The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

Yes, I think the stereotypes are extremely accurate if you look at the overall body of work from the student body.

UT's a big school. The stereotype's can apply, but diversity rules.

To some extent it's accurate but it's definitely not the main focus of the students on campus. We study very hard and and because of this most party just as hard to relieve stress from the weekday. From what I've experienced, the same kids you see at a tailgate or at a party are the same ones studying extremely hard to get an A in the class. UT is the best of both worlds

Yes

Not entirely. There are some hippies but for the most part campus is just a broad mix of personalities, cultures and tastes.

Yep, just like everybody else is and should be.

No, just because we had better grades in highschool or on the SAT doesnt mean we think more of ourselves then others.

Not for me

To an extent, yes. There is definitely some elitiscism around the art building (though the severity varies by department), many art students can seem a little off-beat but are very friendly and definitely approachable, and YES, I believe I can safely say it is one of the most underappreciated departments in all of UT. Art students are usually written off as merely eccentric and our work is rarely taken seriously by anyone outside the department. I know many people don't consider art to be a "real" job or a serious calling, but that's only because they don't know the level of work and thought that needs to go into each piece.

Granted we are a large school and there are plenty or parties to attend, it's not the only thing to do. The great thing about UT is that it's located in the heart of Texas, Austin!! Austin is known by many as the live music capitol of the world. So if you wanted to, you could go to a concert every week, or even every night. We also have over 900+ very active organizations who are always putting on events and forums. So if partying is your thing than it is available, but if it's not, then you definitely will not feel left out because there are so many other things to do. As far as class size, yes some of our introductory classes are large, that is the same for most universities. After those classes, however, the number of students in a class drops significantly. Many of your classes will have on average 30 people or less, once you get into those classes that deal with your major, as well as your maths, rhetorics, and foreign languages.

There is a lot more diversity in the types of people you meet while at UT. If you're into huge advocacy, there are others like you, but even if you're hugely conservative and never drink, there are people like that too.

Somewhat, in the beginning with the weed-out classes you are just a number, but after the second semester your classes get smaller and you get to know the people around you better. I came from a small town and was worried about the size, but it turned out that I loved it because there were so many interesting people to meet.

I think so.

yes.

They are just an exaggeration of the truth.

Somewhere, there is a large greek popluation but UT is also very academic and competitive.

sometimes

I believe this is an accurate description of a portion of the student body. However, I believe that most UT students are great at finding the balance between work and play.

UT definitely has a very active social scence, but according to studies, UT students are right around the average (in some cases below) with the alcohol and drug use compared to other schools. The reason we receive so much attention for "partying" could be because of the celebrations for athletic events considering all the success we've had lately. There are social groups at UT that definitely follow the "Old South" stereotype, but I'd say that this doesn't fit the vast majority of students.

I think they're pretty accurate to a certain extent.