@nomatter that’s amazing. Truly amazing.
@nomatter Why is there no “Love” button to click?! College admissions brilliantly explained.
Right now we are all staring at our screens, grateful for wine and commiseration, wishing we could all just hug.
Speaking of college applications, I learned a trick – quite by accident – for getting some very good information (for free) from the college-application-process experts. I had been thinking about using a company that helps students through the college application process. The one I reached out to wanted thousands of dollars for their services, so I declined. But I learned so very much just by talking to them and asking questions. For example, I learned that it is very important for applicants to present a cohesive and complete picture of themselves through the materials (including the essay) they submit with their applications. Also, this company delivered invaluable resources straight to my email inbox, even after I turned down their offer of services. (They were probably trying to change my mind, lol.) I contacted this company very early in our journey toward college, so I believe it helped me to focus my efforts in helping my daughter navigate a daunting process. Hope this advice might help someone who comes after…
@nervousaggie101 I got the same email. I wonder what it means
@nomatter - I wish I could send beating heart emojis your way. A sincere thank you and God bless!
@sma1234 My son declined a full admit offer to UT for biomedical engineering. He gleefully took an Engineering Academy at Blinn (TEAB) offer at A&M. I am a proud Longhorn graduate, and my son grew up loving burnt orange. HOWEVER, the moment he took a tour at A&M he bled maroon. I’ll be honest, if I had toured A&M back in the day, I would not have been a longhorn. ‘From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.’ He is now thriving as a junior, and his sister ‘drank the kool-aid’, and is following in his footsteps. @sma1234, I hope you find a campus that tells you, THIS is where I want to be. We are blessed.
@nervousaggie101 - My daughter got that same email tonight. I have no idea if it means anything. She has seen an uptick in TAMU system schools email. Texarkana is the one that has been emailing her very, very frequently.
@firsttimeCSmom seriously, you crack me up! We would so be friends!
@nervousaggie101 @bluebayouAZ My daughter received the Texan Tour email today, too. I’m happy to say that it must be a mass marketing email. My daughter was admitted to TAMU in October, I’m just lurking because I’m so invested in all of you and praying for awesome outcomes!
Before I started reading this forum I didn’t realize how difficult it actually was to get into tamu. I wish I knew before I applied how misleading the acceptance rate was since most of them are academic or 10% admits, it sure would have saved me a lot of heartache since I come from an Aggie family and already fell in love with the campus/culture. My application is still in review but I’m going to go ahead and try to transfer next year, does anyone know if it is more or less difficult?
@nomatter I took what was said in response to my question literally, yes, because the response was pretty literal. And yes those sound like some amazing circumstances those kids fit into in your scenarios. Those are not the kids from my daughter’s school that we know who have received Blinn Team offers.
I know it isn’t cut & dried. But my frustration arises on here when every post seems to contradict the one prior to it. That is what brought on my “speculation” comment. No one seems to be able to agree on any aspect - the weight of each item in the review process, which offers are still available, etc. So how are we supposed to figure out what information is reliable when post after post contradict the posts before it?
I will say @Thelma2 seems to back her info up with links & facts!
Despite all the knowledge & info on here, the fact remains, until our kids get actual notification, nothing is for sure.
For what it’s worth: between my eldest daughter and my second (the current high school senior), Naviance pretty much nailed it: based on their GPA, high school attended and test scores.
No real surprises.
Interestingly, from my daughter’s high school:
Applications to TAMU:
2016: 1 applied, 0 admitted
2017: 3 applied, 2 admitted
2018: 5 applied, 4 admitted
Applications to UCLA:
2016: 129 applications, 27 admits
2017: 132 applications, 21 admits
2018: 142 applications, 25 admits
Naviance is using, I believe, self-reported data, but it really gave a clear picture.
In our state, selective UCs consistently deny well qualified in-state applicants.
Anyhow, Naviance saved us lots of $ as no college coach was needed for our daughters to focus their applications on match/safety schools.
(I would imagine that the essay/holistic review does help the admissions counselors sort through the sea of strong in-state candidates for a popular public university.)
Anyhow, that’s what I’ve got!
So I was looking at last year’s forum…and there is no way I am getting full admit, let alone blinn. Many people around March 8th ish last year received PSA, and I mean like A LOT. I’m not saying that the people all waiting right now are all getting PSA, but I just don’t think it’s worth stressing at the moment. Just got “rejected” to one of my top schools. Doesn’t feel great, and neither does stressing about this as well. Anyways, good luck to all!
@Mommydoodle, I don’t know whether to be embarrassed to tell you, or not, that I’ve read every single post in this thread, since the day it started (and the one last year too). One nuance that I’ve learned is that here, and on CC at large, the terms “the essay” and “essay & ECs” are sort of general catch all, in the context that you’ve referenced, for the aspects of holistic admissions that aren’t gpa, rank, or test scores. I didn’t read the literal tilt that you did, and it clearly wasn’t intended, because the original posters made it clear that it wasn’t literal and that they were referring to the other aspects of holistic review. But I’m not trying to be argumentative, I’m just trying to point out that even if a holistic admissions review doesn’t give favorable results to your student (I hope they do), you can’t possibly know or judge the strength of some other applicants application, and determine that you own student’s was stronger:
My figurative musical applicant does have amazing circumstances. But, those are circumstances that you as a mom of a different applicant would likely never see. What you would see is that she had a 3.4 gpa, was ranked at the bottom end of the 25th percentile, and had a lower SAT than your own kid. If her mom or dad posted here, they’d say things like, “she had great recs, and her essays were strong according to her English teacher.” They may, here in these forums, or chatting with you in line at the grocery store, or at the soccer game tell you that she’s in NHS, and the jazz ensemble. Her mom may glow when she tells you how she volunteers at her old school. What you will never get is the birds eye view into the complete application of another student, even if they go to your kids school, even if you’ve known that kid since he and your kid were in kindergarten, etc… You likely didn’t read his/her essays and supplements. You didn’t see the content or context of their full applications. And, most importantly, you don’t see them the way you see your own child, so their passions, their accomplishments, their direction, will never be quite as brilliant as that of your own student. If TAMU offered those kids Blinn Team, then there was something compelling about their applications. They distinguished themselves from tens of thousands of other applicants to earn those offers. I get that not knowing the ‘what’ specifically is a bit maddening, but not knowing doesn’t mean that their ‘lower stats’ made them lesser applicants. It just means that we don’t know why, because we did not see, and were not in a position to judge their full applications.
My scenario was just an example of how there is more, sometimes a lot more, than meets the eye of people with only a very limited view of a very complex picture. Further, every applicant doesn’t have to possess an extraordinary gift. If you look at the link in my previous post, they only have to offer something that TAMU values, and be a little better than the pack of THOUSANDS of other kids at getting the message across.
And finally, you are correct that no one here will know for certain until a decision is rendered. Nobody, in the forum has ever suggested anything different. But, what the helpful members of this community do offer is the breadth of their tried and true experience, a little sprinkling of insider information here and there, analysis based on past trends and communicated projections, and whole lot of cheer-leading that they are absolute Angels for hanging in there and doing.
I think that your frustration is less about your perception that ‘nobody can agree on any aspect, and one comment contradicts the next…,’ with regard to closed door holistic admissions, and more about grasping for the one thing that nobody here could ever guarantee you; a favorable admission decision that is commensurate to what you feel your student has earned. This forum isn’t the official voice of, nor the official mode of communication for TAMU. But, you are sure to get great advice, and the people here will hang in there with you (and have, in fact, broken out the wine to soothe the ever fraying nerves) sharing what they know, and standing in your corner, until a decision is in hand.
What does it mean on Howdy when you go from 3 to 6 tabs?
@rynetexas0301 means you have been accepted via full admission or one of the other pathways (not PSA). Do you have 6 tabs?
Thank you for this explanation and validation. My son received a TEAM offer and we are very excited for him. His ACT and SAT scores weren’t great but he only took them once. He is an all around good kid and high achieving in everything he chooses to do. In your explanation I felt you actually read my son’s application. I truly feel they holistically rated his application. His essay really represented him. Feeling blessed right now and saying a little prayer for those still waiting.
There has been a lot talked about the “speculation” on this thread. Pretty much everything I have mentioned comes from the data released by the university. Either their Common Data Set or what the admission’s department had reported in power points or in presentations at a regional prospective student center. Plus the self reported data on this forum.
I have shared this before:
Non-scientific sample (all 151 people who posted on the 2022 CC thread)
41 Full
19 TEAM
10 Gateway
4 McAllen
77 - PSA
Total of 151
41 Full - 27%
33 - Alternative 21%
77 - PSA - 51%
48% - Some sort of admission or pathway
51% - PSA
Data released by TAMU regarding review candidates shows
40.7% - Some sort of admission of pathway
59.2% - PSA
So while off - for as small of a sample - I think it trends pretty close to the actual numbers. And I am not surprised that there are fewer PSA numbers in the CC sample than what actually happened. It stands to reason a student/parent is less likely to post their scores if they see the are lower than what most other people posted. From looking at last years reporting - It appeared Gateway was over represented or TEAM was under represented. Historically we know that the Gateway offers are around 500 and TEAM is over 4000. But in the sample it was 10 and 19.
Well guess what? The link @nomatter posted yesterday shows that fewer TEAM offers went out than in previous years
http://provost.tamu.edu/Provost/media/Assets/pdfs-essentials/TexasA-Messentials_Freshman-Overview_ew.pdf So we were able to actually find a trend in the data collected last year on the CC thread.