moving to dallas (richardson)

[DOMINATOR]

im moving to richardson next week... going to UT-Dallas. just wondered what there is to do in the area.
anyone here goin to UTD? if so ill probably see ya on the court.

[DirkFTW]

I'm now moving out of Richardson.

Just kidding. Welcome to Dallas. Hope this place grows on you and you convert to the good side. Unfortunately, my body cannot handle basketball anymore.

[GermanDunk]

Originally Posted by DirkFTW

I'm now moving out of Richardson.

Just kidding. Welcome to Dallas. Hope this place grows on you and you convert to the good side. Unfortunately, my body cannot handle basketball anymore.

The good side ? Fort Worth ?

[chumdawg]

Richardson itself is pretty dull, but it's not far removed from places where there are things to do. You staying at Waterview?

[DOMINATOR]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Richardson itself is pretty dull, but it's not far removed from places where there are things to do. You staying at Waterview?

yeah, Waterview building #31

Originally Posted by GermanDunk

The good side ? Fort Worth ?

good side as in Mavericks... since im a rockets fan.

[GermanDunk]

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

good side as in Mavericks... since im a rockets fan.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, so congrats for your move

[Evilmav2]

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

yeah, Waterview building #31

That's in phase two isn't it? If my aging memory isn't betraying me, I believe I used to live in apartment 3102 in the first year that phase opened...

[ty]

atleast you have Nickelrama

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Most people head to Addison for the night life where you're at. Too many people these days...

[Flacolaco]

I hear Richardson is very gay friendly...

[DOMINATOR]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

I hear Richardson is very gay friendly...

what? that fuckin sucks.

its kind of annoying trying to figure out all the stores/restaurants cuz there are no friggin signs for them when driving. im used to billboard heaven(hell).

[sike]

welcome...

[MissNU]

I visited Richardson once. It was your basic suburbia. Nothing noteworthy except for what Flaco mentioned....gay friendly suburbia lol. I had an old friend from there (gay) once.

[ty]

Spring Creek BBQ is all you need to know.

[FreshJive]

I was lured to UTD with the promise of a Waterview apartment all to myself, but they lured too many freshman with that same bait and we were all forced to share.

[vmac]

Richardson isn't bad at all. It's a lot like Sugar Land if you're familiar with that. I have cousins who live close to Renner and the Turnpike and would visit there often. I'm actually from Houston too but went to SMU and loved every minute of living in Dallas. Of course, the atmosphere in the Park Cities doesn't even come close to that of Richardson, so I don't know how you'll cope.

I actually graduated last month and got an accounting job in Houston. I was really keen on staying in Dallas, but this offer was too good to pass up. Plus I'd be able to save A TON of money living at home for a while! I moved back last Saturday and have been moping around ever since I got back. The two cities are nothing alike. I can't find hot girls at bars, I've already developed road rage, AND I CANNOT STAND THE FACT THAT HOUSTON HAS NO ZONING LAWS. There is seriously a damn storage place or strip center on every corner. Oh yeah, the worst part are those freaking traffic lights hanging on wires. You won't have to worry about any of that in Dallas.

If anything, just enjoy the beauty the city has to offer. It's a real nice looking town. The houses, cars, and even the people are much better looking than anything you'll see in Houston. Keep in mind I haven't driven past 635 going north since last November when I went to the Galleria. I don't know how the social scene looks like at UTD, but SMU isn't too far away, so you don't have to worry about that either.

You may have heard that the people in Dallas are obnoxious. They are, but you'll get used to it and realize that these people will be your best friends. I had no problems in that aspect.

I didn't cover the sports scene, but I don't want to go into depression...

In fact I need to stop.....

I really hope they show Cowboys games down here

[Evilmav2]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

I was lured to UTD with the promise of a Waterview apartment all to myself, but they lured too many freshman with that same bait and we were all forced to share.

I'm guessing you did pretty well on your PSAT? That brings back bad, bad memories... I hate UTD and their worthless scholarship recruitment efforts with a passion that would be hard for me to express suitably in words. As a senior in high school, I never applied to the school, but I got offered a free ride (tuition, books, stipend, waterview rent) there because I was a national merit finalist, and my folks ended up making me attend that toilet of a school instead of any of my own school choices because of that wretched offer. I made good friends there, but aside from that, I took nothing away from that school but a wasted 2 1/2 years and bad memories. I eventually left that hole and managed to relocate myself to a great school, but that damned, unsolicited UTD scholarship offer screwed my early college, and has wreaked long-term consequences in my life that still make me pretty darned hot whenever I care to think about them...

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by Evilmav2

I'm guessing you did pretty well on your PSAT? That brings back bad, bad memories... I hate UTD and their worthless scholarship recruitment efforts with a passion that would be hard for me to express suitably in words. As a senior in high school, I never applied to the school, but I got offered a free ride (tuition, books, stipend, waterview rent) there because I was a national merit finalist, and my folks ended up making me attend that toilet of a school instead of any of my own school choices because of that wretched offer. I made good friends there, but aside from that, I took nothing away from that school but a wasted 2 1/2 years and bad memories. I eventually left that hole and managed to relocate myself to a great school, but that damned, unsolicited UTD scholarship offer screwed my early college, and has wreaked long-term consequences in my life that still make me pretty darned hot whenever I care to think about them...

Yeah I did really good on the PSAT but not so great on the SAT (13something). I wanted to stay in Dallas for a female(dumb), and my parents weren't paying for SMU even though I had a scholarship offer for half the ride there. The free apartment was just too enticing. Big mistake.

[Rhylan]

Houston sucks, DFW is the best, but I wouldn't have gone to college here. It's just not a collegey place.

There's absolutely nothing unique or defining about Richardson. It could be any suburb, anywhere. But, who cares. DF-dub is DF-dub. Just go where you gotta go to do fun stuff. There's no rule that says you have to rep your suburb. Trust me, I live in Trophy Club, where everything closes by 8:00 except the 7-11, the Tom Thumb, and the Walgreens. I can't even go to Quizno's half the time I think about it.

Evil, props on the National Merit Finalist, me too. Always had the sense that you & I were a cut above the rest of the population.

[Evilmav2]

Originally Posted by Rhylan

Evil, props on the National Merit Finalist, me too. Always had the sense that you & I were a cut above the rest of the population.

Haha... Thanks, Rhylan, but I should say that I know for an absolute fact that we two are not nearly alone amongst long-time D-M.com posters in having done pretty darned well on our fake SAT's back in the day...

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by Evilmav2

Haha... Thanks, Rhylan, but I should say that I know for an absolute fact that we two are not nearly alone amongst long-time D-M.com posters in having done pretty darned well on our fake SAT's back in the day...

Boy, those *were* fake SAT's, weren't they? It's a shame, in retrospect, that they didn't do more to challenge us.

[GuerillaBlack]

You will also miss the hell out of Houston. DFW is nice, but I miss Houston...

[GuerillaBlack]

Since you are in Richardson, you can take DART (Red Line) into town do to stuff.

[Rhylan]

Yeah, I always thought it was odd that the Nat'l Merit stuff was basically all based on one test taken on one day. I barely even remember the test itself... or any of the SAT/ACT tests.. it's like a black hole in my mind. Was it that easy? Oh well, whatever... no student loans here, thank you very much.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Rhylan

Yeah, I always thought it was odd that the Nat'l Merit stuff was basically all based on one test taken on one day.

It's kinda like law school, where your entire grade for each class is (usually) based on one final at the end of the semester. Except law school grades are about 100x more important than a PSAT score, so it's actually much, much worse.

[ty]

I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with today's 2400's. 1600 points for the win!

[alby]

You get to have the newly built Practice Tee when it's completed in October. New driving ranges, new practice greens, and a brand new par 3 course right next to you. Enjoy.

[ty]

Everything sucks about Houston. To name the worst: humidity & traffic.

[GuerillaBlack]

Originally Posted by ty

Everything sucks about Houston. To name the worst: humidity & traffic.

Dallas traffic isn't much better. Just one ranking below. Houston has the seventh worst traffic in the nation, and DFW was eighth I believe.

Humidity may suck in Houston, but I hate the ice freezes Dallas always gets.

[alby]

Dallas > Houston by a landslide.

[GuerillaBlack]

Originally Posted by alby

Dallas > Houston by a landslide.

Your opinion. I love both places, but Houston better because I lived there all my life.

[Underdog]

If you're a newcomer to either city and you don't follow sports, then Dallas & Houston are exactly the same thing (well, they have more in common with each other than they do with any other cities on this planet...)

[alby]

Originally Posted by GuerillaBlack

because I lived there all my life.

I feel sorry for you.

[GuerillaBlack]

Originally Posted by alby

I feel sorry for you.

For having to move to DFW? Thanks .

Originally Posted by alby

Houston is more diverse than Dallas.
But, Sugarland is by no means more diverse than Plano.

Yes it is . Especially the Asian populations.

Plano: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plano,_TX#Demographics

Sugar Land: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_L...s#Demographics

The Sugar Land area (city and ETJ) is as large as Plano, too. The City of Sugar Land just hasn't annexed all of the land yet.

[Rhylan]

I have nothing good to say about Houston. In a way, I root for Al Gore's version of Global Warming. Houston could benefit from a diaspora.

[jthig32]

Alright, someone spill the beans. What kind of PSAT score and SAT score (old kind) warrants National Merrit? My tiny private school let me get past junior year without taking the PSAT (which I'm still bitter about), but my SAT scores garnered a couple small scholarships despite graduating from an unacredited highschool.

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Alright, someone spill the beans. What kind of PSAT score and SAT score (old kind) warrants National Merrit? My tiny private school let me get past junior year without taking the PSAT (which I'm still bitter about), but my SAT scores garnered a couple small scholarships despite graduating from an unacredited highschool.

I think they use just the PSAT for National Merit purposes, right? If I remember it right, I scored 1440 on it. There was another guy from our school who made it, and I think he scored around the same thing.

[Evilmav2]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

I think they use just the PSAT for National Merit purposes, right? If I remember it right, I scored 1440 on it. There was another guy from our school who made it, and I think he scored around the same thing.

It's used for national merit purposes, but it also helps academically strong schools know what students they want to target for recruitment. After I did well on the test, I assume I got put on some kind of recruitment list, because I started receiving a huge amount of college recruitment mail from out of state private schools that I had absolutely no connection to (Rutgers, NYU, Penn, Hofstra, etc... ), some of whom eventually ended up offering me some pretty decently sized scholarships. I assume they did this, because these kinds of expensive sub-ivy league schools compete pretty fiercely to keep the average SAT scores of their incoming students as high as they can, in order to help justify their very high tuition rates and also for reasons of prestige...

[Rhylan]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Alright, someone spill the beans. What kind of PSAT score and SAT score (old kind) warrants National Merrit? My tiny private school let me get past junior year without taking the PSAT (which I'm still bitter about), but my SAT scores garnered a couple small scholarships despite graduating from an unacredited highschool.

Appalled by my own lack of memories on this topic, I looked this up the other day when we first talked about it.

The PSAT score is the first qualifier. After that, a certain cut is made and they're considered for Semifinalist or Finalist ranking. Based on the real SAT score / correlation, and a scholarship application for Nat'l Merit (including essays and all that typical stuff), some are chosen as Semifinalists or Finalists.

Back in my day (out of HS 10 years), when the SAT was just Math & Verbal, the PSAT was indexed as 2(verbal)+(math) for Nat'l Merit qualfying purposes.

My equivalent on the PSAT was 1480, but if I remember correctly, it was a good bit better on Math than Verbal. So that indexing formula bit me, and I was still a Finalist. So that at least tells me that there is non-negligible weight given to the real SAT and the actual application & essays. For what it's worth, I only made a 1430 on the real SAT and still made Finalist.

[jthig32]

I knew they used the PSAT, I wasn't sure if you had to follow it up with a certain level on the regular SAT.

I scored a 1360 on the SAT. I've always wondered if I'd be paying on a lower Student Loan note if I'd known to take the PSAT.