The University of Texas - Arlington

Date: May 18 2005
Major: Electrical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
Overall Rating: I find UT-Arlington to be a great school. The professors are great, and the academic programs are very good also. Tuition at both the undergrad and graduate level is reasonable and much money is given in financial aid and scholarships. Arlington is a suburb of Dallas, which is one of the best business cities in country.

My Background: I transferred to the Univ. of Texas-Arlington after spending 2.5 years at a private university that was also in Texas. In all, I have taken courses at 4 universities.

Academics/Curriculum: I am a student in the Electrical Engineering department. Overall, I find the professors to be very good. They are nice, polite, and approachable. The courses in my major are also well-chosen and prepare students well both graduate school and a career in electrical engineering. The professors give a very reasonable amount of homework and teach the material well. Electrical Engineering is difficult, but not too difficult. From my experience, students are not overwhelmed with homework. I took 17 hours this semester of junior level classes. On average, I spent about 20-30 hours studying each week. I learned the material well and earned A's in all of my classes. I also had time to watch movies, see friends, and go to out on the weekends. So, the course load is not too high. The professors are very understanding about the course loads. They will give extensions and make changes to the syllabus if students are having problems in the course. From my experience at 4 universities, not all professors do this.

Tuition: The tuition is set by the state government. I find the tuition to be very reasonable. I am an IN-STATE STUDENT, though, and in-state students receive the most FEDERAL financial aid. So, I receive more money in financial aid than OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS would. If you are an OUT-OF-STATE STUDENT and receive $1000 or more each semester in scholarships, YOU WOULD BE GIVEN IN-STATE STATUS instead of the $1000 scholarship. All public universities in Texas have this policy. The school also gives LOTS of financial aid. Per semester, I receive $1500 in scholarships, $4500 in grants and work-study, and $2500 in Stafford loans. So, tuition is very reasonable. I have to work about 6-10 hours per week for my work-study. I receive lots of financial aid because my family contribution is low, though. So, other people who come from richer families would probably receive more aid.

Location: The school is located in down-town Arlington. Arlington is right between Dallas and Fort-Worth. There are TONS of things to do, and many great jobs in the technical, scientific, and business sectors.

Social Life: The social life is okay. The school does not have a football team, and the multipurpose athletic center only seats approximately 2,000 people. INSTEAD OF SPENDING MONEY ON SPORTS, THE SCHOOL SPENDS MONEY ON ACADEMICS AND RESEARCH. So, if you want to go to a great research-oriented university, come here. If you only want to watch sports, go elsewhere.

Most of the students don't have much school spirit. I’m sure that the social life and school spirit would be higher if athletics were better. The social life doesn’t really bother me, though. The students here are very friendly and approachable. Making friends isn’t difficult at all. There are many things to do here in Arlington, Fort-Worth, and Dallas.

Please feel free to contact me.