I really don’t have a problem with the process, but I do wish that TAMU would institute a priority for in state. FSU for instance has a priority for in state. I can appreciate that. I also think it would be great to provide certain PSA offers to only in state kids. TEAM, TEAB, Gateway, are options that I think would be great to keep that in state.
*Edited bc i had PTA instead of PSA 
PTA is only for Texas community colleges and it’s unlimited. Do you mean PSA? And I think by design it takes out many OOS students. And @Friscodad probably has the stats, but there are not a lot of OOS offers period.
@austinmomlv 94% of A&M students are from Texas (*2021, but I feel certain the % hasn’t changed that much)
@austinmomlv son wanted Honors dorm, but didn’t have stats for the Honors program. He currently has a spot held at Murray and no roommate. Shoot me a message if you’d like. We live in east Texas so CStat is so much closer, but I’m almost sold on Lubbock at this point despite the distance.
I appreciate your post here, and I’ve had to tell myself some of these things. A lot of “how would you do it differently” when frustrated, but the reality is that I can’t answer that question because I really don’t know how they do it. I just see the end result.
Also, I think some education would dramatically help all parents. I’m SO much smarter from reading this discussion forum, but not all will. Hell, I didn’t find it until about 3 weeks ago…I would’ve been in a very different mindset when my son got the 3 options than had I not. Of course, I found this place looking for something/anything to tell me that things were going to be alright…and at that point, I felt I knew absolutely nothing.
But, I DID know something. I knew what my kid’s stats were. I think all parents have to inject some realism if your kid isn’t Top 10%, or have a completely killer test score. I knew my kid was a bubble kid…but I was hoping for the best. When I read many stats posting, I see a lot of “X rank at a competitive HS” type rationalizations…and I’ve come to realize that many just want to rationalize what they see. Nearly every HS is competitive. Nearly every kid trying to get here is going to have strong extracurriculars.
What I didn’t have was the marriage of information between “what my kid’s stats are” and "what it would’ve taken to get in…in previous years. The current year is always a variable.
TLDR - Texas A&M is very hard to get into. We all wish there was more transparency (while perhaps knowing there can’t be), and we all dislike the process more if our child isn’t admitted. Parents educating themselves so they can make good decisions (A) if they have to make choices or (B) to manage emotions/expectations along the way is a positive.
Thank you and the vets for being honest while maintaining positivity.
Completely agreee. I know my child’s stats but when you see a kid with VERY SIMILAR or LOWER stats and similar app date get a decision (for second choice major) while yours waits and waits, it’s not about stats then. My son has been in review for Mays for 3 + months MAYS! Filter out kids still waiting for Mays and send them something. Or any other full areas. I know our fate, I just want to see it. So why leave someone hanging like that. I do appreciate the advice truly I am very grateful for patience and explanations. I will stop my ranting because I’m just over all of it.
I agree with you and have found this site super helpful. As a former PSA student (now at TAMU), I think my main concern is what I consider misinformation by TAMU on the impact that going test optional can have. I applied in 2022, good stats and all, and went test optional after being told by no less than three admission officers that going test optional won’t hurt you. What they didn’t say is how much a good test score can put you over another applicant with all things equal. Why not just tell students the pros and cons of going TO? I think that it has become trendy for universities to say they are TO, but inadvertently it can hurt those who do it. On my end, I try to get the word out to high schoolers warning them about TO.
We discussed TO with admissions officers and even folks when we toured at length. I think there are lots of factors they consider beyond just end of Junior year GPA and test scores. They actually told us A&M is probably one of the schools that really believes test scores are one data point and they will most likely never make them mandatory again. (Now, if you have a 1300 - 1400+ submit that sucker!) The arc of the grades and classes, classes that are geared toward their major, ECs, essays, etc, we were told ALL of these things matter. There will never be a simple answer for anyone. It really is a hard process and I hate that it makes any kiddo feel like they not good enough. We have friends waiting on UT and that sounds just as awful. Big hugs to all the kids and parents still waiting.
TO absolutely can’t hurt you as a student applicant, but someone that doesn’t go TO and has a 1400 plus absolutely should be ranked better as an applicant.
Also @CC1056 , since PSA is rolling out and you haven’t heard, it’s possible you could get Opportunity Major option.
And to be clear and realistic to all, it is not TAMUs responsibility to inform everyone of the ins and outs of applying. TAMU outlines it all on their site. There is a timeline and they meet that timeline. I’m not trying to be snarky at all, but every cycle we get to this point. High School counselors are the frontline in disseminating information. Then it’s up to you… google, find regional advisor, find us on here, reddit, etc. So much info out there.
I get what you’re saying, but you’re speaking as a knowledgeable adult. A student kind of trusts admission officers to tell them what they need to know. Just asking for them to be honest about TO is not a lot — even saying what you said about the 1400-plus would be a good start.
But isn’t their patent answer it can’t hurt you? That’s the truth… maybe they think adult/student/counselor will assume that a good score can help you. I don’t know. My lens is as an adult going through this cycle the past 6 plus years so you’re probably right in that it seems like an easy assumption on my end but not a 16 or 17 year old. I do still believe the HS counselors need to do better.
But inadvertently it can hurt you going TO, if an applicant equal to you gets admission because they submitted a good test score. And that’s fine — but let students know that can be the case. Maybe they won’t go TO knowing that. I sure wish I would have known about this site in my junior year.
Hey, rant away. I get it completely.
One thing I will comment on is the “very similar or lower” stats comment. I certainly read commentary that most of the consideration is on rank/test scores. Obviously, I know how SRAR will quartile kids, and I don’t know if admissions looks deeper than that (not directing this at you, but I see some “my kid is top 13%, top 11%, top 10.1%” - does that matter or is Top 25%, Top 25%? Of course, I have no clue.
Back to the point, I don’t know what factors really weigh in what order. In holistic review, for all I know, you’re splitting hairs and it could come down to something as silly as “did this person who read your essay have a bad morning” or alternatively “did the person reading your essay have a deeper resonation with your words because of personal experience?” Of course, I have no clue. The objective/subjective line gets in there, right?
I will say, I have seen a few kids on here who didn’t get the 3 options, are in the same major as my son, and have very similar (or in one specific case, markedly higher) test scores. Those I’m referencing haven’t gotten options and, while I’m very happy that my son is where he is in the process (with options though no admission guarantee), I feel absolutely sick for those kids.
my biggest concern is that i have mid stats but everyone with lower stats than me already got the options or full admittance, so im just confused.
@CC1056 i feel your pain and frustration.
Mays is small (by TAMU standards) and is usually full by early November. Those that hope for Mays should apply in August.
Photo below is straight from TAMU Admissions website. If not Top 10%, or student with very high test scores and gpa, Holistic students shouldn’t expect an admission decision until January-March.
Today is Feb 1, and this admission cycle is weeks faster than previous years. I do feel your frustration greatly tho…
I’ve followed this forum over the last 5 years with both of my kids and we always end up at the blaming stage right about now. The way I see it is that the college admissions piece is a 4 year process. It starts Freshman year knowing that grades are important. Sophomore and Junior year are time to prep for the standardized tests and take them as many times as possible to achieve the highest score. Senior year should essentially be a gap year taking the right classes to get ready for your major in college.
We see a lot of posts saying that A&M is the only choice, but if you have subpar grades, chose to go test optional because you forgot your calculator, and applied on 12/1 was it really your lifelong goal?
Sorry for the bluntness. Thankfully there are still paths for the ones that got sidetracked along the way. The end result is still the same with the diploma and Aggie gold.
This was my son last year. We were impressed with TTU’s one-of-a-kind Honors program and luxurious Honors dorm. Tons of undergraduate research/ internship opportunities and generous scholarships! TTU doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. My son ended up choosing TAMU/TEAB but I have no doubt he would have had a positive experience at TTU, as well. I don’t see the need for paying so much more in OOS fees for an undergrad degree when we have great in-state options.
Welp, going test optional won’t hurt you, according to TAMU admission officers. See this is just my point — all the knowledgeable adults on this page know that going TO can hurt you. Why can’t the admission officers say that?
Back in 2021, when my eldest was applying, we saw kids we knew with lower stats than him (class rank, grades, EC’s etc) get Gateway and Blinn Team while he got PSA in March. The wait was excruciating and the result disappointing. At the end of the day, we just don’t know the why’s and how’s of it all. I’m a firm believer in there is a school for everyone and you will bloom wherever you’re planted. If being an Aggie is the end goal, there are plenty of pathways to that destination that don’t originate in College Station but end up there 
Totally agree with what all has been said. Wish our daughter had listened to us a bit more when it came to grades, but it is what it is. She did great with EC’s, volunteering, jobs, etc, but grades wasn’t as big a focus as it should have been. We also truly didn’t realize how competitive this process was…after all, its been 30 years since my husband and I went through this ourselves and times have certainly changed. Wish I would have found this forum 4 years ago so we could truly prepare her, but now we know for our son. BUT…my only gripe about this process is I feel confident they know who they are rejecting all together and I wish they’d just send that notification out so we can truly close this door, move on, and not make assumptions. We all need to officially close this chapter and be able to move on, especially our daughter.
