The University of Texas

What's it like to be a student at the University of Texas at Austin? As the 5th largest university in the nation, the University of Texas provides students a world-class education, enriching opportunities, lifelong friends and professional contacts, and great fun — all at the same time.

Rankings

In 2004, The Times of London Higher Education Supplement ranked the University of Texas at Austin the 15th best university in the world and 9th in the US.

The University of Texas regularly ranks high in a number of categories in a number of different polls.

• #9 Most Students Pack The Stadiums (Princeton Review 2009)
• #13 Most Politically Active Students (Princeton Review 2009)
• #15 Best College Newspaper (Princeton Review 2009)
• #15 Best Athletic Facilities (Princeton Review 2009)
• #16 Best College Library (Princeton Review 2009)
• #9 Best Undergraduate Engineering Program (2008 US News & World Report^*)
• #11 Best Undergraduate ME Program (2008 US News & World Report^*)

In addition, the Princeton Review also named the university as one of the Best Western Colleges.

Over 900 Student Organizations

What is there to do at the university, other than get a great education?

Students will find other like-minded friends here. The university has more than 900 student organizations. The biggest problem is making a choice, as there are so many opportunities available.

Sports

If you like to watch or play sports, you are in for a treat. The Texas Longhorns Football team, started in 1893, is the third most victorious college football program. They have been National Champions four times, and won countless conference championships and bowls. It's no wonder that they recently had to expand the stadium, making it the fifth largest in the NCAA.

Longhorn Football isn't the only great team at UT. The men's basketball team ranks 17th in total victories, and 26th in all-time wins. The women's basketball team has been in the top ten of the Big 12 Conference since 1996. Altogether, UT is home to over a dozen collegiate teams.

Intramural Sports

And if you want to just play, RecSports sponsors a number of intramural sports. The university's intramural sports program, established in 1916, is one of the oldest in the nation. There are 14 sports to choose from, with flag football being the most popular. In the 2008-2009 school year, there are approximately 400 flag football teams registered. Of those teams, at least 16 of the captains are mechanical engineering students.

Athletics/Staying Fit (campus facilities)

Students who want to stay in shape have an excellent resource available to them. The Gregory Gymnasium is free to students and has a number of features for the fitness-minded individual. The gym contains seven basketball courts, nine volleyball courts, a 1/7^th mile indoor jogging track, ten handball/racquetball/wallyball courts, two international-size squash courts, a weight training room, a climbing wall, multi-purpose rooms, badminton, table tennis, steam and sauna rooms, and a huge aquatic complex. The aquatic complex has two indoor pools, three outdoor pools, and a heated spa. In addition, the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center is available to students when there are no special events scheduled. Anna Hiss Gymnasium offers an archery range, exercise rooms, half court basketball courts and a dance studio. Another gymnasium located in the stadium, called Bellmont Hall provides a martial-arts room, sports courts, exercise and a weight conditioning equipment and steam rooms. You'll also find basketball courts at Clark Field, tennis courts at Penick-Allison Tennis Center, outdoor soccer and an indoor gymnasium at Pickle Research Center, a jogging track at Clark Field and turf playing fields at both Clark Field and Whitaker Fields.

The Arts

If you're interested in more artistic entertainment, the university certainly has plenty to provide in that area as well. The UT Performing Arts Center is responsible for most of the theatre, dance, and music that goes on at the University. The Bass Concert Hall regularly hosts Broadway shows and big-name concerts with student discounts. Besides touring shows, the university puts on plays, dance performances, and concerts through the Theatre and Dance department and the Butler School of Music.

The school also has a number of museums featuring fine art and items of historical interest. For example, the Harry Ransom Center is the home to one of only five complete Gutenberg Bibles in the country. The Blanton Museum of Art is the university's fine art museum and is the largest university art museum in the United States (The University of Texas at Austin Visitor's Guide, 2008, p.21). It houses approximately 17,000 works, primarily from Europe, the United States, and Latin America.

Other Activities

There are countless other activities available at the University of Texas. The Student Events Center (SEC), for example, hosts concerts, lectures, plays, dances and a regular free movie. The SEC has its offices in the Texas Union, which is also home to a Food Court, the Cactus Cafe, Informal Classes, and the Union Underground, which has bowling and pool.

Academics

Let's not forget our reason for choosing the University of Texas at Austin. The university is a top-notch school. It is known as one of this nation's "Public Ivies," according to The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Universities by Howard and Mathew Greene of Greenes' Guides. It's no wonder that the university is one of Texas' flagship universities. According to the National Research Council, seven of the university's doctoral programs rank in the top ten in the nation. The university has even had nine Nobel laureates associated with it.^*

Conclusion

All in all, the University of Texas at Austin is an excellent school. The students and faculty are superior. The facilities and activities are sure to provide for all student needs. A student would be hard-pressed to find a better educational experience anywhere in the world. In-state residents might have to spend two or three times as much money to get a comparable education elsewhere.

Not only is The University of Texas at Austin an excellent academic choice, it's an excellent financial choice. Even students who have been promised extremely good scholarships to other engineering programs, should know that the university's stellar academic reputation may open career opportunities at graduation that would not be available at a lesser academic institution.