Is anyone attending the PSA information session in Arlington the last week of March? The email said "The PSA offer will be further explained and alternative routes will be shared. My daughter and husband are attending. She is considering going the Tarleton State for her PSA choice.
When is it? I would be interested in more info. My son got PSA but his major is not included so we are at a bit of a crossroad in what he is going to do.
We are in the dfw area but only received a letter yesterday about an info session in the past! Wouldnt mind attending the session for info. Corpus was our choice with some others but not tarleton
Hey there were several peeps on here touring U of A this weekend. We went with our son and I loved everything they had to say. The students were so friendly and the sessions we went to for Honors College and Walton College of Business were fantastic. My son opted to stay with his first choice, TAMU, but if I had my way, he’d go to U of Ark. We live in Cstat so I would love for him to experience another location. If you want to tour U of A and want suggestions on where to eat… I’m your girl. We ate very well and walked a ton (hills upon hills).
We toured utsa last minute for cap reasons lol
I recently received my admission descision, and was disappointed and confused that I was only offered the PSA route. I have a 32 ACT and 3.35 gpa at one of the top private schools in Texas (avg ACT IS 33-34). I have lots of extracurriculars (piano, varsity letter, com service), and thought all three of my essays were good. I have been seeing applicants with much lower tests scores and similar gpa’s at public schools who have either gotten into Blinn Team or College Station. Was I screwed over by my low class rank (3rd quarter) and the large number of applications for my class (~15 out of 38)? Or because 3.4 looks the same on paper no matter what high school I attended? My grades senior year jumped up to a 3.75, but they didn’t see that change.
I was offered 20k+ a year at Creighton and Saint Louis, but can’t even get into a state school?
Is there anything at all I can do to appeal this and get an offer to Blinn TEAM?
I recently received my admission descision, and was disappointed and confused that I was only offered the PSA route. I have a 32 ACT and 3.35 gpa at one of the top private schools in Texas (avg ACT IS 33-34). I have lots of extracurriculars (piano, varsity letter, com service), and thought all three of my essays were good. I have been seeing applicants with much lower tests scores and similar gpa’s at public schools who have either gotten into Blinn Team or College Station. Was I screwed over by my low class rank (3rd quarter) and the large number of applications for my class (~15 out of 38)? Or because 3.4 looks the same on paper no matter what high school I attended? My grades senior year jumped up to a 3.75, but they didn’t see that change.
I was offered 20k+ a year at Creighton and Saint Louis, but can’t even get into a state school?
Is there anything at all I can do to appeal this and get an offer to Blinn TEAM?
@bluejay10999 You have an interesting situation. Based on your ACT score (we don’t have the subscores here) and your description of your school, you have had the tremendous benefit of an excellent education. Please be grateful for your good education so far.
When did you apply? Mays filled up in November. Was business your intended major? If your major didn’t fill up before you applied, with such a small class, your rank at the time of application may have been a significant factor. The essays and EC’s count for half of the overall score, and this is another area where this forum has no visibility. It seems unlikely on the surface that the number of applicants from your school would be a consideration, but that issue hasn’t come up before in this year’s forums.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that you were simply in a corner situation for admission to this school due to class rank. Your case could be fodder for yet more discussion of the top 10% rule. More importantly, however, is A&M a top choice for you? Would you be OK with Blinn if your major was, say, Mays? Are the other schools you mention more to your liking? Are you waiting on a school more highly ranked in your major? Is this a situation where you want to stand and fight?
@bluejay10999 A&M doesn’t consider GPA only class rank so so comparing your GPA to other applicants is pointless. So based on the information you shared it seems your class rank is what hindered your application. My son had a 3.5 gpa but was 2nd quarter in his class. His ECs are similar to yours and many others on this forum. His test scores are lower than yours but just above the average score for entering freshman and he was offered PSA. From what I have read on this forum and the A&M website a successful appeal is highly unlikely unless there is an extenuating circumstance in your life that was not on your initial application. The PSA or PTA (Program for Transfer Admission) route offers gauranteed admission after just one year. A&M isn’t just any state school. It is highly competing and highly ranked. Other than A&M and Texas I would imagine you can get in to most any other state school with your scores. The good news is that there is a path forward if you want to be an Aggie.
@bluejay10999 : Wow, you have an awesome ACT score! It does seem to me that your 3rd quarter rank was something that counted against you. And perhaps if you were a Business major and sent in your application after July 1 that could have also been a factor. But I thought that they offered another major in that case.
It is ridiculous that State of TX top 10% rule is working against you simply because you attend a HS which prepares students for college. You have no control over your class rank if your cohorts are all high performing students. A lot of students with good scores but lower class rank end up going out of state and some of them never come back. So the state of TX loses all of those remarkable minds. And their children, also.
I don’t have any experience with the appeal process, but here is what I have gleaned from this board. An appeal has to state info which was not on the original application. Are there any extenuating circumstances for submitting your application after July 1? Are there any health issues or family situation which contributed to your lower grades in early HS? Can you of anything you did not include in your application?
I am not sure how it is done but I have heard that you can find out what areas of your application were weak and then address those issues in your appeal. Contact the official of admissions to see what the appeal process entails.
Include info that you are interested in Blinn-Team and Gateway.
Is TAMU your first choice, do you bleed maroon? Do you really want to be an Aggie? While you are waiting for the appeal, research all of the campus see listed on your PSA offer and see if there are any that you could spend a year at, it the appeal fails, and then transfer. It you want to start out in CStat, then start out at Blinn. See if there is a major in the PTA program, that is a way to also transfer to TAMU. Not sure if you could also enroll part time at TAMU and make your own mini almost Blinn TEAM. Research all of your options.
I have heard that this was a particularly brutal year. I wish you the best of luck.
@MomHopesNxtGenAg
Thank you for your response!
I applied in mid October with intended major bio (BA) with backup being the BS in bio.
It was my first choice, and I would have definitely considered the Blinn option, and could transfer sophomore year as I will have ~30 credit hours from dual credit classes senior year. I grew up an Aggie and practically my whole family went and expected me to continue the legacy…
I can understand that if TAMU only looks at what quartile I ended up in, it can look like I wouldn’t belong in college station. I just wish there was a way to explain my situation to a real face, rather than just numbers on a page.
The other schools I mentioned are of course good options as well, but lack the culture and people TAMU offers.
@trinley
Thank you for your response.
At this point, i would rather go to another school I was accepted into (it would be around the same cost with scholarships), and if I hate it, transfer into TAMU as a sophomore. Do you know much about this transfer process, or how easy it is to do so?
@bluejay10999 I just transferred in to the Biology program. Definitely make sure you’ve taken everything on the transfer requirements sheet before applying - they seem to take that very seriously. My lab partner applied to transfer into Bio with me with a 4.0 and fantastic work experience/ECs, but she was rejected because she hadn’t taken Cal 2 yet. Get the transfer sheets early and work from those.
@AggieMomAgain
Thank you for your time!
I applied early action (mid October) with my intended major bio (BA). I would have assumed I would have been reviewed early on in the process, but the decision came back in mid March.
In my case, top 10% is 3 people and top 25% is 8, so it makes being an auto admit extremely difficult, and most of these 8 go to Ivy leagues or other more prestigious private schools.
As far as appealing goes, the website states that I can present new information, which could possibly include my updated transcript?
I do (or did as of right now) bleed maroon, and it was my first choice (Blinn would have worked), but I don’t think I would choose the PSA route over one of the other colleges I mentioned… It also seems rather difficult to talk to an actual person about this and find out what if the details are. Any tips?
If all else fails, what do you know about transferring into TAMU after a year at another institution? How easy is it to do so and what are the rough requirements?
Thank you!
@bluejay10999 I think you need 24 hours and a minimum 2.5 to be eligible to transfer. However being eligible and getting admitted are not the same thing. If you meet the eligibility then the department that you are trying to transfer to will make the final decision. Mays business only accepts 100 transfers per year and turn down 4.0 gpa kids. I was told this by the Mays advisor. Engineering is also difficult to transfer to. If you think a transfer is a possibility you should call the department advisor and they can tell you what gpa they look for and what courses they accept. TAMU also holds transfer open houses. Check out the transfer section on the TAMU admissions page also. Best wishes.
@bluejay10999 Your situation argues strongly that A&M admissions really and truly only looks at rank.
Many small schools do not rank, and now it’s clearer why. If you hadn’t been ranked, then A&M wouldn’t have put you in third quarter.
I would call Admissions or try a regional advisor. It is worth a phone call or two certainly! They must have seen this situation before. See if they have any advice to offer you. Yes, best wishes to you.
@bluejay10999 everyone gave you stellar info on transferring. Looking at requirements for transfer before starting college is the best advice ever. Then meet with advisor, face to face, in that department. Tell them your intent. Then when you get close to applying, reach back out to them via email. When you write essays, you’ll mention that meeting and your passion for what you will do with that degree. Transfers are all about the major and how you will benefit the school. Make your best grades and have some fun along the way. Get involved with something in your field as well.
Good luck!!! We are all cheering for you!
Any idea when the spring break is going to be over at TAMU? I am an international student so have no idea about it and really wanted to talk to the financial aid advisor at TAMU
@mojojojo23 Spring break lasts a week and is over. It is the weekend now, of course. You should expect everyone to be back in their offices next Monday morning. Good luck with your financial aid.