Hi everyone!
I just wanted to give another perspective on McDermott scholars program.
I received an offer to be part of the Mcdermott class of 2019 last year- I turned it down.
I made a new account since I forgot my password but I’ve been active here and McDermott was my first choice- it was absolutely insane for me to even get an invite to finalist weekend, never mind get the offer.
It was an extremely difficult decision but I ended up turning down McDermott. I just thought it might be helpful to explain some things I noticed when I was in the program because while scholars I’m sure will want you to find the best place, the finalist weekend is still meant to plug the program and it’s a bit hard to tease out some cons.
With that said, I do believe this is still an amazing opportunity for the right person- I don’t need to state the pros of the program because many people have talked about them on this thread (the reasons why I was so excited about the program in the first place!). Still, some things I noticed/to consider:
- You can not go home in the summer- for some people, this is a small thing, but it was really important to me as a out-of-state student and someone who is very close to her family. I'm not sure what the reason but it was also a reminder that this program does impose restrictions on scholars (I believe they approve your activities, internships, etc).
- The scholars were touted to be very diverse, and in their activities & interests, they were. But I did feel like it was a relatively monolithic group racially and socio-economic-wise (of course, this is NOT to say everyone was affluent). I just felt a little bit different from everyone else. On top of that, the group of finalists (and scholars) seemed, as a group, very extroverted. As an introvert, this also made me feel very uncomfortable- the few more introverted finalists I met and gelled with also talked about how extroverted everyone else seemed to be. I'm sure not every scholar fits this and every year has a different vibe since the program is so small, but remember that in a program this small, the peer group matters tremendously, so really focus on observing if you would fit in during finalist weekend.
- Major/career interest: the vast majority of scholars were pre-med/bio or CS/engineering (there were some exceptions, especially in political science/pre-law/international econ I think). I was interested in business/finance and found that there were barely any scholars or alumni there (though I think UTD has a good business school, just underrepresented in the program). I also love the humanities and wanted to minor in Literature or English. While of course UTD has humanity classes, there's no doubt that the school is extremely STEM oriented and options would be extremely limited. This was a big con for me- to be honest, if I was pre-med (or possibly also CS or pre-law), I would likely have taken this program.
- Vibe- This is extremely subjective and some might disagree. While I liked finalist weekend, it was so stressful and hectic. I just didn't enjoy the constant activities, receptions, interviews, etc, all day as an introvert and it did color my perception of the program.
With that said, the career opportunities are amazing, the personal attention is probably unrivaled, and of course, the money is insane. It was really hard to turn down this program (and the financial security it gives you).
I actually do still mention this program to people who I think might be a good fit- I do think it’s better for pre-med/pre-law/CS students (especially pre-med since medical school is so expensive!), and students who are more extroverted.
Just a different perspective- a limited one, of course, since I am not a scholar. Feel free to DM me with questions about my stats, the application process, or any questions about both the pros/cons of the program.