The University of Texas at Dallas

U The professors at UT Dallas made the difference academically. Greg Thielemann brought so much energy to class. I had the opportunity to be a TA for some of his undergraduate classes. What I learned from that experience I use in my work today. In addition to teaching me the importance of being economic with words, I appreciated the dry sense of humor Irving Hoch brought to class.

U My fondest memories always came from direct connection I had with the faculty. I started at UTD just after it grew to be a 4-year institution and the faculty-to-student ratio was unbelievably low. Routinely, my professor led the department or was doing material research related to my field of study. To me, the access and engagement I experienced in my undergrad felt like I was receiving a master’s-level education.

U I really enjoyed my professors and the smaller class sizes led to better discussions. UTD was also an excellent location for me. There was a good mixture of older and younger students. I was one who enjoyed talking to the more mature students who had more experience in life than I did.

U When I was an Emerging Media & Communications student, our program was under the school of Arts & Technology. With this degree, I was able to customize my learning experience with the many options ATEC offers. I chose to focus somewhat on videography, skills I use on a weekly basis now. Whether it be for work or for my non-profit volunteer work with a local animal rescue, I utilize my video editing skills to create pieces for use on social media. During my semester or so at UTD, it was interesting to see the different paths each student took in their degree. Some chose to focus on photography, some on web design, others on app design/UI, and so on. This made group projects and classroom discussions quite interesting as everyone had unique perspective to bring to the table.

U My favorite thing about attending UTD was the class sizes. I never felt like I was just a number which actually was the major reason why I chose UTD over other schools. Even in my larger classes the professors still knew my name and I never felt intimidated to ask questions or participate in discussions. I attribute this to much of my academic success. I think the thing I enjoyed the most about both of my majors was how customizable the degree program was. Even though the school is on the smaller side the selection of classes I could pick from to satisfy my degree requirements was pretty big. For my bachelor’s, I was able to pick from various concentrations to tailor the degree to my interests. For my master’s I was able to enroll in an independent research course that allowed me to do research abroad for a semester. The flexibility in the degree programs really let me explore my interests to a degree which would have not really been possible at many other schools. My absolute favorite class was a seminar course I took my last semester of grad school titled “Immigrants and Immigration." The class was extremely small (about 10 people) and everyone, including the professor, sat around a big table for class. Since the course was based on discussion, I really appreciated the laid back and casual atmosphere. Sometimes those kinds of classes can make me feel like I’m on the spot, but the way the class was taught was so familial that it really helped all the students thrive academically.

U My favorite thing about UTD is that they offered classes during times that worked with my work schedule, and they weren't “night school” afterthoughts—they were legitimate classes with serious curricula that got down to business. I studied on campus for my BS in Accounting and Information Management, and I really liked that I was able to receive a degree that could be utilized in more than one potential career path. During graduate studies I enrolled in the Global MBA program, and studied online—the quality of the online curricula was also exceptional in this program. The professors in the online program were responsive to questions, and as a whole, encouraged dialogue and discussion among the students in a way I hadn't experienced in the classroom. Since most of the students held full time employment in this program, we were able to really apply the materials from class in our discussions about our real world work experiences—this was probably the most helpful learning tool I've ever utilized.

U At UTD, there is a good mix of professors from academic backgrounds and professional careers outside of academia. I always felt that this gave a well-rounded knowledge of how things work in theory and also how they play out in real-world situations. In addition, the professors with non-academic backgrounds have connections to employers in their industry. It was common for students to be placed in internships at those companies because they were able to secure a recommendation from a professor.