University of Texas, Dallas (Zoom Comets zoom!)

ike the old Chinese scholar in search of the purpose his genesis, I am on a quest to find out what made me apply to this university. I am sorry folks; I haven’t got anything nice to say about this university. Firstly, the university’s application is a wallet-scorching $100; you can apply to two good universities with this cash. UTD is primarily known for its research in computer networks, telecommunication, security and distributed systems. Other areas of CS are virtually non-existent though you might have some profs interested in them. Their research even in their fortes is coming down these days. The dept is broke; not funding anybody except very few PhD students. The location of university in the critically acclaimed telecom corridor is hardly any reason to salvage UTD’s lack of quality education. The telecom corridor in the Dallas – Fort Worth area has seen a total meltdown; so those with delusions of easy jobs after graduation can kiss it goodbye. Okay, so if the CS dept is broke, I could still survive on part-time jobs on-campus right? Guess again, that has also taken a whacking! Even their Indian Student Association website (FAQ section) stands testament to the big quagmire that the university is stuck in currently. There have been one or two exceptions from UTD who have made it big despite all the odds into Microsoft, I have heard. But I would personally advice you to give yourself the best chance by applying to some other university; if you can sweat hard and come up on your own, then do it in a better environment. Certainly CEG CS dept students are advised to avoid this university like the plague.