The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

Because I do not have a vehicle on campus, I wish I would have known how much of a pain it is to take the city buses from campus to other parts of Austin. I am not a fan of the increase in travel time that results from traveling via public transportation, and the unnannounced breaks taken by the drivers further delays travel time. The buses within campus are pretty efficient, however, traveling away from campus can be quite the challenge without a vehicle.

There are very large classes, and it is very hard to register for the classes/professors you want because of the large student body population.

You have to be willing to put yourself out there to meet people. Everyone is in the same boat: a new school and a new life experience. I wish I hadn't been so shy and had taken advantage of the different social events around campus.

I wish I would have known that its important to choose the right major before you come. I wasn't sure If I definitely wanted to be a Nurse, so I decied to choose a major of Human Growth and Development in the School of Human Ecology. I have now decided for sure that I want to be a Nurse. It is extremely hard to get into the School of Nursing, half of the students who apply get accepted into the school. I wish I would have known how hard it is to transfer into the school of Nursing.

I wish that I had known how different high school is from college. You don't know it until you actually experience it. Freedom and diversity are the largest points. In college, you are in a completely different environment and may be lost at times. But remember, there is always someone to help as long as you ask. Swallow your pride and ask for help. In high school, it may have been seen as being "stupid" for going in for tutoring, but in college, all the people who want to succeed go in for office hours and tutoring.

I wish I had known before I came to UT Austin that my professors are approachable, normal people! Introducing myself to them and talking to them during office hours, or even just after class, is a major way to get more out of class, especially in the larger ones where it's easy to feel like just a number. UT Austin is huge, but making these connections can make the school seem smaller than it is.

I wish I had know how much free time you really have in college. There is much free time but I have to take advantage of it and not stay behind in reading and school work.

There is nothing in particular that I wish I would have known prior to my enrollment at the University of Texas at Austin. However, one always wonders what the experience will be like, and so far I still have many unanswered questions.

I wish I had known to try harder to make friends.

I wish I had known how big the classes were! In some undergrad classes, there are up to 300 students. I had a lot of difficulty taking anything away from the courses this size. One professor and two TA's per 300 students just does not always work out. In my experience, they had difficulty finding enough hours in the day to set up appointments during office hours for homework help or other course discussions