@TexasMom18 Unless your kid really wants a school with big sports and football, take a good look at UTD my DS18 will be an auto admit into UT Austin but will be attending UTD. UTD was founded as a graduate research school and only added undergrad fairly recently that’s why it’s not as well known. I was very impressed with the honors program and the comp sci honors program. Their National Merit scholarship is a full ride and the competitive McDermott scholarship actually pays the kids even through the summer. There are also AES scholarships based on GPA,SAT/ACT, and rank. UTD is a very up and coming University well worth a look.
@TexasMom18 my D18 also took the Saturday ACT and really hoping for a bump as well. Has a pair of 29’s and just hoping to make the 30+ club. I know a 32 brings lots of merit options but we seem to work in increments, and I am guessing June and Sept are in our plans. Good luck to all who took this ACT and congrats to those who are done with it!
@TexasMom18, my S has a story similar to @3scoutsmom. He will be auto admit to UTA and shouldn’t have any trouble getting into the CS major at UTA, but he likes UTD better at the moment. UTD definitely has a bit of a “nerdy” vibe which S loves. When the accomplishments of the basketball, debate, and chess teams all get equal coverage in the news section of the school website you know it’s not a rah-rah sports school, and S hadn’t realized it was possible to find that in a Texas public (or private for that matter). The head of the honors program was quite open about UTD’s desire to “buy” academic talent via generous merit scholarships and keep those students engaged and happy via a strong honors program, in order to increase the profile of the school. Definitely worth checking out if you have a STEM kid who isn’t into the football scene.
@3scoutsmom I didn’t think about the football aspect of it. DS is wanting to continue with marching band so that probably leaves UTD out.
@my2caligirls - S17 had a pair of 29’s as well. He took an online prep course last year and scored a 32. I was quite pleased and happy with the investment!
Congrats @jpc763 nice accomplishment. What online prep did he go with?
@my2caligirls - We used prepexpert and will most likely do it again with S18.
So, UT Dallas…
The weather was muggy as all get-out, but we missed most of the rain.
Overall, I - the mom - was very impressed. There are tons, metric and otherwise, of opportunities for students at this school. Evidence (posters) of student research is *everywhere.
The campus is laid out compactly, with concrete buildings that are mostly non-descript if you’ve seen a research park before. There are several soaring glass entryways to break up the concrete, and there are plenty of trees, including a spectacular double line of magnolias flanking a long reflecting pool, and other greenery.
If I could use only one word to describe the campus vibe, it would be “bustle.” Students seemed focused, engaged and energetic.
The campus is very diverse, with lots of Asian, Indian, Hispanic, African-American and Muslim students. We heard several different languages being spoken, and there were many posters for various ethnic student groups - Bangladeshi, Pino/a, Mexican, Trans and many more. The purple hair factor (I think that’s what poster lindagaf calls it) was much higher here than at UNM.
The dorms are great. Each dorm room has three single bedrooms with lockable doors, a small living room area, a storage closet and a bathroom. The bathroom has the toilet area separate from three sinks (one for each bedroom), and separate from the shower for minimal bathroom interference between the residents. Laundry is free. There are also apartments in a variety of configurations located around a very nice swimming pool complex.
The dining hall rivals the Lido deck on any cruise ship. It has a wide variety of stations - one for pizza, pasta and Caesar salads, another for hot and cold sandwiches, a dry cereal and granola/yogurt parfait station, a burger station, an Asian section, two entrée-of-the-day stations where you might get something like an herbed chicken breast with green beans and rice pilaf, or a carving station with hand-carved roast beef. The salad bar was large and offered many selections. The bakery / dessert section two kinds of cookies, and the staff rang a bell when hot ones came out of the oven. There were also puddings, cupcakes, muffins, and slices of what looked like a Boston Cream cake. The dining hall isn’t 24/7, and the meal plan is based on swipes, not unlimited access like UNM.
The honors / Nat’l Merit and McDermott kids will be absolutely showered with special attention - separate computer and study lounges, internships, no-cost meals with faculty, theatre / symphony / opera tickets, research opportunities, etc. It was extremely clear that having invested financially in these students, the school was then going to do their utmost to see that each and every one of them had whatever resources they needed to reach their full potential.
The student rec cen was an entire complex with pools, basketball and squash courts, climbing walls and stuff I’m probably forgetting.
If I were doing the choosing for myself as a student, I would choose UTD over UNM. But I’m not the one choosing, and S didn’t feel this school was a fit for him, probably to the point that he won’t even apply.
Here are his negatives:
The Dallas metro area is too big and too urban. S has spent most of his life in a town of 1500 people.
There are some aspects of - I’m not sure how to put this - Texas business culture? maybe business culture in general? - that rub him the wrong way. Lots of men wearing full business suits on campus, including many students and the first two men we met with. Handshakes that are firm to the point of coming across as a dominance contest. An interviewing style that can come across as aggressive or dismissive. In particular, when S told one of the people we spoke to that he was interested in pre-med, the person’s response was “No, you’re not.” Not in those exact words, but close.
S was surprised and taken aback. Me, I was somewhat taken aback, too, but I had a suspicion that the interviewer was testing S, pushing him on purpose to see how he’d respond, but it put S off in a big way. S persisted, and the interviewer softened a bit, saying that a lot of kids who are interested in medicine are interested for the wrong reasons - prestige, money, God complex, etc.
It made things worse that this was the interviewer’s opening conversational gambit. Interviewer: So, what brings you here? What would you like to study? S: I’m interested in being premed. Interviewer: No, you’re not.
Anyhow, S was concerned that if that’s their model of what a successful man is and how he acts, and if they were then going pour their time and resources into molding him into a successful man, that he didn’t want to become what the model seemed to be.
On the upside, he very much liked his meeting with the pre-health advisor and particular male professor who wasn’t so Alpha-male and was more your standard professorial academic type.
@DiotimaDM , I am really enjoying reading about your and your S’s perspectives, as I have lived in both CA and NM (and currently live in OK–I’m especially looking forward to the OU report 
). FWIW, my D’s impression of the Texas culture matches your son’s, and she long ago nixed any suggestion of TX colleges. Not her style, she says. I’m not exactly sure what she’s basing this perception on, as she hasn’t spent much time in TX. It’s not worth trying to change her mind, as she’ll have lots of other good options. And for the record, my S20 wants to go to college in TX. Don’t ask–I don’t know.
Two of my H’s surgeon partners went to UNM as undergrads and loved their experiences there. I’m a huge fan of ABQ myself. It’s good to see some UNM love here on CC.
@DiotimaDM, I am loving reading your post about your campus visits. I have never given UNM any thoughts before but boy that one is now on the list for a visit for sure.
Thank you for your awesome reports!!!
And UTD send lots and lots of kids to medical school at Southwestern and other TX schools. I am sorry your son got that response. But good to know the school is off the table.
@BingeWatcher & @ShrimpBurrito Thanks! We are now approaching Texas Tech with a certain amount of trepidation, and we’re hoping that whatever this cultural factor is, it doesn’t carry over into Oklahoma.
I think it affected me less than S because I went to undergrad as a little blonde girl in Tennessee, so I’ve got a long (and probably uppity) history of holding my own against dismissive men. S has never faced anything like that before.
At UTD, I felt like the Nat’l Merit experience would be like being at a small, very well funded LAC, and I liked that feel. The “Life of the Mind” was very clearly in evidence.
UNM is going to be a more traditional college experience, in an atmosphere that S liked as much as I did. There were places on the UNM campus where it would be easy to convince yourself that you were in a mountain retreat somewhere in the Southwest, instead of being in the middle of the state’s largest metropolitan area.
Sounds like your son did great on the test. Learning to stand your ground is important. It isn’t a “macho” thing, it’s important when he decides he wants to do something he thinks is important and faces resistance from others.
Looking for a safety school for my daughter. I’ve heard horror stories about kids with great scores/grades not getting into any of their schools. Perceived “safeties” don’t admit students who they don’t consider sincerely interested and the increased competitiveness makes few if any schools a sure thing. My sons used state school as safety because they knew they would be perfectly happy there and they met the requirements so that was easy. My D is more inclined towards LACs. She has many interests but hasn’t zeroed in on a major. She is talented in languages - has earned National French Exam gold and silver awards, studies Spanish and French in school and a bunch more languages independently. She is talented in voice and cello (has performed with 3 different orchestras at Carnegie Hall NYC). She is a solid all around student - if she had to choose now, she might say she wants to pursue creative writing. She has a 36 composite on ACT and 790/790 on SAT (each first sitting with no formal prep - reviewed format to be familiar). She is very chill and I don’t want to create stress where none needs to be. She is a yogi and perceives the sea of angst in her highly competitive HS. She loves her classes and sees her peers missing out on the joy of learning as they obsess over points. She takes the most rigorous course load and has a 3.9UW/4.9W. Looking for a school where she will feel she would be happy and where they would be happy to have her. Are there any schools that are not focused on protecting their yield that would be a good option for her. She has visited and loves Hamilton, Williams and Middlebury. Would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.
If she’s focused on languages and interested in Creative Writing, Middlebury is an ideal choice. I’m sure you already know this, but I wasn’t entirely sure from your post, Middlebury is not a safety for anyone.
Thanks urbanslaughter Yes, she would be thrilled with Middlebury but since it isn’t a safety for anyone, I am trying to identify some safety schools for her to visit and hopefully fall in love with. The reason I mentioned Middlebury, Hamilton and Williams was to give an idea of what appealed to her so maybe someone knows of some similar vibe schools that are less competitive.
@aynrandfan Perhaps some of the smaller LACs in Pennsylvania that are a little less competitive (eg Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg)?
@aynrandfan I"m not sure if geographic location is important for you. Obviously, Hamilton, Williams, Midd all in Northeast. We will be in same predicament with S19. Need LAC safeties. Using our Naviance, I’m pretty sure Dickinson, Denision, Richmond, and Grinnell could be options. We will still show interest in these, though. S19 already signed up to be on their emails lists and since we are in the Midwest, we will definitely be visiting Denison and Grinnell. It looks like Richmond and Dickinson offer local interviews, so he will do those as well.
@aynrandfan I would suggest St Olaf in Minnesota and Lawrence in Wisconsin. Both are more relaxed LACs, and certainly easier to get in to. While not probably technically “safety” schools, I would be very surprised if she didn’t get into both of them. And both have vigorous music programs, especially Lawrence with the conservatory.
@DiotimaDM Interesting about UTD. We chose not to stop there because I didn’t feel it would be a good fit for my son. He would not enjoy the office park look/feel. And I am pretty surprised that someone would outright say to your kid that they were not interested in premed. How would they know that? Did they read the application (no, because it isn’t done yet!)? Are they just assuming your kid will be one of many who change their mind? So weird.
I’ll be interested in what you think, but for us, Oklahoma was very comfortable. I saw no one wearing a suit. We were actually relieved to see that kids there seemed very much like what we are used to in the Upper Midwest. In particular, there was very low “purple hair factor”, very low makeup on girls, and lots of jeans/leggings/sweatshirts. This is what my son wants. I know lots of posts on here seem to want the “purple hair factor” and “quirky” kids, but he is looking for what I would call “mainstream” (some probably would call “preppy”, but he is not looking for upscale like that implies to me.)
When I saw the creative writing part, I thought about Kenyon. Maybe Oberlin as well? With such high scores, she needs to watch out for schools who are protective of yield. I don’t have a ton of familiarity with LACs, so don’t know which ones those might be, but I thought I’d throw that out there.
@Clementine7624 very curious to hear your report on your UDenver visit. After my D & H visited I’m left still unsure how that one fits into the overall picture, and I think my D felt similarly conflicted about it.
@LOUKYDAD I hear you on confusing messages from these kids! Like you and others have noticed, close to home is likely becoming a factor, and we’re finding that is true for D as well. I think there is also a cultural “fit” factor that works its way in the closer to home you get. We just visited our first “closer to home” campus and D reported that it felt more like her, like who she is, like home. Well, that is because it’s 90 minutes from home, and most of the kids who go here are from the same region as you so in that sense, like you.
@DiotimaDM Loving your visit reports! Even though D is strongly opposed to large schools I feel compelled to check out UNM based solely on your report!
Welcome @aynrandfan ! My D is into LACs as well but we are on the West Coast so I’m not sure I can provide much help. But I wish you well in your search, your D sounds awesome and I applaud her for keeping her zen during the craziness!