Having to decide between UT Dallas and Temple

College Search & Lists
1

We visited UTD last weekend for the NMF preview. It was very well organized and the tour guides and the program gave us a lot of good information. In the end, we parents also got a chance to ask a student panel a bunch of questions as did the prospective students of a different panel. My views so far:

  • The money is REALLY good. An almost full ride and it deserves a lot of thought
  • The University also gives a lot of opportunities for the NMF students
  • Dallas is a really big cosmopolitan city with lots of opportunities for research and intership
  • It looked and felt extremely safe
  • The dorms are good(almost too good?)

However, the following thoughts linger and would be nice to get other opinions:

  • A theme I picked up was that the students were introverted. I don’t know if that’s because this is not a party school with no big sports teams. This theme seemed to repeat whether it was the dorm warden who said they make an effort to make the kids get out the room and mingle. My initial thought was that single rooms are great, but wouldn’t that encourage the kids to again become introverted? The student panel also indirectly gave me that impression when the kids said they could use with more socializing(but that could apply to a lot of people too, in fairness). In addition, there are a lot of commuter students and the out of state students are likely to be left with an empty campus on the weekends.

The other thought is that kids who are extroverted will seek out the different organizations and be involved anyway. Also, we’re pondering if the financial aspect cancels out our perceived negatives. As a parent, I want the kids to be in an environment where they can pursue their career ambitions without too many distractions. So this should be a good setting, right? Then, again, it’s not just academics that are important anymore. The kids need to learn to mingle and perform well in group environments in real life. So, is this is the right place? All these thoughts are going through our minds. Look forward to comments from folks who have visited or planning to send their kids to UTD.

We visited Temple several weeks ago and the biggest perception there is safety. Planning to do another visit shortly to decide.

2

What is the career ambition?

3

She’s leaning pre-med at this point.

4

Sure, why not UT-Dallas. They’re know for STEM.
And she could always join clubs to be social.

5

The National Merit Scholars at UTD get good support and have some opportunities, such as a stipend for study abroad that just aren’t offered at other schools. Students can find others with similar interests if they want to, but they’re probably not forced to be social as much as they would be at other schools. The Collegium V program does offer access to a lot of cultural events too.