<p>Sorry for digging up this several month old thread but I really want to comment on it.</p>
<p>Texas State-San Marcos will never be a flagship school. The problem with the school is it’s close proximity to Austin and central Texas in general. It attracts a lot of kids that could not get into A&M or UT. Some of these kids think college is just a playground. I went on campus there a few years ago and saw some kids drinking and throwing up off of one of the academic buildings. It doesn’t matter how much money the Texas Legislature gives the school, the name change, or how many new buildings are built; as long as the school attracts less academically inclined students it will never improve.</p>
<p>Texas Tech is really just an overpriced regional university. I went there for a semester and hated it. The campus is nice but Lubbock is the worst excuse of a college town I have ever been to. You would think that Texas Tech would become the next flagship school in Texas, due to it’s size and name, but I really never see it happening since Lubbock is so far away from the rest of Texas.</p>
<p>The reason I left Tech is because I honestly didn’t see any point of traveling that far and paying that much for school when Tech has no more prestige than most of the other universities in Texas.</p>
<p>I think the University of Houston really only caters to Houston residents, so no, I don’t think that’s going to become a flagship school. UT Dallas is a very good school I hear academic-wise, but as long as it’s part of the UT school system it will always be overshadowed by UT-Austin.</p>
<p>The reality is that I seriously doubt that there will ever be any other flagship schools in Texas. Texas is not really the best state for flagship schools anyway; all we have so far is UT and A&M and both schools cater to particular crowds. Honestly if my circumstances were different I would have went to school out-of-state.</p>
<p>darius, my opinion regarding Texas A&M is pretty neutral; I don’t necessarily like or hate the school. But I think you’re out of line for bashing the school. You said that A&M has this huge issue against UT but you yourself seem to have this huge issue against A&M. How are you any different in that regard? All you did is hijack the thread to bash A&M.</p>
<p>How do you know how “most Texans” think about UT or A&M? Did you poll everyone in Texas? I sure wasn’t polled. Most of the out-of-state people I’ve talked to are more familiar with Texas A&M than UT-Austin. It doesn’t matter if (big if) UT’s academic programs are better; to a lot of people out-of-state, Texas is one big rural, agricultural state, and they are right. Texas A&M is one big school geared towards rural areas and agriculture, so naturally it’s easier to associate Texas A&M with the state of Texas.</p>
<p>I get sick and tired of UT vs. A&M bashing. I don’t think one school is better than the other. You can get the same damn careers and make the same amount of money by going to either school. When I went on campus at UT a few years ago I didn’t particularly care for it since all the kids I asked for directions seemed kind of snotty. On the other hand, I don’t particularly care for the traditions of A&M and the Aggie cult. There’s good and bad about BOTH schools.</p>
<p>My biggest beef with both schools, especially UT, is that they are overpopulated state schools whose prestige mainly comes from their large alumni networks. Sure, they have good programs but I wouldn’t feel comfortable not even knowing my professors and just being a number in the crowd. I don’t see there being a large amount of prestige coming from the education quality when most of the professors won’t even know you.</p>