<p>I'm a junior in high school and I really like UT Dallas and I really want to go there, but my parents are basically saying sorry you're never going to go there unless you get into the PACT program. I want to do pre-med then go to med school to be a radiologist. I've been researching a lot about this school and I really like what I've been reading and seeing. My parents don't like it because they said "no one has heard of it" and "it's not going to get you as many job opportunities than if you went to UT Austin." It's just very frustrating because I really like this school and they're basically confining me to certain schools I don't wan't to go to.</p>
<p>Anyway, I want to go to UTSW for med school and was wondering if a lot of UTD pre-med students get in and if it's beneficial that they went to UTD. I know UTD has the PACT program, but if I can't get into that, I was wondering if I had a good chance getting in to UTSW doing the traditional route. Do the professors have connections at UTSW that could help me? Or does UT Austin have a better pre-med program and do more students get in because it's more well-known? I know this is a little early to be discussing because I'm a junior in hs, but I really don't know how to turn my parents around on this situation. They don't understand it's my choice on where I want to go. I just want them to support me and my choices, but they're pretty dead set on me not going to UTD because it's a lower tier and not as well known and all that. Please help :(</p>
<p>Pre-med: doesn’t matter where you go as long as you go to a school where you can maintain a high GPA and have good faculty to help you learn the material for the mcat and offer research opportunities etc. Both schools have good pre-med programs although (I might have said this in your previous post) i preferred UTD because of its small school feel which i felt can open up more opportunities for me. UT is a good school too but i got a full-ride to UTD so paying 2k vs 25k and then paying more on top of tht for med school wasnt in my best interest.
UTSW: Some UTSW staff come too UTD either to talk or hold joint-appointments. There is also a research program directly partnered with UTSW in which you can apply and possibly research at UTSW for a full semester for the equivalent of 12 UTD credit hours. It is hard to get into UTSW, if you look at their profile they have something like an average 3.8 GPA and high MCAT scores for their entering classes. They value research as well so you might want to look at the research opportunities at UT vs. UTD. It is not like they are going to reject you because you went to UTD vs. UT.</p>
<p>I was a little uncomfortable choosing UTD over UT at first just because I felt like i was going to a lesser-known school. It is obvious that more people know about UT than UTD, however, UTD ranks high in most Texas college rankings. It is also competing right now to become a Tier one school just like UT. I also like the small-school feel. My question is, if your parents are so bent on going to “the top school” why not Rice or something lol </p>
<p>All in all: pre-med undergrad doesnt matter that much</p>
<p>There isnt much more to say since we pretty much said it all in your last thread.</p>
<p>People in Texas know about UTD. Outside of Texas, no one knows about UTD, but no one knows about UT Austin either except for football. People think I went to undergrad at the state flagship because they dont know the difference. Sure there arent better job opportunities if you go to utd, but as a premed you arent applying for a job. You dont need to go through on campus recruiting to land a job and need the help of a brand name school. No one cares where you went to school for undergrad, just like people dont really care where you go for med school.</p>
<p>A lot of people from utd go to utsw. In my year, the majority of my premed friends all got into utsw (at least 10). With a GPA of 3.8 and MCAT of 34, chances to get into utsw are really really good. Med schools dont really care where you go for undergrad. There are people who went to ivy league for undergrad and end up at texas tech. Likewise, there are plenty of people who went to no name undergrads at my “top 10” med school.</p>
<p>Some profs have joint appointments with utsw. Center of Brain Health does some research with people at utsw. Or even higher yield, you can go do research at utsw. </p>
<p>What school you end up at for med school is all dependent on you. If you are smart and motivated, you can go anywhere in the country. The bigger question is why do your parents not have enough confidence in your abilities to succeed in college?</p>
<p>Like naokuvi said, undergrad name doesnt matter. Honestly, UT Austin isnt even that prestigious of a school. Why aren’t your parents making you aim for Harvard or a school with actual prestige. </p>
<p>To put my post in context: I turned down an ivy to go to utd. I didnt even apply to ut austin. I am now at a top 10 school on full scholarship.</p>
<p>@bigreddawgie - I appreciate that you are very active and VERY helpful on this board which is not too active. Thank you. I know you are a Mcdermott Scholar. The reference to top 10 school is undergrad (UTD) or med school ?</p>
<p>@naokuvi and @bigreddawgie thank you guys so much for giving me information and trying to help me. I know I wrote about this in my previous thread, so taking the time to reiterate and elaborate on what you said before is much appreciated. Again, thank you so much.</p>
<p>@naokuvi and @bigreddawgie - also what are your majors? I’m debating between biology and neuroscience, but I don’t really know what I’m going to do </p>
<p>I’m assuming both of y’all are pre-med. How is that? What do you think I should major in if I want to be a radiologist in the future?</p>
<p>@bigreddawgie - how was the workload and did they prepare you well for the MCAT and med school? What do you want to be when you finish med school? @naokuvi - how’s the workload compared to chemistry and neuroscience majors? Do you think majoring in biology will prepare you well for the MCAT and med school?</p>
<p>I know these are basically the same questions, but I’ve been stuck between the two.</p>
<p>Major in whatever you want. It really won’t matter. Premed at utd isnt bad at all. No weed out classes. Even ochem is manageable if you put in the effort. </p>
<p>Workload for me wasnt bad at all. Lots of free time, but I also didnt have a heavy schedule at any point during my 4 years except for 1 semester during sophomore year. I left a lot of my hard neuro classes till senior year, traveled every week for half a semester to go to med school interviews, and still ended up with a 4.0 that semester. </p>
<p>Doing well on MCAT is all about how many practice tests you do and how hard you study for that short period of time before you take it. Doesnt matter what your major is, since every premed will take the premed classes. Among my friends, those that did well did lots of practice tests and questions. Those that did poorly or had to retake didnt put in as much effort.</p>
<p>And none of the classes you take in undergrad will impact your performance in med school. The last time Ive looked at anything physics/ochem/chemistry related (aside from simple acid base stuff) was sophomore year of college, and Im about to be done with 2nd year of med school in a few weeks. I never took anatomy, physiology, genetics, microbiology or whatever other upper level bio classes that was offered at utd. </p>
<p>Just curious, why do you want to be a radiologist? Have you had any experiences in that field. I dont know too many people that start off with knowing they want to sit in a dark room and scroll through hundreds of images. </p>
<p>Oh that sounds really great. I heard the MCAT is to change in 2015 so I’m not looking forward to that.</p>
<p>I’m an introvert and I want to become a doctor, so I though becoming a radiologist would be a good way to combine both of those things. It also pays well so that’s always a plus. I know there are other things that radiologists do that I don’t know of, but I hope to shadow one in the future or do something that will help me know for sure that’s the kind of doctor I want to become. </p>
<p>@houstongirl to be honest i feel that neuroscience is a more challenging major but thats just me. I wasnt very interested in the subject so that probably contributed to my feelings toward the major. As of now I am taking a pretty hard courseload, at least for me. I never had to study in highschool and my classes right now require a lot of meticulous work so i am still adjusting to the workload and how to manage my free time. I too am taking the 2015 MCAT (or most likely will). I think either major will prepare you well for the MCAT. With any major you have to take the premed prereqs anyways so that will prepare you for the biology, physics, and chemistry sections. Biochemistry is being added on and I believe you have to take that for both majors anyways. I recently attended a seminar discussing the new MCAT and it seems that a little background in genetics may be useful though not required. Genetics is worked into the bio degree plan (i dont know about neuro) so it works out. However, with the addition of the social and behavioral science section, taking neuroscience and social science courses will help out. Even though i switched from neuroscience to bio i plan to have a background of behavioral neuroscience, psychology, and sociology under my belt to take it. Your major in undergrad wont really determine whether you will become a radiologist or not so come in with an open mind! Major in what you’re most interested in, take classes you feel will aid you in preparation for med schools and take a fun class here and there. Just make sure to work in the premed prereqs and the additional courses required for the MCAT 2015 and you will be fine.</p>
<p>@ptplano1997, you do realize, don’t you, that CalPoly and CalTech aren’t the same university? CalTech is rated in the top 5 engineering schools in the country along with MIT, Cal-Berkeley, etc. UTD is ranked in the top 75. CalPoly is unranked.</p>