Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in Dallas

You think about studying in Dallas but want to get additional information about the city, student life, living costs, quality of education, nightlife, extracurricular activities and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in Dallas in the following chapters.

Study in Dallas – Overview

Advantages of Studying in Dallas

1. Big variety of colleges to choose from in the Dallas region
2. You can specialize in rather exotic majors
3. Decent quality of education in Dallas
4. Students in Dallas can build a strong business network rather quickly
5. Many opportunities to work as an intern in Dallas
6. You can find student jobs pretty easily
7. Many companies recruit directly from campus
8. Many big corporations to work for in the Dallas region
9. Many student clubs and organizations in Dallas
10. You can engage in extracurricular activities
11. Students in Dallas can enjoy decent nightlife
12. Dallas is one of the most tolerant cities in Texas
13. Students are welcome from all over the world
14. Easy to make many new social contacts and friends
15. Great summers and pretty mild winters in Dallas are attractive to students
16. Many things to do in nature in the Dallas region
17. Students in Dallas can make nice day trips
18. Living costs in Dallas are still relatively low
19. Housing shortage is not as severe as in other major metropolitan areas
20. Students in Dallas find many libraries and other quiet spaces
21. Easy to get around in the Dallas region
22. Studying in Dallas can make sense for athletes

Big variety of colleges to choose from in the Dallas region

One advantage of studying in Dallas is that you will have many colleges to choose from and this gives you the opportunity to really choose what’s in line with your interests and strengths instead of just going to a random college which often doesn’t comply with your needs and wishes much.

You can specialize in rather exotic majors

Since you will have many different colleges to choose from, you can also choose among many different majors and you will even find some exotic specializations you may not find in many other cities.

Decent quality of education in Dallas

While most colleges in the Dallas region are just average, some of them are really good and you will therefore find a solid overall quality of education in this region and can make sure to be prepared for the job market later on.

Students in Dallas can build a strong business network rather quickly

Since you can meet many influential people in the Dallas region, you will also have a rather easy time building a strong business network as a student in Dallas and this can be great since the more important people you know, the more likely it will be that you will succeed in the corporate world later on.

Many opportunities to work as an intern in Dallas

Since there are many big companies in the Dallas region, you will also have more than enough opportunities to find internships in this region and this can be great since you can already get practical work experience and may therefore have better chances in the job market compared to someone who hasn’t made those experiences.

You can find student jobs pretty easily

There are also many student jobs you can do while studying in Dallas and can make some money on the side and while this will probably not be enough to finance your degree, you may still lower the need for getting into student loan debt and may be able to stabilize your finances to a certain extent.

Many companies recruit directly from campus

Another upside to studying in Dallas is that you will also have many companies hiring directly from campus and this can be great for you as a student since you may be able to find a job pretty easily and may not even have to apply for jobs in an official manner.

Many big corporations to work for in the Dallas region

Studying in Dallas can also make quite a lot of sense if you plan to stay in Dallas for your professional life since there are more than enough big international corporations to work for and some of them also pay really good money.

Many student clubs and organizations in Dallas

You will also find many student organizations in Dallas and can therefore do many nice and interesting things during your studies which may help you get in touch with people so you can have a great time with other like-minded students.

You can engage in extracurricular activities

While you could just focus on your studies to get the best grades possible, you may also want to engage in extracurricular activities which could include social projects and many other things you could do to make the world a better place. Not only will this give you meaning but it may also look pretty decent on your CV as well.

Students in Dallas can enjoy decent nightlife

Another benefit of studying in Dallas is that you will also find many decent bars and clubs in this city.

Sure, you will not have the same great nightlife as students in Los Angeles or other more vibrant cities.

Yet, you will still have much better nightlife compared to most smaller cities and can just have a great time with your peers.

Dallas is one of the most tolerant cities in Texas

Compared to most other places in Texas, Dallas is also a pretty tolerant city and can therefore be a great city for students with various different backgrounds and you don’t have to worry about getting socially isolated no matter where you come from as long as you are friendly and tolerant yourself and are also willing to adapt to local traditions at least a little bit.

Students are welcome from all over the world

Since Dallas is a pretty popular city all over the US and even the world, you will be able to meet many people from different states and even some international students and can have great conversations which give you the opportunity to become more tolerant and also really grow in character in the long run.

Easy to make many new social contacts and friends

Since you will have many opportunities to hang out with like-minded students, you can also make many new social contacts and may also find really good friends within a rather short period of time and you can therefore also support each other to push through difficult periods of your studies when you just might want to quit.

Great summers and pretty mild winters in Dallas are attractive to students

Studying in Dallas may also be great for sun lovers since summers are pretty hot while winters are relatively mild and this gives you the opportunity to spend lots of time outdoors while students in Chicago or other cooler places often spend much more time indoors since they just don’t want to experience the cold outdoors.

Many things to do in nature in the Dallas region

Students in Dallas also find many things to do in nature since there are many nice lakes and forests surrounding the Dallas region and you can therefore go swimming, hiking, fishing and do many other nice things during your leisure.

Students in Dallas can make nice day trips

Since there are many other big cities relatively close to Dallas, students in Dallas can also make many nice day trips which allows them to make additional experiences to make their student life much more interesting in the long run.

Living costs in Dallas are still relatively low

While living costs in Dallas may be above national average, they are still far lower compared to NYC or the Bay area and students in Dallas therefore don’t have to deal with the same high financial pressure compared to students in other more expensive regions.

Housing shortage is not as severe as in other major metropolitan areas

While it is not easy to find an affordable place to stay in the Dallas region, it is still much easier compared to L.A. or other regions where the housing market is completely out of control.

Students in Dallas find many libraries and other quiet spaces

You also have many decent libraries and other quiet spaces where you can prepare for your exams and can really focus on your studies without getting distracted so you can study as hard as possible and can get the best grades possible.

Easy to get around in the Dallas region

Thanks to solid public transport and many other transportation alternatives, students in Dallas have a rather easy time getting around, especially if they live close to the city center where distances are often pretty short.

Studying in Dallas can make sense for athletes

Since college sports are a big deal in Dallas, studying in Dallas can also make sense in case you are an athlete and aspire to a professional sports career.

If you are outstanding at what you are doing, you may even get a scholarship to finance your degree.

Now that you know the reasons for studying in Dallas, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of studying in Dallas so you can better decide whether you still want to study in Dallas or rather want to move to a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in Dallas

1. Hard to find a decent and affordable place to stay for students in Dallas
2. Rents in Dallas have increased substantially over the past decades
3. Hard to find world-class education in Dallas
4. Dallas may be too hot for many students
5. Students in Dallas often pay high tuition fees
6. You may have to deal with significant student loan debt
7. Student jobs often pay rather poorly
8. Many students in Dallas don’t feel safe in certain parts of the city
9. You may end up in a rather dodgy district as a student in Dallas
10. Students in Dallas can’t enjoy the beach
11. Dallas is not really popular among international students
12. You may not meet many really ambitious students

Hard to find a decent and affordable place to stay for students in Dallas

One problem with studying in Dallas is that the city has become pretty popular and demand for housing is pretty high.

Consequently, you as a student may have a hard time finding an affordable place to stay and may have to search for quite a long time in this regard.

Rents in Dallas have increased substantially over the past decades

Finding a decent and affordable place to stay has also become much more difficult over the past decades since rents have increased dramatically and many students are therefore no longer able to afford a decent place to stay close to the center and may have to settle down in the suburbs or outskirts of Dallas.

Hard to find world-class education in Dallas

Compared to people living in Boston or other places where there are many world-class universities, you will also have a pretty hard time finding the same high-quality education in the Dallas region and may therefore not feel like getting the best education possible which may become pretty demotivating in the long run.

Dallas may be too hot for many students

While studying in Dallas can be great for people who love the heat, Dallas may still be far too hot for people who can’t stand hot weather at all and if you belong to the second group of people, you may be better off studying in Philadelphia or other cooler places instead.

Students in Dallas often pay high tuition fees

Another disadvantage of studying in Dallas is that tuition is often pretty high and if you don’t get financial support from your parents, you may just not be able to afford to spend this kind of money on your education.

You may have to deal with significant student loan debt

In general, financing your studies in Dallas is not easy and you may therefore have to deal with huge amounts of student loan debt that you will have to pay back later in life which may financially constrain you for quite a long time.

Student jobs often pay rather poorly

While you will find many student jobs in the Dallas region, most of them pay rather poorly and working part-time will not even be enough to cover only the most basic expenses since you would just need far more money to finance everything that comes along with college education.

Many students in Dallas don’t feel safe in certain parts of the city

Since crime is a big problem in the Dallas region, many students in Dallas also no longer feel safe in certain parts of the city which may lower overall quality of life quite a lot.

You may end up in a rather dodgy district as a student in Dallas

Since rents are pretty high in fancy neighborhoods of Dallas, most students are not able to afford a place in one of those nice areas and may have to settle down in rather dodgy districts where they often just don’t feel comfortable and are not really able to focus on their studies.

Students in Dallas can’t enjoy the beach

Since Dallas is not located at the coast, students in Dallas are also not able to enjoy the beach and you may therefore envy people moving to Long Beach or other places at the coast since they can go surfing and do many other things you might just dream of on a regular basis.

Dallas is not really popular among international students

While there are some international students, Dallas is still not as popular among students from different countries compared to NYC or other big metropolitan areas and you may therefore miss social interaction with people from all over the world as a student in Dallas.

You may not meet many really ambitious students

Another downside to studying in Dallas is that while quality of education is solid, you will still have a hard time finding really great education and many really ambitious students may therefore study in different cities and you may not be able to talk to those great academic people in the Dallas region on a regular basis.

Top 10 Studying in Dallas Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Dallas A Great City For Students?

While studying in Dallas can make quite a lot of sense since you can enjoy great weather and student life while living costs are still relatively affordable, you should also know that many students have a hard time finding a decent place to stay and overall quality of education is also not as great as in many other big cities.

Alternative Cities To Study

If you don’t want to study in Dallas anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Phoenix

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in San Diego

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in San Antonio

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/dallascitytexas

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.