UNT or UTD? Which one is financially safer for me?

[nehaa_kumar]

UNT or UTD? Which one is financially safer for me?
I am a prospective community college transfer student planning on majoring in biochemistry (perhaps a minor in cs) with plans to apply to medical school or graduate school for research.

For a long time, I had some severe mental health issues including some affecting my productivity, that weren’t addressed until senior year of high school, so I was unable to demonstrate academic excellence to be awarded scholarships in high school and also in college (my college GPA is pretty low, it’s around a 3.0), so no transfer scholarships for me as far as I know. I dug myself a deep hole I know

I know you might say I don’t even have a chance at grad school given my low gpa and not taking rigorous upper-level courses yet. However I’ve seen several stories of students with low gpa beginning of college and demonstrating an upward trend toward the end of college and doing well on the MCAT and getting admitted so I take that as hope. I am aiming for osteopathic schools. Although, I am still a little uncertain as I just seriously started fixing my productivity issues.

This leads me to my main question: would it be safer for me to go to UNT because of it being a few thousand dollars cheaper per semester and not taking the risk of spending extra tuition money at UTD with some chance of my med school plans not working out thus having more debt?

I am in this dilemma because it is known that UTD offers better STEM education overall. I am pretty behind in many aspects academically because of the setbacks mentioned above but I need to make a financial decision soon.

No judgement please. Thank you for your advice in advance.

[mukeshh_s]

I just want you to know that everyone slips up at some point in their life. During the early COVID period, I also struggled with my mental health and my coursework really suffered for it. But, I am now a fully funded grad student at an out of state school. Your prior mistakes don’t make you any less valuable, hardworking, or intelligent.

I don’t know about UNT, but UTD has really fantastic pre-med advising and high med school placements. The career center is also top notch and can help you make a career pivot if you decide med school is not your path.

Also, I think you’ll find that UTD is truly a no judgement school. The student culture is so welcoming and there really is a place for everyone. UTD is incredibly transfer friendly as well.

[a_nee_ta]

Everyone struggles at some point! What matters is that you have found stability and are putting together a plan.

Make the best choice you can – and remember that what you do now (pursuing research opportunities, organization membership, networking, etc.) will open doors in the future.