WORKING!!!
Here goes.
I am sure that you could do a Texas/aggy search here and find many of my takes on the two schools. Those posts have spawned multpile PM's from former aggy Corps members who claim that the many of the problems that plagued the A&M Corps (and earned a reputation as a joke of a unit) while I was in college (1998-2002) have been "fixed". OK, I respect their opinion and trust that they have good sources. The fact remains that old reputations don't change overnight, and the folks at A&M have a while to wait for their reputation to get fixed. IMHO, they still make fools of themselves virtually every time they get on national TV (which is getting fewer and further between due to their football team sucking to such a high degree).
Aggys will tell you about their great "tradition". OK.... saluting dogs? Beating the crap out of each other (like you already mentioned)? Not sitting down at football games? Not being able to wear a hat to a football game? These are just a few of their great traditions. Look, I am all for tradition. However, if the definition of a "tradition" is "a stupid act that we only do because we have done it forever", then count me out. Some others like (help me out here) "roll call" where they honor classmates who have died are kind of neat.
Rare 21 and I were classmates at Texas, so we obviously had very similar experiences. I came in as a prior enlisted, 3rd class Petty Officer and I was very happy to find that the folks running the Unit were going to treat me like an adult. It was made clear to us that our #1 job was to get a 1st rate college education and our time was not going to be wasted with Mickey Mouse bullshit. ROTC obligations were "normal" from what I gather from talking to other people, but at Texas, they are also "minimal". The most important thing for me was that they were flexible. I walked on the football team my freshman year, so they understood that I was getting plenty of workouts in that respect. As such, I did not have to do the morning PT with the unit. I just showed up and maxed out 2 PRTs a year, and that was good enough.
As long as you keep a regulation haircut at Texas, that's fine. No need for the super-moto-corps-cut.
At Texas your free time is your time. The only real exception to this is a few hours of required "study time" as a freshman. That consists of sitting on a couch in the lounge and doing your reading, or using the computer lab to do your homework. You do it in civilian clothes. It's relaxed. They just want to make sure that the freshmen are cracking their books. If you want to join the drill team, pistol team, color guard, sailing team, then that's fine. If not, go join a frat, get a job, or try out for one of the NCAA sports. I played football, there was a guy a few years ahead of me on the track team, and there was a baseball player 2 years behind me.
For our first 2 years, we had a USMC Colonel as a ROTC CO, and the last 2 years we had a Navy Capt. Both were outstanding officers and leaders who kept the unit running well. The only real difference in policy was that we wore uniforms twice a week during the Marine's tenure, only once a week during the Capt's time. You will have a 3 hour "drill" class, and one 3 hour Naval Science class every semester. That, PT, and a couple of unit events (like hosting a regional drill meet) is the extent of your ROTC obligation.
There is no comparison to night life in Austin vs. College Station. There just isn't. Austin has more clubs/bars/resturants in a half mile on 6th Street than all of College Station. Enough said.
If you like sports, either as a fan or participant, Texas is the clear choice. The Longhorns' football team will win more home games in your first two years in Austin than you would see your entire time in College Station. The aggy football team is in the crapper, their recruiting sucks, their coaching is suspect, and they are not getting any better any time soon. I think that aggy might have a slight edge on us in women's soccer, but that's pretty much it.
I know that high school students at Texas seem to keep the reputation that The University is ultra liberal, anti-military, anti-conservative, etc? I honestly never experienced any of that. I came from a small town, grew up on a ranch, am gun owning, and was very outspoken in class (I was a Government major,BTW [what Texas calls Poly-Sci]). Sure, Austin has more that it's share of granola crunching hippies. So what? If you fear hippies and out-of-the-box thinking, then go to a place where "tradition" is the rule of the land. If you want to be a grown up and have a well rounded college experience, then Austin is the place for you.
The current air officer at Texas is another former classmate of mine. If you want his number, just PM me. I am sure that he would be happy to give you a guided tour.
If you have any questions, fire away.
