The University of Houston

Date: Nov 06 2011
Major: Journalism (This Major's Salary over time)
The University of Houston is not a typical college in America. I have been at this school for four and years and will be graduating in May. I've had both good and bad experiences here, but if I had to go back to the past, I'd probably do it differently.

Lets start off with the campus - The campus isn't ugly, but its not like you're at a public-ivy, which UH is trying to become. There is constant construction and parking is insane. The school has nearly 40,000 students and parking for probably half of that. The campus is in the heart of the ghetto (5th ward) although, I have not been harmed in any way, I have heard of several instances of students who have had bad experiences. I personally feel the school isn't doing enough about the surrounding area. If it was up to me, I'd built a gate around the school. Rice and USC are both in gated communities. UH is a city school;its not a college town. Therefore, something has to be addressed about the issue. With so many students and a population still growing, the school is congested and it takes a very long time to find parking and/or to leave school. Hopefully, they will expand the campus sometime in the near future. Another issue that should be addressed is the amount of graffiti that is written on some of the bathroom walls. This is the a huge reflection on the type of students that get accepted into the school—more on this later.

Students - this is the nucleus of the problem of the school. The school needs to raise its admission standards and requirements. If it were up to me, I'd require a mandatory essay like UT-Austin does. If you want to be Tier 1 institution, you need to look and act the part. I'm sorry to sound condescending but sometimes when I see the students, I wonder,

How did these guys pass high school?

Some of the students sound and talk like fake-gangsters. I'm not talking about the ones from the Sopranos, but the ghetto kids from HoustonISD (HISD), one of the worst school districts in Houston. The high school seniors from good schools in good areas usually don't go to UH. They go to schools like UT, AM and Rice or even Tech. Majority of the students at this school are products of the horrible education that HISD provides—not from the best areas of Houston. I was honestly shocked to see how some of these students behave and dress. Some of them still wear baggy jeans and speak like rappers. Many of the students are friendly and helpful but you still have your handful that are very rude.

The students do show pride in their school, and it has grown since I've started. Unfortunately, for the most part, the students are not involved in the school or any on campus activities. Most of the students have no knowledge of any club or activity. The social scene isn't the most extravagant. In most of my classes the students are in such a hurry to leave when class is over. Nobody stays and socializes. It is not easy to meet people at this school. They don't have as many frats as other schools. College is about making memories and having a good time. Most of the students here just go to class and leave, which makes plenty of them very unfriendly. Another horrible fact is that about a third of the students in my classes skip class. A good portion of the students don't take their education seriously. Attendance shouldn't be mandatory in college, but it is pathetic that at this school students need to be treated like babies—they are very immature. I'm a journalism major and the majority of the students don't even watch the news or are cognizant of contemporary issues. The students are not the brightest bunch. When is the last time you've seen a UH graduate make a national impact? Majority of the girls are just here to get a degree. They either go to college because they have to or because they have nothing else to do. For some odd reason, I would say more than half of the girls here smoke. If you are looking for a quality girl, this school is not the place to find them. They are mostly: fat, slutty, do drugs or all of the above. They're are ALOT of fat girls at this school;i MUST warn you. This school does not have much of a scenery. UH stands for University of Heavy Set Women. The age gap is from 18-45. They're are ALOT of old people here. It is really annoying to have that one old person in your class who asks the most mundane questions. It really makes you feel depressed how the school has so many degenerates and failures in life—you worry if that is going to happen to you.

The school prides itself on diversity but the truth is that the school is extremely racially-segregated. There is hardly any mixing. Whites with whites, blacks with blacks etc. This makes the school very racist and you can easily sense the tension among many students.

The student newspaper is run by idiots.

Overall, the campus and student body has a negative vibe and it is very depressing. The commuter and lack of quality students aspect is the main problem that this school has. IF ANYONE ON THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE IS READING THIS, YOU NEED TO RAISE THE STANDARDS. I'm sick of these ghetto students that this school readily accepts.

On a more positive note—the professors here have been great. The majority of them are very intelligent have excelled in their respected fields of study. I have had very good experiences with the professors and counselors.

The school has taken the initiative to make improvements but still has a long way to go. The athletics are not worth bragging about, because the football team faces teams that are just as good as high school teams. That's like being the tallest kid in a midget contest. The games are OK. They are not the atmosphere of a UT or LSU football game.

Overall, from an educational standpoint, the school is pretty good. The quality of students, atmosphere and athletics need tremendous work. The majority of the students don't even know what this Tier 1 thing is about. To generate more school spirit, you need to create an environment that the students love—more activities, clubs, restaurants and a college experience. This school doesn't prove the best of those. That is why most people transfer out of this school or fail somewhere else and END up here. Good things don't begin at the University of Houston. I want to invent a shirt that says

What went wrong in my life for this to happen?

I do speak for the majority of the student body. People are not happy with this school. It only works for the people who just go to class and leave or want to go back to school. IT IS VERY BORING!!! How can you possibly go to a school where the students still vandalize it? (There is so much graffiti in the bathrooms)

When I drove around Houston and I see drivers of luxurious cars with the emblems of their Alma Matters on them, it makes me upset that I went to a piece-of-crap institution like UH. You'll see so many BMW's with the Longhorn symbol or Mercedes Benz' with the A&M symbol, but you'll only see a beat up ford with a UH logo on it.

This school doesn't provide you with a good college experience because of the lackluster student body. I guarantee the students at other schools like UT are much smarter, more sophisticated and have brighter futures.

Luckily, for graduate school I'm going somewhere else that provides students with more intellectual accomplishments. Not this community college-turned University. I want to be PROUD of my Alma Matter, not embarrassed.

This is the place where you feel sorry for people. Where people talk about how much fun other people are having at other schools. People look down at this school for all these reasons. I can't wait to get out of this hell-hole.