The National Merit Program at UT Dallas is very enticing… Anyone currently in this program (or collegium v) who wants to share their opinion if it’s “worth it”? I’m currently considering paying $$$ for more “prestigious” schools or UT for free. Any comments specifically about what the program offers in terms if academic rigor, research/internship/job opportunities, etc. would be appreciated!!
(I’m thinking of studying renewable energy)
My DD is currently there as a sophomore with the NM scholarship. She also had that same decision and chose to go to UTD because it gave her monetary freedom to pursue areas of interest as well as she really liked the school and the surrounding area in Dallas. She started with a CS degree but has since picked up a second bachelor’s in cognitive science and a minor in fine art. She will finish in 4 years. That was something she could not have done at the other schools. She also spent 6 weeks in study abroad in Italy for fine arts which again, she could not have done if she did not have the scholarship.
The academic rigor of the school is there especially in the honors courses. She works very hard for her grades and there is not much grade inflation. Actually, she made her first C ever last semester and she worked very hard for it. She has not done research but she is exploring that for the fall and there are lots of opportunities. Her roommate which is premed has been doing research since the freshman year. My DD does have a paying internship this summer in Dallas.
The school has been great for my daughter. Good advising, priority status for registration and housing, flexibility to do classes outside of your major, an academically focused environment and she has alot of fun there. She does UTD radio and gets free concert tickets; gets free tickets for plays, dance productions, orchestra thru the school; goes camping; downtown Dallas; museums. It has been good for her and she has no regrets.
If you have any other questions, just ask.
@wigrlpwr if you are looking for research look into the Clark program
https://honors.utdallas.edu/clark-summer-research-program
@GTAustin Thanks for the info!
@GTAustin, thanks for the great UTD info. My S is going to start there in the fall, also in CS like your D. Unless something really strange happens, he will also be on the NMF scholarship.
You mentioned a paying internship…did your D have to do a lot of legwork on her own to find opportunities for paying internships, or does UTD provide a lot of support there too? Do they also offer services like resume help and workshops to develop interview skills?
@traveler98, my D did most of the legwork. She has gone to the UTD career fairs and talked to numerous companies. Many of them were looking for Juniors and she was only a Sophomore. It was still a good experience for her. It got her comfortable talking to potential employers about what she can offer and hear what they are looking for. They do dress up for the event.
After the career fair, she applied to about 30 companies on line. She got positive responses back from about 3. For the interviews, there are 2 types. For the high tech companies, the first thru the 3rd interviews are done on line or thru a phone call and are purely technical. They ask you to code with the problems getting progressively harder. The best way to get prepared is to buy and read the book “Cracking the Coding Interview”. Only after you have passed all the technical interviews will the high tech companies consider your personality and what else you can offer.
The other type of interview is from industry which is where my D got her internship. They brought in 30 potential candidates and divided them into groups. They did ask them to solve a couple of coding problems but as a group. They wanted to see her work in a group but they were also looking for leaders. This was followed by a personal interview which they stressed leadership and customer service and were looking for those traits in her background.
Two different types of interviews based on what the employer is looking for. I do think the students need to be proactive in searching for internships and not depend on the career center. This was the same for my older D that just graduated from Pitt with a CE degree. It took personal initiative to find internships. I’m sure UTD career center would help with the resume. In our case, my H is in high tech so he helped with the resumes for both of them. The whole process is alot different then when I was in school. Its online using linked in and other online resources.