Review of our UT visit

wakeup13
Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:28:33 +0000

Since there isn’t much info out there on UT, I thought I would put this out there. We visited UT today and I just don’t know what to think. The reviews online are so mixed and my review will be much the same.

UT did nothing to “sell” itself to us. We’ve been to USF, UCF, and FSU. Those schools go out of their way to show you and tell you all about their “things:” rock climbing walls, intramural sports, fantastic gym, football games, food options, activities for freshman, clubs, etc. While it might be grossly exaggerated, they really do point out anything and everything that makes their school “special.”

UT pointed out very little. They don’t take you inside the fitness center on the tour. They showed us the pool, but noted that it closed at 4pm every day. They barely touched on the food options. When students/parents on the tour asked questions about things like the honor’s program, study abroad, or internships, we were told to contact other people to get those questions answered. Nothing was mentioned about clubs or activities. The dorm tour was awkward since it was occupied and we felt like we were intruding.

I’m used to colleges trying to sell themselves. I don’t always agree with that concept, but UT did absolutely nothing to make themselves stand out. That disappointed us.

The pluses: We loved the campus. My D liked the small feel, but the big city literally outside the door. She was able to sit in on a few classes (prearranged) and she really enjoyed them, and the professors and students she encountered were nice.

The small class sizes are a plus. For anyone familiar with our public universities in FL, they are grossly overcrowded. UT has given her a scholarship that brings the cost down to a very reasonable amount without having to deal with the huge class sizes.

Not sure where she will end up. UT is still on the table, but it didn’t wow her like she had hoped.