Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 16:50     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Um, no. Like SMU, it’s a school for wealthy full pay kids across the academic spectrum. The only thing that has changed recently is the regional appeal of schools in the South (including Texas) to kids from the northeast and mid-Atlantic.


This^. In Texas Rice is the only elite private school. Second tier is Baylor, SMU, Trinity and TCU. Some good students go to these schools for merit scholarships and others for proximity. However, majority goes because either they can't get into Rice and UT, not allowed to go out of state, don't want to attend UNT, UTD, UH and other random state schools etc so parents make a deal to pay for private school to keep them at a driving distance.


Correct re Rice. Lumping Trinity in with Baylor, SMU, and TCU is wrong. Plenty families who prefer Trinity to UT College of Liberal Arts for the SLAC profile. Trinity is just a different experience than UT, TCU, SMU, and Baylor. Much more of the UT Plan II feel. UT McCombs and Cockrell, on par with Rice.

Trinity's endowment is $2 billion for 2,500 undergrads. IIRC, Baylor, SMU, TCU have endowments around that for 10K+ students.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 16:38     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
TCU has been a USNWR Top 100 school for quite a while. Kids get good educations there. Leave the mother alone and let her enjoy her kid’s admission and stop parsing whether it is “elite”.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 16:32     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Big 12 academic prestige


I’m sure it’s a lovely school but what exactly is Big 12 academic prestige? The Big12 kind of makes the SEC look like the Ivy League. Which of schools are prestigious?

Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, and West Virginia


The post you responded to reads like it was written by the marketing department at TCU.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 16:12     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:Big 12 academic prestige


I’m sure it’s a lovely school but what exactly is Big 12 academic prestige? The Big12 kind of makes the SEC look like the Ivy League. Which of schools are prestigious?

Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, and West Virginia
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 16:08     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have never even heard of this school!


TCU is a school for Chads. It might not have the academic pedigree of Rice down the road, but chuds don't get far there socially. If you haven't heard of it, you probably don't run in the cool clique.


Run in the cool clique?! Chads and chuds? Actually laughing out loud. I guess the college students have found this forum. Or some parent is really nuts. At least now I know the T stands for Texas (Rice down the road) and not Tennessee.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 14:29     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Yes, it has become elite. It used to be school for spoiled rich kids, but so did USC. Things change. TCU now has a rising ranking, Big 12 academic prestige, and a great location in a growing, thriving part of Texas. With the connections you make at TCU, you can write your ticket.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:26     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Something tells me Taylor Sheridan does not get dictated to about what he highlights in his shows. I think it's whatever he wishes to highlight.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:24     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Did TCU pay for placement? Maybe? Universities pay to have sports teams that have nothing to do with academics so ... why not? It's all for promotion, right? Have a winning sports team and applications rise. Send a bunch of brochures, film placement, etc.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:19     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
I think Taylor Sheridan is proud of Texas and highlighted the various colleges - scrappy sharp upstart attended Texas Tech, Rich daughter of guy who worked hard and "made it" attended TCU, etc. I didn't see mocking of TCU - where each character attended school made sense. TCU students were rich but not jerks - that captures my impressions.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:17     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It’s not elite academically on the level of CalTech but it’s an acceptable strong college amongst UMC/rich known for “nice” (meaning good citizens, generally polite, leadership volunteering etc) mostly Christian, families. The John Hamm rich investor in Landman sent his kids there - no surprise.


Do we think TCU actually paid to be in Landman...because I thought the show actually portrays the school in a very negative light. Almost like Taylor Sheridan was mocking the school for some reason.


To be fair, nothing in Landman is painted in a good light.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:07     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:It’s not elite academically on the level of CalTech but it’s an acceptable strong college amongst UMC/rich known for “nice” (meaning good citizens, generally polite, leadership volunteering etc) mostly Christian, families. The John Hamm rich investor in Landman sent his kids there - no surprise.


Do we think TCU actually paid to be in Landman...because I thought the show actually portrays the school in a very negative light. Almost like Taylor Sheridan was mocking the school for some reason.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:02     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Um, no. Like SMU, it’s a school for wealthy full pay kids across the academic spectrum. The only thing that has changed recently is the regional appeal of schools in the South (including Texas) to kids from the northeast and mid-Atlantic.


This^. In Texas Rice is the only elite private school. Second tier is Baylor, SMU, Trinity and TCU. Some good students go to these schools for merit scholarships and others for proximity. However, majority goes because either they can't get into Rice and UT, not allowed to go out of state, don't want to attend UNT, UTD, UH and other random state schools etc so parents make a deal to pay for private school to keep them at a driving distance.


Except that TCU is more than 50% out of state students.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 13:00     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
To be fair Texas schools have bad reputation due to people disliking state politics but schools themselves are as good as any other state. Rice and UT are very liberal campuses.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 12:59     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:An acquaintance from the neighborhood has been really bragging about her kid getting in there. Unlike many people in this area, I don't keep up with college rankings, acceptance rates, prestige tiers and the like, but I've only really heard of TCU because of football and certainly never heard anyone else imply it's an elite school. This woman has always been a bit of a BSer when it comes to the accomplishments of her kid, who is truthfully kind of average in every way. I assume this situation is no different and just wanted to be sure.


Glad you posted to get group input than Googling, troll.
Anonymous
Post 03/04/2026 12:55     Subject: Is TCU considered elite?
Anonymous wrote:Um, no. Like SMU, it’s a school for wealthy full pay kids across the academic spectrum. The only thing that has changed recently is the regional appeal of schools in the South (including Texas) to kids from the northeast and mid-Atlantic.


This^. In Texas Rice is the only elite private school. Second tier is Baylor, SMU, Trinity and TCU. Some good students go to these schools for merit scholarships and others for proximity. However, majority goes because either they can't get into Rice and UT, not allowed to go out of state, don't want to attend UNT, UTD, UH and other random state schools etc so parents make a deal to pay for private school to keep them at a driving distance.