RE: TCU - What's the attraction
Wow, massive lack of charity here (which is not surprising).
What's the case for TCU? I readily admit that it is not "top 20" academics, and there's not room in all the entering classes of such schools for all the capable students who might thrive in strong, private university environment. TCU does offer a private university experience in a unique city with incredibly updated living and learning facilities, the major college sports scene, and a wide range of academic programs that are plenty strong (even if not "elite"). If you wanted to study Business, Music, or Journalism, TCU could be a destination school. If you want the liberal arts, solid science/Pre-med prep, education, nursing, then TCU will provide a very solid experience with faculty who will go to bat for you, even if it is not "best" at these things.
Are there some vapid, shallow, and mediocre students attending TCU? Sure. But, there are lots of serious students too. The folks I knew best have gone on to great success in academic life, graduated from professional schools, and have great careers. This was the intellectual crowd at TCU, and it is accessible and vibrant for those who are motivated to extract the most from the academic environment. BTW, one of my roommates and best friends (groomsman at my wedding) was a Goldwater Scholar and earned his Ph.D in Mathematics from Rice. There was another TCU grad in the Math department at the same time that my friend would readily admit was more brilliant than he was. If Rice's Math department is admitting so many TCU grads, then either they are not so bad, or this forum needs to scrutinize the Rice math department in a big way.
(This post was last modified: 06-10-2013 02:15 PM by TCU2002.)
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