Took my son on college tours a year ago and to us Tarleton and SFA had the same vibe. They are about the same size. Only difference I felt was Tarleton had more of a cowboy feel than SFA. He did say SFA and SHSU had the same vibe to him also. I liked SFA but was lukewarm on SHSU. He decided TXST was the best fit for him and he has loved it in San Marcos. The only reason why I would not suggest it to you is for the fact they have a space problem. Mostly freshman live on campus and everyone else live in apartments. I think it would be difficult for you to make alot of friends while living off campus unless you have a really outgoing personality. It would be a great school if you could live on campus because everyone is really friendly and there lots of things to do. I would suggest you visit some more schools and apply to more than one. Goodluck on your journey.
@MYOS1634 , I applied to SFA, UNT, Tarleton, SHSU, UHV and Tech. The schools that I applied for the Spring semester (semester I am interested in entering) were Tarleton, SFA, UNT and possibly TXST. I got accepted into all the schools I applied for except for Tech since they lost all my information I faxed over to them. I didn’t really have the help and care from my parents with applying to schools, they just want me to apply somewhere and get in. Sad enough for me. However, I did have the support from my brother and boyfriend.
Thank you for the insight.
@Grainraiser, I plan on living on campus at whatever school I choose since I would love to gain that full “college experience” and meet people. I know it isn’t required for transfer students, but since I’ll only be there for a few years, I say why not. Yeah, I wasn’t too fond of SHSU, it seemed as if they catered more to freshmen students than transfer students. The campus was similar to TXST, except at SHSU it felt dead, it had lots of azaleas and an abundance of stairs. I could actually feel that TXST had more school spirit and that they don’t cater just to freshmen, but to all students which is good for me. I feel as if I need to explore TXST a lot more than just a campus tour since the tour was so short (90 minutes).
Tarleton is nice, but it wasn’t my first choice of schools. Ultimately, I’ll choose whatever school that offers me with the most scholarship money.
Thank you for your insight.
I was not aware that you were applying for spring semester. I certainly think you should apply at TXST. It’s a great school. My son wanted to go to Tech at first. The city of Lubbock is kinda of dead but I must say the student body felt really close. They are a tight knit group for sure but my son did not like feeling so isolated. He did not like the rah rah of Texas A&M at all. We both felt UofH and UTSA had the same vibe and like you he wanted more of a college experience. I would strongly suggest you have TXST another look. It’s closer to Houston and it offers way more to do than Tarleton. You would be a upper classman so the class sizes will be much smaller. I must warn you that the stairs at TXST are ridiculous. Goodluck on your choice.
@Grainraiser, thank you for your insight. Yes, the stairs at TXST are atrocious, but I’ll definitely have to get used to them and maybe see it as a positive in my life. I toured Tech and loved it, but when it came for me to apply and turn in all the required documents for admission and scholarships, the school lost all of my documents I faxed over and it wasn’t the first time either. I just got fed up with fooling with them as it seems like they don’t care too much for me as a student as I was interested in them as a school. Plus, the distance from Houston to Lubbock didn’t sit too well with me. I do like that San Marcos is a short distance from Houston as I do love to drive, but not that much (hence I am not going to school to become a truck driver). I also like that its close to Austin as well as San Antonio. The location would be perfect just in case I need help; my brother who lives in Austin or my parents in Houston can come visit me asap.
I do like that TXST has a PT school and nearby rehabilitation centers, so I can gain PT experience before school. I’ll apply to TXST today.
Yeah to me, UH is more of a commuter school. My boyfriend goes there as he loves Houston and they have a decent engineering/computer science department for him. My brother didn’t like it too much as he transferred out of UH to attend Tarleton. I don’t like that UH is located in such a unsafe neighborhood (third ward) and that its located right off of 45 (which to me means traffic and bad drivers). I had a bad experience with touring UTSA. I also didn’t see any reason to attend A&M unless one of my family members pushed me into attending.
Thank you again. I appreciate your input.
@MariaHEHE Tarleton is a fine school. Several kids in my daughter’s class attend there and it was on our list once as well for her. It is a small campus but big enough to feel like a college campus. And you are not a huge distance from Fort Worth if you want to get out of the country, which is a cute little town. Best of both worlds. @MYOS1634 I have been telling her too about TXST. My eldest loves it. Not too big, but big enough.
@Thelma2, TTU offered me a transfer academic scholarship that I’m thinking of turning down since its taking so long for the housing and orientation to open up. I’ve applied to TXST and I haven’t heard anything back from them yet. Texas Tech was the only school that offered me a scholarship, the others I applied to haven’t.
Don’t turn anything down until you have all results and financial aid packages.
I agree with MYOS1634. Don’t turn anything down just yet. My daughter’s friend transferred to TTU after winter break her freshman year and I don’t think things opened up for her until after Thanksgiving.
@MYOS1634, then what?
Choose the best value. But until you have all your financial aid packages don’t make a decision - you have till May first.
@MYOS1634 and @Thelma2, I’m just really stressing out and worrying because I cannot afford TTU and plus to make things worse for me, my parents are showing me zero support. I asked my mum if she would go to orientation with me and she said no, she isn’t going to go. My mum wants me to stay back home with them and commute to school which doesn’t appeal to me since I already commuted to school for community college and didn’t gain any college experience. However, TTU only offered me a small scholarship that wouldn’t even cover housing and tuition. Tuition is 10K per semester plus housing which is 4K and the scholarship is only 2K. That’s not much. I just wish Tarleton offered me a scholarship, but they haven’t and its so much cheaper to attend there and plus I know the area.
@MYOS1634 and @Thelma2, plus there’s rarely any university in Texas that offers transfer students full ride scholarships which to me is discrimination. I just wish in America they would make it where all state universities is free and private universities you would still have to pay for.
if TTU is unaffordable, then it’s off the table.
But before you do so, remember to look at your whole package: have you filled out FAFSA? if not, do so ASAP. You should qualify for a federal loan ($7,500) and a state loan.
Your mother’s right though: you’re 20. You can go to orientation on your own (or with a friend). Very few people will go with a parent (or, to be honest, pretty much none). You can handle it 
Another possibility is for you to stay one more semester at community college, taking classes that increase your GPA, so that you’re a more competitive candidate, and applying for Fall 2017 (there are more scholarships for Fall anyway).
Yes, many students don’t know that if they start in community college they are no longer eligible for the best scholarships.
However, full rides are very, very rare. Even full tuition scholarships only apply to about 1% students.
Apply more widely -
As for college costs, it’s a concern for most presidential candidates, so check out vlogbrothers next Tuesday (video) or read the different platforms. The best ways to effect change is to vote and to get involved in organizations that work toward change.
Look at colleges listed in #3 - there may be scholarships for you (especially in Missouri and Utah, where you can easily become “instate” after a year.)
Like stated do not turn down Tech just yet. What you really need to do is complete FASA and apply to the schools you are interested in. Once you get accepted and find out your financial situation you can then compare and contrast what schools best fit for you. I also agree that you can handle orientation on your own regardless of the school you select. Choosing a college can be stressful but it is also a fun experience. Get that FASA done ASAP because it is hard to move forward without it.
@MYOS1634 and @Grainraiser, I completed the FAFSA the day it opened. I rather not receive any loans, those are a headache and received them while at community college. I’m 23 years old and I want my mum to be there for me, I understand I am of age, but at the same time it would be nice if I had my parents show me the support. I’m done with a community college, graduated and completed the most hours there to transfer out. I’ll wait on Tech, but I cannot wait too long.
You have to complete FASA to receive any grants you may qualify for. Do you already have the money to pay for college. If not how are you going to pay for it. Just because you offered loans does not mean you have to accept them. You have the option to say if you like. I thought I heard you say you needed scholarships to attend school. You need to tackle your finances first. As a side note do you own a car.
@Grainraiser, I’ve already completed the FAFSA. The FAFSA opened up on October 1, 2016 and as soon as it opened I completed it that morning just to get it out of the way. Yes, I own a car.
Okay I missed that part. Just apply to the schools you are interested and wait for their decision. You then go thru the pros/cons and make your decision. Their is not much else you can do at this point. I would suggest you keep all of your options open until decision time. My son was in somewhat the same boat in that the school he wanted to attend took the longest to accept him. In the end it all worked out for him and he is happy with his choice.
i agree the the above suggestions.