Premed in UT Austin vs. UT Dallas

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas Schools (Other Than Austin
1

I’m a high school senior interested in the premed program with a biochemistry major, and I was hoping to get some insight as to what the programs are like in UT Austin and in UT Dallas to help with my decision on which school to go to. Like how much help did the school provide you in applying for med school and preparing you for the MCAT, how difficult it was to get a good rec letter, how difficult was it to get research opportunities and internships, and how are the class sizes (especially for UT Austin ie how much smaller the classes get in upper level courses)? Also, I hear that UT Dallas is a commuter school, so how does that affect the campus life there?

2

Hi! So I’ll preface this by saying that I did not attend either school - I am a prospective freshman who will attend UTD.
However, as a pre-med and as someone who had the same question as you, I think I can provide some insight :smile:

  1. While UT Austin definitely wins in the prestige category, prestige does not take you very far in terms of medical school admissions (according to a conversation with a medical school admissions officer). Students from both schools have been accepted into prestigious medical schools.

  2. I’m not familiar with either advising department, but I’ve been told (by friends who have attended both universities) that this should not be a deciding factor. The size of the schools plays a part, but generally, the pre-med advisors are either useless or not a big deal once you are at college.

  3. Research opportunities and internships should be widely available near both universities (both are in big cities). However, they are probably easier to get in Dallas because UTD is not as big, and there is less demand. ALSO, UTD is primarily a research school, and they have amazing research opportunities. They also come out with amazing research discoveries like, every week.

  4. UTD is technically a “commuter” school, but it enrollment is growing at such a fast pace that it does not have as much of a commuter school feel as it did 4+ years ago (also according to friends who attended UTD).

  5. I didn’t apply to UT Austin, but I have applied to other prestigious universities. When it came to making my decision, the final factor was money. I could attend UTD for free, whereas I’d be paying 20-50k/year at other colleges.
    Because you are pre-med, it is important to keep in mind the HUGE costs of medical school when selecting an undergraduate. UTD generally has much better (and easier to get) scholarships than UT Austin.