University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Distance from home: 1,100 miles West
Size: More than 48,000. Everything’s bigger in Texas.
In-state tuition: About $9,000/year
Out-of-state tuition: About $9,000 X 3
Admissions: More selective
Demographics: Primarily Texans. Texas likes its own home-grown.
Pros: Once you get a hold of some Texas pride, you will identify yourself as a scholar of the top university in the country, no matter how many lists actually rank Harvard No. 1. Live music capital of the world. Home of largest bat colony in the US. The police will shut down the streets to accommodate celebratory riots following football games. South X Southwest Music and Film Festival. Your waiter will have a PhD; No one ever leaves.
Cons: You’ll never quite perfect the art of holding onto your change when you come across a “drag rat.” If you don’t like burnt orange, prepare to be nauseated; UT is No. 1 in college clothing sales.
Known for: Student Jenna Bush arrested for under-aged drinking, great quarterbacks, albino squirrels, and home of Bevo the longhorn, the Cannon and Big Bertha the drum.
Sports: “Hook’em Horns.” Best team in every sport.
Campus and city: A small liberal haven inside an enormous conservative Texas.
Famous grads: Walter Cronkite, Matthew McConaughey, Renee Zellweger, Robert Rodriguez
Famous drop-outs: Michael Dell, Farah Fawcett, Janis Joplin
Reviewer: Stacey Volland graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009.