The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

yes

The student body is more liberal than many of the other universities in the state. Not all of us are tree-hugging, peace monger hippies who beat you over the head with the Bible of Liberalism (though I may be one of those students). The University is large enough you can find any group of people with whatever political (or non-political) mind-set you want. Austin does make the University more though, seeing as it is the ?liberal Mecca? for those Texans who bleed blue. As for the parties, they are pretty prolific. Most Thursday though Saturday nights are filled with parties or going down to 6th street (6th street was a common scene for the Real World Austin cast). If parties aren?t really your thing though, there are some other things to do (though most do give in to the party life in the end). You will eventually get accustomed to the late nights, early mornings, and devastating lack of sleep. Alcohol and pot (sorry mom) are readily available if you want them, but there is no peer-pressure so don?t worry about it if you?re one of those who swears off alcohol and drugs (my room-mate is and I?m always respectful and there haven?t been any problems in 2 years).

Sometimes these are accurate stereotypes, but the university has a great deal of diversity so it is inaccurate to make such broad generalizations.

yes and no. lots of parties. lots of liberals but also a lot of conservative sorority and fraternity types. everyone is generally pretty excited about our school and our teams.

To a certain extent yes, but there are LOTs of hardcore overachievers and lots of average students who don't get ritually trashed every Thursday through Sunday. Lots of students do research. Premeds congregate and obsess over MCAT scores. I'd say less than half are really party crazy.

these do not apply to everyone, so no.

Yes and no. There are so many different types of students here, that there's no way you can say that about all of the students. About a lot of the students in Greek life these stereotypes are the most accurate.

I wouldn't even say that the above is a stereotype as much as it is entirely true. However, a better stereotype I should say is that "everyone is from Houston or Dallas..everyone!" This is mostly accurate considering most everyone at this state university is from this state and the most heavily populated areas are houston and dallas. Plus, people usually say they are from a city even if they are not from the actual city of dallas or houston. Due to the the urban sprawl factor of these cities, most people are from a small down outside of the physical houston or dallas city lines and they just say they are from houston or dallas because it is easier since their city name is not well known.

for the most part

Most people know us as having A LOT of fun but when it is time to study, we really crack down. Even the biggest partiers are still getting straight A's or close to it in their classes. It is also a much smaller community than you would think, especially if you go greek. I have my best friends, a huge group of good friends, an even bigger number of acquaintances, and then there are still another couple thousand people that I look forward to meeting every day.

yes

Not across the board, but to some extent they are; I mean you're an education major and "I'm better than you"

Liberal is not true (especially if you are involved in the greek system). Never studying is not true. It is the #1 party school.

Yes, we're smart but we know how to have fun too. My freshman year has been all about finding the balance, like coming in at eleven the night before a test, and then going out til five the next night to drown my sorrows or to celebrate. And yes, there are some gay people here, big deal. Get to know them, they're hilarious.

I would be the first to admit that the social scene at this school is amazing. There is ALWAYS something to do, not only because of the students, but because Austin is such a fun city to live in. I would also be the first to speak out against the fact that partying is the only thing UT has going for it. The academics are challenging, the university brings influential speakers constantly to hold seminars for students, and I would say we have some of the best and brightest faculty members in the country. As far as the people who insulted me for not leaving the state, I feel like they could not be more wrong. I am meeting a diverse group of people from all over the nationa (and the world) and I have never once questioned the quality of my education. This school is HUGE, but every teacher and faculty member I have encountered truly cares about my well-being and my success.

Although Texas students definitely know how to party, the academic aspect of the school weighs just as heavily on college life here. Granted I probably will value my social experience at Texas more down the road, I could not ask for a better educational foundation I am getting in the Business Honors Program. Also, there are plenty of students who don't drink at Texas. I have many friends involved in the Young Life program here who don't drink. Kids who don't like to party can still receive a valuable social experience in the wonderfully eclectic and exciting city of Austin. As for the conservative issue, I cannot think of a more inaccurate stereotype. Austin is probably the most liberal city I have ever experienced. I have lived here for almost three years and it continues to be an adventure everyday. Between the drag protests every other week and the crazy unicylcer in his underwear gracing the Austin streets, the city seems pretty liberal to me. Although there are huge numbers of Bush supporters at UT, the school and city are not conservative on the whole. Lastly, people consider Texas students snobs. But hey, we can't help it that our school is debatably the most well-rounded school in the nation in terms of academics, social life, and athletics. Call me biased if you like....