Hey guys! I am a rising senior getting ready for college applications. I am interested in pursuing an English/Creative Writing major. I go to a high school in Virginia, so I would be out-of-state for Austin. I feel that already puts me at a disadvantage. Also, my school doesn’t rank classes. I know rank is a big deal at Austin, so I am a bit worried that the admissions officers wouldn’t even be interested in accepting me.
I have a 3.8 GPA, 1820 SAT (first time, taking it again) and I took subject tests in Literature and US History (scores soon)
I perform slam poetry and am a frequent guest at open mics.
I was the Varsity Tennis captain and got the “leadership award.”
This summer I plan on being a summer assistant for a school in DC and I will go to writer’s workshops for poetry.
I went on T.V. for the quiz show It’s Academic and my team got 3rd in districts.
Finally, I was a member of the Environmental Club at my school and got roughly 60+ hours of community service.
This summer I will add more service with the assistant work.
Any advice for making a good application to Austin would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys! I’m new to this but I’ll write on your forum if you want 
Have you considered the University of Virginia? I have heard only positive things about their English and Creative Writing programs. You are instate so that will be to your benefit as well
Thanks for the suggestion! The only thing about UVA is that I really don’t like Charlottesville. I’m looking for a more urban and progressive school where the common pant is black skinny jeans, not salmon-colored pants if you catch my drift.
Honestly you should be able too ALTHOUGH i have seen many of my friends who had 3.8 gpa who were texas residents not get accepted. People are not wrong when they say a little luck is involved.
UT doesn’t consider GPA at all, only rank. I’m pretty sure UT assumes a rank based on GPA if your school doesn’t rank, and I heard that UT tends to be generous about their assumption. Your ECs are great, but I would try to raise your SAT score to a 2000+ if possible as an OOS student. Luck is definitely involved with the admissions process, but I’m sure it’s on your side!
I did write [this post](http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-texas-austin/1789902-admissions-advice-esp-for-holistic-applicants.html#latest) with holistic admissions advice since I applied as an OOS student as well (and I’m glad to say that I’m attending this coming school year!). Also, I have a friend who will be an English major at UT, and I’m sure will be glad to talk to you if you have any questions. I totally feel you on the vibes… that’s a huge reason why I chose UT in the end. Good luck 
90% of available slots are held for Texas residents. See the link here http://catalog.utexas.edu/general-information/admission/undergraduate-admission/freshman-admission/
10% of available slots are for out of state/internationals.
Based on the published 2014-2015 CDS for UT Austin, the percentage of out of state students enrolled was 7.7%. So around 561 of the 7285 enrolled students were out of state. So your competition is most likely going to be top out of state applicants.