Best Colleges in Dallas - Fort Worth

Questions About Going to College in Dallas - Fort Worth

How are the career opportunities for college graduates in Dallas–Fort Worth?

After you walk across the podium and accept a piece of paper that will tell future employers you’ve got the goods, you want to step into a pair of cowboy boots and find a job in Dallas–Fort Worth. Good news! In the Dallas–Fort Worth area, you can wrangle the ideal mix of entry-level job opportunities, high starting pay, low unemployment rate, and affordable rent. Average salaries start around $36,000*, unemployment sits at a low 3.7%**, and the metropolitan itself boats the fifth largest gross metropolitan product (GMP) in these great states***. There’s a lot of opportunity “where the West begins.”

What major companies/industries are hiring what type of graduates/skills in Dallas–Fort Worth? Growing industries?

If you’re looking to get close to the green, Dallas–Fort Worth is a good place to go: 60% of America’s paper money is printed at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing Western Currency facility*. Plus the South is a hotbed of liquid gold—if gold were black and offered as much value as oil and gas does. Engineers, MBAs, hospitality pros, and more can find a home in the energy, transport and professional and business services industries in Dallas–Fort Worth at companies like Fortune 500 Exxon Mobil, Energy Transfer Equity, and American Airlines. Big-name defense manufacturers also call the Big D home, like Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter Textron, and Raytheon. Everything is bigger in Texas, and these industries continue to grow into the metropolitan area: telecommunications, government, and education and health services. Say “howdy ya’ll” to employers like AT&T, Nokia, Texas Instruments, and Tenet Healthcare.

Is Dallas–Fort Worth more of a college town or a great place to start a career and family? What communities are best?

In a metroplex as diverse and widespread as Dallas–Fort Worth, there’s plenty of city to go around for both college-goers and young families. With shy of 40 colleges and universities, including the University of Texas and Wade College, the city welcomes students with a friendly smile, safe and affordable neighborhoods, and shopping and restaurants just a walk away. University Park, home to Southern Methodist University, sits 5 miles north of downtown and houses the Meadows Museum where you can stroll through the sculpture garden and get lost in thought by staring at the moving piece of art Wave. On warm fall days, you can easily head over to Gerald J. Ford Stadium to cheer on the SMU Mustangs. Downtown Dallas also attracts the college crowd with outdoor yoga classes at the expansive green Klyde Warren Park, nightlife that stays up past ma’s bedtime, and the convenience of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail.

“Where the West begins” is also where life begins for many young families. The city boasts many neighborhoods with low crime rates and high academic standards. Aside from the usual suburbs, in Far North Dallas and Prestonwood, families can find peace and quiet, with White Rock Creek and other large parks for fresh outdoor time and family-friendly activities, like the kite festival, bike rodeo, and movies in the park. Grapevine balances a small-town feel with a historic downtown, including places to enjoy like Grapevine Lake and Grapevine Mills Mall, and activities from chocolate-making to brewery tours.

What do the locals in Dallas–Fort Worth like to do for fun?

Dallas–Fort Worth has a balance of the Old West, modern culture, and young hipsters. Arcade Fire may blare into the lanes of Magnolia Avenue, while Blake Shelton songs dominate near the Forth Worth cattle trail. Locals cheer on cowboys at Fort Worth’s largest indoor rodeo. You can tailgate at a Cowboys game and talk of nothing but the Dallas cheerleaders for the last months of the year. You can even develop your own conspiracy theory for who shot JFK as you stroll through the Sixth Floor Museum. No matter what you choose for fun, all Dallasites and Fort Worthers can agree on some of life’s most simple pleasures. Barbecue. The State Fair of Texas and its fried food. 120-degree patio weather with a glass of sweet tea. And trying to best Chuck Norris. No matter who you are or what makes your spurs tap with excitement, all you need in Dallas–Fort Worth is good friends, good food, and good weather for a good ole time.

What’s the dating scene like in Dallas–Fort Worth? Will I meet my perfect mate?

Conservatives love monogamy. And in Dallas–Fort Worth you have your pick from country guys and gals who are sure to give you a tip of the hat and show you a great time, saddle-straddling optional. The new Dallasites and Fort Worthians will have fun experiencing the city alongside you, with a steakhouse dinner one night, a picnic at the Arboretum the next, and a trip to the Kimbell Art Museum to show off their pensive gaze. Your hipper mate will take you to the Bearded Lady in Fort Worth for every date just to see what new beer has rotated in their tap. And for the sports fanatics, you have every Cowboys, Mavericks, and Rangers game at your fingertips. You don’t have to wear the jean short-shorts with cowboy boots or that extra-large cowboy hat, but it won’t hurt.