University of Houston Downtown Campus Developments

[TexasVines]

UH admissions requirements.....they are a pretty low IMO....actually if you are in the top 10% of your HS class you are admitted to any Texas public university of your choice....but not necessarily to the particular program of your choice at any of those schools

http://www.uh.edu/admissions/undergraduate...ns-criteria.php

[Trae]

UH admissions requirements.....they are a pretty low IMO....actually if you are in the top 10% of your HS class you are admitted to any Texas public university of your choice....but not necessarily to the particular program of your choice at any of those schools

http://www.uh.edu/admissions/undergraduate...ns-criteria.php

Yeah, they are pretty easy. I have four of Math, three in Science, four in Social Studies, four in English, and two in a foreign language. I'm not in the top 10%, but borderline top 25%.

[TexasVines]

Yeah, they are pretty easy. I have four of Math, three in Science, four in Social Studies, four in English, and two in a foreign language. I'm not in the top 10%, but borderline top 25%.

if you get up to the 20% of your class mark you are in....please tell me you go to a tough school and or you spend a lot of time chasing A LOT of girls.....because if not...

[Trae]

Katy High School is where I'm at, but the real reason is the latter. I think I'll get in since my GPA is above a 2.5 and I'm in the top 25%. My bad freshman year and first half of sophomore year is hurting my me now.

Edited December 11, 2008 by Trae

[TexasVines]

Katy High School is where I'm at, but the real reason is the latter. I think I'll get in since my GPA is above a 2.5 and I'm in the top 25%. My bad freshman year and first half of sophomore year is hurting my me now.

well those are memories that you can always have and times that you can't live when you are older

are you set on UH.....what major are you looking at....I am familiar with a lot of the schools in Texas

[Trae]

I was looking at majoring in Economics with a minor in Business Management.

[TexasVines]

I was looking at majoring in Economics with a minor in Business Management.

nothing wrong with that IMO, but the business minor might be an issue because of the harder admissions to Bauer College at UH

any second choices for a school?

[Trae]

Other choices were UT-SA, UTA, and Texas Tech. I wanted to go to Georgia, but with this economy, out-of-state is too expensive.

And if I don't get accepted into any of these places, I'm going to roll up into TSU for a year.

[strickn]

As far as meaningful or meaningless names go - frankly - unless it is accredited to grant doctoral degrees, this college shouldn't in the first place be diluting the term university.

You make good points, Vines.... But i still think UHD benefits from the confusion/association in getting students there and UHD students benefit from that University System tie-in on their resumes.

I also think any University name change hurts that school's image. History, Longevity are two attributes that contribute to a school's gravitas, image, and perception by prospective students.

Maybe I'm wrong and others disagree.. but take Southwest Texas.. that's their name for 30+ years, then one day they change to a generic name Texas State... am i the only one that instantly thinks that was a bush league move to make.

I think where we differ in opinion is the perceived value of attending this University. You think it's ready to stand on its own, I do not.

I don't know much about UHD programs, standings, rankings. But I imagine thats true of most people looking at resumes too. I do think it helps to have a school on your resume that is take seriously by potential employers.

Having a tie-in to the 4th largest University System in the State helps. Having a new University name that has never existed before this point in time hurts.

[musicman]

20 yrs ago, i considered them another hcc.

[TexasVines]

Other choices were UT-SA, UTA, and Texas Tech. I wanted to go to Georgia, but with this economy, out-of-state is too expensive.

And if I don't get accepted into any of these places, I'm going to roll up into TSU for a year.

you would be better off going to community college for a year VS TSU....cheaper and a better school....but you want to be careful because I would recommend taking the harder courses at community college so that you can take easier courses at UH and keep your grades up.....but at the same time you will need a certain GPA to transfer to UH which means you will have to do well in the harder courses at community college or at TSU....Tech will be much harder to get into than UH and so will Georgia.....UTA will be close and UTSA probably close as well.....they just raised their admissions requirements

20 yrs ago, i considered them another hcc.

so did everyone else....20 years is a long time ago....especially for UH

[musicman]

so did everyone else....20 years is a long time ago....especially for UH

UHD has definitely made attempts to improve, however they aren't at the same level as the main campus.

[TexasVines]

UHD has definitely made attempts to improve, however they aren't at the same level as the main campus.

ha ha ha....opps I thought you were talking about the main campus....but UHD has improved as well

[LTAWACS]

....because at the end of the day they are two separate schools with vastly different goals and requirements

You keep saying this but one can still graduate with a BBA from either and do just as well. As Lead Analyst/Project Manager for several companies and as I've mentioned before, I've interviewed candidates from most local schools including UHD, Rice, TSU, TT, UT, and others. The guys from the smaller schools like UHD usually got the job.

[LTAWACS]

No, UH doesn't have open enrollment. UHD does. It's confusing, isn't it?

Uh... no. Not really. No.

It's not anymore confusing than telling my right foot from my left foot.

[sarahiki]

Uh... no. Not really. No.

It's not anymore confusing than telling my right foot from my left foot.

No need to be obnoxious. I was just answering his question.

[N Judah]

You overestimate the worldliness of a college freshman at an open enrollment school.

No, the students aren't the ones getting confused by the name change, remember? It's the supposed employers who apparently can't tell the difference between UH and UH-D, or "City College" and "Community College." It's true that it might be a lot to expect from people around here, but people in many other places do not have problems distinguishing "City College" from "Community College."

"Houston Metropolitan University" is not bad but people will have to avoid shortening the word "Metropolitan" lest others think they are going to college to learn how to drive a bus.

And UH won't have a name worthy of distinguishment until it starts tightening admissions standards and distancing itself from lower-echelon institutions. Open enrollment at UH has a bleak future, btw.

It's not easy to just "tighten admissions standards." You have to have significantly more people wanting to go to a school than there are available spots. That will not happen for a while.

At the undergrad level the best thing a public school like U of H can do is focus on the really motivated students (ie Honors College) and make sure they are able to get the internships, letters of rec, or whatever to accomplish whatever it is they want. This can be done irrespective of general university enrollment standards.

nothing wrong with that IMO, but the business minor might be an issue because of the harder admissions to Bauer College at UH

Actually the business minor is separate from Bauer admissions. Anyone can do it as long as they have a 2.75 overall GPA or something like that.

I'm not sure I agree. UH reminds me of the French universities (as far as I understand them): anyone can get in. But it's really tough to make it, once you're there. I like the idea of giving lots of students the chance to succeed, especially in a city like Houston with so many immigrants and children of immigrants. But once you get in, you have to be a fairly serious student to make it. So there's a high attrition rate. I don't know what all that does for the reputation of the school, but it should mean that someone with a degree from UH worked pretty hard to earn it, and therefore the degree means something.

I agree. Prestige is great if that's your reason for going to school, and there are schools for that, but I don't think perception of exclusivity is really what U of H is all about.

Edited December 11, 2008 by N Judah

[TheNiche]

No, the students aren't the ones getting confused by the name change, remember? It's the supposed employers who apparently can't tell the difference between UH and UH-D, or "City College" and "Community College." It's true that it might be a lot to expect from people around here, but people in many other places do not have problems distinguishing "City College" from "Community College."

Read through this thread. There are a lot of people that have applied to the wrong school (I almost did that, when I moved to Houston from out of town and didn't know the difference between UH and UHD). It is a problem for both students and for employers; and when employers are confused it is going to tend to hurt the graduates from the better school (like me) and help the ones from the lesser school.

It's not easy to just "tighten admissions standards." You have to have significantly more people wanting to go to a school than there are available spots. That will not happen for a while.

At the undergrad level the best thing a public school like U of H can do is focus on the really motivated students (ie Honors College) and make sure they are able to get the internships, letters of rec, or whatever to accomplish whatever it is they want. This can be done irrespective of general university enrollment standards.

...and you aren't going to have very many more people wanting to go to a school until the school becomes perceived as more exclusive. Focusing on the really motivated students doesn't garner a great deal of recognition among really motivated potential students whose first choice is currently UT-A, A&M, or a better out-of-state university.

Prestige is great if that's your reason for going to school, and there are schools for that, but I don't think perception of exclusivity is really what U of H is all about.

When I first enrolled there, UH was open enrollment and it was my first choice because I wasn't even in the top 50% ranking for a crappy high school (I just didn't give a ____ most of the time) and was also missing a semester of foreign language that would've been necessary to get into UT or A&M. At first I was a psych student because that was in a college that would take me. After a year, my grades were good enough that I easily transferred into C.T. Bauer.

Historically, what you're saying is true; UH has not been about the perception of exclusivity. However I want that to change so that the earning power and social status associated with my UH degrees go up. Let the ESL students, poor children of immigrants, and knuckleheads like I was go to HMU or HCC for a couple of years. If they're good enough, UH can then take them as transfer students. I see nothing wrong with that. And by filtering out more of the riff raff from the student population, more people will prefer UH as their first choice. I guarantee that application levels would increase.

[totheskies]

UofH still has the second ranked Creative Writing program in the nation (graduate), one of the best music schools in the state of Texas, and a celebrated program for public policy. With 35,000 students, there's bound to be some dead weight, but UofH is a very distinguished institution.

I'm sure some of you are aware that UHD/HMU will now be the largest Houston-area school for open enrollment. Texas Southern changed its policies last year, so HMU is going to serve an increasingly important role for our area. What better way to show that than with a name all its own.

Edited December 11, 2008 by totheskies

[LTAWACS]

UofH still has the second ranked Creative Writing program in the nation (graduate), one of the best music schools in the state of Texas, and a celebrated program for public policy. With 35,000 students, there's bound to be some dead weight, but UofH is a very distinguished institution.

I'm sure some of you are aware that UHD/HMU will now be the largest Houston-area school for open enrollment. Texas Southern changed its policies last year, so HMU is going to serve an increasingly important role for our area. What better way to show that than with a name all its own.

blah blah blah... UHD and UHCentral have some of the same accreditations.

Edited December 11, 2008 by LTAWACS

[TheNiche]

blah blah blah... UHD and UHCentral have some of the same accreditations.

But not all of the same accreditations. This is as it should be.

[LTAWACS]

But not all of the same accreditations. This is as it should be.

Correct. To clarify, UHD does not have the power to grant doctoral degrees. However, both institutions have several other in common such as AACSB International.

[totheskies]

Correct. To clarify, UHD does not have the power to grant doctoral degrees. However, both institutions have several other in common such as AACSB International.

LOL the same??? Different strokes for differnt folks dude. My whole degree program... Bachelor's, Masters or Doctoral... doesn't even exist at UHD/HMU. I should know b/c I taught there as a lecturer last summer. But I haven't taught any classes at UH b/c I don't have a doctorate. They're totally different entities that hapen to share some very common accreditations.

[N Judah]

Read through this thread. There are a lot of people that have applied to the wrong school (I almost did that, when I moved to Houston from out of town and didn't know the difference between UH and UHD). It is a problem for both students and for employers; and when employers are confused it is going to tend to hurt the graduates from the better school (like me) and help the ones from the lesser school.

Er...I'm sorry you were confused (did you try looking on the internet?), but I don't think it is an issue for most people. Even if there is a certain subset of employers who don't know their way around town I don't think it's very significant. Anybody who needs to know the difference already knows, and anybody who is unaware can be told in 30 seconds or less. The most important thing to remember is that neither school is typically thought of as being better than the other in any meaningful way, and the UH-D students mentioned in that survey are deluded if they think that it is a boon to be confused with students from UH-Main Campus.

...and you aren't going to have very many more people wanting to go to a school until the school becomes perceived as more exclusive.

Exclusivity for the sake of exclusivity is a noble goal, and if that is your interest there are many, many schools for that (almost too many).

Focusing on the really motivated students doesn't garner a great deal of recognition among really motivated potential students whose first choice is currently UT-A, A&M, or a better out-of-state university.

Yes, it does. UT-Austin is a degree mill superimposed on top of a football factory if not for Plan II, and every high school counselor in Texas knows this. Soon it could be the same for U of H.

Historically, what you're saying is true; UH has not been about the perception of exclusivity. However I want that to change so that the earning power and social status associated with my UH degrees go up.

That would be quite a cultural shift. I think you just went to the wrong school.

Let the ESL students, poor children of immigrants, and knuckleheads like I was go to HMU or HCC for a couple of years.

Is that what you did?

If they're good enough, UH can then take them as transfer students. I see nothing wrong with that. And by filtering out more of the riff raff from the student population, more people will prefer UH as their first choice. I guarantee that application levels would increase.

I understand the desire to make UH better but for my part I would prefer U of H be improved in more substantial ways instead of by simply attempting to be more exclusive. Blaming UH's perceived lack of prestige on UH-Downtown was absurd to me at first, but what do I know? Now that the albatross that is UH-D has been jettisoned I guess UH is on the make. UTEP and SFA had better look over their shoulders.

[TexasVines]

Yes, it does. UT-Austin is a degree mill superimposed on top of a football factory if not for Plan II, and every high school counselor in Texas knows this. Soon it could be the same for U of H.

this post alone proves you have no clue about what you are talking about

if any HS counselor is dumb enough to think this then they are too dumb to even be a high school counselor

Edited December 11, 2008 by TexasVines

[N Judah]

No...UT is a joke. Most large public schools are pretty bad, but UT is known for being the worst.

EDIT: Actually, I'll give high school counselors credit for being idiots. Not all of them know that about UT, but they really should.

Edited December 11, 2008 by N Judah

[Highway6]

No...UT is a joke. Most large public schools are pretty bad, but UT is known for being the worst.

EDIT: Actually, I'll give high school counselors credit for being idiots. Not all of them know that about UT, but they really should.

UT was ranked 15th among public universities and in the top 50 overall in US News' last College Rankings.

Either you are incredibly biased, you were scarred as a young child by a longhorn, or you have no idea what you are talking about.

[TexasVines]

No...UT is a joke. Most large public schools are pretty bad, but UT is known for being the worst.

EDIT: Actually, I'll give high school counselors credit for being idiots. Not all of them know that about UT, but they really should.

in your mind most large public schools are bad, but in the mind of everyone else the world over many large public schools are very good which is why no matter what ranking method or who does the rankings these schools fair very well and also why recruiters from top companies flock to them for graduates

I think Michigan, Wisconsin, UCLA, TAMU, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Arizona and many more would disagree with you

if anyone could be looked at as a joke it would be smaller east coast private schools that are well known for grade inflation

I know your opinion carries a lot of weight in the world of academia, but rankings published from Shanghai, to London, to the USA consistantly have UT as one of the top US universities and as one of the top public universities in the world.....and I have my doubts that anyone in London or China was so marveled by Vince scrambling to the right at the final seconds that they elevated their rankings of UT

and all the large public schools mentioned above are members of the AAU.....and I think the collective minds of the AAU know what a quality university is VS you on HAIF

[N Judah]

Yes, it is absolutely correct that I am incredibly biased against degree mills superimposed on top of football factories.

in your mind most large public schools are bad, but in the mind of everyone else the world over many large public schools are very good which is why no matter what ranking method or who does the rankings these schools fair very well and also why recruiters from top companies flock to them for graduates

I think Michigan, Wisconsin, UCLA, TAMU, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Arizona and many more would disagree with you

if anyone could be looked at as a joke it would be smaller east coast private schools that are well known for grade inflation

I know your opinion carries a lot of weight in the world of academia, but rankings published from Shanghai, to London, to the USA consistantly have UT as one of the top US universities and as one of the top public universities in the world.....and I have my doubts that anyone in London or China was so marveled by Vince scrambling to the right at the final seconds that they elevated their rankings of UT

and all the large public schools mentioned above are members of the AAU.....and I think the collective minds of the AAU know what a quality university is VS you on HAIF

Wow. I don't know what to say...

Edited December 12, 2008 by N Judah

[TheNiche]

Er...I'm sorry you were confused (did you try looking on the internet?), but I don't think it is an issue for most people. Even if there is a certain subset of employers who don't know their way around town I don't think it's very significant. Anybody who needs to know the difference already knows, and anybody who is unaware can be told in 30 seconds or less. The most important thing to remember is that neither school is typically thought of as being better than the other in any meaningful way, and the UH-D students mentioned in that survey are deluded if they think that it is a boon to be confused with students from UH-Main Campus.

Actually, come to think of it, the particular situation was that I was trying to get my high school transcript sent out and the admin person asked me whether I wanted to send it to UH or UH-Downtown. I had physically been to the UH campus and knew that it was close to Downtown, and I had been to www.uh.edu, which is for the Central Campus and which did not make at all clear that such a thing as UH-D existed, much less was a seperate entity. So I was completely at a loss. I made a guess, and guessed correctly. And I can completely understand how others could be confused.

I did not ask the counselors about UH-D, nor did I probably fit the profile of a UH-D student (on paper I did, in person not so much), so there was no reason for them to tell me that it existed.

Exclusivity for the sake of exclusivity is a noble goal, and if that is your interest there are many, many schools for that (almost too many).

On the contrary, it is a self-serving goal. Students want the name of the school on their degree to indicate to employers that they were able to do something that others were not so as to increase their career opportunities. That's what all degrees and credentials are, are marketing tactics. And universities that leverage up the prestige of their degrees reap the short-term rewards of increased applications from better students, and the long-term rewards of a more active and wealthy alumnus.

Yes, it does. UT-Austin is a degree mill superimposed on top of a football factory if not for Plan II, and every high school counselor in Texas knows this. Soon it could be the same for U of H.

You are (mostly) correct. The quality of the education at UT-Austin is comparable to and often actually less than that of UH. Whereas UT's professors tend to be more research-focused an not teaching-focused, UH has an advantage in terms of conveying knowledge to students. But degrees aren't supposed to communicate how much you know. Students interested in knowing things can take elective coursework without intending to earn a paper credential and waste less money and time on extraneous coursework.

I don't care whether my high school counselor approves less of a UT-Austin degree relative to a UH degree, however. They aren't looking to hire me and I'm not looking to work for them.

The TRUTH is that UT-Austin and A&M grads are leaders in the Texas business environment. Many of them look down on other universities, like UH, which were less exclusive. And in spite of the rivalry, they are quite a bit more willing to hire from one another than from second-tier schools like UH. Likewise, UH grads in the business environment tend to look down upon UH-D grads. Yeah, it's snobby. But it does happen. And the best way for UH to maximize the value of its paper credential to its students is to try and position itself as a Tier One institution so that it can join the club.

That would be quite a cultural shift. I think you just went to the wrong school.

The culture has shifted quite a ways. It continues to shift. It will continue to shift, especially as they undertake the strategic plan to distance UH from UH-D/HMU.

I went to the best school I could get into, looked at transferring into UT-Austin after some years, but decided that I was better off able to work a full-time job and develop local contacts in a career I could stick with, rather than place myself into a much more difficult job market in Austin. It worked out better that way, IMO.

Is that what you did?

No. UH was easier for high-risk students to get into at that time. I know that that makes me look like some kind of hypocrite, and yes, I do very much want to shut out people that fit my profile as well as the poor or disadvantaged...because it will help me now and not in some hypothetical case that isn't reality.

I understand the desire to make UH better but for my part I would prefer U of H be improved in more substantial ways instead of by simply attempting to be more exclusive. Blaming UH's perceived lack of prestige on UH-Downtown was absurd to me at first, but what do I know? Now that the albatross that is UH-D has been jettisoned I guess UH is on the make. UTEP and SFA had better look over their shoulders.

UH's lack of prestige has more to do with its legacy than with its identity confusion with UH-D. That doesn't mean that UH-D isn't a factor or that that factor shouldn't be addressed. It is just one part of a multifaceted strategy apparent to those of us that can see the forest from the trees.

UT was ranked 15th among public universities and in the top 50 overall in US News' last College Rankings.

Either you are incredibly biased, you were scarred as a young child by a longhorn, or you have no idea what you are talking about.

Universities are multifaceted beasts. I can't think of any that are good at everything.