Hi, I am a high school senior from New York but am strongly considering the University of Houston since I am guaranteed a full-ride scholarship as a National Merit Finalist. I just wanted to hear from other students (or people that just know about the college) about how the teacher education program is there, for undergrads at least.
My other two choices are Ohio State University (which has offered me a full-tuition scholarship) and CUNY Queens College (which I might get a full-tuition scholarship to via Macaulay Honors College). I understand that both of these schools are more prestigious and Queens has a notoriously good teacher education program, but I don’t value prestige that much, and honestly think I favor UH over either of these two schools. Queens is a 99% commuter school and a bit too close home for me, whereas Ohio State is not very culturally diverse (I’m really looking forward to a diverse environment in college, according to College Board UH is very diverse), a tad too inland for me (I need to be near the beach, plain and simple) and I fear it may be overly athletic-focused. However, I would like to hear from students at UH. Thank you!
EDIT: Also, would it be difficult to live without a car as a UH student?
Hey, there! I’m a UH student (not NMF, but Tier One Scholar). Like you, I’m out-of-state (from Illinois). I can’t really tell you much about the education program, unfortunately. What I can tell you, however, is that there are a ton of education-outreach programs at the University. For example, I know students who lead a chapter of Strive For College at a nearby low-income high school. Essentially, they help students find and apply to college and scholarships, since many of them, even those in the top of their class, don’t know how, as many of them are first-generation. I also know of an SAT preparation course at the high school that is headed by UH students. Also, there is an afterschool program at WALIPP, a nearby middle school, that finds fun ways to teach students science and math topics. So, there are a lot of education-related programs at UH, if that interests you (I imagine that it does). Also, by the way, UH is the 2nd-most diverse school in the nation!
Houston is a pretty spread-out city, and the campus is about a 15 minute drive from downtown and 10 minutes from midtown, where all the really good restaurants are. Having a car is recommended. However, Metro plans on opening a Light Rail in about a month or so, so having a car may not be necessary at all, as it will connect to the med center, midtown, and downtown.
Education is a strength at UH. Its College of Education grad programs were ranked #110 last year by US News; not as high as OSU but certainly noteworthy. Their Honors College is excellent (apply if you haven’t already) and for cultural diversity it would be very hard to top UH. Going into a field like teacher education where your salary is not going to be toward the high end of the scale, it is important to minimize your debt. The offer you have from UH would provide you with a well-enough recognized degree with no debt and sounds like your best option.
Not sure if it’s too late for you to apply, but Drexel University is in Unversity City, Philadelphia and has that urban vibe you are looking for. They have a unique school of education that does a lot with inner city kids. National Merit Finalist full tuition scholarship.
School spirit is so-so; nothing like Ohio State or UT-Austin. UH has made great strides in becoming more of a residential campus, but tons of students still commute. The new football stadium is nice, but average attendance is probably in the ballpark of 25,000 at the games I’ve been to. Probably comparable to someplace like Stony Brook or Rutgers.