Tell me if you’ve heard these before: “How did you pick your major?”, “How many scholarships do you have?” or “Do you really want to go to UTEP?”
If you have, or if you eventually do, know that it’s okay to not have the answer.
Let’s go down the list and prove why not being fond of your major, or feeling as though UTEP isn’t the right campus, are beliefs that don’t carry as much weight as social pressure says they do.
“What if I picked the wrong major or minor?”
If you’re in this situation, first take a breather. Then remember that it’s more than okay to go to college and not know what you want to do for the rest of your life.
I’ll go one step further and say that it’s an advantage because you get to try more. You can always choose to change your major or for the brave students, double major.
Scared that you might choose your major too late? Don’t be, because there are easy ways to avoid the situation. I don’t want to sound like your guidance counselor or your orientation leader, but all it takes to avoid late-game changes is to talk to your advisers.
By telling your advisers how you feel about your major, they’ll be able to sign you up for classes that aid in completing your basic curriculum requirements, while buying you time to think about your options.
Consider talking to professors from different colleges too.Something beautiful about UTEP is how accessible professors are, and their willingness to help students. So, you should use that unmatched trait to your advantage.
“I need more scholarships and money to pay for school.”
You’re not alone, because a majority of college students battle this problem.
Here’s the good news, UTEP is the best in Texas for having the most students graduate with no debt and ranking at 15th in the nation. The area to qualify for grants from the university is wide, especially after the “Paydirt Promise” program was extended to households earning less than $100,000 in Fall 2025.
It’s a given that not everybody can receive financial aid. So, if you fall under that group, or just want some more cash, here are your options.
First, apply for scholarships. Understand that scholarships aren’t limited to the websites your high school directed you to. UTEP’s Office of Scholarships helps in pointing out options that best work for you, whether it be a traditional scholarship or a club that has awards for its members.
Speaking of the scholarship office, they’re in charge of the undergraduate fellowship program. The program focuses on preparing you in your freshman or sophomore year to apply for nationally competitive scholarships in your junior and senior years and awards a stipend.
We can’t ignore the importance of a job. A majority of UTEP’s job listings are available on either Handshake, or MineTracker and if you apply to a good number of listings, your chances of scoring a job on campus are likely.
“I’m not sure UTEP’s the right university for me.”
Straight out of high school, everyone’s racing to leave their hometown, and the local university tends to get a bad reputation from students because it’s located in the same city, they have grown up in.
Know that simply because UTEP is in your hometown, does not take away the legitimacy or credibility of the university in any way. In terms of academia, UTEP is rated as an R1 institution, or in other words, is placed in the top 5% of research productivity in all the U.S.
Even better, UTEP is one of the few schools, not only in the UT system but in the country, that lets freshmen and sophomores gain hands-on research experience. Most schools make you wait until the end of your undergraduate career.
A distinguishable characteristic of UTEP compared to other colleges is the people that make up the campus. Every single person, whether a student, professor or board member is accessible and is willing to have a conversation with you, and aid in your development as a student.
Don’t think for a second that just because you’re staying in the 915, your college experience is hindered. UTEP has professors ranging from New York City to the Netherlands, and Amsterdam.
Your curriculum and professional base are by no means going to be degraded by attending UTEP. It’s got more room to grow because of the number of opportunities offered by the university, either through professors, programs, clubs, or all three.
UTEP has way more to offer than what first impressions may communicate. All it takes is an open mind to see the heights you can reach by being a Miner.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is the multimedia editor for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected] or Instagram and X @sebastianpn8, and on LinkedIn @sebastianperez-navarro.
