Thinkin Dallas...? (Houston, Austin, Fort Worth: apartments, house, unemployment rate)

[bapchess]

Background:

20- some year old couple moving from San Diego to either Dallas or Seattle. We both grew up in Chicago. We love seasons, we love outdoor activities (like cave diving and hiking), and we both are in college still.
He is majoring in IT, I am pre-med.
*Will we find a community college in the downtown area that collaborates with one of the local universities?

*Are there activities that we can do outdoors? Any caves/ mines / hikes?

*Can you live in Dallas without a vehicle? We share one, and it would be beneficial to be able to move about the city by public trans/biking/walking.

*Is the city sprawled out?

*How is the unemployment rate? Will jobs be hard to find or alright?

*We have a dog. Shes 18 lbs, Boston Terrier, adult female. Will we have a hard time finding a place?

*Also, we hate stacked tiny apartments. Are we going to be able to find something that is larger than 650 sq ft or maybe a house by a school?

Thanks everyone for your help in picking out the city for us!

[mSooner]

Welcome. I graduated with an MIS degree and work full time and my husband is a med student.

*Will we find a community college in the downtown area that collaborates with one of the local universities?

Not sure what you mean by this. Assuming you are looking at graduating with a bachelors, I would look into one of the many universities in the area. Especially UTD if you are an IT/MIS major. Honestly, I wouldn't get too focused on being downtown if you are moving here for school.

*Are there activities that we can do outdoors? Any caves/ mines / hikes?

Plenty, though maybe not as varied as San Diego. And you are going to have to drive to get there.

*Can you live in Dallas without a vehicle? We share one, and it would be beneficial to be able to move about the city by public trans/biking/walking.

Honestly, no. You can get by with one, but if you go to different schools, you are likely going to need two unless you live on campus.

*Is the city sprawled out?

Very much so.

*How is the unemployment rate? Will jobs be hard to find or alright?

Better than most places. I'd say look for a University with a good placement program. Again, check out UTD.

*We have a dog. Shes 18 lbs, Boston Terrier, adult female. Will we have a hard time finding a place?

Nope, but it will limit your options somewhat

*Also, we hate stacked tiny apartments. Are we going to be able to find something that is larger than 650 sq ft or maybe a house by a school?

Yes, but it all depends on your budget and the location you are looking in.

Also, I want to add that moving to Texas as someone planning to go to med school is actually a GREAT move. Texas has 7 (I believe) med schools and a few of them are ranked really high (Baylor & UTSW and UT Houston is nothing to sniff at). By moving here now, you will be considered a Texas resident. It makes getting in MUCH easier. Texas med schools are also REALLY cheap for Texas residents compared to any other state.

However you should keep in mind that

A) Pre-med is more of a designation that a major. I'm assuming you know that. At most schools it just means you took the classes the med school requires for acceptance.

B) There is only one (allopathic) med school in Dallas--UTSW. So when you apply, you may have to move elsewhere for med school. UTSW and Baylor (Houston) are the two most competitive in the state. There is a DO school in Fort Worth, but I do not know much about it.

[bapchess]

Thank you for the information. Dallas may not be for us since we already dislike the sprawl of San Diego. Of course, we could not know unless we visited so we may just do that.

Premed is confusing for me, I am not quite sure what to major in and if I should complete my bachelors degree bc then its less financial aid. No one has given me an outright answer on that. I would love to hear more of what you know about it. Or anyone else in the forums. Thank you!

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

To be honest, if being able to get around without a car is a priority, I would not recomend Dallas (or any Sunbelt city for that matter).

Seattle may be a better fit give what you want. The only drawback is the weather and if your from Chicago, it doesnt get any worse than it does there.

[mSooner]

Premed is confusing for me, I am not quite sure what to major in and if I should complete my bachelors degree bc then its less financial aid.

It is VERY hard to get accepted without an undergrad degree. Only a few handfuls of people do it every year. Finish your undergrad. It honestly doesn't really matter in what as long as you took the science classes required by the med school. If you choose a science major, you will knock out some of the pre-med classes as part of your required coursework, but really, do something you are interested in.

You might want to open an account on the Student Doctor Network Forums for a lot of your questions, but here are some of the biggies you need to think about/work on to get accepted:

1. Have met the course requirements/on track to finish a bachelors
2. Have a high GPA.
3. Have a good MCAT Score...differs based on where you are applying, but above 30 is ideal.

Those ^^^ will get you an interview. Below is what will get you in:

1. Know why you want to be a doctor and be able to prove you have interest in it other than A. Being powerful B. wanting to make a lot of money. Shadow a doctor. Do a summer research program. There are a surprising amount of med students whose parents are doctors...I think it is because they can honestly say they know the good and bad of the profession/lifestyle and still want to do it.

2. Have some volunteer experience.

3. Don't be an *******. You'd be surprised at how many people have a hard time with this one.

Overall, if you haven't had a whole lot of experience with medicine in the past (family in medicine, etc.) I'd encourage you to look at ALL of the health care professions before making a decision. Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants make VERY good money with MUCH less training and better schedules. There's also physical & occupational therapy, and many others. For example...interested in being an OB/GYN? Then maybe think about going for a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife).

I have no idea what you are like, so don't take this personally, but it seems like a lot of potential med students go to medicine as a default because they want the respect or the money. Or both. There's nothing wrong with wanting a solid career with a good salary, but if that is truly your only objective, there are MUCH easier paths to get there. You have to really love medicine to get through the 8-15 years of training it entails.

Again, though, if you are 100% sure you want to be a doctor, Texas is one of the best places to start your journey.

[flpyrner]

Originally Posted by bapchess

Thank you for the information. Dallas may not be for us since we already dislike the sprawl of San Diego. Of course, we could not know unless we visited so we may just do that.

Premed is confusing for me, I am not quite sure what to major in and if I should complete my bachelors degree bc then its less financial aid. No one has given me an outright answer on that. I would love to hear more of what you know about it. Or anyone else in the forums. Thank you!

Yes, Dallas has sprawl but most metro areas do. There are pockets of communities that feel insulated from the sprawling spread out feeling. Just depends where you live, what amenities you want to be near and what type of lifestyle you live.

Well, you really should speak with an advisor/counselor on your major. Technically you can major in anything from Biology to Music Theory; however, the "pre-med" designation is for the prerequisite classes that medical school require for admission. Preparing for Medical School

I'm pretty sure you'll need to complete your bachelors degree to get into medical school......not exactly understanding your comment on how not completing your Bachelors will effect finacial aid. Good Luck.

[Ewan]

Regarding community colleges downtown, El Centro is right in the middle of downtown and is served well by the local mass transit provider, DART (which, against the odds and despite its opponents, continues to grow into a pretty respectable service. Not so respectable that it's anything like a realistic commuting option for most people, but for the lucky few who are in its catchment areas it's a great system.) No idea about El Centro's university connections, if any. I love the DFW area having lived here only for a short time but downtown Dallas is not an impressive place to live, study and work, in my opinion. It's nowhere near being a donut city but San Diego probably has a livelier, more option-filled downtown than does Dallas. There is a lot, a *lot*, to recommend about DFW, but downtown Dallas ain't it.

I would take issue with Dallas' being sprawled out. The DFW Metroplex is a sprawl, absolutely, 100%. But there are some Dallas neighborhoods in which you *could* live a car-free lifestyle (although I'd question the wisdom of that if you commuted any distance to school.) And there are some suitable for 20-somethings like the Bishop Arts district, near Oak Cliff. There are also some north of downtown, right next to old-money districts (I refuse to call them cities) like University Park.

[R1070]

You may like Dallas more than you think. Come visit.
I was very surprised by the city I found when I first visited. I had only know of Dallas from the info on these forums which didn't really give me a great first impression. Lots of people like to exaggerate the minor flaws of the city to make where they live look better. Yes Dallas is sprawled, but if you don't like sprawl then don't live waaaay out in the burbs. I live in the Oak Lawn neighborhood which is just North of Uptown. I ride transit to work everyday and walk to the grocery store, restaurants, bars, pharmacy, etc. I only use my car in seldom instances. Nice jogging, biking trails right in the city, etc. Keep that in mind when you visit. Best of luck to you in your search.

[TrueDat]

^What R1070 said

[txgolfer130]

I think your looking for Austin, not Dallas. Good luck.