<p>Full ride to SMU...I am not sure how much money I will get from UT...waiting on that
I am not sure what I want to major in but either a premed track or computer science. Any input on this? What kind of opportunities do premed students have at UT? Also how do students deal with the large class size?? Do you have to self study most of the material?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!</p>
<p>it’s certainly a tough choice if money is any objection. UT is stingy as hell with their money. </p>
<p>I’m only an entering freshman, but I do know that UT does offer pre-med students as well as comp sci students unlimited opportunities with tons of opportunities for research as well as internships in austin. </p>
<p>good luck :)</p>
<p>I’m a parent of an incoming freshman who is considering major in CS, in addition to Plan II. For research opportunities check out FRI (freshman research initiative). The deadline to apply online is tomorrow (5/7).
You can also check out pickaprof and search this forum for comments on the CS classes and profs.<br>
Also, here is a link to a post by a current (?) CS student which talks about classes and CS research in the FRI. The website has a link to the poster and paper the student did an programming an autonomous car.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~eshira/courses.htm[/url]”>https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~eshira/courses.htm</a></p>
<p>thanks!!</p>
<p>Any other suggestions/opinions?</p>
<p>For comp sci, UT is the better choice hands down.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about pre-med, so I can’t give my opinion there.</p>
<p>My son had a full ride to SMU (presidential scholarship) and a sizable merit scholarship, but not full ride, to UT. He chose UT because of the strength of their honors (Plan II), CS and film departments.
I do know that Dallas based companies recruit heavily at SMU. There are quite a few tech type companies in Dallas. We did meet some SMU premeds who been accepted into good medical schools. You should be able to find the medical school admissions rates for SMU and UT online.</p>
<p>^If I am not in honors, would that put me at a disadvantage??
Also I tried looking for the medical school admissions rate but I didn’t have much success. Is there any specific site you would recommend? Thanks for your help =]</p>
<p>I’m not really sure. Try asking about this in the high school/ premed forum:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-student-topics/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-student-topics/</a></p>
<p>Lets face it Austin is a rising city and Dallas is…well “self important.” Sure, the big D is BIG, but Dallas is in the middle of a wide open plain, next to the Trinity River. Compare the Colorado River that goes through Austin and consider Edward’s Plateau to the West, it’s stunning and it provides a myriad of recreational opportunities for students and families. Austin is an extremely diverse city, it’s one of the most environmental conscious cities in the world, the architecture is fantastic, and its the live music capital of the world. I’ll grant that SMU’s location is prestigious, but you feel out of place when you’re not white, rich, and protestant. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being that person, but its not everyone. UT and Austin offer so many more worthwhile opportunities than Dallas does and Austin is a much better place to be for biomedical research or Computer Science. UT is the powerhouse of the south when it comes to CS, no other school within a 1000 mile radius touches UT. UT is easily the best choice.</p>
<p>i agree. I live in DFW and it sucks.</p>
<p>schismmanifesto–you’re not completely right about SMU–you don’t have to be white, rich, and protestant, just white and rich.</p>
<p>^^lol…</p>
<p>so true loneranger</p>
<p>lol leaving the stereotypes aside, is it worth paying for UT as opposed to going to SMU for free??</p>
<p>UT>SMU</p>
<p>Austin>Dallas</p>
<p>SMU for free is wonderful…</p>
<p>SMU is a great institution…and for med school it doesnt matter where you go to undergrad…what matters is your GPA + MCAT…</p>
<p>i think you will have a better pre-med experience at SMU b/c you will face a smaller environment…UT is just a mess…</p>
<p>CS is probably better at UT though…</p>
<p>Austin is not better than Dallas.</p>
<p>SMU is a great school, but it isn’t for everyone. It’s a much smaller environment and has a different vibe. It’s very much dominated by the Greek scene so if that’s not something you’re looking for social offerings may be limited. The “wealthy frat boy” stereotype isn’t the only kind of student at Southern Millionaires’ University, but it’s a large portion of it.</p>
<p>Thank you for your inputs!!</p>
<p>my $.02 </p>
<p>SMU is dangerous when it comes to the drug scene, the greeks have been known to “cocaine haze” people- think alcohol binging but with cocaine. Take my anecdotes with a grain of salt, but I knew someone at SMU who died from a cocaine OD. There’s absolutely no pressure at UT to do anything you don’t want to do, it’s big enough for you to find a friend group no matter what you’re into</p>
<p>I actually know a kid from soccer whose sister who went to SMU overdosed there as well.</p>