Dallas, the third largest city in Texas and the United States' ninth largest city, boasts a population of 1.1 million. The original inhabitants of the Dallas area were the Caddo Indians. John Neely Bryan founded the city in 1841, after first surveying the area in 1839 to serve as a possible trading post for Indians and settlers. Established in 1846, Dallas County was named after George Mifflin Dallas, the eleventh Vice President of the United States. In 1856 Dallas was incorporated as a town. It became a city in 1871.

Dallas' humid, subtropical climate brings hot summers and mild winters, mimicking Indian summer weather. Spring and fall seasons have moderate, idyllic temperatures in the 60s and 70s, supporting outdoor activities such as hiking, rafting, camping, and bicycling at any of the region's several parks.

The city offers a diverse cultural atmosphere with numerous places to visit and things to do. For instance, Fair Park is Dallas' largest cultural center with nearly 300 acres of museums, exhibit facilities, and park areas. It is home to eight museums, The Dallas Aquarium, an IMAX Theater, a planetarium, The Cotton Bowl, Music Hall at Fair Park, an outdoor amphitheater, and more than 100 cultural festivals and special events yearly. In addition to Fair Park, Dallas also features attractions such as The Dallas Zoo, a Six Flags amusement park, the State Fair of Texas, and a popular NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.

Having an area of 385 square miles, Dallas is only a small part of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. Known as DFW, it has an overall population of 5.1 million. The metro area is the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States. Referred to as "Texas' Silicon Valley", DFW is home to telecommunications companies such as Southwestern Bell, AT&T, MCI, and Sprint which, combined, employ over 40,000 employees in the telecommunications business sector. As well, companies from other business sectors call Dallas home, including 7-Eleven, Blockbuster Video, CompUSA, Exxon Mobil, Greyhound Bus Lines, JC Penney, Nokia, Pizza Hut, and Texas Instruments. These companies and many more provide an incredible variety of employment opportunities for students in and around Dallas.

In 2004, there were 734,741 people over the age of 25 living in the city of Dallas. Of these, 70.5% had a high school diploma or higher; 28.8 had a Bachelor's degree or higher.

• University of Dallas
• Southern Methodist University
• Dallas Baptist University
• Dallas Christian College
• Wade College

Public Colleges & Universities

• University of Texas at Dallas
• Dallas County Community Colleges - Campuses in Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake, and Richland
• University of Texas Southwest Medical Center - Dallas

Professional Schools

• Art Institute of Dallas
• Court Reporting Institute of Dallas
• Sanford-Brown Institute of Dallas
• Westwood College, Dallas
• American Trades Institute
• ATI Career Training Center
• Dallas Theological Seminary
• KD Studio
• Parker College of Chiropractics
• Paul Quinn College
• PCI Health Training Center
• Texas Barber College and Hairstyling School
• Ultrasound Diagnostic School

Selecting a school and program can sometimes be confusing for a student. Students will find a wide variety of programs to choose from within the educational institutions of the Dallas. Some programs offered are as follows but not limited to:

Arts and Humanities, Child Learning and Development, Cognition and Neuroscience, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Microelectronics, Telecommunications, Information Technology Management, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Biology, Engineering Mathematics, Statistics, Molecular Biology, Criminal Justice, Economics, Finance, Geospatial Information Science, Government and Politics, Public Administration, and Political Science.

With so many programs available, how can a student choose? First and foremost, a student should look at his/her strengths and interests. "Students need to pursue what they are interested in," says Juanita Hancock-Dickey, Career Information Services Coordinator at El Centro College, a campus of The Dallas County Community College District. "Students need to take into consideration their interests, things they are good at, as well as salaries of related jobs."

Secondly, a student may want to look at the industry around the location of the school if there is interest in remaining in the area after graduation. "Dallas is really big on professional, technical and scientific services such as accounting, engineering, and law… as well as health services and education," says Jo Trizila, Director of Media Relations at the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce. "We see college grads going into all three of these growth areas but especially professional, technical and scientific services," Trizila continues. "Education and health services see a lot of new college grads, but also have a higher share of low skill jobs."

Economic demands may help to aid in a student's decision as well. "Education and health have grown in significant numbers every year, even when the region was losing jobs as a whole," Trizila says. "Professional, technical and scientific services started growing again about a year ago. We are seeing a shortage of skilled workers in healthcare and engineering."

As for the future of Dallas, Trizila comments, "Going forward, five business sectors will account for two-thirds of all job growth in the DFW. Those are education and health, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, local government, and financial services."

Private Universities

• University of Dallas - $ 19,604 full-time
• University of Texas at Dallas - $6,832 full-time resident; $15,112 full-time non-resident

Technical/Professional Schools

• Art Institute of Dallas - $39,900 (based on a two-year Associate of Applied Arts Degree)

Students should remember that base tuition rates, which are listed above, do not include room and board, lab and activity fees, or books. These additional expenses can considerably increase the overall tuition, so it's a good idea to factor in all possible costs.

Some of Texas' state grant programs include the TEXAS Grant (Toward EXcellence Access and Success), which is a grant for Texas residents who must meet financial criteria as determined by a student's school, as well as minimum academic standards during the year.

The Texas Educational Opportunity Grant Program offers assistance to students enrolled in two-year colleges demonstrating financial need. The award covers the cost of tuition.

Texas residents are also eligible for a $1,000 tuition rebate, which is awarded to students who meet criteria aimed at minimizing time and expense spent in a higher education program.

All state and federal aid awards are determined using students' Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA.

Students in the Dallas area can consult the Texas Financial Aid Information Center for more information at 888-311-8881.

Beyond loans and grants, Dallas-area students have access to scholarships, including:

• Ron Brown Scholar Program - $10,000 annually for African American students
• The Harry S Truman Scholarship - Up to $30,000 for students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields
• The Hispanic College Fund
• Jackie Robinson Foundation - Up to $7,000 annually for minority students
• Marine Corps Scholarships
• Target Community Scholarships - $1,000 to $25,000 for high school seniors and college students age 24 or younger
• AT&T Scholarships for Women & Minorities Underrepresented in the Sciences
• Development Fund for Black Students in Scholarship - Up to $2,000 per year, for a period of up to 4 years for African Americans
• Tylenol Scholarships - $250,000 in scholarships to be awarded to healthcare students
• Coca Cola - Up to $20,000 for high school students enrolling in college
• Student Inventors Scholarships
• Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund - Up to $2200 semester for African American students
• William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students
• Presidential Freedom Scholarship - Up to $1,000 for high school juniors and seniors that demonstrate commitment to service and leadership in service in their community

Internships can be paid or unpaid and can be for credit or non-credit. As well, they may take place in many environments including government, corporate, and non-profit sectors. Ultimately, they assist in providing the student with a competitive edge that's needed to be successful in today's job market. An excellent example of this is Dallas-based Exxon Mobil, which makes paid internships available to students, providing more than $182,000 in grants for interns' salaries.

"The Exxon Mobil Community Summer Jobs Program is a unique initiative that not only provides 75 college students with a salary for the summer, but also gives the interns an unmatched opportunity to learn first hand the true value of real-life work experience in the nonprofit sector," said Ken Cohen, Exxon Mobil's Vice President for Public Affairs. "This program benefits all involved, enriching students with a learning foundation and affording budget conscious nonprofits organizations with much needed support from the bright and talented minds of the next generation of community leaders."

Visit Exxon Mobil for more details.

Students can also get assistance with employment beyond career fairs. The employment community networks with many schools and makes job openings available to students. "We have many resources… We can provide students with notifications of job openings," Hancock-Dickey continues. "We'll contact students with these leads. But at that point, it's up to them to pursue it."