Academics

For the most part, the teachers are awesome. Teachers keep my interest, even in the eight o’clock classes. Dr. Brandl in the business school is a great lecturer, so much so that he got a standing ovation the last day of class. Most of my classes are interesting, but there are some that make me feel like I’m back in high school again. The good ones open my eyes to new perspectives about the world around me.

Athletics

If you come to Texas and you don’t know about Texas football, then you came to the wrong school and should just turn around and go back to that cave you crawled out of. Texas football madness never ends in Austin. When the season ends, we start talking about next season. Football season is the most fun time of year, as you can feel the energy in the air on campus. Alums come in on buses, by car, by plane, and by limo. They have box seats, season tickets, and lifetime passes. They’ve been coming here for 30 to 50 years, they used to play here, and Darrell Royal was probably their coach. We have players who are third-generation Longhorn football players, like the legendary Koy family from Bellville. Texas football is awesome. Go to the games, yell loud, be with your friends and enjoy a magical experience. And when you are an alum and get season tickets, come back and support your school. Bring your kids back to experience what you experienced, and hope that they want to continue your tradition and become Longhorns, too.

Campus Dining

The Union is definitely the way to go. There are many different options. Tortilla Flats, and Chick-fil-A are favorites. I have tried Bene Pizza, and while it looks like it is really good, I didn’t particularly like it. Texadelphia in the Union Underground or just on the Drag is also always a great choice—you can’t really go wrong there. There is a Wendy’s in the Union and Burger King in the business school. However, a lot of them are only open a few hours every day, so if you like to eat at odd hours, watch out. That applies to dining halls, too: be sure to watch their hours of operation if you don’t want to go hungry or have to go out to eat. The good thing about Dining Dollars and Bevo Bucks is that if your dining hall is closed, you can use your money somewhere else without actually having to use cash.

Campus Housing

Always leave your door open at the beginning of freshman year so that you can meet everyone on your floor. Believe me, people will come in if your door is open. Talk to everyone you can, and don’t just wait for people to talk to you. Freshman year is the time to meet people and the dorm is the optimal place to do that, so meet everyone that you can. Try to be friends with lots of people, on your floor and have big floor parties because those are always fun. We would always take over the TV room on our floor and play drinking games together, and it was great. There was also Dance Party 1726.

Campus Strictness

Tons of people do things on campus, yet not many get caught. Be careful on 6th street, though, and be careful at parties because cops will arrest underage drinkers. If you are arrested on 6th street, you automatically spend a night in jail; no questions asked.

Computers

Bring your own laptop. I guess it's not the end of the world if you can't get one, but so much correspondence relies on the professors' daily communication with the class that I would be very bothered to have to find access to a computer so frequently. The Wi-Fi is really fast, just really expensive as well. It is well worth it though, with all the studying that you will hopefully be doing.

Diversity

The push for diversity seems to be creating a more segregated campus. The recruitment of minorities is unnecessary and counterproductive. They force difference in race down our throats, while trying to convince us that we’re one big happy family.

Drug Scene

It totally depends on who you are around. You will probably know people who sell and use drugs from your dorm or apartment building, and you may or may not be friends with them depending on your preferences. But, even if you are around drugs, people at UT are not into peer pressure—this isn’t high school. You could go through your entire college career without ever seeing anyone using drugs depending on who you hang out with and where you spend your time.

Facilities

One of the greatest resources is the Undergraduate Writing Center in the UGL. If you take a paper to them, they will check it for grammatical mistakes and meet with you on ways to improve your writing, which is always helpful. It also helps you not to procrastinate on papers. The Health Center is scary at best. Never go to a gynecologist at the Health Center, they will tell you that you are pregnant no matter what. Any doctor in the Health Center’s first question is always, ‘Are you pregnant?’ No matter your response, you are guilty until proven innocent. I’m sure they ask the boys if they are pregnant, as well! Nothing is more frustrating than going into the Health Center with a sinus infection and having them treat you like a harlot. You leave with a guilty conscience and condoms, even if you are a virgin.

Greek Life

I completely recommend joining a fraternity or sorority. It is a great experience that gives you many opportunities to meet people on campus, get involved in service projects, have somewhere to belong, and always have something social going on. Greek organizations require their members to keep a certain GPA or to participate in study hours, so it can be good for your academics, as well. Being in a sorority is something I would never change, and if I were a guy, I would have joined a fraternity without question because your social life increases exponentially.

Guys & Girls

The girls are the hottest in Texas. All my friends that attend other universities and come to visit me simply gawk whenever they are on campus. It doesn’t get any better. Your odds aren’t too bad, either, with approximately 25,000 college-aged women within walking distance. You can’t strike out every time.

Local Atmosphere

Austin is an amazing and liberal city. I grew up in Denver, Colorado, a very liberal environment in itself, but never before did I imagine a place where any type of person can fit in. Although the city itself is growing rapidly, I still feel it maintains its small-town feel. There is nothing that I would stay away from, and I advise visiting as many local and unique places as possible.

Nightlife

UT hosts festivals on campus—one year they paid for Ludacris to give a free concert at the Tower. The tailgates before football games are right across the street from campus on MLK, and they can get rowdy! Sixth Street is more for the younger college crowd; 4th and 5th have a few gay bars/clubs and good bars for the 23+ crowd. The Ginger Man, and Fado’s Irish Pub have great beers. Hang out on the deck over the lake at Hula Hut and share a Hulala fishbowl punch; or take Pat Green’s advice to hit up El Arroyo, literally over a ditch, and drink great margaritas. These places are great for after class or work, with great laid-back, outdoor atmospheres.

Off-Campus Dining

Magnolia Café is my favorite. It’s 24/7, and the first time I went there was at 2 a.m. They were rockin’ out to the Fugees and Tupac. If your waiter or cook does not have tattoos or colored hair, something is wrong—but don’t be afraid, they’re all great! If you like exotic meats, or just plain good food, sucker your parents into taking you to Hudson’s on the Bend off 620 in the hills. They serve things like Rattlesnake Cakes, Ostrich, Lobster-stuffed Venison, and much more wild game. Texas Land & Cattle Co. has great steak for a more moderate budget. For Willie Nelson’s favorite Tex-Mex, head out to Rosie’s Taqueria on 71, just past 620.

Off-Campus Housing

It's really easy to find an apartment close to campus, but that comes with an expensive price. With the good bus system, I would be a couple blocks farther away and save thousands. Everyone should at least check out some apartments after their first semester to see if its right for them.

Overall Experience

I have wanted to be here since I can remember and never considered anywhere else. The faculty is good, but the staff and advising departments leave much to be desired, as they are often unorganized. The advisors seem to often be uninformed or not interested in going the least bit out of their way. I am sure there are many exceptions to this, but I have found very few.

Parking

Look for no parking signs, and check the signs for what kind of permit you need to have to park in any given space. You will get a ticket if you are lucky, you might get the boot or towed if you are not. Towing isn’t as likely on campus, but around campus you are guaranteed to get towed at least once in your tenure at UT. I’ve gotten towed three times and taken friends to pick up their cars numerous times, the most recent time being just this week. Parking everywhere sucks, and I wish you luck.

Safety & Security

Security on campus is very impressive with phone booths lit up all over campus. Police constantly patrol here, and I feel surprisingly safe for having grown up in a small town and moving to the city.

Transportation

I still haven't figured out the bus system here honestly, but those who use it often say that it's not too bad. This city really depends on buses, so if you put enough time into figuring out where you need to go, then you will get there without a problem.

Weather

Texas is hot. Austin isn’t as hot as Houston, but I wouldn’t bring long underwear unless you’re going skiing for spring break. It’s never a bad idea to have a sweatshirt in your bag even in the heat because the classrooms can be freezing. Find several pairs of comfortable jeans, you can wear them for at least a week without washing them.