When I graduated I had a ton of friends heading off to UT, most of them had to go for the summer program despite many of them having great grades and High SAT scores (note: I went to a really competitive HS, I had a straight A avg. and was in the second quarter). I had one friend who did just as good as I did, first quarter, 1250 on the SAT and had to go provisional. The funny part to this story is I also had a friend that went to church with me that had equally good grades but got a 720 on her SAT, no lie. She got in non-provisional, no questions asked. Is this just a fluke or does this happen often?
It's BS, the UT system. I didn't get in the first time. But I applied my Freshman year of college and got in as a transfer. I was like OK, why didn't you just accept me in the first place? I never had any intention of going there so it didn't matter to me. Obviously, I didn't transfer, thank God. It might actually been a good thing I didn't get in during HS because my damn parents would've forced me to have gone there. My sister has a 4.0, I don't know her SAT score, but she just got in yesterday. She was also telling me one of her friends with a higher GPA and SAT score didn't get in. I really don't understand what they pull out of their asses. I don't want to waste any energy dealing with things that have to do with UT or Austin in general.
I bet they accept a lot minorities with sub par grades to fulfill a quota. With all of the Equal Opportunity (aka-lets discriminate) stuff...I am sure smart non-minorities get turned down. I am not trying to sound like a bigot here, but I am just assuming this might have something to do with it. I am actually color blind when it comes to race.
screwed me over as well... i got into UVA and VaTech, but didnt get into UT... funny thing is, kids who didnt do nearly as well as me got in since they were instate top 10%
It always amazes me at the amount of people who feel that they're entitled to go to a particular institution. If you really want to go to a public school in Texas, work to finish in the Top 10% and you're in. That's all it takes! SAT scores really mean nothing. I only scored a 1370 (on the old school version) because I really didn't care as I was already in the top 10% and nothing I did on the SAT mattered one way or the other. A lot of people already in the top 10% feel the same way. Yeah the out-of-staters have it kind of bad but that's not a Texas thing that's pretty much an everywhere thing. State schools are mainly for students in that state.
It's not just about grades... It's about your involvement in your community - whether it be school clubs, sports, volunteering, a part-time job... Just because you're smart doesn't mean you're entitled to go to any particular school. Schools want people who are smart and INTERESTING. No interest means no admission. I had a B+ average, 1260 on my SATs, and Volleyball, Basketball, Girl Scouts, Student Council, German Club, Junior Acheivement, and Church Group on my application - and I got in just fine...
This problem has been chronic since the inception of the top 10% system and has nothing to do with affirmative action. Up until a few years ago, the Hopwood decision made affirmative action illegal in Texas. It's a complete non-issue in this case.
My admission was delayed for about 2 months because the transcripts my HS sent said I was a Junior, which was technically true because I graduated early. Not like it matters, I didn't end up at UT anyways
UT and TAMU are the toughest public schools in TX to get in...the rest are pretty easy. And yea most the ppl I know got into the summer school for UT, only a few actually got in.
Emory actually has a very low rejection rate. Coming from a Clements or Plano high, getting into Emory and rejected from Texas is very feasible.
I'm so glad I transferred from UT to SFA. More time to party...less schoolwork...no difference in getting a job. I wasn't enjoying college at UT because I was constantly in labs and the library, riding the bus (can't miss the bus ride) from/to UT, and studying intensely for several hours daily. Just the amount of constant, heavy workload was enough to blow a gasket. It wasn't nearly as bad at SFA, I still feel I received a good education, I didn't have to deal with TAs, I didn't have to deal with 1,000 to 1 student to teacher ratio (or whatever it is at UT), and I didn't feel like I was constantly cramming in one side of the brain and out the other where I was actually able to absorb stuff I learned. While Austin is a cool place and the feeling of going to UT is one of accomplishment, it can be overbearing, it was crowded as hell, and it was stressful. I remember how many first year UT freshmen there were at UT when I was there and a lot of them were on probation at the end of the first semester while being gone after the second semester. Newsflash...your first year at UT is not the time to discover partying. It's not for everyone. It wasn't for me. I was real happy when I was able to transfer to UT. I was only happier when I was able to transfer away from UT. LOL
unless you are exceptionally in the community that it separates you from most other kids, those activities wont help you as much as SAT and grades(coming from what its supposed to be like, not experience)
