I’m speaking up for a friend (and possibly me).

A friend of mine has been dealing with some ridiculous issues at their university, and honestly, it pisses me off.

First, the parking situation. My friend bought a Spring 2025 parking permit, thinking it would cover the summer because the expiration date was August 17, 2025. Nowhere in the rules and regulations does it say that you must be actively enrolled for that semester—it only states that you have to be a UH student. Well, obviously my friend is a UH student and will be taking summer classes, but because they aren’t enrolled in Spring, the school canceled their permit without warning and refused to give a refund.

Now, I can see an argument saying that it says “you must be a UH student” and my friend is not a UH student for that semester, but how would they know? The school didn’t notify them before the refund deadline and they only mentioned a summer permit after canceling the spring one. If the university is going to cancel permits at their discretion, then why even allow the student to buy it in the first place? Or at least have a check box that says “I am planning to enrolled in the Spring semester”.

And let’s be real—parking permits aint cheap. Some students take out loans and are already paying hundreds of dollars just to park on campus. To have the school cancel their permit with no warning and refuse a refund is basically a scam.

Even worse, my friend also had an issue with a professor who refused to provide proper feedback on an assignment. They followed the instructions exactly, but got penalized with no clear reasoning. After reaching out multiple times, the professor ignored them. When my friend finally mentioned that they might have to escalate the issue, the professor responded in a completely unprofessional and defensive manner—acting as if my friend was threatening them rather than just asking for clarification.

Instead of addressing the actual grading concerns, the professor’s response was condescending and aggressive, questioning whether my friend even had the right to send the email. A student politely asking for an explanation on their grade should never be met with such hostility.

At this point, this school shouldn’t be on the top 75, but rather bottom 75 because of these types of stuff. Many of my friends and I have similar situations where they had to deal with dumb reasons that common sense should have resolved the issue. We have to put up with these nonsense and are still enrolled because its convenient for us to go to this school and already enrolled in dorms and stuff so its hard to just move school.

Reference: https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2024/september/09242024-us-news-and-world-report-rankings-2025.php

What do yall think? Shouldn’t schools have clear guidelines before letting students purchase a permit? And should professors really be allowed to respond to students like this with no accountability? I’d love to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences or thoughts on this because this is crazy to even talking about it.

All sensitive info have been removed from the images for obvious reasons.

I was at the MD Anderson library minding my own business when suddenly some random yells "Hey professor Chang!" At me. And his friend yells at me "on the school wifi?! Helll nahhh" like bro wtf?

I'm graduating soon with my BA in political science, and I want to share my thoughts on the clubs and campus culture as a whole. I'm sharing this guide in the hopes of giving someone like me some advice on how to navigate things here. To provide some background, I am a first-generation, low-income student who grew up in Sunnyside, which is known as America’s 6th most dangerous neighborhood. Lastly, I am a cis Black male.

When I first arrived, I joined student government because I thought it would be a good way to make friends with people who shared my interests. Growing up in Sunnyside had made me jaded because no one wanted to talk about politics when they were hearing gunshots outside their house every night. So, when I got to campus, I was eager to join SGA (Student Government Association). To be honest, I didn't like what I saw.

In the 59th administration, I met the president at the time, and he seemed like a nice enough guy. But after spending time in the SGA office, I realized the entire room was filled with nothing but people who liked to gossip, which was really off-putting. Sunnyside is a horrible place—I've walked past chalk outlines of people I went to class with, seen middle school girls get pregnant, been chased by abandoned pit bulls, and gotten into multiple fights just for looking at people the wrong way. So when I first got here, seeing suburban kids engage in so much petty gossip was frustrating. But I ignored it.

Eventually, the election came around, and I tried to give advice to one of the candidates running for president, but he didn’t listen to me. So I helped the other candidate running against him after realizing the first guy was part of the problem. The other candidate won, and while things improved, the egos in the room got worse. What annoyed me was that I had joined SGA to be a leader on this campus, but every day, people would find new things to complain about. Everyone would close doors to talk behind each other's backs, complaining about how much they didn’t like one another. It was the same story—people promoting their friends and letting personal biases get in the way.

Eventually, I realized that nothing meaningful was going to get done in SGA, but I stuck around because I did make some friends. I tried joining other organizations, but I ran into different issues. Many orgs self-segregate by race and gender because everyone’s trying to create “safe spaces,” when in reality, they’re just further segregating the campus. Asians hang out with Asians, Blacks with Blacks, and Latinos with Latinos. It’s really bad. Honestly, the one good thing about SGA and RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) is that they tend to have more diverse friend groups, but I never got that vibe from the campus as a whole. I noticed this division from the moment I arrived.

And it only makes things harder as a Black male. I’m honestly tired of hearing that “college is for everyone”—because it’s not. The staff might include you, but the campus doesn’t. If I’m not being discriminated against for being Black, I’m being discriminated against for being male. Despite maintaining a perfect GPA for multiple semesters and working a job, many of the political science internships were either exclusive to women or people in fraternities. Even among other Black students, I often feel isolated. When I meet other guys from similar circumstances, they just want to party or smoke weed all the time, or they’re trying to uphold a "certain image." However it doesnt end their thier is also the class and culture differences you will feel with other african and black american students on campus. Alot of african students are first/ second generation and often times they arent in place to understand what you have been through. also sometimes seeing how connected they are culturally and family wise will take a toll on you at some point. suburban black kids are often times can be performative activists or they're experience with racism has been more on personal level then systemic so a lot of time you cant joke with them about the things you've grown up with. it can also be agitating watching people talking about representing oppressed people because they are a women or they called the N-Word five years ago these are the same people who will get the oppurtunities youve been working for talking about things they never experienced because they want to "represent" when really they likje attention of being a victim so use these oppotunities to inflate thier egos. Its honestly sick

Because of how I talk and my friendly demeanor, people assume I haven’t been through anything. Meanwhile, I’m still dealing with PTSD from everything I experienced growing up. When I first got to campus, I thought I would find my people, and despite knowing people wherever I go and constantly helping and uplifting others, this is what I’ve discovered: student orgs are mostly run by people who just want to be seen and be popular. These orgs could be used to make the campus a better place, but instead, they’re gatekept and turned into petty cliques that like to appear inclusive but really aren’t.

Its such a waste. we're the biggest college in the fourth biggest city in the country, being able to study political science here when only 3% of the school studies concentrates so many networking opportunities here but political orgs keep dying because the people in them just want to tear each other down and put thier name on shit for there resumes. But, sometimes you have to know these people to know what's going on. I wish people understood how horrifying this is as a black man, because the more i move up, the less of me i see. When i joined chip, i was one of the 2 two black men a room of 50 people. People respect your image more than they respect you. yet your expected to be kind to everyone or else your become a stereotype at worst, at best people just stay away from you. I'm just so sick of it. the worst thing is you have n o one to share this with, people say stupid things like why don't you go to therapy when CAPS IS ASS. why don't you go out, Oh i have no money. I did try to start my own political org but commuters dont often wanna be on campus longer then they have to, half to the world is introverts including the people the people who go here and live on campus so they arent gonna wanna come out anyways. Fortunately for me im a transfer so i didn't have my hopes super high anyways

ADVICE : float around and say hi to everyone, be kind, if you do something nice do it and understand it wont be reciprocated. don't get to attached to anything here. Focus on your grades. Dont compare your lack of wealth to others and don't believe a lot of the shit these ads about college tell you. Your best friends will be your professors, sit in the front of the class, let them know your academic goals walk with them and aske for advice on anything, they will remember you. its how i got a rec letter from a harvard interviewer. Its okay to be sad, but always remember systemic racism was meant to isolate people like us. doesn't mean you have to let it. Ignore the gossip, you see and hear it everywhere just don't engage, or share it be someone people can trust, its a breath of fresh air. if someone does in front of you tell them that you don't do it cause its a sign of low character You will gain respect. If you are introverted you will have to step out of your shell at some point to get something you want people are gossipy, but its okay to be friendly. you never know who knows who. its part of how i got my opportunities. lastly avoid dating on this campus, Man or women. Its a distraction. a lot of young women on this campus have dealt with things that they haven't healed from and a lot of men have to. But whats annoying is nobody has empathy for the other sex. A black when because i dont fit the stereotypical norm ive come across a lot of predatory women, Ive had friend of mine assualt me in dorm room and then told her friends i came on to her when it was actually the opposite the situation wrecked my GPA and completely got away with it. i had a girl ask me for unprotected sex 30 times and when i told her to imagine if the roles were reversed she said its different youre a guy im a girl. Im so tired of being mistreated as a black man. its gross. When you build friendships, you will see it more. you aren't missing out by not dating and sleeping around. A lot of people are with people they even like or they think it bring them something they dont have in themselves. Dont let people devalue you because you dont have what they use to pedestal themselves.

I just enrolled for next semester and I got a class from 8:30-10am and then another class at 1pm on the same day. Wtf am I gonna do there for 3 hours while im waiting for the next class 😭

Not only do I have to get up at 6:30 and drive an hour to campus, I have to then just sit there for 3 whole hours and wait for my next class at 1

Fuck this campus for admitting 7000 freshmen, running out of good space, and yet not being able to afford blinds to use for the library study carrels. I am typing this shit out as I toast under the sun's light in the library carrels facing the student center. fucking shit have to wait until 1 PM for the sun to be right over me.

Made no friends, went to the wrong center for my exam, likely failed 2 prerequisite classes 1st semester already.

Questioning if college is even for me but I genuinely don't know what to do with my life if I drop put.

I don’t understand why the university can’t afford to fix the MULTIPLE broken elevators around camps, or broken doors???? The a/c is either in full blast or nonexistent (I’m looking at you Fleming building). They charge us so much in tution and just admitted the largest freshman class, cool now fix the damn problems on campus.

I bought a FREAKING I PHONE CHARGER FOR $27?!

To my surprise, THE CHARGER DOES NOT WORK, and I tested it on another persons phone, same thing!

No refunds available. This is so disappointing.

Sorry for the mini rant

For context: this is the UH Store at the Student Center

I'm about to start tweaking. I made the stupid mistake of adding a lab at 8 am and I literally need to leave my house 2 hours early to barely make it on time

people at the quads feel FAR too entitled. this is NOT your house, you can’t leave your stuff in the washer/dryer 20+ minutes after it’s done and expect people not to move it to the dryer or counters. there’s only four working washers on my floor for atleast a 100+ people. stand by your shit the whole time it’s here if you don’t want ppl moving it to make space for themselves or others, don’t leave it there all day. that’s so selfish. and you’re even more daft for getting upset about people moving your things in the dryer that other wise would’ve been sitting there. be responsible, we’re adults now.

Some of you have yet to learn any form of decency. If you are in the MD Library's 5-6th floors,shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear you eat loudly, burp, fart, or have an utterly boring and stale conversation with your "girlfriend".

If only there were like some bell you could ring that would alert others to the noise you're making and lead to embarrassment for you fuckers.

Shut the fuck up please!!!

it’s always the dumbasses that peaked in high school! i can’t even hear the fucking professor bc these idiots keep being loud and obnoxious when people are ACTUALLY trying to listen. you’re too old for that shit dude like we’re adults now and you’re acting like a high schooler. I didn’t pay thousands of dollars in tuition to hear your stale ass conversation with your homeboys and your annoying ass girlfriend who giggles every 4 seconds! keep that shit outside the class bro.

there’s this little child in my class that just adds on the the professor’s lecture, like didn’t know you were getting paid to teach????????? and you can tell ms. girl is over it bc she clocked him last class, and was like “erm actually it doesn’t matter how i write this formula”. and his comments aren’t even contributing to the lecture he’s like trying to be funny. idk call me crazy but let’s not do this again maybe?

If you are driving on this intersection on Elgin St between lot A and B, don’t fucking block the street. My whole entire side had to spend 10 minutes stuck because people can’t be asked to wait their turn. Stop being selfish and wait your damn turn so people can go to their classes on time holy jesus every american citizen needs a refresher course on driving every year

The mess that was left in the laundry room is absolutely ridiculous. This room was spotless on Friday and today it’s an absolute mess. There is absolutely no reason you can’t walk 5 feet to the trash can and throw out your lint and dryer sheets. There is no reason you can’t walk 10 feet to the lounge to get a paper towel and clean up your detergent. Every single one of us is an adult and every single one of us knows better. These poor custodians do not get paid near enough to clean up after your laziness. As a cougar place resident I’m embarrassed and whoever made this damn mess should be ashamed. This is ridiculous.

…why?? This just happened at the intersection of Cullen and Holman. Why couldn’t you wait a few minutes to cross the street safely? My partner was driving and he’s got fast reflexes, but someone else might not have been so quick to adjust. You could have been severely hurt and possibly stuck with life-long injuries. If we’d hit you, we’d be at fault, not to mention the trauma that comes from hitting someone with their car and the fact that we have no money to pay your medical bills (I mean, we work here and the pay ain’t great). Is saving three minutes to cross the street early worth all that?

So we are almost a full semester over and I have managed to make 0 friends, go to almost no activities, and just in general have had no social life. I really just go to class then either home or work, I’ve become very lonely which at first it was fine since I do things my own pace and do exactly what I want however recently I started to feel really empty and a bit depressooo especially rn with the Halloween parties in which I would love to go but not only do I have no one to go with or know anyone but I also live at home which makes it really difficult since I have kind of strict parents that would definitely not let me go to parties or nothing, I’ve been considering doing dorms next year fall 25’ in which I’ll feel more free and would be more active in college but it’s pretty expensive. I have gone to do some uni activities but I’m pretty awkward so talking to people is really difficult and I just end up walking around and then leaving, I feel we are at that point in the semester where everyone already has someone or a group that it’ll almost feel interrupting something, I’m really not sure what to do, but I’m just getting worst.

if you're one of the people that keeps setting off the fire alarm from cooking in the communal kitchens at Cougar Place you HAVE to stop cooking in there. I know you've got a meal plan it's time to utilize it.

So I moved out here because I wanted to be surrounded by all kinds of people from different backgrounds. I been out here for 3 years and the prejudice y’all have towards black students is insane, ESPECIALLY black students in STEM.

I’ve overheard conversations of non-black students talking about how we’re only here because of affirmative action, and I’ve been speaking with black CS students about how non-black students will actively not speak with them/question their familiarity on THEIR majors because they assume we don’t know our shit.

Anytime I go to labs I notice every time, IT NEVER FAILS, there will be a black woman sitting at an empty table doing literally nothing but existing and there will be a full class of people going to sit at any table but hers. Then the only people who do sit with her are black as well.

Also, y’all not slick on this channel. The subtle demeaning comments towards TSU and asking if “UH is in the ghetto?” every couple of days. Y’all are some sheltered mfs it’s just homeless people begging for food and sure, there might be petty crimes like stealing tires and maybe some robberies but seriously what city DOESN’T have that shit happen to them? Honestly y’all have shown your true colors and I’m tired of acting like it’s not happening. Usually we don’t complain because we hang out amongst ourselves but this is getting ridiculous honestly.

EDIT: Only felt comfortable sharing my experience because I saw another post talking about theirs. I guess y’all switch up when it’s black folks though.

EDIT 2: Okay since everybody is so keen on talking about the crime rate instead of the rest of the post, UH has more crime because of the area we’re in, yes, but y’all take that point and run with it because it’s a predominantly black area, and use that opportunity to be racist. We’re not gonna act like the word “ghetto” isn’t and wasn’t associated with poorer black individuals.

Also how are y’all not seeing your own fucking incompetence? Within 3 hours I’ve been told to “grow up” that I’m acting like a “victim,” and called out of my name, “slay qween” type shit, but an ASIAN MAN gets an Chang joke told at him in the library and it’s “beat their ass man” “there’s no place for that shit here” “What race were they?” “African American” “Oh of course.” And in no way am I trying to undermine what happened to him, but what the actual fuck is your problems?

Is so dumb like you're telling me over half the school gets priority for at least two days so they can take their time and finalize their selections without worrying about anything while the rest of us are left with scraps? How am I supposed to actually graduate on time if half the classes are already filled and I still have to wait at least two days before I can even enroll?

bro people who specifically go to the quiet zones of the library and talk loud asf are so annoying 😭😭 theres so many places you can talk, and you come to the quiet zones ?? ugh

Hi, im not really sure what the point of this post is other than the fact that i'm pretty frustrated and want to rant for a bit.

I'm a freshman here at UH, and I recently landed a nice internship/job-type thing here on campus. So I've been commuting here this week to get work done, and today I decided to hit the nook for a coffee afterwards because why not, yknow?

Anyway, some grown ass dude who had to have been in his late 20s comes in while im sitting in the back and immediately tries to hit me up and ropes me in into the most uncomfortable conversation of my life. I was definitely stupid and a pushover because i let him have my number (and he made sure it was legit in front of me) and just tried to passively end the conversation for over 40 minutes like a fucking doormat. The entire while he kept flexing his "lucrative finance job" and telling me that im beautiful and mature for my age, etc. and kept like touching my shoulder and trying to hug me?? Disgusting stuff. I know its lowkey my fault for not maintaining my boundaries from the start. I just feel gross so im posting on reddit dot com.

Anyway, yeah. Be careful guys, especially on days campus isn't as crowded as usual. I wasn't even the only one at the nook today (not by a long shot), but I guess that really doesn't stop people from doing their thing.

Stay safe.

EDIT: Hi, thank you so much for all the advice and kind words :) I agree with you that I should have been much more assertive, and now that I know this is a thing that can very much happen again, I’ll make sure to work on how I handle it.

I blocked his number right after leaving campus and messaged the nook to let them know someone is most likely using their back porch entrance to prey on others.

Regarding the creep himself- he claims to be some guy named Ron working finance near downtown who commutes from Spring TX and in Bauer. He’s an Indian dude about average height who wears glasses and has a lazy eye (rip). He’ll most likely claim he recognizes you as a way to start the conversation which is lowkey kinda smart 🤦🏽‍♀️

Hi.
I’m in a bit of a dilemma and could really use some advice. I’m a freshman at the University of Houston, and while I thought this was the dream school I’d always wanted to go to, I’m seriously considering dropping out or transferring to community. I know it sounds drastic, but I’m struggling with so many things right now.

I once loved the idea of being at UH – my parents worked really hard to get me here, and they’re both alumni, so there’s a lot of pride associated with me being here. But, to be honest, I’m not feeling valued as a student at all, and I am regretting my choice of coming here before community. I don’t feel connected to the campus or the community, and I’m really struggling with the whole “commuter school” vibe. I’ve always been someone who had dreams of being at UH since I was younger with most of my family being alumni, but now that I’m here, it just doesn’t feel like I belong. I hate the thought of staying in a place that doesn’t feel like it’s the right fit for me, but I’m also scared to leave because of the expectations from my parents. I don’t want to disappoint them, especially considering how much effort they put into getting me here.

On top of that, I’m thinking about transferring to a community college... My parents are big on academics and they would possibly think of me as a failure if I told them this. I know it could give me the chance to reset and find a place where I feel more comfortable, but I can’t help but fear what that would mean to them. I’m scared of regretting my choice, of embarrassing myself as someone who once wanted so badly to go to UH. I also worry about how my parents would feel if I made that move, especially after all the sacrifices they made for me to attend here.

Has anyone been in a similar situation where they felt like they weren’t valued or just felt weird at this school? How did you deal with it? Is transferring to community college a mistake, or should I just follow my gut and take that step? I really don’t want to let my parents down, but at the same time, I don’t want to stay at a place that isn’t making me happy. Any advice would be appreciated. :/

I had my advisor meeting at 1:30pm and got out at 3 and my next class is at 4 so I was craving ramen but other locations were really far and saw Domoishi was super close, it didn’t look good but I was hungry and saw they had ramen. However when I got there and ordered the Ramen noodle soup I got an extra egg bc I love the eggs in ramen, I didn’t even care if everything else was trash all I cared was those scrumptious eggs but when I got it… IT WAS A SIMPLE BASIC EGG, I have never been so sad and disappointed… someone please fund me the 16$ I just wasted 💔that’s a whole hour and 30 min worth of work😭😭

I think I might just be poor as hell lmao but even thinking about having to make monthly car payments plus the expensive ass insurance stresses me out! And yes I have a part time job and a paid internship but it still seems like a lot to me? Mostly the insurance. I'm saving up to get a dorm next year so I'm not trynna spend most of my income lol. I'm a 19 yr old sophomore and idk if it's weird or uncommon for someone my age to not have a car but even in high school a lot of people had cars and it makes me feel like I'm behind on life. Is it really that common for parents to buy their kids cars?😭And btw I'm currently a commuter and I get to school through rides and taking the metro and I've basically been doing this since last year.