yearly bump. anyone here applying this year?
We are looking into the program for my son. However, it doesn’t seem very hopeful for homeschoolers. Most of the recipients seem to come from schools with many clubs and organizations to be president of. We are lacking in an honor society, chess team, lacrosse team, debate team, etc. So while my son got a perfect ACT score, has over 60 hours of dual-enrollment credit with a 4.0, and is obviously top of his class (of one), the selection criteria seem so focused on leadership roles in a school setting that I don’t know if it’s worth applying.
@cristyw how about Boy Scouts, 4-H or volunteer work? What about Etta Sigma Alpha the homeschool honor society (http://www.etasigmaalpha.com/)
Hi, everyone!
I have some questions about the McDermott Scholars program, please.
There’s a cohort-based leadership academy at my son’s school. The LA is a great program, but it’s very structured and somewhat rigid. The kids take all / most of their classes together, so there’s very little mixing with the rest of the students on campus, and sometimes this contributes to a certain “we’re better than you” attitude among some of the participants.
The students have a 4-year schedule pre-designed for them as a cohort, so there’s also less freedom to explore and less freedom to tailor the curriculum to a student’s individual interests.
There are field trips and mandatory service projects that are wonderful, but again - somewhat restrictive since they sometimes prevent students from pursuing other activities.
The McDermott program sounds absolutely amazing, but I’ve got this niggling worry that it might have negatives along the lines of the LA at my son’s school.
So, for those of you in the program, here are my questions:
Do you ever feel isolated from the other students on campus?
Are the field trips or service projects welcome and wonderful, or do they feel restrictive, invasive and/or burdensome? Do they take up so much time that they negatively impact your GPA? Do you have enough time and energy to pursue outside interests?
Does being in the program impact your course schedule in a meaningful way? Are you ever shut out of things you’d like to take because of classes required by the program?
Are there other negatives that I might have missed?
I’m not trying to dis the program, just making sure that I have as detailed an understanding as I can, including any possible negatives or unforeseen ramifications.
Oops, one last question!
For those of you who came in with significant AP / IB / Dual enrollment credits, how does that fit with having to do all four years of the program? You’re not allowed to graduate early, right?
Do you just take a really light schedule? Does it give you the freedom to double major if you want?
I can answer all of your ques or concerns.
“The McDermott program sounds absolutely amazing, but I’ve got this niggling worry that it might have negatives along the lines of the LA at my son’s school.”
The 4 year program isn’t pre-designed at all. You can pretty much choose whatever classes you want to take or participate in whatever activities you’re interested in. You will meet with the program director every semester to go over you plans for the semester and make sure you are on track with your career goals etc.There are some mandatory stuff to do, but it does not really take away from anything else you would want to pursue. mcdermott scholars in general are pretty humble individuals. most will not even mention that they are mcdermott unless asked about it.
“Do you ever feel isolated from the other students on campus?”
Not isolated at all. most of my friends during college were non-mcdermott. i never got treated any differently from my friends just because i was mcdermott. but you will still have your mcdermott family behind you no matter what.
“Are the field trips or service projects welcome and wonderful, or do they feel restrictive, invasive and/or burdensome? Do they take up so much time that they negatively impact your GPA? Do you have enough time and energy to pursue outside interests?”
The only field trips are santa fe before freshmen year, DC trip after freshmen year, and Austin trip either during fresh or soph year. They are all wonderfully planned and very fun. There are also leadership dallas trips one afternoon most weeks during fresh year. You may participate in any service projects you desire. I dont think mcdermott organizes any service projects themselves. None of these are restrictive, invasive, or burdensome. They are great opportunities. They dont impact your GPA at all. I graduated with a 3.9999999 gpa. I had plenty of time for other stuff outside of school.
“Does being in the program impact your course schedule in a meaningful way? Are you ever shut out of things you’d like to take because of classes required by the program?”
No impact at all. the only requirement is that you need to take 30 credit hours a year. The average student should be taking 15 credit hours a semester anyways, so no different. You are free to take whatever classes you would like.
“Are there other negatives that I might have missed?”
The only negative is if you are lazy or not interested in being involved in ECs, you’re going to have a bad time. Doesnt sound like this will be the case for your son.
"For those of you who came in with significant AP / IB / Dual enrollment credits, how does that fit with having to do all four years of the program? You’re not allowed to graduate early, right? Do you just take a really light schedule? Does it give you the freedom to double major if you want? "
You are required to do all 4 years. You can apply the credits. Some people will get a bachelors and masters in the 4 years they are at UTD. or you can just have a few light semesters here and there. You there are ways to take a light schedule that doesnt seem light at first glance. I definitely did that during a semester I was studying for the MCAT. Took 9 hrs of actual class, 3 hrs research, 3 hrs of teaching assistant. You can double major if you want, many do. I had plenty of credits coming in and didnt do a double major. I just took interesting classes like business law
let me know if you have any more ques.
You rock. Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that. Extremely helpful. 
Re. post #141: @CristyW , my son was homeschooled and he was offered the McDermott Scholars Scholarship. He had a ton of outside activities, though: national level physics and math competitions, nationally ranked for chess for his age, tons of music, baseball, and so on. He didn’t ultimately take the offer, but it was very hard to turn down. I think UTD is great, and the McDermott Scholars Program is amazing. I think your son should definitely go for it! My middle son applied and didn’t move onto finalist, but he still did end up with a full tuition scholarship.
So I’m currently applying to the program, but the only question I really have is about the video.
Am I supposed to emphasize my interests and strengths in the video (I’ve watched some on youtube and some are just walk and talk, others incorporate music, sports, etc.- I’m an all state musician if that helps) while mentioning why I want to attend the program? (also on this point, many of the videos I’ve seen appear to be restating the same points for wishing to attend the program- studying abroad, special opportunities, etc.)
What video? I applied also and I never found out anything about a video
It’s an optional 2 min video. Prompt is “Create a YouTube (or similar service) link introducing yourself, telling us why you’re applying to the McDermott Scholars Program. 2:00 minutes maximum time length. Be yourself! This video is all about giving us a sense of your personality and communication skills. Please provide the video link in the box below.”
I believe it’s a new thing that was started this year. I think it provides another avenue for you to add some additional info to your application and allows you another way to express yourself and get your personality across in a better way than just from reading off your application.
Do you think that NOT doing the video will go against possible being chosen as a finalist? My son applied for the early deadline and was told he was a semi-finalist, but did not do a video, so we are wondering if he really should try to do it ASAP. Thanks.
hard to say. Id like to think that if they said it was optional, then it is in fact truly optional. if your son doesnt have anything to add, then its better to not do one than have a bad one. if he thinks he can make a good video, then its up to him if he wants to submit one or not. just my opinion.
Does semi-finalist mean you will get an invitation for the interview weekend?
cant say for sure, but there have been semi-finalists in the past that didnt make it to finalist weekend (based on previous posters)
@kims3blessings I personally messaged them about this as I was applying, and they assured me that it’s really to amuse the board and help them know you better.
I recently got the finalist invite and I didn’t do the video, so future students don’t be concerned.
@Springong Congratulations! That is exciting that you already heard on the finalist status? May I ask when you heard and how you heard? And did you attend the event they had at UTD this past Saturday?
@kims3blessings I heard back on January 24th and so did my close friend who goes to school with me. No I didn’t attend the seminar. I did go to scholar’s day though, but that was for the waiver and to get a feel for the school.
I expect you will receive your invitation in a couple days. I had another student message me that they didn’t get it only to get it earlier today! So don’t worry about it! It’s coming!!!
@Springong Thanks for the encouragement! My son applied to McDermott and Terry so I guess we shall see if he gets a spot for either. Can you tell me if they emailed you directly, or through the UTD portal? Or how did you find out, then he can be keeping a lookout to see if he gets to attend or not. Thanks!
Can confirm that some finalist notifications have already been sent out. I believe all finalists will receive notifications on Friday 1/29. All applicants will receive an email notification regarding their status (whether they are finalist or not).
Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions. I’ll be checking this thread with more frequency as finalist weekend gets closer. I graduated from the program almost 4 years ago. Currently interviewing for medical residency programs. Had an interview today where I got asked why I went to UTD. I was able to talk about the scholarship program and why it was a big reason I decided to go to UTD, and my interviewers were definitely impressed with everything the program had to offer!