University of Texas in Brownsville

University of Texas in Brownsville: Who’s the Right Fit?

The University of Texas in Brownsville is known throughout the country for its academic excellence, and Brownsville residents are proud to be from a town with such a prestigious university. Prestigious as it is, a UT Brownsville education isn’t for everyone. You’re most likely to thrive at this school if:

You’re Patient and Committed
Most of the programs offered at the University of Texas in Brownsville are for bachelor’s degrees, meaning that they usually take four years and can almost never be completed in less than two. There are, of course, clear advantages to studying a subject over the course of several years. Not only will you graduate with an intimate knowledge of every facet of the subject, but you will demonstrate to future employers and business partners your ability to keep long-term commitments. At the same time, the years you spent earning a bachelor’s degree could instead have been spent working. You should thus never enroll in a bachelor’s program unless you have a passion for the subject and the patience to wait four years. If you’d rather move quickly into a career, local trade schools like the Southern Careers Institute can teach you the required skills in less than a year.

You Pursue Knowledge
Liberal arts universities like the University of Texas in Brownsville view education as an end in itself. Although getting a degree may help you get a job and earn money, the primary reason to get one is so that you can understand the subject better and communicate it to others. By contrast, trade schools view knowledge as a means to an end; you study a subject because it will help you get a job, not because you have a passion for it. Neither of these approaches to education is inherently right or wrong. It all depends on your personality. If you have a passion for learning itself, the University of Texas in Brownsville will be a good fit.

You Make Big Investments
Like any four-year liberal arts university, the University of Texas in Brownsville is expensive. Full-time in-state students must pay $3,000 a semester in tuition and required fees. Over four years, this adds up to $24,000, and that’s not taking into account the cost of housing, transportation, and missed work. Out-of-state students have to pay three times that much. By contrast, you can receive a diploma at most trade schools for less than $20,000. The higher cost of the University of Brownsville in Texas doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t go, but if you aren’t comfortable making big investments, it probably isn’t for you.

You’re Comfortable in Big Crowds
The University of Texas in Brownsville has a student body of over 8,000. For those who love to socialize, organize, or network, this is good news. The university will afford you no shortage of opportunities to meet friends, future business partners, and other valuable colleagues. At the same time, many find a large student body daunting. Being surrounded by thousands of students can be overwhelming, and will make it hard to communicate with professors and campus authorities. As usual, the university’s size is not necessarily good or bad; it all depends on what you want. No school is right for everyone, and even among those who like big investments and the pursuit of knowledge, the University of Texas in Brownsville may not be a good fit. For more information on finding the right school, contact the Southern Careers Institute today.