University Debates: Sports, Fundings, And Developments

[VicMan]

Does anyone have any memories from times in University/College? Any strange acts of vandalism or teenage stupidity? Any tips on how to stay in college?

My sister is coming back from DePauw University (in Greencastle, Indiana) for Thanksgiving. She just graduated from Lamar High in Houston last May. She says that at DePauw a bunch of kids vandalized a deer statue donated by an alumn by making a failed attempt to saw off its legs. Then some kids rode the statue in the nude during Halloween.

[TJones]

Does anyone have any memories from times in University/College? Any strange acts of vandalism or teenage stupidity? Any tips on how to stay in college?

My sister is coming back from DePauw University (in Greencastle, Indiana) for Thanksgiving. She just graduated from Lamar High in Houston last May. She says that at DePauw a bunch of kids vandalized a deer statue donated by an alumn by making a failed attempt to saw off its legs. Then some kids rode the statue in the nude during Halloween.

That kind of stuff happens all the time, be thankful no one is up in a clock tower sniping students. Tell her not to worry about drunken acts of stupidity. Tell her to worry about her major and what her thesis is gonna be on.

[VicMan]

She's planning to go into Premed.. most likely she will be in Biology. Of course, majors do change.

Also she says the professors were extremely pissed at the vandalism of the statue.

Edited November 22, 2005 by VicMan

[sevfiv]

i changed my major three times in two years (ended up with about three though when all was said and done) so it took me five years to get through full time.

not that those three things really did much for me job wise

in the end, though, my only advice would be to study what you want, not what you think you should (or what your parents think you should, for that matter...). you'll end up much happier in the long run

[Ashikaga]

i changed my major three times in two years (ended up with about three though when all was said and done) so it took me five years to get through full time.

not that those three things really did much for me job wise

in the end, though, my only advice would be to study what you want, not what you think you should (or what your parents think you should, for that matter...). you'll end up much happier in the long run

I have fond memories of Arkansas State University. I graduated from there back in May of 1990. It was in Jonesboro, 67 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee. But if I could turn back the clock to when I graduated from high school (1976), I would have tried to get into Rice University.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I have fantastic memories of my days at UH. Almost all my friends today are people I met in school (and friends of friends and so on).

I loved walking across the beautiful campus numerous times every day, and I loved wandering around campus at night when it was quiet. I loved climbing to the roof of S&R-I to get a great view of Houston's skylines.

I'm amazed at how much UH has grown since I left school 10 years ago. A lot of positive changes going on in and around the campus.

My experiences at UH led me directly to the job that I'm still working today. I owe my career to UH. I definitely give back to the place that gave me so much.

I'm also surprised at how many people DIDN'T share my happy experiences at UH. People complain about lines, bureaucracy, incompetency in the administration...I never once experienced any of this at UH. I always found everyone easy to deal with and willing to do their job.

[WestGrayGuy]

I have never felt the pride in the campus at UH that I did at A&M or even UT. That is why I chose not to go there. It didnt have the same energy as the bigger Texas schools.

To me it seems kind of dead, perhaps when I start my Masters there I will see it differently?

[MidtownCoog]

I had a great experience at UH.

Its not A&M or UT, and that's a good thing.

All that A&M "pride" kinda freaks me out. Buring trees, the faux-military, etc.

But I do admire their spirit.

[sevfiv]

i feel more connectivity to UNT (post grad stuff-and i don't even LIVE there) than i did at UH...

i also worked alot and wasn't a partier, the latter of which seemed to be the greatest level of connectivity i witnessed there...

[ssullivan]

I had a GREAT college experience at Austin College. I'd never want to go back and repeat junior high or high school but my four years at AC -- I could go back and do that again. Of course it wouldn't be the same now that I'm older, but it was a blast back then. And I still feel a very strong connection to the school 10 years later. One of the things I liked was that it was a small school, so as a result it was possible to have a much higher degree of involvement in different areas of campus life than you'd have at a large university. Yet at the same time we had a lot of our own traditions and a top-notch academic program.

It is interesting how different schools have such different atmospheres. I work on a different campus every week for my job and see everything from highly-ranked graduate schools to tiny two-year junior colleges in very small towns. Some of the clients I work with really make me appreciate my college experience even more -- I visit a few campuses that are deader than a cemetery.

[northbeaumont]

I have never felt the pride in the campus at UH that I did at A&M or even UT. That is why I chose not to go there. It didnt have the same energy as the bigger Texas schools.

To me it seems kind of dead, perhaps when I start my Masters there I will see it differently?

This is from "Texas Almanac 2006-07." Enrollment for Fall 2004: University of Houston-Downtown: 11,974. Rice University: 4,973. University of Texas-Austin: 50,403. Texas A&M-College Station: 46,111.

With such a big difference in the number of students between UT/A&M and UH/Rice, it makes me wonder why at one time they were all in the same (Southwest) conference in sports. I guess that sports classifications in college are not the same as in high schools.

[MexAmerican_Moose]

This is from "Texas Almanac 2006-07." Enrollment for Fall 2004: University of Houston-Downtown: 11,974. Rice University: 4,973. University of Texas-Austin: 50,403. Texas A&M-College Station: 46,111.

With such a big difference in the number of students between UT/A&M and UH/Rice, it makes me wonder why at one time they were all in the same (Southwest) conference in sports. I guess that sports classifications in college are not the same as in high schools.

dude, you got the wrong school....UH main has around 35,000 students....the thing that i love about UH is its diversity and its classification as a "blue-collar" school....most of us here are in the lower to upper middle class and for many of us we are the first generation to attend college, so we are very similar..oh and the scholarships that are given out aren't too shabby eithe r

[northbeaumont]

dude, you got the wrong school....UH main has around 35,000 students....the thing that i love about UH is its diversity and its classification as a "blue-collar" school....most of us here are in the lower to upper middle class and for many of us we are the first generation to attend college, so we are very similar..oh and the scholarships that are given out aren't too shabby eithe r

The almanac said that there are about a total of 35,000 students in the entire U of H system, including the branch campuses.

[MidtownCoog]

The same Texas Almanac maintained by the Texas Bong-Horns? That thing is one step left of Wikipedia.

UH is the third largest university in the state with 35K on the main campus.

There are 54K in the UH system.

UH System: http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/univ_and_prog/

Edited April 20, 2007 by MidtownCoog

[northbeaumont]

The same Texas Almanac maintained by the Texas Bong-Horns? That thing is one step left of Wikipedia.

UH is the third largest university in the state with 35K on the main campus.

There are 54K in the UH system.

UH System: http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/univ_and_prog/

I'm looking at it right now. Published by The Dallas Morning News. Sesquicentennial Edition 1857-2007.

Page 546--

University of Houston--Houston Dr. Jay Gogue, chancellor.

Enrollment, Fall Term 2004, 35,100

University of Houston-Clear Lake--Houston, 7,785

University of Houston-Downtown, 11,974

University of Houston-Victoria, 2,183

I didn't write this book. Maybe you can the DMN about any inaccuracies that you can see.

[MidtownCoog]

DMN?

That explains it.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I'm looking at it right now. Published by The Dallas Morning News. Sesquicentennial Edition 1857-2007.

Page 546--

University of Houston--Houston Dr. Jay Gogue, chancellor.

Enrollment, Fall Term 2004, 35,100

University of Houston-Clear Lake--Houston, 7,785

University of Houston-Downtown, 11,974

University of Houston-Victoria, 2,183

I didn't write this book. Maybe you can the DMN about any inaccuracies that you can see.

35,100 + 7,785 + 11,974 + 2,183 = 57,042 students in the UH SYSTEM. There are 35,100 enrolled at the central campus.

Of those 35,100 I believe somewhere on the order of 5,000 live on campus. UH has plans to double that number in the next 10 years...they will break ground on a new 1,000 bed dorm later this year.

Most UH alumni will agree that UH desparately needs more beds on campus. That will do a lot to help school spirit now and in the future...and spirited students turn into spirited (and giving) alumni!

I attend a lot of sporting events at UH and I work out there regularly...I would have to say that there's a lot more school spirit today than there was when I was there in the first half of the 90's. I'm very happy to see that...

[northbeaumont]

35,100 + 7,785 + 11,974 + 2,183 = 57,042 students in the UH SYSTEM. There are 35,100 enrolled at the central campus.

Of those 35,100 I believe somewhere on the order of 5,000 live on campus. UH has plans to double that number in the next 10 years...they will break ground on a new 1,000 bed dorm later this year.

Most UH alumni will agree that UH desparately needs more beds on campus. That will do a lot to help school spirit now and in the future...and spirited students turn into spirited (and giving) alumni!

I attend a lot of sporting events at UH and I work out there regularly...I would have to say that there's a lot more school spirit today than there was when I was there in the first half of the 90's. I'm very happy to see that...

That's what the book shows. Maybe I'm just dense on something.

[dgreco]

Most UH alumni will agree that UH desparately needs more beds on campus. That will do a lot to help school spirit now and in the future...and spirited students turn into spirited (and giving) alumni!

I attend a lot of sporting events at UH and I work out there regularly...I would have to say that there's a lot more school spirit today than there was when I was there in the first half of the 90's. I'm very happy to see that...

I think most universities have seen a resurrgence in school pride and alumni pride. I don't know if it is the parody in sports, or just more people are enjoying their college experience because schools are becoming more progressive, but across the country alumni donations are up everywhere, and student activites academic or athletic are all up.

[Deut28Thirteen]

My 1st day of college class starts I am excited. Does not feel like when High school starts it's a big diffrence! What do yall remember about what your 1st day of college was like? Thank God I dont have an 8:00am class like my twin and my roomate!!! That was my birthday gift to myself no early classes!

I go to PVAMU all the way out on 290. Not how I wanted to spend my 18th birthday all the way out here getting settled in my dorm but the club can wait. LOL

[TheNiche]

My 1st day of college class starts I am excited. Does not feel like when High school starts it's a big diffrence! What do yall remember about what your 1st day of college was like? Thank God I dont have an 8:00am class like my twin and my roomate!!! That was my birthday gift to myself no early classes!

I go to PVAMU all the way out on 290. Not how I wanted to spend my 18th birthday all the way out here getting settled in my dorm but the club can wait. LOL

What I remember most...and I did have an 8:30AM class...was the drive down S. MacGregor to UH for the first time, shrouded in a slight haze of fog, and also trying to figure out which parking lots I was allowed or not allowed in.

[HtownWxBoy]

My 1st day of college class starts I am excited. Does not feel like when High school starts it's a big diffrence! What do yall remember about what your 1st day of college was like? Thank God I dont have an 8:00am class like my twin and my roomate!!! That was my birthday gift to myself no early classes!

I go to PVAMU all the way out on 290. Not how I wanted to spend my 18th birthday all the way out here getting settled in my dorm but the club can wait. LOL

Enjoy... college (not high school) is definitely the best time of your life... particularly if you live on campus and don't commute. I LOVED college. Definitely try and stay away from the 8am classes...and I found suffering through one 3 hour evening class was better than 2 afternoon 1.5 hour classes (if those types of classes are offered where you are). Also, I for one must say I learned more valuable lessons outside of the classroom than inside... not to say you should not study and stuff... that's why you are there.

[20thStDad]

I had 7:30 classes pretty much every semester, definitely my first. I remember loving getting the best parking spots, and being done with all my classes for the day by 11:30. The biggest adjustment is that your schedule (outside of classes) is completely up to you. Some people don't handle this well, but if you just make a point to set aside time for homework/studying and stick to it, you'll find you have way more free time than others without discipline. I never once stayed up past 11pm (11pm for finals, every other day it was all done by 4:30) to study or do schoolwork, everyone else I know had to pull some idiotic all-nighter at some point. Not my gig.

Get as involved as you can (or care to) with clubs/activities outside of class. That's one thing I wish I would have done a little more of, but what I did I enjoyed.

[sevfiv]

I remember going to UH and having similar parking musings as Niche...and then walking in to my first class with 589083698 other people in it.

Those were the days...thank goodness they're long gone!

[roadrunner]

Get involved, and figure out a way to balance the educational aspect and party aspect of college. Don't make too much fo a sacrafice for either, and you'll end up with a good job and an excellent college experience. Before you know it, it will be over.

[TheNiche]

Enjoy... college (not high school) is definitely the best time of your life...

Wow. Sucky life.

[BryanS]

Just be sure to keep your GPA above 3.8...

[tanith27]

I had 8am classes because I was eager to learn in the beginning. Then, I ended up sleeping through my 8am's because my education extended well past midnight the night before. Plus I was on an island and the beach was 10 minutes down the hill so there wasn't a whole lot of incentive to be asleep by 10pm. HtownWxBoy nailed it in that much of your 'education' will come outside of the classroom. Many consider their formative years where they grew up as a youth. Not me. I was shaped entirely by my experiences at university, and the person I am today is wholly representative of what I learned there.

[Deut28Thirteen]

I got an international math teacher. That was my worst fear o well Over all Its been good so far.

[Mr. Chenevert]

My most memorable memory of the first day of class...

WVU has a mass transit system called the PRT. Basically an automated people mover that has 5 or so stations throughout campus. During our orientation, there was always a guide with us who ensured we go on the right train.

On my first day of class, I walk up to the station, and I am presented several choices.

1) Beechnut

2) Walnut

3) Evansdale

4) Medical Center

I knew I wanted either 1 or 2, but I had no idea which one. I guess I just picked one and hoped for the best... I must have chosen correctly, but boy was I stressed until I saw buildings that looked familiar.

[Mr. Chenevert]

Oh, and freshman year tip. Don't study in your dorm room or at home if you live off campus. Too many distractions.

Find a place to go, a library or cafeteria, or somewhere quiet that you go to every night, whether you think you need to go or not. Get in the routine of doing this every night so you dont fall behind.

You will find that you will have plenty of time for fun if you put your priorities first.

Also, if you are in engineering, or a major that has a lot of calculation type classes, try and find a group of classmates that you can work with.

I was very fortunate to find a group of 8 or so people that we pretty much studied together every single night. We didnt schedule it, we just sorta showed up at the same place night after night. It helped to keep you motivated and made studying a positive experience. We all helped each other out. As soon as one person figured out how to solve a new problem, they could share it with the entire group, and vice versa.

I honestly don't think I would have made it through 4 years of electrical engineering classes without them.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Mr. Chenevert

[memebag]

Wow. Sucky life.

Agreed. College was probably the worst time of my life.

[sarahiki]

My 1st day of college class starts I am excited. Does not feel like when High school starts it's a big diffrence! What do yall remember about what your 1st day of college was like? Thank God I dont have an 8:00am class like my twin and my roomate!!! That was my birthday gift to myself no early classes!

I go to PVAMU all the way out on 290. Not how I wanted to spend my 18th birthday all the way out here getting settled in my dorm but the club can wait. LOL

Advice from the prof:

Read the syllabus!!

[BryanS]

I got an international math teacher. That was my worst fear o well Over all Its been good so far.

Hmmm.... "international teacher" ... are you trying to tell us, you don't understand their English?

DROP THE CLASS, move to another section. I always hated getting stuck in classes where I couldn't understand the professor's English... I have nothing against foreign professors, but when you put up a language barrier in between us and differential equations... the math is hard enough as it is.

[20thStDad]

Hmmm.... "international teacher" ... are you trying to tell us, you don't understand their English?

DROP THE CLASS, move to another section. I always hated getting stuck in classes where I couldn't understand the professor's English... I have nothing against foreign professors, but when you put up a language barrier in between us and differential equations... the math is hard enough as it is.

Only class I ever got a C in, materials, I couldn't understand the professor and just gave up on it. Couldn't drop it because it was only offered in the spring and I couldn't wait the extra year. I knew things were bad on the first day when he tried to explain the "atomic lumber" to us.

[RedScare]

Oh, and freshman year tip. Don't study in your dorm room or at home if you live off campus. Too many distractions.

Find a place to go, a library or cafeteria, or somewhere quiet that you go to every night, whether you think you need to go or not. Get in the routine of doing this every night so you dont fall behind.

You will find that you will have plenty of time for fun if you put your priorities first.

Also, if you are in engineering, or a major that has a lot of calculation type classes, try and find a group of classmates that you can work with.

I was very fortunate to find a group of 8 or so people that we pretty much studied together every single night. We didnt schedule it, we just sorta showed up at the same place night after night. It helped to keep you motivated and made studying a positive experience. We all helped each other out. As soon as one person figured out how to solve a new problem, they could share it with the entire group, and vice versa.

I honestly don't think I would have made it through 4 years of electrical engineering classes without them.

Or, you could save a lot of time by waiting until just before exams, take some Vivarin, and pull allnighters to study for exams.

Worked for me.

[BryanS]

Or, you could save a lot of time by waiting until just before exams, take some Vivarin, and pull allnighters to study for exams.

Worked for me.

I'd be crying for my Sweet Mother if I tried to do this with some of my classes. Typically, I would begin studying FOUR DAYS in advance for tests in some of my harder classes (e.g. thermodynamics - hated entropy). That would also include an almost-all-nighter on day 4, before the test.

"OK class... the mean on the test was a 38..." I would make a 46... and be in heaven.

[TheNiche]

Or, you could save a lot of time by waiting until just before exams, take some Vivarin, and pull allnighters to study for exams.

Worked for me.

That was really more my style, too. Minus the meds.

Striving for nothing but A's and A-'s are great if you want a career in which credentials of of tantamount importance. For the kind of person that knows for fact that he's working towards an entrepreneurial role...grades just don't matter.

I have never--not once--been asked for a copy of my transcript or even for my overall GPA by a prospective employer. They want to know that I got a degree from an accredited university and that I've got transferable work history. Otherwise, I've always carried myself in an interview by the force of my character. Networking events have paid off, too, as a way to get my foot firmly lodged in doors.

[RedScare]

I have never--not once--been asked for a copy of my transcript or even for my overall GPA by a prospective employer. They want to know that I got a degree from an accredited university and that I've got transferable work history. Otherwise, I've always carried myself in an interview by the force of my character. Networking events have paid off, too, as a way to get my foot firmly lodged in doors.

I only got asked once, but apparently it was a joke. I interviewed with the DA in Fort Worth. First, he apologizes for his crappy office, because they were remodeling his real one. Then, as we talk, he asks if I mind if he smokes (back in the good old days). I said I didn't mind if I could bum one from him...in retrospect, that was kind of ballsy. As we are shooting the bull, he asks what my class rank in law school was. I replied, "well, it wasn't the top half." He replied, "me neither, but they told me to ask you."

Next day, they offered me the job.

[20thStDad]

Transcripts are pointless unless you think the person is lying about the GPA on their resume. Everyone within each degree we recruit for takes the same classes, so we don't really care. I wouldn't expect a person to have to provide that past their first job anyway. After a couple years, experience is all that matters.

Some our best folks had horrendous GPA's, some of our worst had good ones. Depends on the position you are hiring for though.

TheNiche - they give "A-" in college? For real? Yeah, my high school didn't even do pluses and minuses.

[BryanS]

TheNiche - they give "A-" in college? For real? Yeah, my high school didn't even do pluses and minuses.

I've taken a few classes at UH, and yes, they do (or at least they did). My college, it was A, B, C, D, or F.

[CoolBuddy06]

College is fun if you stay in the hostel. Your lectures should be fun compared to what I had as an undergraduate: 120 seats with about 250 students registered, lecture theatres without a/c, no, not that the a/c's not working, students are just too young for that privilege.

So have fun out there, but make sure you graduate, with good grades. Do I sound preachy?

[ssullivan]

Transcripts are pointless unless you think the person is lying about the GPA on their resume. Everyone within each degree we recruit for takes the same classes, so we don't really care. I wouldn't expect a person to have to provide that past their first job anyway. After a couple years, experience is all that matters.

Some our best folks had horrendous GPA's, some of our worst had good ones. Depends on the position you are hiring for though.

This is very true. I graduated with my BA in 1996 and haven't had any one inquire about my GPA since around 1999. And I had a GPA that I'm not overly proud of. I went to a very selective private college, and didn't have the maturity at the time to really study

[crunchtastic]

True, a 4 year degree is just an entry ticket to a job interview, and in most case grades don't really matter. But they are important, in that they open doors to scholarship money and grad school. Admittedly I was a grade snob and very competitive in my courses, and I don't have anything to show for it now, but at the time my life's plan required good grades. I was a mere liberal arts major but those grades were based mainly on writing a crapload of papers, and when you consistently write A papers, you consistently can pick up $500 here or a $1,000 there in obscure scholarship or prize money. (This is why sidling up to a professor you like is a good thing--they tell you about these things.) Money like that really helps. I ultimately didn't go into the PhD track, but I got accepted to the program I wanted, which would have been impossible with anything less than a 3.8.

Just don't do stupid things like register for the 8 am Early Shakespeare in Summer II. Three hours every morning for six weeks. OMG that was torture.

[TheNiche]

True, a 4 year degree is just an entry ticket to a job interview, and in most case grades don't really matter. But they are important, in that they open doors to scholarship money and grad school. Admittedly I was a grade snob and very competitive in my courses, and I don't have anything to show for it now, but at the time my life's plan required good grades. I was a mere liberal arts major but those grades were based mainly on writing a crapload of papers, and when you consistently write A papers, you consistently can pick up $500 here or a $1,000 there in obscure scholarship or prize money. (This is why sidling up to a professor you like is a good thing--they tell you about these things.) Money like that really helps. I ultimately didn't go into the PhD track, but I got accepted to the program I wanted, which would have been impossible with anything less than a 3.8.

Just don't do stupid things like register for the 8 am Early Shakespeare in Summer II. Three hours every morning for six weeks. OMG that was torture.

OK, I can most definitely make an exception for you then. Hear ye, hear ye! Liberal arts majors (other than economics) need to have good grades.

This brings up an interesting subject. I have a friend who has about one more semester to go at University of North Texas in Denton. He is majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Music. He's starting to get logical (after having taken and deeply enjoyed Logic as a class...which I'd told him to do when I took it at a community college during high school) and antsy. He realizes that philosophy majors are pretty worthless outside of academia, but he doesn't really like academia.

Every time he and I talk he's asking if I know of any jobs in my field that he can do. The answer is an emphatic yes, but none that he would like to do, much less that he could get paid well for. My advice to him is to go for one more semester and get a business minor, just to have the basics down; and otherwise to apply for law school.

He is a really smart guy; he's Mensa material. But he's also only got a work history working as bass player at gigs and on cruise ships, and realistically probably can't afford law school yet. What can this guy do to make good money?

[tanith27]

What can this guy do to make good money?

Work on an offshore rig. Or spend a winter in Alaska up on the slope. You have no social life, but your bank account gets ridiculously fat. Or does that fall into one of those 'jobs he wouldn't want to do' categories?

[TheNiche]

Work on an offshore rig. Or spend a winter in Alaska up on the slope. You have no social life, but your bank account gets ridiculously fat. Or does that fall into one of those 'jobs he wouldn't want to do' categories?

Lets stick with office jobs for now. Where good money is $40k+ w/benefits.

[crunchtastic]

He is a really smart guy; he's Mensa material. But he's also only got a work history working as bass player at gigs and on cruise ships, and realistically probably can't afford law school yet. What can this guy do to make good money?

Well now that's a loaded question. Good money -- military contracting or oil and gas. Or he could stick with the music angle until figuring out what to do with the academic angle. .......and then he can end up either in financial planning, or marketing/advertising like the other thousands of us failed academics.

I made good money for a while doing legal proofreading. It definitely killed any lingering law school ideas I had.

[crunchtastic]

$40k+ w/benefits.

Oh no. Entry level, no direct experience, philosophy major, not bilingual, I assume? For the first job, he needs to be willing to accept less than 40.

Liberal arts usually assume good comm and writing skills, so entry level grant writing, communications, or pr in the medical field are typically open to new grads since they're cheap and plentiful (the grads, not the jobs). Non profits, too. If he's thinking of law school, records admin/library admin in the big law firms.

Having hired people with similar backgounds, seeking professional work just out of school, my advice is that he come to the table with some basic desktop publishing and HTML skills. Those are universally handy.

[memebag]

I went to college, but I dropped out. There were raised eyebrows at my first couple of jobs when they saw I didn't have a degree, but since then all anyone cares about is my work experience and skill set. I might have made more on those first few jobs, but it wouldn't have been enough to cover the student loans I would have had to take out to stay in school.

So don't go to school. You're just encouraging them by participating in the system.