Freshmen pose with their newly-learned Cougar paws near Cougar Village. From left to right: Whitney Walters, Morgan McBurnett, Gabriela Blanco, Lauren Poland and Beau Enochs. | Hendrick Rosemond/The Daily Cougar
If finance and mathematics freshman Michael Scott were to drive home for the weekend, he would spend about 21 hours in the car and pass through a couple different states to end up back in Wrightstown, Wis., but that’s part of the price he pays to attend his dream school.
Scott is not alone, though. Students have historically traveled from all over the city, state, country and even the world for a variety of reasons. Spring 2012 enrollment statistics show 21.5 percent of students traveled from counties adjacent to Harris county while 10.9 percent traveled from counties even farther away.
After declining a full National Merit Scholarship package to several schools, such as the University of Central Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the University of Nebraska, Scott accepted a full-ride scholarship to UH and journeyed more than 1,300 miles to Houston.
“I wanted to get more exposure and explore, and Houston is the place for that,” Scott said.
A scholarship can take care of college fees, but some freshmen came to UH to prepare for the post-college expenses.
Mechanical engineering freshman Juan Gallegos and finance freshman Stephanie Reyes decided to enroll for the career opportunities made possible by both a UH degree and living in Houston.
“UH has a world-class engineering program in the energy capital of the world. No other college that offers such a good price in tuition can offer such a high-quality education in a city where the petroleum industry is growing like crazy,” Gallegos said.
Others, like pre-business freshman Becky Ho, were enticed by the single-loss football season last fall, and the major renovations and construction happening across campus.
“I chose UH because I’m from Houston, and I wanted to be a part of its growing prominence. From the new buildings to sports, it seems as if everything is getting better,” Ho said.
A major incentive for prospective students to come to UH may be found in the improvements in both academic and nonacademic fields. The average SAT test scores for the incoming freshman class continues to increase with 2012 hitting 1134. According to the President’s Report, this number is inside the range for Tier One public colleges.
Additionally, freshmen enrollment has hit the 2012 goal at 3,382 students despite falling below the numbers from 2010 and 2011. Transfer rates have also increased, according to the President’s Report.
Students come from far and wide to UH and for a variety of reasons. And although freshmen like Scott live far from family and friends, Scott says he hasn’t regretted his decision to come to UH.
“It is different being away, but so far, I love it here,” Scott said.
Students of the UH reporting class contributed research to this account.
