Associate Director of Admissions Michael Orr
Hometown: Austin, Texas
College Major: Speech Communications
Territory: Out of State
Office: Freshman Admissions Center
Phone: 512-475-7449
E-mail: michael.orr@mail.utexas.edu
Q: Where are you from?
A: I was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but moved to Austin, Texas, when I was a wee lad of six months. Given my early exposure to Austin, I consider myself an Austinite, and what a great place it was to grow up. It's not the small town it was in the '70's, but it still has the ambiance and cultural significance that Austin has always had.
Some of my favorite places in Austin are 1) Zilker Park in general, and Barton Springs Pool specifically; 2) the deck of the Oasis, watching the sun set; 3) in the audience at a taping of Austin City Limits; 4) the Barton Creek Greenbelt (take a bike or walk); 5) Hamilton Pool (remember to bring your swim trunks; the water is great); 6) the flight of the bats from the Congress bridge; 7) the Town Lake hike and bike trail; 8) Mount Bonnell; 9) Inner Space Caverns; and 10) the Umlauf Sculpture Garden.
Q: How long have you been a freshman admissions counselor?
A: I started working for the Office of Admissions as a freshman admissions counselor in 1991 after graduating from UT as an undergraduate. Based on my estimates, over 104,000 incoming freshmen have entered UT during my time with Admissions, and we have worked with over 780,000 prospective students collectively. And boy are my arms tired.
Q: What did you study in college?
A: Like many students I changed my mind along the way. When I entered UT, I was convinved that I wanted to be a business student majoring in finance. Two years of calculus, accounting, statistics, and finance courses left me re-thinking my options. In my junior year, I changed my major to speech communications and it has made all the difference. The fact that college is a discovery and that UT offers over 130 nationally ranked undergraduate majors makes finding your real passion possible. It sure worked for me.
Q: What's your favorite UT fact?
A: The Experimental Science Building is longer than the Tower is high. So was the calculus course that I took in the ESB my first semester at UT.
Q: Your favorite place on campus?
A: It's an eternal toss-up between something academic and something social. The first place that comes to mind is the Architecture Library in Battle Hall. When I was an undergraduate, I initially found it difficult to find a place to study that was both a place I could hide from my friends and get some studying done and also a beautiful space that was welcoming. This building provided both. The second place that comes to mind is the Cactus Cafe in the Texas Union. I don't think there are many universities out there that have an on-campus music venue that can boast the volume and quality of the talent that the Cactus delivers year in and year out. It's quite a jewel.
Q: What do you enjoy about admissions counseling?
A: Truly I enjoy almost everything about it, but if I had to boil it down to one thing, I would say it's the opportunity to work with parents and students during a point in both of their lives where they're about to face one of their greatest transitions. The student and the parent both are anxiously anticipating the day that the student will leave home and begin a new life as an adult. This process breeds both unparalleled excitement and intense anxiety, which are both very strong emotions. In my counseling role, I get to unveil the realities of the transitions for our students as well as explore the challenges and opportunities that wait for them. It makes for a great dialogue.
Advice to Students
Follow your bliss. You only go around once in this life so be very picky with the choices you make. Oh, and study, go to class, get involved, ask lots of questions, network, meet your faculty, set reasonable goals, and have as much fun as you possibly can.
Updated 10 July 2007
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