My chances at UT Austin (Not top 10%)

JRo · 05-03-2008, 10:16 PM

Hi all. I was wondering what you guys think of my chances of getting into UT (Austin). I'm just talking any major, I'd transfer once i got there.

High school weighted GPA:
4.0

High School rank:
I'm at private school and we don't rank. I'm in the top 17%.

Where?
I live in Texas, so I'm in state.

SAT Score?
1930 Total, 1310 CR/Math

Extras that matter:
National Honor Society
Local Low-Budget Newspaper Writer
Job with the Houston Astros

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What do you think guys? Do i need to take SAT IIs? Do i need to raise that SAT score? If so to what? Any info helps!

EDIT: Honesty is the best policy. I'm not afriad of a bad answer, I would just like some honest opinions.

Sedna · 05-03-2008, 10:24 PM

Okay, I have a 3.9, public school, about 12%, in-state, 1910 SAT score, did Mu Alpha Beta, NHS, BETA, 4 years of UIL, ROCK, outside tutoring, and guess what?

I got CAP.

You gotta double your EC, try a higher SAT score, but most important, you gotta get that rank up, and fast.

JRo · 05-03-2008, 11:08 PM

What major did you apply for?

theloneranger · 05-03-2008, 11:21 PM

Okay, here's the deal: if your school does not rank, UT will simply make up a rank for you to use in your calculations. It looks like, given the fact that you have a 4.0 and are barely in the top 20%, that serious grade inflation goes on at your school. This will likely help you. I am unsure how they determine your estimated rank exactly, but I am fairly certain it does involve to some extent comparing you to other applicants from your school to UT. So if the smart kids from your school are applying to UT, it will hurt you. If they aren't, it will likely end up helping you. I like how you provided your rank and then said "my school doesn't rank." Haha, my school does the same thing. They give you an exact rank for internal use, but for college admissions certify anyone who is above a 94.0 GPA as top ten percent. I don't know if they even provide the rank of kids who aren't in the top ten percent. Obviously if your school doesn't release rank it doesn't matter if your rank goes up. It would be good for you if your grades were near the top of those kids applying to UT from your school, however. So do what you can on finals and in the first semester to get that done.

SAT IIs will not help you at UT. UT does not consider them at all. You would do well to raise your SAT score 50-100 points on CR/M. UT is introducing writing into its admissions next year from what I hear, so I don't know how that will affect the admissions formulae. Your SAT is about 50 points above the 2007 average for a non-top ten student who was admitted. But having a 1400+ will significantly increase your chances.

You don't need to double your ECs if you are giving a significant amount of time to them. How much time are you giving to the Stros and the paper? In all honesty, NHS does not matter 90% of the time. Almost every kid who applies to UT is either in NHS or has the grades to be in it. Are you an officer? Is your school's NHS one in which members make an active commitment to giving service, or is it more of an honorary society, as is the case in my school? If you are in any other clubs, try to assume leadership roles and more significant time commitments as this will help your cause significantly. Being in a bunch of clubs does not help, but showing a significant commitment to a few activities and being a leader in those activities does. Also, if you have not already done a large amount of community service, start immediately. If you have little to none done now, you may want to do as much as possible this summer. Having a paying job will take some of that burden away, but this is an often overlooked area of the resume and will have a big impact on your admission...either positively or negatively, depending on your effort and dedication.

Your essays matter almost as much as your resume (3/7 of the personal score, compared to 4/7 for the resume). So write those well, and make sure you go to multiple people for help with proofing and suggestions for change. This is the area where I think the most kids fall apart: they write them at the last minute, or they don't look for suggestions for change. As a rule, even if you are one of the better writers in your school, and are getting As in English, that does NOT mean your writing will be good compared to other UT applicants. ESPECIALLY if you try to do it at the last minute. I know a few people who have done that and been successful, but I know far more who did that and received a lovely CAP letter in March.

Good luck with your application. Coming from a nonranking school, a strong SAT and leadership will make your cause very strong. I think that if you are decent compared to the rest of the UT applicants from your school, and present a strong resume with leadership and service, you will have a strong chance for admission.

Sedna · 05-03-2008, 11:22 PM

economics, liberal arts.

theloneranger · 05-03-2008, 11:27 PM

Also: DON'T apply to a tough major if your first goal is simply to get in to UT. It is MUCH harder to get an undeclared Liberal Arts position than it is to simply get accepted to a COLA department.

Do NOT apply to Architecture. Do NOT apply to Engineering. Do NOT apply to Communication. And God forbid, do NOT apply to Business. You are just asking for a rejection there.

Make an average-to-unpopular Liberal Arts or Natural Sciences your first or second choice, and you will have a much better chance to get in.

If you are interested in trying an unconventional route, three colleges of the university have a higher acceptance rate than is the norm: Education, Nursing, and Geosciences. If you have a suitable background to earn admission for one of those schools, you should consider applying to one. If you don't want to continue, you can transfer after your freshman year. You will just be taking area requirements freshman year anyways, so you lose nothing.

But I know a lot of strong candidates who've applied to Business first choice and Engineering second and seen themselves get CAPped.

You must be an EXCEPTIONAL candidate to get into Business or other top colleges from outside the top ten percent. And earning an undeclared spot after declaring another college your first choice has also been difficult in the past. Learn from others' mistakes and you will have a good chance to get in.

Sedna · 05-03-2008, 11:29 PM

uh oh, I need economics first and business second...

shoot.

JRo · 05-04-2008, 08:41 AM

Thank you SO much for everything.

First semester senior year I will be cancelling my social life and earning all A's in Stats AP Calc AP and English IV AP :-D /

Sedna · 05-04-2008, 03:11 PM

remember not to send your transcript too early. My school screwed up and sent a copy of my transcript with a much lower GPA.

I'm glad I'm leaving that place by the end of this month.

foxshox · 05-04-2008, 04:28 PM

Its possible you get in, I had a 13.5% at a school that sends about 40-50 people to UT every year(class of 780). I had a 1380 and a 32 ACT, but I had 1 EC ( soccer for 2 years) and 8 hours of community service AND I got into Electrical Enigneering, hahah I love under achieving.