The University of Texas - Austin

AP and CLEP out of all the requirements. Don't take the "learning for learning's sake" talk. Some basic requirement classes can hit you hard, like Calculus. Even if the class is moderate, A's aren't always a done deal.

If you're going to take classes here, take the ones for your major. Since I'm an Economics major, I took Micro/Macro here even though I could've tested out. But for things like Spanish or Sciences, get all that stuff out of the way.

If you feel the intellectual urge, honestly, you should've done better in High School to get into UT's Plan II program. Honors programs like that are great when you want genuine learning. All I'm saying is not to take a hit in your GPA for some lame intro class. Get a 4.0 for lower division courses and reserve those B's and C's for Junior and Senior Year.Though people are friendly here, UT can be boring for people who aren't into the live music scene, especially freshmen. I spent about 80% on campus, and frankly there isn't much to do here. Downtown is a little better, but make sure friends go along with you, and bring sufficient spending money. It's certainly not something you can do every weekend.

1st Year Male -- Class 2005

University Resource Use/ spending: A+, Scholastic Success: D-