My S is strongly considering UT Dallas, and he’ll be premed, probably a bio or neurosci major. He very much likes to do his own personal best, but he doesn’t care for the sort of uber-competitive environment where kids sabotage each other to get ahead.
What’s the environment like at UT Dallas in this regard?
Thanks!
Dia
Competitive in the sense that lots of people try hard. Not a whole of sabotaging. If he’s a good student, I would say he should worry more about people trying to leech off him.
Thanks, @getoveritnow. 
Yes, he’s a good student (URM and possible NMF). People leeching off of him will bug him, but not as bad as toxic competition will.
My DD is at UTD as a freshman under the NMF program. She is in the honors dorm and the vast majority of her friends are premed/prehealth including her roommate. From what I have seen and what they say, it is the opposite of uber-competitive. They seem to study in groups and are very willing to help each other. That is also the environment in CS. She gets help from upperclassmen and more experienced classmates and she passes it on to others who ask for her help.
That’s awesome, @GTAustin. Thank you!
i was a premed. most of my closest friends at utd were premeds. we all worked very hard. no one was cut throat or exhibited gunner like behavior.
Thank, @bigreddawgie! Very helpful. S will also be a McDermott applicant next year.
Being a McDermott is worth the effort and good luck to him. My DD now regrets that she did not apply for it even though the package that they have for NMF is pretty sweet.
The McDermott looks like a great opportunity. As a Cali donut hole family, we are so grateful that programs like NMF scholarships and the McDermott exist.
@DiotimaDM OK. I have to ask. What is a “Cali donut hole family?”
Cali = California
Donut hole = when you make too much to get need-based aid, but you’re far, far short of being able to pay $25,000 - $60,000/year for college
@DiotimaDM , so pretty much the middle class that gets screwed on just about everything.
Actually, true middle class usually qualify for need based aid at many colleges and universities.
We’ll qualify for a little bit of need-based aid at certain places, but not enough at most of them. That said, I don’t have any complaints whatsoever about colleges / the gov’t giving $$$ to those who need it more than we do.
True middle class is a sticky wicket here in CA, especially in areas with astronomical housing costs. $70k should be pretty comfortable, right? Well, not when rent on a 2-bed apartment is $2,500/month (or more!), and a mortgage on a 2-bed condo is pushing $4,000.
When our income was $65 - 70k, our EFC came out to around five or six grand. Our income is now just barely 6 digits, but our EFC is north of $20,000. So our income didn’t even double, yet our EFC more than tripled. The UCs say we are full pay. Ouch!
We can reasonably afford $10k-12k/yr, so that’s why I say we need full tuition or better. We thank the Universe pretty much daily for things like autostats, NMF and scholarships like the McDermott.
S is thinking med school, so if S takes a full ride and we save that 10k/year, it will cover a year of med school.
Actually, true middle class usually qualify for need based aid at many colleges and universities.
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We’re middle class (60K/yr). And the only aid we got was student loans. If you got some grants, good for you. And as far as I know, most people in my neighborhood got the same - loans and nothing more. Many end up going to community college at first.