Dude trust me its no big deal. I’ve witnessed some valedictorians going to community college before. You have the right to give the speech because academically, you were at the top. Don’t disregard your accomplishments. Have some faith in yourself.
Both my kids went to colleges where they did not know a single person in the freshman class (one as an acquaintance in the class ahead of them, but that was it). Everyone is looking for new friends at the start of freshman year – you will make friends if you go to Rice. You have worked hard to give yourself opportunities in college – now is the time to take advantage of this great offer you have from Rice. Lots of people would love to have that chance.
I’m sorry for your situation. On the bright side, UT is renowned for its engineering department, and once you’re working, hardly anyone cares where you go to school anyway.
There is still a chance for you to transfer to a better school. As a freshman, your high school grades count a lot more, and that obviously won’t be an issue for you. Just make sure to do just as well in college and pursue a few more activities (as well as to talk to the professors at your dream schools) and see how you do when you apply for transfers. Good luck!
@maxwellseq, I don’t think the OP wanted to attend any of those other schools anyway… is just embarrassed not to be admitted. If you read the thread, she is in at Rice, and it is cheaper… now is trying to decide whether to attend Rice.
@rasofia
congratulations on Rice, even if all that money throws a wrench in your plans 
I know that you love UT, Austin and want to stay with your friends. That really sounded ideal: top school, great city, close to family and friends. Now there’s this world class school offering a place for $10,000 a year to you.
As a parent, I will tell you your parents are probably praying you take Rice’s offer. $45,000 in loans (I’m assuming you’ll get full tuition scholarship freshman year) is a lot of money and it will affect you while you’re still a college student. Or rather, the absence of loans and easy affordability of college will have a positive affect - you may be able to choose unpaid opportunities over having to earn money every year to lower the debt level.
Don’t get me wrong, I hear you about Houston It doesn’t compare to Austin. But Rice is a great school. As for being away from family and friends, think of this as an opportunity to expand your circle.
I encouraged my daughter last year to try the “scary options” (OOS schools) because she could always return to an in state public without cost penalty. It sounds the same for you. You’re not giving up any UT money by going to Rice. Try the unknown. Go for the adventure. If it just doesn’t work out, you can transfer back to UT. What you cannot do is go to UT and then change your mind and transfer to Rice - you will have given up the scholarships.
If , OTOH, your parents and you can pay $10,000 year for college, your UT loan amount would really be $5000 a year, which means you graduate with $15,000 in loans. That’s more than reasonable. In that case, maybe stick with your first choice, UT Austin.
(sorry, I’m not helping, am I?)
Its likely that in her senior year, when her brother will be out of college, will cost more.
Thank you to all of you who responded. I am taking all your advice and input very seriously because I really need all the help I can get right now.
I am going to try to contact UT financial aid and try out the whole “matching” thing although I don’t even know how to propose it. I’ll see what I can do.
Of course, I’ll also visit Rice (on a Monday) and see if I still feel the same. I will try talking to many students and faculty and …well, see how it works out. The thing is I’m secretly hoping I won’t like Rice as much as I liked UT because then it changes everything. Three days ago I was already planning out my future at UT, telling my family about the study abroad program, the research initiative freshman year, the women in engineering / hispanic organizations, and the internships that all the female engineering students talked about. The engineering program session at UT I feel left a greater impression on me than the one at Rice did.
Thank you all so much.!!
^But I will try to go in there with an open mind (to Rice).
Do they have accepted student visit days? (Maybe that is what you are going to). That is the best time to go. I am going to admit… I have no idea why you applied to all these schools when you were an auto admit to UT and had no interest in attending any of them. Along with your posts about not being sure why you worked so hard to be Val, you don’t really seem to know your own mind.
@rasofia
Texas is an awesome school but Rice is a top-20 school that will be more affordable for you. They are showing you some serious love. I think you should love them right back and take their offer.
There are scads of student right now who are just as upset they didn’t get into Rice, as you were a few days ago.
If you didn’t get to be a top student and Val, you’ll be dissapointed in another way. What’s done is done, you are only 18 and have most of your life ahead of you. You can have a more balanced life moving forward.
As long as no scholarship issue, ask your GC to call SMU and Baylor. Both are in Texas near you and give good scholarships to NMF, I am assuming that you are one. They may still accept you with a merit scholarship you pitch your case well. There would be no shame in going there as both are good schools that attract lots of top kids with full scholarships and everyone knows that many Val/Sal go where the money is.
You can’t go wrong with any of your choices. It will be exciting to return back to see if your impressions of the schools change. It is completely okay to feel uncertain. Please let us know how your visits go. Best Wishes to you!
You have shown you have the ability to learn. And you have discovered that you need to do what makes you happy rather than what you think will impress others. So now you can work on connecting those two things… learning how to listen to yourself, to figure out who you are, and to determine who you want to be. The rest will be easy with your talents. Best to be at this point now, with your life in front of you, than a decade and several degrees later, doing something you loathe for all the wrong reasons. Good luck!
If it’s any consolation then you’ll be the one walking on the stage, receiving that honor, giving that speech. I bet all of your classmate are going to be envious, regardless of where they are going. Give a heartfelt and funny speech. Tell them that like all of them, you are trying to figure out life as well and trying out a diffrent approach for college life. In bigger picture of life, none of this matters anyways. Luckily, you learned it early that success is not what it’s cracked up to be. Enjoy your awakening and find your balance. I missed earlier that you got a scholarship from Rice, go for it. It’s a great school, best in Texas.
@intparent I mentioned this previously, but basically…when I applied last December, I was SOOO close to not applying to UT at ALL! Why? I don’t really know. I just reasoned that if I were to go to UT or A&M, it’d be A&M (where my brother is at now). However, I did apply (very poorly might I add). I was then called by an Engineering student there, and then I visited. I loved it. I visited again. I loved it even more.
So, it’s crazy, but the one school that I was almost not going to apply to is the school that I now love the most.
^ Thank you to all of you above. I really appreciate it!!
@rasofia
“So, it’s crazy, but the one school that I was almost not going to apply to is the school that I now love the most.”
Omg I relate to this so much. BOTH of my two top choices right now are schools I never ever would have considered at all. I used to want to go far from home for college, but here I am, picking between schools that are both under 20 miles from my house. It’s crazy how it works out sometimes
@cookiestar I know!! It’s scary to think that I almost didn’t apply.
Damn this really hit home with me. I know this won’t be helpful, but I just want to let you know that you’re not alone. I did the study 24/7 cause it’ll be “good for my future” but I really lost my young teen days and the hs social life. Ik grades are important but I’m in the same boat as you, I really regret focusing on grades at the expense of everything else in my life. I hope we both have a better experience in college
@rasofia
“Well…now I REALLY have to re-consider. But this sucks…”
wow, this thread has veered off the rails into Crazytown.
just a few days ago you were crying in your Cheerios about rejections from 4 top 10 schools.
now a top 20 school is throwing money at you b/c they want you so badly …
AND YOU ARE LITERALLY COMPLAINING ABOUT IT !?!?!?
let me see if I have this straight:
FREAKING RICE UNIVERSITY WANTS YOU AND IS GIVING YOU SO MUCH MONEY IT WILL BE CHEAPER THAN YOUR STATE FLAGSHIP.
does that sound about right?
if my son gets this exact offer next year, I will be doing backflips.
my goodness. first-world problems indeed.