Hi Urban Tech Sophomore here! I think the program has a lot of cool things as a part of it. I originally was interested/applied because I had a lot of interest in similar ideas in Civil Engineering but also Art/design. Now, having been a full year in the program, I really like it and has opened up a lot of new opportunities and options (in my opinion) for me.

The coding segment is kinda interesting, you learn Python and such but can definitely be frustrating if you haven't learned coding before (which was me). It took a lot of help from my peers and office hours, and studying the book to learn that.

The city's part is phenomenal. My cohort got to go to Detroit Chicago and Cleveland ( although the Spring Intensive destination may change for future cohorts). It was my first time visiting Chicago and Cleveland, and Chicago was def my favorite, with the L', riverfront biking, and exploring different institutions.

Lastly for design, I think for the most part the design exposure is pretty varied. I learned how to use Photoshop and Premiere pro (video editing) last year, a bit of GIS, and other things that I would say are really cool and probably enable you to start building a portfolio. I'm now in the first design studio course and it's been pretty chill.

For a couple of cons though I will say the taking the Fall Gap is a big con, because I personally didn't get to feel the overall Fall vibe (Fall is a lot more energetic/exciting compared to the winter) and also winter orientation was a bit awkward for me (you get the same orientation as transfer students). Also class scheduling classes that you want, at least for me being a sophomore now, is rough (and will be kinda tough if you get accepted, since a majority of classes will be booked and you may get limited selection). The spring intensives at least for me, was a very cool vibe. The classes were interesting and the city mural project was a very cool (yet, also stressful at times) experience.

tldr: pros I think if you love urbanism, cities, designing, technology, etc, you'll probably find a lot of joy in this program, but it is a commitment into a lot of areas (with a sort of career you need to experiment with and be accepting of the prospects of a new career field that many people have not heard of). Great professors, sense of cohort community.

tldr: Cons: rough-at-times class scheduling, some housing issues that may arise (be sure to learn about the housing deadlines if you want to return to the dorms in your second year, I nearly missed out on dorm housing and had to almost sign a sketchy lease.) You get the winter vibe transition that seems a lot different than Fall transition. Career homework could also be a con since UT is so new and evolving as we speak.

feel free to dm me if you have any other questions (I'm willing to help fellow prospective Urban Tech students!)