Surly kids who can't get into UT

[cabowabo 4484]

13 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Jesus. Let them be kids for a second. 

No shit.  At least wait until they grow some hair on their balls.

Edited September 27, 2023 by cabowabo

[orange dream 1247]

16 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

would it make that big of a difference for him to go to baylor instead of UT for his undergrad?  

It would on your pocketbook.

[Bateshorn 9927]

31 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Honestly, I don't know WHERE this college game is going.  A shitload of schools are dropping their SAT/standardized test component (thank GOD they waited to do that until after I made my way through the process for me).  So...it's going to be a lot of class rank and essays, I guess?  Interestingly, many foreign schools (our experience with both Canada and the UK) was pretty much the opposite: to avoid any bias, they went with objective numbers only.  McGill: all that mattered was her ACT score and her AP scores.  Glasgow: same for the boy.  Even high school grades didn't matter much (may have related to their international status, but I THINK it was that way for locals too), and essays were a non-thing.

Will be interesting to see where American college admissions are in 10 years or so, because they're changing a lot.

Oh, and another thing that may get interesting, per conversations we've had with a friend who is president of a private Catholic university (a reasonably well-known one)....BOYS are a hot commodity for admissions now.  Unis are well-aware that they are admitting women over men at a 60-40 clip, so if you have a male applicant who is competitive, his odds are increasing.  I wouldn't be surprised to see some weighting in admissions, especially in private schools, in the coming years.

University of Washington basically straight up says that the only thing they care about is the essay.  And they emphasize over and over and over again that you need to put the work in.  It's the only school Boy #2 didn't get into, and it's because he mailed in the essay, which didn't conform to the one he used on the Common App. 

[FunDip 33]

32 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

 

Goldman and JPM were trying to build out their personal wealth management arms at that time.  There were lots of hires (and a couple years later lay-offs) associated with those branches.  I'm not offering that as an explanation for your anecdotes, just chiming in with what we were seeing.

Gotcha yep that checks out. And now with DJ Solomon on the hot seat for that bad bet and trying to sell GreenSky at a loss, those opportunities are dried up I assume. 

And I’m not trying to knock TxSt or Tulsa specifically but for the knowledge sharing of this thread so parents aren’t thinking their kid at Tulsa or Oklahoma State is going to get the same recruitment opportunity for analysts in finance and banking at top and mid firms that only a handful of McCombs kids will get out of undergrad.

[Bateshorn 9927]

2 minutes ago, FunDip said:

Gotcha yep that checks out. And now with DJ Solomon on the hot seat for that bad bet and trying to sell GreenSky at a loss, those opportunities are dried up I assume. 

And I’m not trying to knock TxSt or Tulsa specifically but for the knowledge sharing of this thread so parents aren’t thinking their kid at Tulsa or Oklahoma State is going to get the same recruitment opportunity for analysts in finance and banking at top and mid firms that only a handful of McCombs kids will get out of undergrad.

I mean, it's possible for the Tulsa or OkState grad to do it......if they graduate top of class with honors and get into Warton or HBS for MBA.  But a BBA from a non T-20 isn't going to get you shit in elite finance. 

[texasdago 7569]

32 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

 

 

   15 minutes ago,  jimmyjazz said: 

EXACT same story for my son.  He's one year ahead of yours, living on west campus, and loving it.

Tyler is a weird town.

I've only been up there twice.  Piney woods is kind of cool.  I wanted him to go to Tech or LSU because you are just not going to get the full college experience at a place like UT Tyler.  No football or greek life.  My most memorable year of college was my freshman year.  Of course, that involved a lot of drinking, driving back to the Castilian and having to walk the garage the next morning looking for my car, and other risky debauchery.  Maybe it's a good thing he's at Tyler.  He'll be a little more mature when he ends up in Austin.    

[Brisketexan 105082]

35 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

phrasing

 

how did you prepare your kids for the PSAT?  kaplan?  other courses?

We did the "Love the SAT" prep over on Spicewood springs.  It helped both kids (daughter focused on ACT, boy on SAT).  For the PSAT...I THINK we did the same prep, but can't recall for sure.  But because there are still plenty of schools that figure standardized scores into things, I think it's still worth doing.  It's not that much money in the grand scheme.  Of course, if the daughter had gotten ONE additional point on the ACT, she would have gotten a scholarship to McGill.  So, that was disappointing.

[BabaYaga 15289]

Keep in mind when scouting schools, many are test optional.  Meaning they don't hold it against you if you defer, but if included, can help push you over the edge or help with scholie money

[Bozo_Casanova 26437]

47 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

do they not consider IB qualifications?

 They do, but it depends on the major. I don't know how the IB system works, but it says my daughter's program requires 39 IB points and 666 at HL, whatever that means.

 

[Bateshorn 9927]

IF money is tight, you can get free, officially sanctioned SAT test prep at Khan Academy. 

[tx 3 putt 76874]

1 minute ago, Bateshorn said:

IF money is tight, you can get free, officially sanctioned SAT test prep at Khan Academy. 

[Bozo_Casanova 26437]

53 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Honestly, I don't know WHERE this college game is going. 

I do - it ends with the middle/upper middle class opting for trade school/military/Community College + specialized vocational training, which is GOOD. Turning the 4 year university degree in liberal arts into the new high school diploma has been an unmitigated disaster for the American middle class and for the quality of education within those degrees.  

Edited September 27, 2023 by Bozo_Casanova

[ztejas 43414]

12 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Of course, if the daughter had gotten ONE additional point on the ACT, she would have gotten a scholarship to McGill.  So, that was disappointing.

Just leave her less in the will. 

[jimmyjazz 45893]

15 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We did the "Love the SAT" prep over on Spicewood springs.  It helped both kids (daughter focused on ACT, boy on SAT).  

Our daughter did very well on the SAT that the school administers for free in the 2nd semester of a kid's junior year.  We signed her up for one of those training courses, which had a money back guarantee if a kid's score doesn't go up X amount . . . and her score dropped 100 points.  They had to refund our money.  "Honey, did you pay attention at ALL?"

[crash_davis 23103]

1 minute ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I do - it ends with the middle/upper middle class opting for trade school/military/Community College + specialized vocational training, which is GOOD. Turning the 4 year university degree in liberal arts into the new high school diploma has been an unmitigated disaster for the American middle class and for the quality of education within those degrees.  

Liberal arts degrees were fine when you had plenty of jobs to fill. I have a English major friend who decades ago was hired by IBM be a programmer. The thinking was that if they could write, they could code. 3-4 decades ago, a Liberal Arts degree didn't hurt you much. Now, aint no tech company hiring English majors to be programmers. Companies are hiring specific to their degrees. 

[Bateshorn 9927]

18 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We did the "Love the SAT" prep over on Spicewood springs.  It helped both kids (daughter focused on ACT, boy on SAT).  For the PSAT...I THINK we did the same prep, but can't recall for sure.  But because there are still plenty of schools that figure standardized scores into things, I think it's still worth doing.  It's not that much money in the grand scheme.  Of course, if the daughter had gotten ONE additional point on the ACT, she would have gotten a scholarship to McGill.  So, that was disappointing.

Boy #1 eked into a 33 on the ACT by virtue of a few decimal points, but the difference between a 32 and 33 is a big deal when merit money starts flowing. 

[Bateshorn 9927]

Look, I know these conversations always turn into liberal arts vs. technical degree shit flinging fests, but can we not.  

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Look, I know these conversations always turn into liberal arts vs. technical degree shit flinging fests, but can we not.  

[someguy 1508]

I'm reading this thread with great interest - thank you to all who have taken the time to contribute.  My kids are in middle school, so this is coming up quick and I'm absorbing as much as I can.

One variable I am curious about, and would love to hear y'all's opinions on - what do you make of the upcoming demographic decline in the number of children (especially in the 2008-2014 years) and the overall decline in college enrollment post COVID?  I'm guessing demand at top notch schools will always be there, but it seems at some point the lack of numbers in the overall pipeline has to have some cascading effects.

I'll hang up and listen.

[Helobious 9451]

14 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I do - it ends with the middle/upper middle class opting for trade school/military/Community College + specialized vocational training, which is GOOD. Turning the 4 year university degree in liberal arts into the new high school diploma has been an unmitigated disaster for the American middle class and for the quality of education within those degrees.  

Then why are we seeing military enlistment fall steeply instead of rise? 

[tx 3 putt 76874]

Technical schools are very expensive. They’re  fleecing those kids 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, someguy said:

I'm reading this thread with great interest - thank you to all who have taken the time to contribute.  My kids are in middle school, so this is coming up quick and I'm absorbing as much as I can.

One variable I am curious about, and would love to hear y'all's opinions on - what do you make of the upcoming demographic decline in the number of children (especially in the 2008-2014 years) and the overall decline in college enrollment post COVID?  I'm guessing demand at top notch schools will always be there, but it seems at some point the lack of numbers in the overall pipeline has to have some cascading effects.

I'll hang up and listen.

HA! I was actually looking up population pyramids yesterday thinking about the same thing. I guess it's just a matter of how the demand for college degrees measures to the population decline in college-attending age. I actually think that both will be falling (if not already). So maybe we've reached peak college competitiveness?

[someguy 1508]

4 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

HA! I was actually looking up population pyramids yesterday thinking about the same thing. I guess it's just a matter of how the demand for college degrees measures to the population decline in college-attending age. I actually think that both will be falling (if not already). So maybe we've reached peak college competitiveness?

[Brisketexan 105082]

22 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I do - it ends with the middle/upper middle class opting for trade school/military/Community College + specialized vocational training, which is GOOD. Turning the 4 year university degree in liberal arts into the new high school diploma has been an unmitigated disaster for the American middle class and for the quality of education within those degrees.  

Oh, you know I'm a HUGE fan of CCs.  Great bang for the buck, and such an effective point of entry for middle class and below to a college degree.  Shit, the way AISD partners with ACC so kids can graduate high school with an Associate's Degree in hand is BRILLIANT.  I wish more kids took advantage of it.

7 minutes ago, someguy said:

I'm reading this thread with great interest - thank you to all who have taken the time to contribute.  My kids are in middle school, so this is coming up quick and I'm absorbing as much as I can.

One variable I am curious about, and would love to hear y'all's opinions on - what do you make of the upcoming demographic decline in the number of children (especially in the 2008-2014 years) and the overall decline in college enrollment post COVID?  I'm guessing demand at top notch schools will always be there, but it seems at some point the lack of numbers in the overall pipeline has to have some cascading effects.

I'll hang up and listen.

College is too expensive.

But we actually do need a good pipeline of kids going to college -- the lifetime earnings advantage remains plenty real.

That creates a conundrum.  Yeah, there will always be a logjam for admissions to the top schools.  But a lot of the other schools need to get comfortable with their niche of "providing a good enough and affordable 4- year degree to capable students."  Say what you will about the SFAs of the world, but having a degree from SFA is generally going to give you more opportunities than just sticking with a high school diploma.  Make sure it's affordable, and it's a winner.

And yes, we need more focus on trade and technical schools, but that's nothing new.

[royiv 9271]

8 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Technical schools are very expensive. They’re  fleecing those kids 

And most of them are for-profit.

[Bateshorn 9927]

17 minutes ago, someguy said:

I'm reading this thread with great interest - thank you to all who have taken the time to contribute.  My kids are in middle school, so this is coming up quick and I'm absorbing as much as I can.

One variable I am curious about, and would love to hear y'all's opinions on - what do you make of the upcoming demographic decline in the number of children (especially in the 2008-2014 years) and the overall decline in college enrollment post COVID?  I'm guessing demand at top notch schools will always be there, but it seems at some point the lack of numbers in the overall pipeline has to have some cascading effects.

I'll hang up and listen.

It will ease admission standards at just off of top schools (and really all schools below the top 15). From my college perspective:  Williams and Amherst will always be lottery schools, but it will make admissions at the MIddleburys, Colby, Bates, Hamilton level little ivies easier. Especially, as @Brisketexan noted, you have a boy.   Those schools will likely need to become more generous with their merit offers to coax kids into coming. 

Similar to what occurred in the  80s and 90s when the Gen X baby bust followed on the heels of the last big wave of Boomers. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Bateshorn

[freyguy 4265]

2 hours ago, orange dream said:

Both applied and were accepted to UT, my daughter got her first choice major (Natural Sciences) but liked the “feel” of the A&M campus more.  We had been on the UT campus countless times, for games, while she was growing up but when we were at UT and A&M on consecutive days for campus tours in 2017 there was a pretty stark difference in which seemed more welcoming.  I was in disbelief, but it was even apparent to me.  I started at UT in 1989 and honestly, A&M now feels a lot more like UT did in the late 80s / early 90s than UT does now in my opinion.  Whether that is a good thing or not is probably a matter of personal preference.

100%.  This was the exact vibe I got while visiting both campuses with my son last year, and it kind of freaked me out.  I was all ready to be on board with him being an aggie, and I was ok with that.

With UT having to limit enrollment due to population constraints, all those kids who wanted to be longhorns are switching over to a&m.  Thus diluting the "cult" perception.

From a hiring perspective, a&m cranks out alot of solid engineers.  They simply have more numbers.

Buddy of mine's son got CAPd at UT for CNS last year for CompSci.  Instead of going to UTSA or UTD for a year, he told them to f off and went to a&m.  

[Beau Vine 54208]

48 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I mean, it's possible for the Tulsa or OkState grad to do it......if they graduate top of class with honors and get into Warton or HBS for MBA.  But a BBA from a non T-20 isn't going to get you shit in elite finance. 

This is completely incorrect.  I can give you names.  

[Bozo_Casanova 26437]

19 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Look, I know these conversations always turn into liberal arts vs. technical degree shit flinging fests, but can we not.  

Dude that's not the intent.  I'm currently paying full fare plus expenses for a 4 year MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics in the UK. I'm all about Liberal Arts and I'm happy to pay for a liberal arts degree for my kids. But if Economics wasn't a component of it and if the brand prestige of the institution wasn't globally top tier, the choice of university or college would have been something much lower cost. 

[MissingInAction 25019]

Another thread making me glad I never married and/or reproduced.  Getting a vasectomy at 25 was the best decision of my life.

[gsoda3 3251]

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Jesus. Let them be kids for a second. 

working towards a plan and enjoying your childhood aren't mutually exclusive.  but you're right in that there is a line parents have to straddle between responsibly developing your child's talents and nurturing their emotional livelihood.

[cabowabo 4484]

Another thread making me glad I never married and/or reproduced.  Getting a vasectomy at 25 was the best decision of my life.

Whose gonna wipe your ass and change your diaper when you're an old man?

[royiv 9271]

5 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

9 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Another thread making me glad I never married and/or reproduced.  Getting a vasectomy at 25 was the best decision of my life.

Whose gonna wipe your ass and change your diaper when you're an old man?

Same person who will wipe your ass and change your diaper if you do have kids. It's not like your kids are going to be doing that.

[MissingInAction 25019]

7 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

11 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Another thread making me glad I never married and/or reproduced.  Getting a vasectomy at 25 was the best decision of my life.

Whose gonna wipe your ass and change your diaper when you're an old man?

Oh I'll eat a bullet when I get to that stage. Unless there's robots to do it. German sex robots 

[FunDip 33]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

I mean, it's possible for the Tulsa or OkState grad to do it......if they graduate top of class with honors and get into Warton or HBS for MBA.  But a BBA from a non T-20 isn't going to get you shit in elite finance. 

Oh for sure, 100% agree with you. The rare top of the class who has network already in Wall St. can potentially do it if he crushes the interviews and superdays, but I was calling out the dad of the Tulsa business school guy who said "lots of Tulsa University business school guys are getting into JP Morgan Chase and Blackrock and GS" when in reality it was one guy in the Marcus division of GS and actually zero at Blackrock according to the link provided.

I went to McCombs and there weren't a lot of those opportunities out of undergrad who did that from UT, was my point, much less a less reputable school.

[orange dream 1247]

41 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Look, I know these conversations always turn into liberal arts vs. technical degree shit flinging fests, but can we not.  

[FunDip 33]

12 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

working towards a plan and enjoying your childhood aren't mutually exclusive.  but you're right in that there is a line parents have to straddle between responsibly developing your child's talents and nurturing their emotional livelihood.

I think you are being smart and being proactive never hurt. It doesn't necessarily mean it will help in the long run as the child's personality and capabilities and intangibles will determine what happens, but if you are doing it right in a nurturing and responsible way (which it sounds like you are) it can't hurt.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

my 12 year old 7th grader wants to be an architectural engineer.  our goal is to get him in to cockrell for the dual degree program in arch E and architecture but man... 

similarly, our 5th grader wants to be a cardiologist.  

 

7 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

working towards a plan and enjoying your childhood aren't mutually exclusive.  but you're right in that there is a line parents have to straddle between responsibly developing your child's talents and nurturing their emotional livelihood.

Ah yes, responsibly developing a child's talents by mapping out that one will be on a dual degree track and become an architectural engineer when he is 12 and the other will be a cardiologist from the time they are in 5th grade.

My kid tests in the 98th percentile stuff in school, but I hope by the time he is in fifth grade he has an interest in being a professional go-kart driver or some other dumb idea... because he is a kid, not a machine.

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Another thread making me glad I never married and/or reproduced.  Getting a vasectomy at 25 was the best decision of my life.

Lol. Here you go: 

 

[JesusSweatDuck 17781]

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

 

do they not consider IB qualifications?  

 

 

 

Goldman and JPM were trying to build out their personal wealth management arms at that time.  There were lots of hires (and a couple years later lay-offs) associated with those branches.  I'm not offering that as an explanation for your anecdotes, just chiming in with what we were seeing.

 

 

my 12 year old 7th grader wants to be an architectural engineer.  our goal is to get him in to cockrell for the dual degree program in arch E and architecture but man... i dunno.  his grades are all high As (lowest grade last year was a 97, this year so far his lowest grade is a 90 in social studies....).  if he didn't get in to UT what would be the best options for arch E in texas or elsewhere?

 

similarly, our 5th grader wants to be a cardiologist.  he's smarter than our 7th grader but hasn't had to work at all.  100th percentile in all of his state tests.   does anyone know, would it make that big of a difference for him to go to baylor instead of UT for his undergrad?  

 

1 hour ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Jesus. Let them be kids for a second. 

 

1 hour ago, cabowabo said:

No shit.  At least wait until they grow some hair on their balls.

One thing I will call out that we screwed up with our oldest is planning starts in 8th with foreign language. If your kid is set on UT, make sure they're taking a foreign language in 8th that they can continue in Advanced/Honors and then AP. If they don't, they're out of the running of top 6% before they even enter highschool 

 

 

55 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

IF money is tight, you can get free, officially sanctioned SAT test prep at Khan Academy. 

This

[FunDip 33]

17 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Dude that's not the intent.  I'm currently paying full fare plus expenses for a 4 year MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics in the UK. I'm all about Liberal Arts and I'm happy to pay for a liberal arts degree for my kids. But if Economics wasn't a component of it and if the brand prestige of the institution wasn't globally top tier, the choice of university or college would have been something much lower cost. 

Bates is a prestigious name in Liberal Arts, @Bateshorn, so your experience is a valid one. But liberal arts at a 4 year, non-prestigious school, at full boat tuition, and without the inkling of a career plan or post-graduate plan, is probably not a great investment. Seems like a reasonable stance.

[tx 3 putt 76874]

17 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

20 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Another thread making me glad I never married and/or reproduced.  Getting a vasectomy at 25 was the best decision of my life.

Whose gonna wipe your ass and change your diaper when you're an old man?

[Bateshorn 9927]

40 minutes ago, FunDip said:

Bates is a prestigious name in Liberal Arts, @Bateshorn, so your experience is a valid one. But liberal arts at a 4 year, non-prestigious school, at full boat tuition, and without the inkling of a career plan or post-graduate plan, is probably not a great investment. Seems like a reasonable stance.

Other than dumb rich kids, it’s just rare to pay full freight at a lower tier liberal arts school. I think Lewis and Clark offered Boy #1 31-32k a year.  Which would have knocked the price almost in half. That’s not a screaming deal, but when you don’t have a good state option, and your kid isn’t engineer material, that number looks more reasonable. 

[CleverNickname 1308]

https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-truth-about-college-costs

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-truth-about-college-costs

So at UT undergrad, the listed price is what I paid. When I applied to grad school, Rice gave me a 50% "scholarship" that was just discounting the tuition by half. It was still going to be six figures to attend the program. I instead went out of state to a public school that was essentially free with the package they offered.

Now I work in a field that needed no grad degree and is largely unrelated to either degree. Rice would have been nice for the prestige factor, but free school was really the right move for me personally.

[Beau Vine 54208]

Just had a flashback...

This happened 10-15 years ago when I was still adjunct at UT:

Our advising director popped into my office one afternoon in San Marcos and said that they were hosting prospective Mitte Scholars (high school kids who were up for a full ride scholarship) that day and they had one who was trying to decide between TXST and UT and would I talk to him?

So he brought this kid up and I explained some of the things that were better/different about each school, and I even pulled out my recent UT teaching evals and showed him that numerous students had written things like "I'm graduating this semester, and you're the first professor here who has learned my name."  (I would get about 4 of those every semester, without fail.)  Told him that the biggest advantage of McCombs over McCoy was the Career Center.  I could tell I was confusing him more, so...

"OK, what's the primary reason you'd want to come here?"

"Well, the scholarship."

"And what's the primary reason you'd want to go to UT?"

"Going to UT has been my lifelong dream."  

"Then you need to go to UT."

"Huh?"

"If it has been a lifelong dream to go to UT, then you need to go to UT.  Look, I don't know anything about your family, but if I were your dad, I'd be tempted to kick your ass for even thinking about bailing on a lifelong dream just to save me some money.  More than anything else, parents want their kids to dream big and then chase their dreams.  You need to go to UT."  

He stood up, shook my hand and thanked me, and then thanked me about 8 more times before he left my office.  And he apparently went straight to his car and left campus, because about 20 minutes later, the advising guy popped in and asked where he was.  And that was the last time the advising office asked me to talk to a student.

I'd love to know what happened to him, as long as he didn't pledge SAE and flunk out after his freshman year.  

Edited September 27, 2023 by Beau Vine

[CleverNickname 1308]

Maybe I had the wrong takeaway from that article... but is roughly $100k plus some spending money a decent target to shoot for re college savings? Thats... not as bad as I have been afraid of. 

Since this thread is also about baring your soul, or at least the fruit of one's gonads... One daughter (13) who has a legit shot at top 6% at a notorious public hs crucible. If she doesn't get auto admit, she'll probably have great scores, APs, IB, etc. I will encourage her to go out of state, to avoid regressive abortion politics. Sorry, not sorry. Son is 11, smart and will study, but not the perfection seeker his sister is. So he won't make top 6%, but with his charm and manner will probably make more money and be naturally be hapoy wherever he lands. He'll probably end up and Tech or whatever.  I bet he'll enjoy a school with div1 athletics to watch and a weekend party scene.

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Just had a flashback...

This happened 10-15 years ago when I was still adjunct at UT:

Our advising director popped into my office one afternoon in San Marcos and said that they were hosting prospective Mitte Scholars (high school kids who were up for a full ride scholarship) that day and they had one who was trying to decide between TXST and UT and would I talk to him?

So he brought this kid up and I explained some of the things that were better/different about each school, and I even pulled out my recent UT teaching evals and showed him that numerous students had written things like "I'm graduating this semester, and you're the first professor here who has learned my name."  (I would get about 4 of those every semester, without fail.)  Told him that the biggest advantage of McCombs over McCoy was the Career Center.  I could tell I was confusing him more, so...

"OK, what's the primary reason you'd want to come here?"

"Well, the scholarship."

"And what's the primary reason you'd want to go to UT?"

"Going to UT has been my lifelong dream."  

"Then you need to go to UT."

"Huh?"

"If it has been a lifelong dream to go to UT, then you need to go to UT.  Look, I don't know anything about your family, but if I were your dad, I'd be tempted to kick your ass for even thinking about bailing on a lifelong dream just to save me some money.  More than anything else, parents want their kids to dream big and then chase their dreams.  You need to go to UT."  

He stood up, shook my hand and thanked me, and then thanked me about 8 more times before he left my office.  And he apparently went straight to his car and left campus, because about 20 minutes later, the advising guy popped in and asked where he was.  And that was the last time the advising office asked me to talk to a student.

I'd love to know what happened to him, as long as he didn't pledge SAE and flunk out after his freshman year.  

And that student's name? Albert Einstein.

[tx 3 putt 76874]

2 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

And that student's name? Albert Einstein.

Greg Abbott 

[Beau Vine 54208]

2 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

And that student's Surly username? Albert Einstein.  Animal Tobacco.

fify