Hello all - My daughter has been accepted to both Trinity University in San Antonio and to UT-Austin for Classical Languages Major and Plan 2.
She and we (her parents) are trying to weigh the options.
UT-Austin seems to have a much bigger, deeper, and broader program for Classics (including grad classes - she’s taking post-AP Latin this year), while Plan 2 provides a smaller cohort and smaller, unique classes within the large uni.
Trinity U has a decent Classics dept for its size but seems less challenging and broad academically. She’s also interested in Linguistics, which Trinity has a minor in, but not many courses.
My daughter prefers the small, supportive, and community feel of Trinity U, while recognizing that UT-Austin and Plan 2 are probably more ambitious academically. She’s not crazy about the big-school, football-focused culture at UT-A, and the admin headaches of being a number at such a huge school.
Right now she thinks she wants to go grad school for Classical Languages or Classical Archaeology.
Do you think if she does well at Trinity U, she’d still have options for top Classics grad programs? Or would Plan 2 at UT-A give her a significant advantage?
Any other advice on choosing which to go to?
(She got a scholarship to Trinity so the costs will be very similar at either. We’re in-state for UT-A.)
Plan II is a coveted admit that will impress on her resume, and the student experience is widely lauded. The question is whether the Plan II experience would sufficiently mitigate the attributes she dislikes in a large, bureaucratic public university. I think it’s very possible that it would give her the best of both worlds - a more intimate academic community and the benefits of a top-tier flagship university.
I recommend Trinity quite often here, having heard great things both from family members who attended, and from former faculty. I’m just not sure it wins over Plan II in this particular scenario.
At minimum, if this were my kid, I would want her to attend an admitted students’ event for Plan II and see whether it assuages her concerns about attending UT. If she still prefers Trinity, that’s fair, but Plan II is an opportunity that deserves a chance to win her over.
I think this is more a case of big school vs. small. UT is still a humongous school overall - with all that entails, from sports and being smack in the big city (although Trinity is a city school too) but further from downtown.
I would check, not just offerings, but how often they are offered - at both schools - given the major. Plan II is some of your classes (they say 1/3 so it’s substantive) but not all classes.
Plan II gets a Bachelor in, well Plan II. What does one do with that? Is there a double major option - with Classics? If so, does it add time - given Plan II has a lot of required classes. Do any of those help the Classics major?
These are the things I want to know - but on paper, it sounds like Trinity will be a shorter path to their desires. But I don’t 100% know - so I’d ask those questions.
Then there’s the environment - does the student want all UT entails - from sports to homeless near campus and more?
And you already noted that Trinity is preferred - so Trinity.
I think what happens is - when someone gets into something they feel was out of touch reality wise - like wow, this is really good, how can I say no?, they wonder if they attend.
But one has to be somewhere four years, day after day. You don’t want to choose a place for perception vs. what would work best for your experience.
Obviously both are fantastic options - so congrats to her - but one is clearly more in line with her desires.
You can do a double major with Plan II and Classics - most Plan II students do a double major, and Plan II offers academic advising on how to fit everything in. She applied to Plan II because she met a UT Classics prof that recommended it for her.
I guess it goes back to - she prefers the Trinity environment.
I imagine academics will know Plan II - but if she decided to get a job, I’m not sure Plan II - like any Honors - matters much - if people have even heard of it.
Some colleges don’t have Honors curriculums because all the classes are Honors levels.
I guess the one hesitancy I caught from what you said was - Trinity’s program might be smaller - so then I ask - does it have not just the classes in the catalogue but are they offered regularly (same question UTA). If the answer was no at Trinity but the UT environment wasn’t right, is there a 3rd smaller school with a big classics program that might work?
Given the grad school path, you might ask for career outcomes from both departments - are both placing well in grad school. I imagine so - but the departments will certainly have data. Unfortunately, Trinity doesn’t seem to show career outcomes. Nor does UT Austin, except for McCombs….that I can find anyway. Sad.
But ask…..just to make sure she can get to her next step - although i’m confident she can from both.
She also applied to Haverford, Bryn Mawr. and Holy Cross, which are smallish LACs with good classics, probably a bit better than Trinity. We’ll hear back from them in March, so we have time to make the decision
My daughter is a HS senior and she’s also studying classics. When we visited UT, she wasnt interested in the huge state school even though they have a very good Classics department so she didnt even apply and chose to go elsewhere.
The campus can be quite crowded in a very hectic environment. If she has hesitations about the big school campus with its burearcracy, not sure UT is a great fit. It definitely has a very strong college football culture.
UT generates more football revenue than any school in the country.
If cost matters and you are full pay, you know what Haverford will cost. I wouldn’t assume any of the three are better than Trinity - because better entails other things - like lots of kids get homesick, is being farther from home ok?, etc.
But yes, you could very well not be choosing from these two - although it’s nice to pick out a favorite.
When I look at different rankings, and I don’t know they mean anything, UT always comes up. On the first link, there is 57 pages - and UT comes up on the first, and none of the others on the first two..
On the Campus Reel, Holy Cross comes #20, while UT at #31. It’s interesting Mary Washington - a regional is #5 - the other year it was #1.
Then you have Plexxus who says HC is #14, Texas #30, Trinity #31,
Then you have College Transitions - HC #18, BM #23, Trinity #31, UT #38, and Haverford unraked.
Hopefully, after visiting all, one will stand out to your student (and will be affordable) - like I feel home. Assuming each has enough “offerings”, in quantity and frequency, I’m sure they can’t go wrong. Is she ok with religious (HC)?
Thank you. Plan 2 is really prestigious so congrats on getting accepted. You aren’t in the mass pool with other students. But the school itself can be overwhelming. IMO, that’s the trade off.
Im a believer that you have to love the school to have a great experience. But that’s just my opinion.
From what we heard from professors, Trinty has from 3-10 Classics majors per year, and UT-A has more like 25-50 (depending on if you count double majors and minors). Both depts are small, relative to the size of the uni, and both are good.
I think the issue is whether my daughter should choose the school with the culture/size she prefers (Trinity), or if she should go with what seems like the more academically challenging (Plan 2/UT-A) and perhaps better for getting into grad school (the professors have told her she can take grad classes as an undergrad).
She realizes Plan 2 provides a smaller cohort within UT-A for making friends and developing close relationships with professors, but you’re still living on campus, sharing dorms and campus with thousands of other students (freshman class is 9,000+ compared to about 600 at Trinity). There are lots of big parties and huge tailgate parties for football, which she’s not interested in, etc. She realizes she’ll find her people at UT-A but thinks won’t feel as part of the community as a whole.
Her current high school is a big public Texas school that is similar to UT-A; she’s found her way but I think she longs to feel more a part of the mainstream culture/community, which she thinks she’d feel more at Trinity.
I appreciate the advice of others who say students tend to do best (academically and emotionally) at schools where they like the general ‘vibe’.
Also we’re still waiting to hear back from more schools in March so this is a little premature, but Trinity and UT-A have been her top choices because she likes the idea of staying in-state.
Why do you assume Plan !! is more academically challenging - and is she even interested in those classes?
My bigger concern with Trinity - with 3-10 majors would be the amount of classes offered (catalogue) but the frequency of them. Is there any variety - that’s what I’d want to look at. If a class is in the catalogue but offered every 4th year, it’s not of much value.
There is a possibility but no guarantee on the grad school classes.
Maybe neither is right - if one of the other three come through and offer a Masters, then perhaps she can go to that school and take classes…I see Trinity doesn’t offer a Masters. I don’t see, based on what you described, that UTA would be the right fit. But maybe like others, she can adjust. A school like UTA will have all kinds of kids.
Personally, I wouldn’t let the ability to take grad school classes as an undergrad color my decision. Few end up doing that.
Maybe she can visit UT again - I’m sure it’s got other advantages over the rest - namely cost for a major that is likely to lead to a low paying future - although that may be of zero concern to you. From a visit to UT, walking around, the dining hall, etc. - she’ll either be like - I can handle…or heck no.