Given that OP is a teenager living in Texas, I wouldn’t be surprised if they might be having second thoughts since that post about how to present themselves to others.
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My feedback below is written from the perspective of a mom. If one of my kids asked me about this, what I would advise them is for them to consider the following:
- lots of people have unisex nicknames. It’s not a ‘cherry on top.’
- it might not be apparent from one point of view, but there ARE people who are straight who absolutely would engage in an activity like helping to provide mental health services to LGBT teenagers. That activity is awesome, by the way, and demonstrates that you want to and are involved in making your community a better place. You’re not just going to class.
- re: listing your pronouns on the Common App as “any pronouns,” one COULD view that selection as “I don’t care what my pronouns are.” Doesn’t necessarily equate to you displaying a big banner announcing “I AM TRANSGENDER.”
- Do NOT email the UT-Austin admissions department about the transgender thing. Stop. Do not pass ‘Go’ on the Monopoly board.
- However, IF your main concern is attending college in TX at ALL, then add some OOS schools to your list so you’ll have some non-TX options to choose from.
- However, given #5 above, also consider that Austin is, within TX, pretty liberal, and ANY college campus is going to be liberal, except for obviously conservative ones like BYU, Liberty University, or any college that has a requirement to attend church/chapel/bible study once a week.
- Do NOT email the UT-Austin admissions department to tell them that you are transgender.
- Do not write your essays all about being transgender unless that is THE #1 thing about yourself that you want admissions departments to know about. You are a multifaceted person and you are more than just what gender you are. You are here on this earth for a reason and you’ll make a positive difference in the world. If UT-Austin chooses not to admit you, there will be another college that will be a good fit and everything will turn out ok.
- If you don’t get admitted to UT-Austin, your future is not doomed. You’re an awesome person with a bright future ahead of you. And good for you for helping out a group of people in need. The world needs more people like that…reaching out, serving others, helping.
It’s not about your pronouns or what name you call yourself. You’ve got this. It’s going to be ok.
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I teach high school in Texas. I have one biological male student who dresses as female, and one biological female student who dresses as male, both expressed that they would go for the transgender surgery when they have saved enough money. I don’t see anyone being secret about them. As far as I know, everyone in their graduating classes knows and nobody is making a big deal about it. In the hallways there are more students who openly self-identify differently than their official record show. I haven’t heard anyone being arrested.
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Maybe I am, but that doesn’t matter because if I was I would never disclose that to any college in my home state of Texas. Is it unethical? Maybe a little, but I’d argue that my career and my personal safety are more important than the feelings of a multi-billion dollar university.
This is a very interesting anecdote. It’s completely contrary to my experience, so I don’t know how to feel about that.
I don’t think you need to nor do I find it unethical. You answer how you’d like.
There will be transgender kids at probably every flagship in the country - intolerant states included. That doesn’t mean the people at the school are intolerant. Campus pride, as an example, rates so schools in liberal states with poor scores. Yet U of Alabama got a 4.5/5 the last time graded.
In reality, the federal and some state governments are saying - you don’t deserve a lift for being transgender.
You don’t even know if UT is pulling that question from common.
But given how you are speaking, I’m wondering why you want to stay in the state?
Personally, I think you should be you.
If you want to scream your status or pronouns, go ahead. If you don’t want to, don’t. I don’t. Most don’t.
I get where you are coming from but honestly, I think you’ve become a bit like these overreaching governments - you’re creating an issue (in regards to your application) that doesn’t exist. It also appears there are many lgbtq groups on campus. But that doesn’t mean you need to be involved. Not every Jew is in Hillel as an example. You can join any open groups you like or none at all.
Your biggest impact to in or not at UT will be stats, including rank.
Best of luck.
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I think the OP high schooler’s concern is a legitimate one. It is not simply about a gender neutral name, but a combination of things the OP is worried may be perceived in a particular way. Kids applying to colleges (and parents) post here all the time angsty about far less. I find it troubling that some of the adults on here are belittling this teenager’s concern and worry given what is going on in the US and their state regarding gender identity. I have seen nothing on this thread suggesting the OP plans to focus their whole application on their gender identity and not be multidimensional. Unless that info is somewhere else, that line of response seems like projecting negative assumptions about OP.
All of that said, I also think the basically unanimous piece of advice on this thread is correct. OP should not write to UT about this. Admissions is not going to read into it what the OP is.
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There is also this, which the University of Texas appears likely to join.
No one says it’s not legitimate. People says they didn’t think it would impact.
In some ways if OP is concerned about life on campus (not just the application), maybe it’s not the right school for them. If you are worried now, why live through four years of concern?
I haven’t gotten the sense though that OP is worried about the day to day but rather just the admissions process. No one diminished OP. I think everyone gets the concern.
Saying we don’t see it as an issue is not belittling at all.
I disagree with this. If you look at the thread you will see folks who are indicating OP’s perspective was not legitimate. Just because you didn’t suggest OP’s concern was not legitimate, does not mean that “no one” did.
I agree with this. In fact, I said it is not an issue OP should contact the school about. And that admissions will not see it as the concern that OP did. That, was not what I was referring to when I said some were belittling the OP’s concerns. Sometimes other people’s posts are not about what you said.
I wasn’t referring to me. I guess I read them differently than you.
For at least some of the replies, you must have read differently than I did. That’s fine. We can agree to disagree and move on.
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And now let’s all agree to return to the OP and their question.
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This.
I think you can put this to rest. If you don’t get accepted to UT, it won’t be because of your name, and pronouns.
Best of luck to you. It’s all going to work out.
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On pronouns. The impression my C26 gets from that question on applications (as well as the question if there is a preferred name as well as the given name) is simply so that the student is addressed as preferred, not that it is intended to throw any insight onto the student from an admissions perspective. (I know we have some AOs here… maybe they can share insight as to whether they even give this any thought when they see it on an app?) I get the OP’s concern in the current environment, but I do think this is overanalyzing.
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UT Austin doesn’t list pronouns on its holistic review list. Again, we don’t even know if it pulls them from Common.
Let’s say they did though -would it matter ?
If you’re concerned with the state law, then that you listed as an activity supporting LGBTQ might be what gets you in hot water -like a person helping an OOS abortion to happen.
An email won’t change that.
In reality, if you achieved the top 5% you are in.
Past that - you may or may not get in and you’ll never know why.
Like all, have a balanced list and don’t worry. There are many schools out there for you I’m sure.
What’s done is done and trying to fix it (not that it needs fixing) likely would make it worse.
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Is it illegal to be LGBTQ in Texas?
Take a step back, folks. OP is providing support to a marginalized group. If UTA sees that as a negative, maybe it’s not the right place to be anyway and maybe that’s something for OP to consider.
100% agreed and noted earlier. It seems like OP is concerned with admission - not sure if they are concerned with day to day.
As skimom told her kids, “I wasn’t asking.”
I’ve deleted several posts that did not comply with the instructions.
The state government of Texas is unfriendly to LGB and hostile to T, according to Movement Advancement Project | State Profiles , and it is certainly possible for the state government to force the University of Texas to adopt hostile policies.
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If UT agrees to the “set of operating principles” that the Trump Administration sent to them, that could have an effect on the OP. These principles reportedly require a strict definition of gender, among other things. If the University administration agrees to these principles, it could have a profound impact on any kid who identifies as anything but the gender definitions that the “principles” require.
While MIT and Brown have rejected the agreement, there are some indications that UT may accept it:
Axios: UT official “honored” to receive Trump’s university demands
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