<p>I want to major in biology on the pre-med track and eventually go on to med school (hopefully UT Southwestern). The thing is, I'm not sure which school to go to - SMU or UTD? I know SMU is more prestigious and I LOVE the campus but I also know that UTD is pretty good at preparing their students for med school. What do you think? What information do you have regarding both?</p>
<p>P.S: Money isn't an issue.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If money isn’t an issue for undergrad **AND **med school, then go to SMU since you love it so much. But, if you only have money for undergrad, but not enough money for med school (which can cost $200k+), then go to the state school and save your money for med school.</p>
<p>Hey there,
I’m in the same boat as you were. I got full ride to both UTD and SMU. May I ask which school did you go to, an how o you feel about it?</p>
<p>@lonelyloser</p>
<p>I got your post via e-mail and thought CC had just forwarded your message as a PM to my email inbox. I was wrong. Hooray for knowledge. So in case you didn’t check your e-mail, I’m going to go ahead and repost my email message right here:</p>
<hr>
<p>Hey!!</p>
<p>Congratulations on receiving a full ride to both universities! </p>
<p>I also received a full ride to both UTD and SMU and for me, my decision was instantaneous. I chose SMU. And I have yet to regret that decision.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if you received the President Scholarship or multiple scholarships that culminated into a full ride (either one is great) but the President Scholar community is very tightly knit (I don’t think UTD has a community of full-riders). All the PS’s know each other and since everyone’s priority is GPA, upperclass PS’s are great sources of information for classes, professors, etc. And of course, dropping the “I’m a President Scholar” line at opportune moments is a nice perk.</p>
<p>But even if you’re not a PS, SMU has that prestige that attracts attention so when looking for internships, jobs, etc, you’re generally in good shape.</p>
<p>And of course - the pre-med program:</p>
<p>I think the pre-med program here is fantastic. I’ve heard great things about biology and chemistry departments. I’ve just finished my first year of college (only exams left) and I’ve had no problem with any of the professors and the material taught. There’s also a Pre-Med organization that brings in UT Southwestern representatives often and provides volunteering opportunities. The only downside that I know of is the physics department here at SMU, it’s the only pre-med department I’ve heard mixed things about. I have a friend taking a physics class now and he loves his professor and the class. However, an upperclassmen I talked to said the physics department wasn’t impressive at all. I’ll be taking physics next year so I’ll find out for myself, I suppose. </p>
<p>SMU does a fantastic job preparing its students for med school. There are mock interviews and many events and volunteer opportunities that are linked with UT Southwestern. When I was thinking about college, one thing that drew me to UTD was its affiliation with the med school UT Southwestern. But though this may be true, SMU does quite a bit with the nearby med school and other schools especially in Texas.</p>
<p>I feel as if I’m receiving a very well-rounded education here at SMU. There are so many ways to get involved, and on top of my Biology pre-med major, I went ahead and added English Creative Writing as well as a Minor in Psychology.</p>
<p>SMU does have that party school rep but honestly, it all depends on who you associate yourself with (and if you’re into that stuff). If you do decide to come here, I suggest the honors dorm (Virginia-Snider). It’s a fun place to live, the people are interesting, and you won’t have to worry about drunk students peeing in the elevators on a Thursday night (That’s Boaz Hall. Don’t live there.).</p>
<p>Are you a PS? If you are, I can link you to a group that provides a LOT of info on SMU professors, classes, etc. It’s like a rate my professor website but run entirely by PS’s. I’ll just need your name to verify.</p>
<p>Sorry about the long e-mail but I hope I’ve answered your questions. Free feel to e-mail if you’d like to know more! I’d be more than happy to help!</p>
<p>Thank you writingmonkey for your reply! I wished I have asked you earlier. The truth is I did not put down the enrollment deposit for SMU on the deadline. I received my financial aids decision like on Friday, so I only had about 3 days to decide. No, I did not get PS, unfortunately. Scholarships and financial aids barely added up to a full ride. That’s why I was hesitating because what if other costs came up? Most of the people I talked to said that UTD science program is better and there seem to be a lot of connection with UTSW. So within that 3 days, I didn’t have much choice but to make the safest decision. I feel rather stupid for putting away a $50,000 package per year and SMU is such a nice school. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Loneyloser, try calling SMU and see if you can enroll now. Either way you should feel pretty dumb - SMU is amazing, UTD is a nice school and all but nothing compared to the prestige and individual attention you’ll receive at SMU (plus SMU actually has a campus life.) Good luck but seriously saying “I go to UTD” is gonna make you feel bad when people ask especially when you could say “SMU.” Especially in Dallas.</p>
<p>I emailed my admission counselor and got deadline extended to May 9. Please please people give me inputs about the current premed program at SMU vs UTD!</p>
<p>I did not get into University Honors. I don’t know, I just feel that if go to SMU, I would not have as much opportunity since I’m not in any honors thing. Also, financials is also problem. I still need to get my IB diploma to get enough scholarship for full ride, so going to SMU is still a little risky because what if I found out in July that I don’t get it? Plus, there are books and transportation and all kinds of things that I would need to pay and it’s not covered? Any thought? Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>@kp217: Going to UTD isn’t considered “dumb”. Read on to discover why.</p>
<p>@lonelyloser: I understand your decision. My main problem when it came to picking which university was money. It was almost more important than the college itself - I literally had NADA for college and was depending on scholarships - high school was stressful, lol.</p>
<p>UTD gave me the full ride first and I had it pretty much planned out that I’d wind up going there. No questions asked, SMU was out of my mind. THEN they offered their own full ride + interview and then I changed my mind.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is, it doesn’t really matter which university you go to if you plan on going to grad school later anyway. Think about it: when you become a doctor, no one’s going to ask you where you went for your undergrad. And since med school could wind up costing $200,000, go for the less expensive undergrad, kick butt, and get into med school.</p>
<p>UTD has a great pre med program - absolutely no doubt about it and there is no point in arguing about it either. But SMU is doing a great job hyping theirs up as well. SMU is trying to make all of their departments just as “big” as their business school, and it’s working. SMU has the money for the many programs associated with pre med, they prepare their students well and it SMU does have that prestige that UTD slightly lacks which is great for intern opportunities.</p>
<p>Let me pause there and talk about jobs/internships that are pre med related: Because of SMU’s name, it’s SUPER helpful. A friend of mind (a FRESHMAN by the way) is spending this summer researching at HARVARD. Obviously his grades were a factor but the point is that it’s possible to get great opportunities here at SMU. Another one is doing virology research, another friend is doing biomed - ALL FRESHMEN. SMU is getting something right.</p>
<p>Also, SMU has a 70-80% med school acceptance rate. UTD’s might be a bit higher (I don’t remember the numbers, my bad) but either way, these are pretty convincing percentages.</p>
<p>But think long term as well: SMU ain’t cheap - actually, it’s just plain ridiculous in my opinion. I’m only here because of the full ride. I probably wouldn’t go even if they gave me 50%. It’s just too much. I’m not sure how much you’re willing to pay, how big of a problem money is to you so financial matters are really all up to you. Also check out this website:</p>
<p>[Prospective</a> Medical Students](<a href=“http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept20676/files/397484.html]Prospective”>http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept20676/files/397484.html)</p>
<p>This is UT Southwestern’s entering class profile. And if you scroll down, you’ll notice that SMU and UTD students were both represented equally. This is actually where I want to go (the cost is about $60,000 for all four years for Texas students. And it’s number 20 in the country. Sounds like my kind of school).</p>
<p>So money wise, UTD is a nice choice. But both schools prepare their students just as well.</p>
<p>The only downside to UTD might be the social/college life. People seem to say it’s lacking. Obviously, I wouldn’t know since I don’t go to UTD. I’d go to a UTD forum and see what they say. Or find someone who goes there now and ask his/her honest opinion. But SMU has a great campus life - lots of great events and as for transportation, I wind up hitching rides with friends. Out of campus, I really only spend money on frozen yogurt, the local Mexican restaurant (Diggs), 7-11 (midnight coffee) and, of course, weekend outings to restaurants, and other…college-y stuff. 
Except for weekends, I hardly leave campus and overall, the campus is GORGEOUS. It’s also a relatively small school and whenever I leave the dorm, I’m bound to bump into multiple people I know each and every time. </p>
<p>The downside of SMU? I’m not going to lie - this place is expensive and there are a LOT of kids who fit the “Highland Park, I’m so rich, daddy bought me a BMW, derp I have no brain” stereotype. No joke, and yes, it ****es me off. But honestly, it depends on who you choose to hang around. And if you’re in the pre med program and a serious student, you’ll find each people. Maybe I’m being condescending but I don’t care. But here’s a personal example:</p>
<p>The Dalai Lama is coming to campus and tickets to see his speech/presentation went on sale a few days ago. Tickets sold out (I didn’t get any…sad day) and the line wrapped around one of the buildings. A student comes by and asks what the line was for and we told her we wanted to see the Dalai Lama. The student made a funny “derp/I think i’m cute” face and said, “Haha, I don’t know who that is.”</p>
<p>-_-</p>
<p>Maybe it’s not a big deal to not know who the Dalai Lama is but I was a little surprised. Whatever.</p>
<p>Let me end with this: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH GOING TO UTD. UTD is a great school and if money is an issue AT ALL, I’d honestly dump SMU. No undergrad is worth $200k. Especially if you plan on going to med school later. If you’ve got the money, go for it. And you have a good number of scholarships so if you want to pay the little remaining, go for it. It’s all up to you. I hope i was helpful and sorry that this was such a long message. I understand your struggle and I want to give the best answer/assistance that I can.</p>
<p>Good luck! Feel free to ask any other specific questions!</p>
<p>If you come to SMU, you’ll meet me. Case closed</p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC App</p>
<p>Try this…</p>
<p>Contact UT-D and ask for an extension for decision to July. Then accept at SMU. If you don’t get your IB diploma, then go to UTD.</p>
<p>Do you really think there is a decent chance that you won’t get your IB diploma???</p>
<p>I don’t have $550 lying around to make a deposit to SMU and then decide to dump them in July.</p>
<p>I feel that if I go to UTD, since they give me stipend of $4000, I can save $2000 and put it away in expectant of medical school. Whereas going to SMU means living on the edge, barely getting by financially.</p>
<p>Not sure what $2,000 is going to do for you in terms of medical school.</p>
<p>In the grand scheme of things, 550 isn’t that much. I’m willing to lose it if I get into Rice meanwhile you’ll be going to college for free. Be grateful</p>
<p>Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using CC App</p>
<p>so have you made your decision? o.O</p>