<p>We are looking for advice, tips, do’s and don’ts, etc from students who have been admitted to UT.</p>
<p>My son will be doing his application this summer and have it ready to submit in the fall. </p>
<p>He is what I call a normal to good student. Here is part of his bio.</p>
<p>From a competitive non-ranking Texas high school.<br>
Class rank we guess to be around the 15% mark out of class of 720. So not in top 7%.
3.88/4.00 unweighted
5.06/5.75 weighted
33 ACT (35 Math, 35 English, 33 Science, 29 Reading)
3 years NHS
School awards for academics.
High school football and baseball.
Leader of community organizations for fund raising .
Leader of young children mentoring organization.
Works with the Challenger Baseball League for mentally or physically challenged athletes.
Employment junior and senior year as a math/english tutor/adviser at local education business.</p>
<p>Now that the above really can’t change before the application is submitted in the fall he is on to the essays and resume. (Except for standardized test scores if he chooses to retake the ACT in June)</p>
<p>Essays and resume.
This is where the advice from previous admits would be very useful. I’m sure previous applicants can provide some insight and suggestions during this process. I’ve seen some people state they turned in an 8 page resume. Wow that is a lot. Is that too much? Does he need to turn in a lengthy resume or does the admissions counselor get bored with too much non-pertinent info? How long should the essay answers be? </p>
<p>Any advice is appreciated and probably helpful to many of prospective students!</p>
<p>8 pages for an essay is too long, and ridiculously too long for a resume. Resumes should be one or two pages max. How (and why) is a high school kid filling out a resume 8 pages long? Does a 17 year old really have that much life experience? </p>
<p>My essays were about two pages in length. I would venture to assume that the admissions representatives appreciate essays that “get to the point” and avoid lengthy wording for the sake of length alone.</p>
<p>Regarding the rest of your son’s credentials, it looks like he has an above-average shot of getting in.</p>
<p>I am an out of state transfer admit to McCombs.</p>
<p>For the resume, I would suggest being honest about the activities he has done. Be careful about spelling errors and grammar issues. Since this is an expanded resume, I would suggest 1.5 or 2 pages for an average 17 or 18 year old. I had 3.5 pages when I applied at 20. But the most important thing is to make the resume complete. That means a person who is unfamiliar with your son’s activities should not have any questions on what he has done.
The format of the resume should be professional. This is a good resource but quite lengthy: <a href=“http://mbacareers.wharton.upenn.edu/student/files/ch5.pdf[/url]”>http://mbacareers.wharton.upenn.edu/student/files/ch5.pdf</a>
Resume writing is a skill he will use for a long time as he applies for internships and jobs.</p>
<p>For the essay, it is okay to take a risk. Especially for the question on an issue of importance to you. Everyone’s writing style is different but I think it is important for his character and personality to shine through the words. Take a lot of time to proofread it. It is important to remember that he does not necessarily have to share his essays with a lot of people, it can be a very personal experience.</p>
<p>Hope that helped, good luck! Hook 'em Horns!</p>
<p>My resume said absolutely every about me and everything I’d done in the last 4 years of my life and had very detailed information about every organization I was in. It was a full 4 pages I think and it took me quite a while. </p>
<p>I’d say your son is a shoe-in at UT, assuming he writes some decent essays</p>
<p>Great points everyone.</p>
<p>My son didn’t submit a resume, was NOT an auto admit and was accepted to the Cockrell School of Engineering. He had a high ACT score and a great essay of about 1.5 pages.</p>
<p>@lisiatc</p>
<p>Do you mind saying his ACT score? Which field of engineering? My son plans on doing petroleum engineering.</p>
<p>My son is in Chemical Engineering. His ACT score was 34. He was 3rd in his high school class, it is just that there were only 22 other seniors at his high school, so he wasn’t in the top 8%.</p>
<p>Tell your children to write their essays in the summer. And don’t they dare send in a first draft unless they are Ernest Hemingway.</p>