campus.  Needs an invigoration of community, housing, and "school spirit" whatever that means...which will come with time.  But the facilities, the grounds, faculty, research, all of it was top flight.  And they take recruiting very seriously for both students, and faculty.  It's the UT System campus making the most meteoric rise as well (UT-Arlington, UT-SA, and UT-RGV and UT-EP all doing great, but the trajectory of UT-D is just in another gear the last few years).  

I went to the session for for CompSci and Engineering. They had the DFW defense industry, computer gaming industry, TI, Toyota, and others on hand to talk about partnering with UTD in research and their intern opportunities.

Edited April 4, 2022 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Guest Lobo]

Makes sense. I was more referring to a sense of community on campus of students and staff, and the area immediately surrounding it.  Their relationships with local private sector is top notch.  Curious to see them and UT-A play in the same sandbox as both become more and more prominent.   part of the reason I think UNT System should be wrapped into another System, but story for another thread.  
 

And the four UT system schools that are now tier I are the thing that worries A&M the most.  Not UT-Austin, not the multi-generational Aggie that wants the ‘second education.’  But they are losing lots and lots of top flight applicants who have no allegiance to A&M but see the value in their education and name recognition. But then look at UTSA or UT-D and realize, “maybe not quite the brand name, but not as weird, better towns, and particular departments/programs I’m looking at are better for prep and starting salaries and grad school admits.”  

when you’re big selling point is “our network is passionate, aggies hire aggies”…your brand is falling behind.  The education should what you sell; for both employment and grad school.  Critical thinkers got wise and thought, “what if my ideal job isn’t being staffed by an Aggie?  What if the admissions team at this place I wanna get my master’s isn’t full of aggies?”   

[tx 3 putt 76942]

UT - RGV is pumping engineers into top 10 chem producers and top 10 oil and gas. Companies are liking the quality and attitudes they’re hiring. 
 

 

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

Just now, tx 3 putt said:

UT - RGV is pumping engineers into top 10 chem producers and top 10 oil and gas. Companies are liking the quality and attitudes they’re hiring. 
 

 

Gimme a 3* that bleeds maroon over these premadonna 5*s all day long!

[SimonBolivar 10958]

2 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

UT - RGV is pumping engineers into top 10 chem producers and top 10 oil and gas. Companies are liking the quality and attitudes they’re hiring. 
 

 

That school has so much damn potential after the merger. 1.5ish million people on the US side and no competition outside of a small A&M branch that nobody cares about.

[tx 3 putt 76942]

6 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

That school has so much damn potential after the merger. 1.5ish million people on the US side and no competition outside of a small A&M branch that nobody cares about.

Every kid that can, wants to leave the valley. That’s their biggest issue. Am corpus is busting at the seams. Am kingsville is offering free tuition if your family income is under $60k 

delmar in corpus offering a 4 year nursing degree is also a huge deal 

Edited April 4, 2022 by tx 3 putt

[CooterBrown 18010]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

 

when you’re big selling point is “our network is passionate, aggies hire aggies because no one else will”…your brand is falling behind.  

FIFY

[Satchel 6938]

16 hours ago, Satchel said:

https://www.university-list.net/us/rank/school-300001.html

Texas has 9 of the top 100 schools on the list. Not too shabby.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

18 minutes ago, Satchel said:

Texas has 9 of the top 100 schools on the list. Not too shabby.

Now look at college rankings and how many California publics are in the top 25 and realize how far behind Texas is on developing native intellectual capital via ratio to population.

Edited April 4, 2022 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Satchel 6938]

Just now, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Now look at how many California publics are in the top 25 and realize how for behind Texas is on developing native intellectual capital for its population.

Texas will always trail California when it comes to anything educational. It’s not a high priority here. As long as UT and A&M hover around the top 50 publics, we’re good.

[tx 3 putt 76942]

5 minutes ago, Satchel said:

Texas will always trail California when it comes to anything educational. It’s not a high priority here. As long as UT and A&M hover around the top 50 publics, we’re good.

those two schools aren’t nearly enough with Texas population booming 

[Sbbruin 21851]

10 minutes ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Now look at college rankings and how many California publics are in the top 25 and realize how far behind Texas is on developing native intellectual capital via ratio to population.

Don't worry, we can, and will, continue to supply a steady stream of young Californians to fill jobs in Texas.  Enjoy!

[Surly Bevo 24908]

Was about to say what if I told you they all learn there....and work here.  Like a farm system.

[Satchel 6938]

3 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

those two schools aren’t nearly enough with Texas population booming 

Agreed. Imagine Texas with 9 of the top 100 publics in the country.

[TwiceHorn 31463]

7 hours ago, South Austin said:

I had a case about 8-10 years ago against my old biglaw firm. Great guys, great attorneys, and it was fun. But holy shit they billed the ever-living crap out of that file. And they had a fourth-year attorney whose billing rate was higher than mine (I was about a 12-year lawyer at the time). 

Yeah, I don't even wanna know what a 5th year biglaw IP associate is billing.

I need to raise my rates.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

those two schools aren’t nearly enough with Texas population booming 

This. Texas will be in a perpetual cycle of throwing out huge incentives to get companies to relocate to Texas.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

Don't worry, we can, and will, continue to supply a steady stream of young Californians to fill jobs in Texas.  Enjoy!

That’s only happened from Trump’s tax plan capping state and local income tax deductions from federal taxes. Before that it didn’t matter.

[Helobious 9448]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

Every kid that can, wants to leave the valley. That’s their biggest issue. Am corpus is busting at the seams. Am kingsville is offering free tuition if your family income is under $60k 

delmar in corpus offering a 4 year nursing degree is also a huge deal 

San Antonio is like the promised land for valley people. They’re all obsessed with moving up here or going to UTSA. I did it myself and hope to move back down one day, but not everyone has simple pleasures like me. Can’t blame anyone for wanting to leave, but I’m hoping as SA gets more expensive, more kids stay down there & get educated & help it improve. 

[tx 3 putt 76942]

19 minutes ago, Helobious said:

San Antonio is like the promised land for valley people. They’re all obsessed with moving up here or going to UTSA. I did it myself and hope to move back down one day, but not everyone has simple pleasures like me. Can’t blame anyone for wanting to leave, but I’m hoping as SA gets more expensive, more kids stay down there & get educated & help it improve. 

 

utsa is busting at the seems and SA has some excellent private school options. 

[Guest Lobo]

41 minutes ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

This. Texas will be in a perpetual cycle of throwing out huge incentives to get companies to relocate to Texas.

I know the conventional thinking is that everybody from Texas...yeah, maybe they'll to go college/grad school out of state, but of course they'll return to Texas...the greatest State Evah', and contribute to this economy.  Nobody ever goes to college/grad school somewhere else and ends up staying there for work/marriage/liking quality of life.  

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board started a study on this a few years back, got stuck during Covid obviously.  And no way they're gonna release it before the statewide elections, but I bet it comes out during 2023 session or shortly thereafter.  It's not a lot yet in gross numbers, but those bright young people who are kinda Top 10-Top 35% or so, that go out of state.  The proportion is starting to tick up, a lot of them aren't coming back to Texas.  They're staying in California, Chicago, New York, D.C., the Carolinas, Virginia, et. al. Not gonna tilt our population growth or anything, and we're certainly having no trouble infilling our state with 30-50 year olds moving here from those areas who want to get out and relocate their families.  But there is a marked dearth in 22-30 year olds who are staying put where they are after college and putting down roots/starting businesses.  Not gonna make or break Texas in terms of population, but the dent being made in our "AAA bench" is getting larger than anybody wants to acknowledge.  

[Brisketexan 105127]

4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

but the dent being made in our "AAA bench" is getting larger than anybody wants to acknowledge.  

This -- this is the risk.

The kids who can go to competitive out of state or foreign schools are exactly the people you'd like to stay in state.  And yes, when they leave, they often end up staying in the new place.  So, it's a brain drain.  And it's one we can ill-afford.

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, I guess I rambled a bit as usual.  But we're fine on well-established 35-55yos coming here from the coasts and Chicago because you typically only uproot your family for a really great opportunity, the economy will be fine. 

But we're starting to see a leading indicator that suggests a lot of 22-32 aren't coming back here...and they're not the dipshits you don't care if they leave Texas.  There's the brain drain Brisket mentioned...these are the thought leaders of the future, and well over 1/3rd of them aren't coming back and it's getting higher.  These were Top 15% students in Texas high schools/1400 SAT.  They went off to Clemson, Vanderbilt, Colorado, UC-Davis, UC-San Diego, Arizona, Ole Miss, Georgetown, and Wisconsin.  They did well there, they had their pick of the same great jobs as if they went to UT/Rice/et. al.  But it's in another location, an office not in Texas.  Or they're with a startup there and/or met an attractive partner out there.  And the draw of being close to mom and dad isn't a terribly big priority right now.  So they're not coming back.  And they may never.  And that's fine, been that way for 200 yeas in this country.  Our issue is the ones that we'd love to have back to help drive innovation and progress are the ones that are increasingly not coming back.  And most of the ones we'd love to trade to the Expos for several players to be named later are staying here and suffering from a rather substantial dropoff in educational opportunities after a few choice ones.  Anyway, not a huge issue now but it's not trending well for us in the next decade.  

[Sbbruin 21851]

16 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

This -- this is the risk.

The kids who can go to competitive out of state or foreign schools are exactly the people you'd like to stay in state.  And yes, when they leave, they often end up staying in the new place.  So, it's a brain drain.  And it's one we can ill-afford.

My niece, U of A grad (no pics, even though you'd want them) moved with her BF from Portland to Texas a few months ago.  A little town called College Station.

[CleverNickname 1308]

My kids are 6+ years away, but in the back of my head I know that there is real chance my wife and I retire to where one of the kids end up, to help with grand kids and explore a bit. So I kind of hope they end up in Colorado or whatever and not RGV or Denton. But also: I don't see (unless they program) how my kids will settle in Austin. How could they afford a house?

[Bateshorn 9927]

53 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I know the conventional thinking is that everybody from Texas...yeah, maybe they'll to go college/grad school out of state, but of course they'll return to Texas...the greatest State Evah', and contribute to this economy.  Nobody ever goes to college/grad school somewhere else and ends up staying there for work/marriage/liking quality of life.  

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board started a study on this a few years back, got stuck during Covid obviously.  And no way they're gonna release it before the statewide elections, but I bet it comes out during 2023 session or shortly thereafter.  It's not a lot yet in gross numbers, but those bright young people who are kinda Top 10-Top 35% or so, that go out of state.  The proportion is starting to tick up, a lot of them aren't coming back to Texas.  They're staying in California, Chicago, New York, D.C., the Carolinas, Virginia, et. al. Not gonna tilt our population growth or anything, and we're certainly having no trouble infilling our state with 30-50 year olds moving here from those areas who want to get out and relocate their families.  But there is a marked dearth in 22-30 year olds who are staying put where they are after college and putting down roots/starting businesses.  Not gonna make or break Texas in terms of population, but the dent being made in our "AAA bench" is getting larger than anybody wants to acknowledge.  

6th generation Austinite who moved away for college and never came back, checking in. 
 

We refer to each other as TexPats.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Bateshorn

[CooterBrown 18010]

This -- this is the risk.
The kids who can go to competitive out of state or foreign schools are exactly the people you'd like to stay in state.  And yes, when they leave, they often end up staying in the new place.  So, it's a brain drain.  And it's one we can ill-afford.

Unfortunately, those aren’t the kids our elected officials want.

My girls aren’t allowed to go to school in Texas. GTFO as soon as you can. Unless things change soon, there’s no future for women in Texas.

[Guest Lobo]

35 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

6th generation Austinite who moved away for college and never came back, checking in. 
 

We refer to each other as TexPats.

Awww, super!  Then you'll have lots to talk about, huh?  Yeah!  /gregstratton

[Bateshorn 9927]

1 hour ago, Sbbruin said:

My niece, U of A grad (no pics, even though you'd want them) moved with her BF from Portland to Texas a few months ago.  A little town called College Station.

Your trying my patience here, buddy, with this post. Is it not enough to run our asses in football? You can’t at least pick us up with a picture? 🤨

[David Dennison 18856]

On 4/2/2022 at 12:27 PM, immamac said:

Which is why college is stupid and school in general is a big circle jerk that is completely worthless.

Counterpoint: College is fucking allsome.

[Sawbonz 27556]

9 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

I've just been on a bunch of college visits with the youngest and UT's was the worst I've experienced for either kid. I left thinking damn the 'We're UT' attitude permeates everything. I guess when you have so few slots after the in state mandatory takes you can do that.

The best college visit production I've been to is UT Dallas.

I love UT Dallas. Hidden gem for biomedical sciences whether you want to do research or pre med

[Sbbruin 21851]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

Your trying my patience here, buddy, with this post. Is it not enough to run our asses in football? You can’t at least pick us up with a picture? 🤨

Thought about it, but don’t want any six degrees to lead back to me.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Sbbruin

[Hagbard Celine 10859]

On 4/2/2022 at 8:17 AM, Sawbonz said:

My daughter (no pics) just told me that the elite DFW privates had an abysmal acceptance rate at Ivy League schools, Stanford, Duke, and Vanderbilt. One of her friends going back to elementary was rejected by her top 3. She was accepted by her 4th choice, still a competitive out of state public, but this is a girl who was near the top of her class, multi sport varsity athlete, tons of extracurriculars  and close to perfect on sat and act. 
 

Is this a fluke or are we looking at a sea change in how prospective students are evaluated at these universities?

The answer won't be popular in these parts.

[TwiceHorn 31463]

https://www.smtexas.org/academics/college-counseling

13 to UT, which these days is pretty impressive.  That's more than the top 10%.  In past years, they probably would have been the dumbshits.

 

[South Austin 52496]

13 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

My girls aren’t allowed to go to school in Texas. GTFO as soon as you can. Unless things change soon, there’s no future for women in Texas.

My sophomore daughter is dead set on going to school outside of Texas, and out of the South for that matter.  She gives me the whole "but I'll probably come back to Texas for grad school" bit, but I think it's just to make her old man feel better about her moving away.  If she goes someplace like the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast, like she's been talking about, I'm not counting on her coming back here, especially if our politics continues getting more and more fucked up.

[CooterBrown 18010]

4 minutes ago, South Austin said:

My sophomore daughter is dead set on going to school outside of Texas, and out of the South for that matter.  She gives me the whole "but I'll probably come back to Texas for grad school" bit, but I think it's just to make her old man feel better about her moving away.  If she goes someplace like the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast, like she's been talking about, I'm not counting on her coming back here, especially if our politics continues getting more and more fucked up.

My kid is the same.   She will most likely major in an engineering discipline. Her lowest 9-week average ever is a 98 and is in all advanced and pre-AP as a freshman so I think as a woman in STEM, with good grades, and a lot of non-school related leadership activities, she'll have a better selection of schools than most. My only requirement is that she needs to go somewhere I want to go visit. In September we will go check out School of Mines, CU, and CSU.  We will also check out Oregon, Washington, UBC and Univ of Victoria BC next summer.  We will also go check out a few stretch schools like Cornell (our former neighbor is in the engineering admissions there). 

[South Austin 52496]

23 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

My kid is the same.   She will most likely major in an engineering discipline. Her lowest 9-week average ever is a 98 and is in all advanced and pre-AP as a freshman so I think as a woman in STEM, with good grades, and a lot of non-school related leadership activities, she'll have a better selection of schools than most. My only requirement is that she needs to go somewhere I want to go visit. In September we will go check out School of Mines, CU, and CSU.  We will also check out Oregon, Washington, UBC and Univ of Victoria BC next summer.  We will also go check out a few stretch schools like Cornell (our former neighbor is in the engineering admissions there). 

We're raising similar daughters.  For some reason she's recently said that she might want to explore pharmaceutical research.  I have no idea why, other than she happens to really like chemistry and is doing very well in that class, along with A's across the board in her other classes.  She's also expressed interest in UDub and Oregon.  I thought a year ago she'd want to pursue a liberal arts degree, but in high school she's demonstrated a skill for math and science that her old man never had.  Throw in her classical guitar major in the McCallum Fine Arts Academy and lettering for the varsity basketball team, and hopefully she'll be an attractive out-of-state candidate for one of those schools.

Edited April 5, 2022 by South Austin

[Blotto 23499]

On 4/3/2022 at 6:20 AM, 52-80 said:

Idea for profitable private school: start issuing grades on a 6-point scale

[Bateshorn 9927]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

We're raising similar daughters.  For some reason she's recently said that she might want to explore pharmaceutical research.  I have no idea why, other than she happens to really like chemistry and is doing very well in that class, along with A's across the board in her other classes.  She's also expressed interest in UDub and Oregon.  I thought a year ago she'd want to pursue a liberal arts degree, but in high school she's demonstrated a skill for math and science that her old man never had.  Throw in her classical guitar major in the McCallum Fine Arts Academy and lettering for the varsity basketball team, and hopefully she'll be an attractive out-of-state candidate for one of those schools.

She might look at Purdue.  I think Lilly hires heavy out of their.

[tx 3 putt 76942]

4 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

She might look at Purdue.  I think Lilly hires heavy out of their.

lot of companies try to hire heavy out of Purdue Engineering. 

[Guest Lobo]

I don't if he means Wisconsin or Washington by "Udub" (depends on where you are in the country, kinda like "UT"), but Madison, Seattle, and Eugene are infinitely better places to live than West Lafayette.  However, if she doesn't mine the town and the cold, Purdue is an excellent decision worthy of serious consideration.  

Particularly if a student is leaning towards Electrical, Mechanical, Aeronautical, or Bio-Engineering.  Other fields there are still solid but not national stand-outs.  But those first four fields, Boilermakers are in a group of schools you can count on three thumbs.  

[Bateshorn 9927]

Udub is usually University of Washington. 

[SimonBolivar 10958]

2 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Udub is usually University of Washington. 

Lately in history I've seen them go by...

 

"UW" (Washington), "Madison" (for Wisconsin). I'm not sure if that goes for other fields too or not.

[millhouse 2604]

University of Oregon does not have engineering. If you want PNW and do engineering, Udub or even SeattleU would probably be better options. There are probably a few schools in Portland that have engineering if Oregon is really where they want to be.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

4 hours ago, South Austin said:

My sophomore daughter is dead set on going to school outside of Texas, and out of the South for that matter.  She gives me the whole "but I'll probably come back to Texas for grad school" bit, but I think it's just to make her old man feel better about her moving away.  If she goes someplace like the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast, like she's been talking about, I'm not counting on her coming back here, especially if our politics continues getting more and more fucked up.

As opposed to the totally normal politics in the Pac NW and NE

[South Austin 52496]

14 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

As opposed to the totally normal politics in the Pac NW and NE

Yes, as opposed to that.

[Js1 85325]

16 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

As opposed to the totally normal politics in the Pac NW and NE

K

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

On 4/4/2022 at 6:42 PM, CleverNickname said:

My kids are 6+ years away, but in the back of my head I know that there is real chance my wife and I retire to where one of the kids end up, to help with grand kids and explore a bit. So I kind of hope they end up in Colorado or whatever and not RGV or Denton. But also: I don't see (unless they program) how my kids will settle in Austin. How could they afford a house?

Did the UNT tour. Denton is a shit hole and the UT DFW schools, with the support of DFW businesses, are presently putting UNT out to pasture. Music will be UNT's only thing once again.

[SimonBolivar 10958]

1 hour ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Did the UNT tour. Denton is a shit hole and the UT DFW schools, with the support of DFW businesses, are presently putting UNT out to pasture. Music will be UNT's only thing once again.

I thought Denton had a cool college vibe with the square and all that. Poor school spirit and a ton of commuters though that's a deal for all DFW schools outside of TCU and SMU  

 

They don't belong in this thread of course unless you are a music kid, but not bad for your 3rd smartest child who likes to smoke and drink a lot.

Edited April 6, 2022 by SimonBolivar