UT and the 10% rule. Son not top 10% and applying to UT.

Yeah i am not real big into the party scene and the general school population is pretty unfriendly, as most of them are from the NorthEast (no offense) but it is just different, I am a freshmen this year, and honestly have had the worse two months of my life, never been so alone before (cuz i dont really drink all that often and consider myself to be a failry strong Christian) but with that being said many kids here really like it here, there is a strong Liberal and Jewish presence on campus, so if that is where your son would fit in then i would reccomend it, however it is just not the school for me

 

I got into UT and Tulane and chose UT without visiting Tulane. I regretted it for a few weeks. I even requested a transfer app. I visited Tulane for the first time this year and I think I made the right choice

 

Penn's business school Wharton is around that there. Valedectorian from our school, with a 1400 SAT get rejected. Only way you can get in is to be the Valedectorian of a well know private school or very famous school public school (Memorial) along with high SAT and strong extracurricular.

 

I graduated in 2003 and applied to Rice UT and A&M.
I had some e.c. and decent averages. Made a 1340 on the SAT and did decent on some SAT IIs which Rice required. I was in the top five percent of my class and got into all 3 schools. And believe me if I could make it to Rice then a lot of others can lol.

 

well but also you were in the top 10 %

if your not in the top 10% and apply to Rice...... then the standards to get in tighten JUST a bit.

 

My sister went to Tulane her freshman year and then transferred to a&m but thats a whole different story. Most of the people that go there are rich yankees with no intentions of learning anything and just making connections. This is in rich contrast to me being a rich texas kid with no intentions of learning anything and just making connections. Unless, you know, I find something I enjoy studying.

 

Funny, that is what i plan on doing, the only problem is you have to have 24 hours now to transfer into A&M or UT, so yeah I am not 100% sure what i am goin to do next semester... I just know i am not/ can not be here anymore

 

I would hope your son would get accepted Glynch with that SAT score. If his grades are good, and he did any social activities he should be fine. But overcrowding has become a serious issue at UT-Austin. Now, as far as the top 10 percent rule goes, I can't really hate it, as I benefitted from it.

I graduated from Katy Taylor high school in 2001 in the top 5 percent of my graduating class of 800 or so(4.4 GPA out of 5 point scale, one point extra for AP/honors classes). This is the high school that DrewP mentioned above. In my personal opinion, it is one of the strongest public school educations in the state of Texas, and grades are highly competitive there. My younger sister is a freshman at A&M(ugh) and the competition grade wise is even worse since I graduated.

Back to my situation. My SAT score was an 1190, but I do much worse on standardized tests than regular exams, and it's not like that score isn't good. Keep in mind, I only took the PSAT(scored 1090) then the SAT(1190). No prep course, no taking the test multiple times to boost my score, etc. I got accepted into the college of communication at UT-Austin, which happens to be right up there with the Business school as far as hardest colleges to gain acceptance. While the top 10 percent got me general acceptance to UT, my grades got me into one of the hardest colleges to get into on the campus.

That said, I'm not saying the top 10 percent rule is great or anything as I do think the disparity between top 10 percent at some schools creates major problems with the system. However, it made it nice to know when I applied to UT my senior year that I didn't need to apply anywhere else.

In december of this year I will have completed my degree in journalism in 3 1/2 years(3 years at UT; this semester taking gov't through HCC distance education to get the last credit for my degree) and successfully graduate with honors(3.7-3.8 GPA). I wouldn't trade my experience at UT-Austin for anything(well I could've lived without the parking nazi's but that's a story for another day). After I graduate in december, I will go to teacher certification school to get certified to teach journalism and work on getting a job in a houston area junior high/high school. With that I plan on coaching a sport as soon as that possibility presents itself.

I do hope your son gets into UT though because from the looks of his SAT score he easily deserves it. Plus, the overall education(life, school, etc) one receives at UT is really superb when you factor in the cost of tuition compared to other highly thought of academic institutions around the country. Bottom line, good luck with that, and I hope that I get to congratulate your son on becoming a fellow Longhorn in the future.

 

It's all exagerrated.

I got into Wharton with my top 5%, 1600 SAT, and strong ECs, but didn't get into Rice. My brother also got into Wharton being top 5%, a 1510, and strong ECs, but got rejected from Stanford. We both ended up at UT; we're both happier for it.

My UT experience really has been a fantastic few months; maybe it'll be different later, but for now, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

I wasn't in the top 10% (top 15% I believe) and my SAT scores weren't that great. But I was still able to get in due to some noticable extra-cirricular activites. Stuff like Boy's State, essay competitions, and student athlete of the year got me in.
If your son's grades aren't top notch, just make sure he has other activities to boost his resume.
Its ok if he doesnt get into business right away, as he can go to liberal arts, take some classes, makes A's and then transfer.
Goodluck!
Austin is great and I will miss it after I graduate this semester.

-nos

 

I got in as well and went. It was a great college experience overall and obviously you can't beat the name recognition.

At the "top schools" like that, all of the applicants essentially look the same - good SAT scores, good grades, top % of their class, other activities, sports, etc. I think application essays and the like do actually start to distinguish candidates at that point.

 

Come to UT Dallas, with 1400 on SAT, you have a good chance to get accepted, and probably will get some scholarship too. We have smaller class size, same education quality as UT Austin, and we can keep your son out of trouble cause we don't have any social life at all

 

I thought about UTD until I visited there. Seemed like a random building built among rolling plains - guess its just wasnt my style.

 

Hey DrewP
I was wondering if you could give me some way to reach your sister, email or phone number or somethin, just cuz i had some questions about the whole process from Tulane to A&M, so if you wouldnt mind( i know it is kind of weird) but if you wouldnt mind emailin me with some way i can talk to your sister i would appreciate it. MY email is lnghrn4life at hotmail or texassenior2004 at hotmail , thanks man i appreciate it

 

I was probably in top 20% cuz i was a bum. My SAT was 1340 cuz i didnt feel like studying. I think that if you can break 1300 and be atleast top 25%, you should be able to get in. But then again i had crazy amounts of extracurricular activities, and got lots of help on my essays. So the latter could have played a major role. Just keep your fingers crossed.

Also if your rich, just make a donation....dont be cheap.

 

this guy is lying!...he was top 62.5%, he barely broke 1000 on his SATs, was in one club in high school (never even payed the dues), and had a JUNIOR write his UT essay for him!

 

Well i still got in didnt i