I got accepted into both UTEP and UT Austin as a biochemistry major, and I was wondering which school provided the best opportunities and resources for pre-med students. I know that UT Austin for sure has the better education, but I heard that there is a lot of competition for research opportunities there and volunteering due to the large amount of pre-meds there. Also I will paying little to nothing for tuition at UTEP because of scholarships, but at UT Austin I will be paying around $20,000 a year. So should I go to UTEP and get a easy decent education for almost nothing, or get a good education at UT Austin and go into debt? However I did research online and they say that medical schools don’t care where you go for your undergraduate degree as long as you do good in school. Answers from those who are familiar with both institutions will be helpful!
I’d say UT Austin. As a pre-med student there is a good possibility something will happen along the way and you won’t end up in medical school (loss of interest, too expensive, bad grades, too difficult, bad health, etc.) even if you are completely set out to go to med school. UTEP is essentially a 4th tier open admission university. If something affects your attending med school in the future you will have a significantly better education with UT that would be much more likely to land you a job especially with a large alumni network. Now I only say that because you are comparing UT to UTEP. If it was another, better Texas public university that you were in this situation with (UTD for example) vs UT, I would definitely say go for UTD as it would still provide you with an excellent education and good job prospects.