Hardest Texas colleges to get into (Houston, Rice: public school, community college, salary)

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by EDS_

I tend to agree with you.

But it still seems odd that I was able to get in with roughly a 3.5 gpa and very good test scores. While my son with a essentially perfect bonafides didn't get so much as an on campus interview. It really doesn't matter as he would have passed anyway but I find it curious.

________________________

I know nothing much about Amherst but so far as your boy and Brown.......Brown has a rep. for confounding admissions decisions.

When you have 50,000+ applications, a good portion of whom are academically prepared, and only 2000 spots, it starts getting really arbitrary. Handpicked crowds of 18-year-olds who can basically choose between either being on the forefront of their field or working like a dog in investment banking and retiring wealthy at 40. Like “which Native American girl who started a non-profit for veterans and has a 1400+ SAT” and “whose alumni father has the better legacy/endowment (and has a 1400+ SAT)” kind of arbitrary.

For the real world, as long as the school doesn’t accept everyone and/or has NCAA Division I athletics, it’s “elite” material. It’s really just about whether the resume reader has heard of your school.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Well, it’s a relief that we are done and over with. It’s still nice to see Texas climbing up the elite education ladder.

It's is. My daughter has on more big hurdle in a few years with match day that's about it.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

When you have 50,000+ applications, a good portion of whom are academically prepared, and only 2000 spots, it starts getting really arbitrary. Handpicked crowds of 18-year-olds who can basically choose between either being on the forefront of their field or working like a dog in investment banking and retiring wealthy at 40. Like “which Native American girl who started a non-profit for veterans and has a 1400+ SAT” and “whose alumni father has the better legacy/endowment (and has a 1400+ SAT)” kind of arbitrary.

For the real world, as long as the school doesn’t accept everyone and/or has NCAA Division I athletics, it’s “elite” material. It’s really just about whether the resume reader has heard of your school.

IMO that's a little cynical. Although there is for sure a "randomness" to the whole thing that's tough to figure out.

It's cool now. Rice simply made an error. Or at least we look at that way. He's gone on to do things academically that very few Rice grads would have a shot at from a capability and desire perspective. So it's all good. But man he was upset then.

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by asknow123

Rice is a good school... but UT is clearly the better school in most disciplines.


Now let the debate begin...

No debate. Rice is the most nationally elite university. UT does have a better football team though.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by thenewtexan

No debate. Rice is the most nationally elite university. UT does have a better football team though.

But why? A&M has more top 10 programs than Rice. UT has more top 10 programs than A&M.

No doubt, university wide, Rice undergrad is harder to get into than either A&M or UT but at the end of the day why is that so important?

[UnfairPark]

UT has Professor Matthew “Sexiest Man Alive” McConaughey and his Oscar. All right, all right, all right.

[bmlx]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

For the real world, as long as the school doesn’t accept everyone and/or has NCAA Division I athletics, it’s “elite” material. It’s really just about whether the resume reader has heard of your school.

The Ivy League is Division I, and so is Stanford (FYI, Rice is Division I as well). So there are elite, highly-selective schools with Division I athletics.

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by bmlx

The Ivy League is Division I, and so is Stanford (FYI, Rice is Division I as well). So there are elite, highly-selective schools with Division I athletics.

yeah, but none of the Ivies offer athletic scholarships...

[bmlx]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

yeah, but none of the Ivies offer athletic scholarships...

It seems that they still weigh (or have weighed in the past) athletic ability quite heavily in their admissions practices, though:

https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...udents/573688/

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by bmlx

It seems that they still weigh (or have weighed in the past) athletic ability quite heavily in their admissions practices, though:

https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...udents/573688/

Athletic ability gets more weight than academic ability, and all colleges make graduation easier for athletes and give them generous financial aid to make up for athletic scholarships. It’s unjust but understandable, good athletes excite alumni donor base, academic super stars can perform no such magic.

To be fair it’s not easy to lure star athletes from big flagships as they often offer full ride athletic scholarships, huge fan base, strong teams, celebrity status, resources, more exposure and a whole lot extras.