Texas A&M vs. UT Austin vs. UT Dallas for Pre-Med

State Forums
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Hi! I’m a current senior (from Plano, TX) whose trying to decide which of the schools I’m deciding between will make me the best candidate I can be for med school.

At TAMU/UT Austin, I’ll be majoring in Public Health. At UT Dallas, I’ll be a Healthcare Studies major.

I know an online forum isn’t going to make my decision for me, but I’m having a really hard time seeing which school can prep me for med school and allow me to grow as a student and a person.

UTD:

I’ve heard very good things about UTD’s premed advising (HPAC), but ultimately I know that premed advising isn’t such a big deal since they mostly just help you get the classes you need to fulfil medical school recommendations. I don’t think I need premed advising to help me get shadowing since I have that lined up at home.

Healthcare Studies is a pretty lauded major, and it requires all of the pre-med requisites. I could also take MCAT prep courses easily since I’d be close to home.

I’d be commuting home for the weekends, since I live 20 minutes from UTD. I hope to live on-campus for the week, but I’ve heard that the atmosphere there is lacklustre, and I don’t know anyone who currently goes to UTD and enjoys the social life there. I’m an extrovert, so I am pretty worried about the atmosphere at UTD.

UTD grades on a scale similar to my high school, with a lot of tiers, so I am a bit worried about that.

Texas A&M:

I enjoyed the environment here, and loved the campus. Not the biggest fan of all of the traditions, but I could get into it if I was more exposed. A bit worried about the lack of diversity here, but since I’ll be premed, I’m not that worried about it. Additionally, I found a good church close to campus!

I applied to Broad Street Society, an honors society for Public Health students. It’s pretty lauded for giving students really good opportunities for research and making connections. Additionally, A&M seems to have a lot of resources for pre-med students, what with its connections to its Health Science center.

UT Austin:

I also enjoyed the atmosphere here (idk how I liked both A&M/UT) and the campus is okay. The social life is also very cool from what I’ve heard. I found a couple of churches near campus, but I haven’t visited them yet (and don’t think I’ll get the chance to).

I’ve heard the classes are pretty hard, but the UT Austin experience apparently really makes a student ready for med-school. UT is also a very recognised competitive school, and I’ve heard that that allows for some leeway in your GPA. With the size of the campus, I’m also not worried about being able to find a couple awesome organisations to involve myself in.

I know the classes would be huge, and I’ve heard it’s pretty hard to make connections with professors.

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Academically, you can’t go wrong with either of the three. If you want a more traditional college experience then choose A&M or UT.

Bottom line: choose the school where you feel most comfortable…make excellent grades…score well on the MCAT.

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What’s the COA for each?

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I have a senior at A&M and a soon to be freshman at UT, I graduated from UT many years ago. They both are good schools, both have large classes. I think you will find the science classes challenging at both. From the parent groups I am in for A&M I can tell you majority of the students go to off campus tutoring for science and math, especially organic chem and physics. I’m not as familiar with the support system at UT. The A&M students are very into all things Maroon, and very much a cult like atmosphere, but my daughter loves it and it was a perfect choice for her. It really depends on which school you feel more at home at, no bad choice here.

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Hey there!

I’m also a senior from Plano (PSHS). I had the same issue with the same colleges and I ended up choosing UT (for business). My parents could afford it, and I couldn’t pass on the fact that it has one of the best undergrad business programs in the nation. My cousins go there and they say it’s fun and slightly challenging. Note: they both got into BHP (business honors) and adapted rather quickly to the rigorous coursework because they were already very smart and responsible :/. They are also highly involved with clubs and orgs. A family friend is also there for bio. She also say classes are slightly challenging for her (note: she also mentioned cheating on tests since everyone is so paranoid about their GPA :/).

Scholarships will definitely be a key factor especially in times like this where everyone is struggling. I know many of my friends who got scholarships/stipends from UTD. TAMU gives to a lesser extent, and if you are really smart, you will get something significant from UT.

Also note (although I’m pretty sure you know), Med school is NOT a guarantee. Make sure to have a backup if possible. A family member recently graduated from Cornell (double majoring in pre-med and Industrial Labor Relations) and got rejected from nearly every med school he applied to. He is doing masters (not med school) at Harvard though so he isn’t complaining…

I’m a bit biased (and tbh not very knowledgeable in pre-med majors), so in the end, it is your choice. I came to my decision after talking to my parents and you should, too. I don’t think you will be at a loss by choosing any of these Universities. It’s all about what you do in the next four years, not where you do it.

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I’d go with either TAMU or UT, depending on which one you’re more comfortable with. Personally, I’d pick UT because it’s famous nationwide and Austin is a better city to live in than College Station, but that’s just me!

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It really boils down to personal preference. All or great schools but do you want to live in downtown Austin, the college town that is College Station or the professional commuter school (campus life is getting better and better every year). Most people fall in love with one of the choices you have provided. Academically they are all great schools. It just boils down to which one is the best fit for you.

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Closing thread. The OP has not been seen in over a year. If they return and want to update, they can PM me to open thread.