Texas Tech or Texas State? (Houston, Dallas: home, transfer to, schools)

[ca1697]

Hello! I'm having to choose between these two universities and I'm pretty stuck. They both sound great but I've heard that living in Lubbock is horrible and that San Marcos is more fun. But I've heard better things about Tech. Could anyone offer insight/advice?

Thanks!

[texasdiver]

What do you want to study?

[Mark Senior]

Tech, more "prestigious" degree, in general. Party hardy at Texas State.

[losttechnician]

Living in Lubbock is horrible, if you come from a big city and are looking for a smorgasbord of things to entertain you.

If you are there for an education, and are able to keep focused on school, work, and the other important things in life then you will find Lubbock to be a plenty fine place to spend a short period of your life.

It is all attitude.

I loved Lubbock when I moved there to go to Tech in 1983, and even though I live north a ways now, I still love the city and frequently return to visit the roots I managed to put down there over the years.

[Trainwreck20]

It used to be that TT was, hands-down, the better school; however, over the past 10-15 years, TxS has made huge improvements. Whereas there used to be just a few degrees that were high-quality from TxS, there are now quite a few more. Both schools (and like most big schools) have a big party scene. TT will be windier/colder, ofc, but it does come down to what you want to study.

[TheOverdog]

Living in Lubbock is horrible, if you come from a big city and are looking for a smorgasbord of things to entertain you.

I don't think you can straight up say this, as Tech has enough students and alumni from Dallas and Houston that they schedule sporting events to directly support those crowds. I think it depends on what you want to study and what you want to do in your spare time.

The OP should give some examples and we can tell which is the better fit. For example, if a river scene is important for your free time, then you aren't going to find that in Lubbock.

[FTWRunner]

Lubbock is unique for sure. It is also not the town it was 20 years ago; no longer a dry county, lots more shopping, huge walkable student living scene right across campus. TTU does have more of a national presence and if having a high profile football team is important you then TTU has that. The campus is very nice and they have been working very hard to keep improving it. (The rec center has a lazy river now!! Wish we had had that.) You really need to visit and see Lubbock for yourself.

San Marcos is a sweet town and Texas State is improving every year. It is also much more central and going home will probably be easier if you are inclined to want to go back often.

Honestly college is a short part of your life, yes where you live and finding a school that fits you is important, but most people don't end up living where they go to college. Research the programs you are interested in, visit the schools to learn the schools' personalities and importantly examine the cost (school and living) difference.

Coming out with a degree that isn't respected or costs too much compared to the salary isn't worth it. College should help launch you, not hinder you. Keep in mind the joy of transferring. Now-a-days, as long as you don't take a bunch of random classes, it's not hard to start at one school and end up somewhere else.

[txstate]

Its all about what your studying for, what type of campus life your looking for and do wanna be close to a metro area (Austin-SA)

[Salgal1113]

I have a son who is a sophomore at TTU; while he likes Lubbock ok, he misses the greenery of Central Texas. He generally likes the people in Lubbock, and there are some awesome restaurants there, along with a pretty lively Texas music scene. Other than the weather, he likes the city, and is very pleased with the school. He is studying a degree program that is not offered in many places, however, so his choices were limited to Tulsa, OU, U of H, or TTU.

[Parenting101]

TT ranks better than TS and it has a med school on campus so better opportunities for research for ones who are aiming for healthcare professions.

However, TT doesn't have good academic rankings either and has a known drug/alcohol problem. Lubbock is not very exciting, atleast San Marcos is nicer.

I would say go with one that's cheaper or is better for your major, stay if you like it otherwise maintain good GPA and transfer to one of the schools of your liking or higher ranking.

I know alumni of both schools who rose above the norm and are very successful so mainly it's about what you do in college is as important as the standard of the college that you attend.

Work hard, find mentors, make friends, volunteer, learn, teach, intern, do whatever you can to make the most of it.