Accepted to both for Physics (but will be switching to Mathematics at Orientation). My goal is to go into tech or finance (not exactly sure which). I live in NJ, so obviously transportation costs for attending UT will be higher than UMD. I visited UMD two weeks ago, and was not too impressed with the campus (although there’s a lot of construction going on in the area). I haven’t visted UT yet, but the campus and dorms do seem a lot nicer based on videos I’ve watched online. Texas’ warm weather sounds a lot more appealing to me than UMD. I’ve heard that UT has better opportunities in the tech and finance realms than UMD, but I’m not too sure if this is true. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
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I think it’s personal choice - and Austin is much more urban - so you need to check it out.
UMD is very well known for math - and it’s a very good for finance - but you aren’t studying finance.
UT Austin is also very well known for math - and Austin is a tech hub. Not sure what type of tech or finance you want, but it might work better for you - on paper. But of course, you’re studying math - so you’ll have to pivot into your interests - which a bright young person like yourself can probably do.
Still nothing replaces a visit - but you can have every success from either school.
Yes, transportation costs will be more - depending on how you’d get to UMD vs. Austin, but my guess is you’ll find some flights into Austin. Southwest Airlines flies there as do other airlines - it’s become a busy airport (and has great eats in the airport to boot). Looks like (and not sure where in NJ you are) there are non stops from Newark, JFK and Philly.
Go check out Austin, learn about the city, see if the size of the campus is alluring to you or overwhelming - and go from there.
Good luck.
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Have you dug into the different tracks and degree requirements within the math departments? Apart from teaching-oriented tracks, which both schools have but I assume you aren’t interested in… UMD has a traditional math track, a statistics track, and an applied math track. UT has a few more options: pure math, applied math, statistics, data science, scientific computation, and actuarial mathematics. Pathways Since you’re not quite sure what you want to do yet, that variety might serve you well. Scientific computation could be a nice transition from physics. Data science could be a good way into tech, and actuarial math is more business-adjacent. I would find the wealth of options attractive, in your situation. Of course, they are both great options; it’s purely a matter of what you prefer. Congrats!
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Tagging math admissions expert @hebegebe to get his input.
(Thanks in advance)
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I can confirm that UT-Austin grads are highly respected in finance.
For the most selective finance employers, the first hurdle is getting an interview. But Goldman Sachs recruits from UT-Austin, and I also know of a recent hire into Jane Street, one of the most selective finance firms in existence. I don’t know that much about UMD.
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Thank you for the response! Yes, I will be visiting UT Austin in a couple of weeks so hopefully I can come to a conclusion after visiting. It’s unfortunate that UT doesn’t have an official admitted students day like other schools, so I suppose a walking tour and exploring the buildings on campus will have to suffice. I have visited other campuses (for school trips, not a formal visit) and I do like how urban campuses integrate into the city. I imagine I’ll like UT Austin’s campus more than UMD, but there’s no reason not to visit to ensure I’m making the right choice.
I have taken a look at it. From what I’ve seen on their website, UT seems to have removed a lot of these formal tracks, but you can choose which upper level courses you take so you can focus more on pure mathematics or applied mathematics. I think this is probably a better option for me because I’m interested in taking a variety of different types of math courses as opposed to following one rigid track. I think you can also switch/add majors within the College of Natural Sciences freely at UT (with the exception of CS), so if I don’t feel that I’m getting enough exposure into a field I like I can just double major or add a minor on. Thank you for your response!
Thank you for your response! I wasn’t sure if math majors regularly broke into finance or if top companies recruit from UT, but from you said it looks like both appear to be true.
In some ways it’s better. Admitted student days are nice for packaging - but they’re also rah rah, with better food brought in, etc. - so it’s hard not to fall in love. So at least you’ll see the true school - that’s how you can look at it. But also make an appointment to visit with the math department or any other group of interest - while there.
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