aes0151

I don't know much about NYU, but I can tell you about UTSW. I assume you're talking about prestige and academics/research than student experience. UTSW varies a lot from department to department, so I'll talk about them all separately. UTSW definitely ranks in the top tiers of academic research universities. Its immunology and genetics program are some of the best. They just got another Nobel winner for immune response (I think? Not sure). It's known for having a large prestigious cancer research program, but it wasn't interesting for me (a little boring). Their neuroscience program started relatively recently and specializes in sleep and addiction. Molecular biology and cell biology are in the middle. They have standout professors here and there, but plenty are just mediocre. They do have strong and reliable funding though so don't worry about applying for grants. It's not a huge deal there while you're a graduate student. I think Neurogal's friend just had a bad PI. I know for sure that UTSW is all about the collaborations. Everyone's very open to them there. I don't know how reliable that info is. I will say that the graduate school is only a small part of UTSW (since it's a medical center) so it's easy to feel small.

@AnnzPB: Depends on if you have children or not. School districts seem to be everything to most prospective parents. I'll just list out a couple of areas for you. Las Colinas - Relatively inexpensive, 15-20 min drive, mostly a business district with occasional massive condo complexes East of 75: Hip, moderately priced, 15-25 min drive, not always the safest South of UTSW: Ghetto, dirt-cheap (think $400+), <5 min drive, not very safe Highland Park: Nice, safe, great school district, cost is out of reach for most students, immediate vicinity of UTSW Irving: Cheap, wide variety of costs, 20 min drive, quality of schools vary Richardson/Plano: Far from UTSW 40 min+ drive, great school districts, affordable and safe family housing Carrollton: Moderately-priced, little further NW than Las Colinas, good schools, lots of new housing Coppell: Aging neighborhood, great school district, safe, ~20 min drive, difficult to find new openings

Hey there! I got accepted into UTSW for the coming fall too. They have a list of accepted recruits in their offices and it's always nice to check it. I think there were only a handful of international students coming in (7-12 if I remember right). I was born here so think I can tell you a little more about DFW. It's large in the sense that the metroplex is sprawling like LA. It's very spread out and the downtown is smaller than other big cities. We do have 2 major cities though (Dallas and Fort Worth). Dallas is known for business while Fort Worth is known for cattle/rodeos. People tend to prefer Dallas, but Fort Worth is definitely cleaner and the buildings are more gentrified. They're 40 min - 1 hour apart depending on traffic. Anyways, because of this sprawl you'll absolutely need a car. It's very difficult for metro systems to cover such extensive ground well. There are 2 grocery stores next to campus, but the weather gets so terrible that you'll want a car. The city is NOT pedestrian-friendly and in summer it gets 100+ easily. In winters it's typically just rain and wind, no snow. Springs and fall are nice and mild. The shuttle services are nice. If you don't plan to go off campus much, you won't need a car. There's a service direct from the University apartments to research buildings. However, if you live in other apartment buildings, you'll have to walk a bit to get to a stop. The crime rate isn't terrible. The University itself is on the outskirts of downtown (you can see the skyscrapers in the distance) on the edge of the more ghetto area, but it's relatively safe. I walk plenty around the area to the train station and it's not bad. Don't be stupid, you won't get mugged. Just be smart about when you go out at night (another reason to get a car). The homeless tend to stick more to the downtown side, and people wandering about are usually other students or people looking for the free hospital. Dallas is supremely cheap compared to most other places. We're known for our low income tax, but sales tax and property taxes are slightly higher. Fun fact: DFW sells the most groceries by volume than anywhere else in the nation. Food is dirt cheap. Gas is almost always at or below national average. Restaurants don't charge much more than $15 (average: $7) unless if you're going upscale. Apartment space next to campus is a little pricier ($700-1100) than elsewhere in the metroplex ($400-1000). Edit: Reading your post, I should add that UTSW is an umbrella program. By that I mean, you can join any program (cancer biology, immunology, neuroscience, etc) after accepting, even if you applied under a different program. I don't know if the same is true for Vanderbilt, but it does allow flexibility if you choose UTSW.