Some Answers to Questions About UT Dallas

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

I’ve read some of the previous posts and want to share some thoughts that might answer some questions about UTD. I’ve had the fortune to have been able to earn degrees from both an “elite” university on the East coast with a great sports program, and from UTD. I feel that this has helped me to be objective in understanding what UTD’s comparative strengths are. I’m very happy to have attended UTD. I found it to be every bit as academically challenging and feel that it has opened as many or more doors for me in Texas. UTD has the fortune of being located in one of the most dynamic and industrially diverse regions in the country. It is part of a system that collectively is one of the greatest producers of patents, has one of the biggest endowments and has among the most Nobel laureates of any University system in the country.

UTD was initially envisioned as being more like an MIT, than like a UT-Austin. It does not have a Division I sports program (a fact that makes it more likely that you can play a sport at UTD) and is heavily concentrated in STEM and business. Many of my fellow classmates liked that UTD is different from other Texas universities in that regard. It’s more likely that you hear UTD students discussing a new idea than last Saturday’s score. Yes, there are international students, just like at every top university. True, you will not find bonfires and huge parties at UTD. But you will have access to DFW which offers much in the way of cultural events, clubs, concerts, sporting events, great internships and part-time work opportunities. In the past 10 years, North Texas has increasingly become a destination for college students, startups and the arts.

On occasion, I hear people criticize UTD and typically, the root stems from one of two main sources: 1) someone feels like they might miss out on the “big college” experience or 2) someone didn’t end up with their dream job and blame it on UTD.

For those who think it’s important to be able to have a D1 sports team to root for, I’d say UTD may be a great opportunity to complete a respected undergrad program with minimal debt and then go to grad school at your big label university. Or, some do the opposite; seek the “big college” experience in undergrad, and then keep UTD in mind later when deciding on grad school. I know people who have done both and are glad they did.

For those who complain that they didn’t get their dream job, I’d like to clear the water here. I’ve known fellow UTD grads who have gotten jobs at top employers in every industry, whether technology (TI, AT&T, Google, Microsoft, Ericsson), defense (Raytheon, Lockheed Martin), design (DreamWorks, Reel FX, Electronic Arts), finance (JP Morgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, The Federal Reserve), accounting (all of the big four). I’ve also known UTD grads who have gone to the best law schools, medical schools, business schools and research institutes in the country. Having UTD on your resume will not hold you back. Having graduated from there, and knowing the caliber of student that I competed with makes me love to recruit UTD grads for employment today. Many UTD students lead on-campus organizations, compete in academic competitions, conduct research, study abroad, do great internships or play a sport. This, they do while competing with some of their smartest peers from Texas and around the world. (UTD’s entering SAT, ACT & GMAT scores are among the highest in Texas and in the past few years, the freshman class has had among the most National Merit Scholars per capita of any public university).

Like at every University there are also students at UTD who sit in their dorm rooms and play video games. If you are the latter, and you don’t end up with a great job at JP Morgan, it’s possible you wouldn’t have been a good fit there, regardless of where you went to college. However, those that apply themselves in the classroom and make smart decisions about how they spend their time outside the classroom will have abundant resources and opportunities at their disposal. Unfortunately, you may hear someone complain about UTD, whereas they might not complain had they gone to Michigan. UTD is an easier target since it is less known. A person would quickly lose credibility complaining about not getting their dream job after graduating from an “Elite” school. However, employers do have to consider “organizational fit” no matter what school someone graduates from.

According to a recent Poets and Quants article (see link below), UTD’s MBA students are highly sought after. Using data from USNWR’s MBA recruiter rankings, they liken UTD to a “diamond in the rough” noting that recruiters rank UTD’s MBA program with a score equal to those at UVA and Dartmouth. According to Forbes, 14 of the 20 most profitable companies recruit from UTD. Personally, since I currently live in Texas, I’m very happy to be able to attend speaking engagements and other events on campus. I have an excellent job, and will continue to hire great UTD grads.

http://www.academyofinventors.com/pdf/NAI-IPO-Top-100-Universities-2014.pdf

http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-yale-stanford-endowment-performance-2015-2015-10

http://poetsandquants.com/2014/04/08/how-recruiters-rank-the-best-business-schools/

http://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/50-of-the-most-popular-us-universities-and-colleges-for-international-students/

http://www.nationalmerit.org/annual_report.pdf

2

Thank you @TexTriathlete. UTD has just come on the radar for S17 and your description is very helpful.

3

Thank you for the wonderful description.

4

How are the professors at UTD? I’m thinking about going for undergrad but I heard that some of the professors are there for research and don’t really care about their students as much. Is this true?

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You hear that complaint from every university that is researched based and I’m sure that is true from some of the professors. The standard answer is attend every class, use the professor’s office hours for help, communicate with the TA and use all other tutoring systems that the university offers. You can also talk to upperclassmen about choice of professors or you can look at Rate My Professor (knowing it can be very biased) when making up your schedule. Also, you could consider getting involved in research.

6

Good question. I’m happy to say that the vast majority of my professors were very good. I had about six or seven that were EXCEPTIONAL. To address your point about research vs. teaching; quite a few of them did some research on the side. That said, their primary focus, and passion, was on mentoring students and seeing them succeed academically and professionally. This is likely a result of the almost palpable quest for UTD to gain national prominence. Professors know they can’t be successful unless the University recruits top students and ensures that they are successful. Administrators realize that they can’t be successful unless they hire great professors and encourage positive outcomes. Everyone seems to be pulling in the same direction. The organization is relatively flat, accessible and egos are pretty well in check. Most professors had high expectations, but encouraged questions and classes were small enough to be interactive. I got the sense that the professors appreciated being able to teach students who take college seriously.

To put things in perspective, in in my own experience at a large “elite” University, most of the student interaction took place with TA’s. Also, a few tenured professors were disengaged, pretentious or preoccupied. However, at UTD, every single professor made themselves available during office hours. Several times I received answers to emailed questions directly from the professors, on weekends, within 15 minutes of sending them. This is not likely to happen in a large class at a very large University. I did have 2 noteworthy professors who were considered “rock stars” in terms of research productivity and publishing. One of them was probably better at communicating his ideas via the written word than via lecture. Nevertheless, he, like the others made himself accessible, and was particularly happy to see students take an interest in his subject.

Although there were a couple of professors whose style wasn’t my favorite, or who may have been more dry than others, this is going to be the case at any university. It will also be the case in the professional environment. I hope this is helpful.

7

My son chose MIT over UTD four years ago, but UTD was certainly tempting since he was offered the McDermott Scholarship. In the end, MIT was the perfect fit because of the people there, but I always tell clients and friends about UTD. We were wined and dined when we were there for the McDermott finals weekend, and I was left with a very positive impression of UTD academically and opportunity-wise.

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@TexTriathlete Thank you for this! My S and I will be visiting in a few weeks. We’re from out-of-state, and S became interested after reading about UTD’s NMF and McDermott opportunities. S will be pre-med, but hasn’t chosen his major yet (bio, neurosci, BME, maybe cognitive science - the usual).

We know UTD is pretty awesome for all of the above, so here are our questions:

  1. How is UTD for things like journalism, English or creative writing? (possible minors)

  2. Any comments on the drama department? (possible minor, but more likely an extra-curricular interest) S is hoping for a drama department that might be open to participation by non-majors/non-minors.

Many thanks!

Dia

9

I only know a little about the subjects that you have questions on but I will tell you what I know. The biggest thing is that participation in areas such as the school newspaper, the school plays, working for the radio station, taking courses outside of your major are not restricted there and are encouraged. My DD is submitting reviews for the radio station and she is in CS. She did have to submit a sample review which was approved. I would think writing for the The Mercury would be similar.
I do know one of their creative writing teachers wrote a book that was made into a major motion picture several years ago. I think the professors in the LA area appreciate the students who have interests in their areas as well as future employers. Knowing how to write and critically evaluate is always a good thing that, unfortunately, many STEM kids don’t understand the importance of. A minor in those areas would be good.
The school plays are open to all who want to participate. I’m sure there is a audition process but it would not be limited by your major. Again, UTD encourages the kids to get involved in all areas and they are not limited by their major.

10

@DiotimaDM, journalism, English, and creative writing are pretty insignificant here, although the student newspaper has won the best college newspaper for a few years now. However, that means that there are opportunities for kids who would like to minor or dabble in these areas as they’re not as competitive as say, Columbia School of Journalism.

The same goes for theater, music, and musical theater. My son, who is pretty good with music, but he ain’t no Julliard-candidate, has gotten good roles in several musicals. The theater kids are small but cohesive group.

One thing I would disagree with @TexTriathlete, is that even though students from UTD get hired by some of the best companies, the opportunities aren’t as abundant as UT or MIT. And this is not meant to disparage UTD since my son is interviewing with the top companies in his field, but compared to his friends at UT, there are just more companies recruiting at UT and they go deeper into the pool.

11

@getoveritnow & @GTAustin Thanks!

UT, MIT, Columbia and the like aren’t options for us due to cost, so we’ll have to be happy with what we can get if UTD is the final choice. My son is premed, so I think UTD will be fine for that. He has subsidiary interests in writing and drama, so it’s a bonus that he’d be able to do those things at the level of a minor or hobby. He’s also checking out schools for a friend a year behind him who might want to be an English teacher / editor.