Hey y’all! I’m a current Horned Frog, and CC was pretty helpful to me entering college. I noticed that TCU’s page didn’t have much recent discussion, and I just wanted to offer help and advice however needed to all parents and students considering TCU as application season is underway. Best of luck to everyone, as busy months are upon us!
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.
Can you give an update on the student housing situation? Any recommendations?
Any essay advice (still working on that part). I have a HS student who is in the process of applying for admission. Thanks!
So I read the thread about the housing situation, and I don’t want to invalidate what anyone is saying, but I’ve honestly heard no complaints from any students about housing. I’m currently in Milton Daniel in a double, and there are also triples (designed for 3). I do know a few people in forced triples elsewhere, but everyone really likes there roommates and there aren’t problems. Additionally, this year two new sophomore (and probably some juniors) dorms opened; these are 4 person suite style like the others.
The main reason that there are apparently more forced triples this year is simply that TCU is becoming a more regarded institution. The admissions office accepted a certain quota of people based on past trends, but straight from an admission officer’s mouth: way more people said yes to TCU than expected. I expect from this, that the acceptance rate may drop a bit so that TCU can maintain the amount of new students that they want.
Personally, having had a sibling already graduate from here, I think Milton is the best first year dorm, although most are in the Honor’s College if that is something the student is interested in. I do know some people not in Honors that got placed in Milton through the lottery process. It’s hard to say an absolute best fit for a student without knowing them, but there’s not any terrible places to avoid.
For the general Common App/ Coalition/ etc essay:
Don’t try to fit into a prompt, you can choose which fits best after you write. Brainstorm ideas- these are read in less than 2 minutes even though you spend hours on it. What I think admissions is looking for is something easy to read that gives maybe a short anecdote or short progression in your life that has taught you something, changed a perspective, inspired a field of study, etc. MOST IMPORTANTLY try to write it all in one sitting: let it flow, baby! There’s nothing worse than spending hours on an essay only to have someone tell you it’s choppy. Don’t strive for perfection. Do multiple drafts, and try different paragraph arrangements, word choices, and overall tone. Don’t just brag about achievements, unless you are talking about some competition where you won an award or the like. They can see all your brag sheet items in other parts of the application.
For Why TCU?:
Well, just tell them why. Is it the friendly people? The campus? Programs offered? Recommendations from friends? Athletics? This will be personal to you. Be honest, but of course don’t say you’d rather attend elsewhere 
I love it here, I’m always smiling at this beautiful school I call home! Consider a visit, I’d meet with you if you came! If it’s not an option, you can always view a quick online tour at: https://admissions.tcu.edu/visit/youtube-tour.php
or find any number of student made videos on YouTube.
Let me know if I can help further! Go Frogs!
Also of note, the Early Action deadline is November 1. I highly recommend applying EA, especially if you want to be considered for the Chancellor’s Scholarship. I applied EA everywhere I could and received most of my decisions around Dec 14th (I think) last year which was really nice to start planning next steps.
Are you a Chancellor’s Scholar? My senior has grades/ scores to be considered, but is worried her essay isn’t special enough to grab their attention. Any advice?
Yes, I am. Of course high stats are important, but really TCU is looking for people with passion and interests. This isn’t too say one needs to have done 15 extracurriculars- they like a variety, but they want people who might have 1 or 2 big fields of interest/ activities.
I completely understand worrying about the essay. What I will say in addition to what I said above is:
You don’t need to be the most interested, smart, athletic, person ever. You don’t even need to be a strong writer. Admissions reads hundreds of apps per day; what I’ve heard various ones say is do not write about- sports injury that helped you learn xyz, bragging about winning something, something that goes into way too many irrelevant details to the main story. Also CC recommends not writing about mental health, take that as you may.
In my case I tried early on to craft something that captured a lot of my interests and conveyed my philosophy and purpose, but it way too vague or choppy. I ended up writing about a funeral after a tragedy, and how the incident inspires me to make the most of life. Obviously, not everyone has these experiences., but any anecdote(s) on one topic that taught a lesson that can be carried into college is a good idea.
I’d also advise to make sure the Why TCU? essay reflects genuine interest, and not something where you could replace TCU with any other college and say the same thing.
The Freedom of Expression page can be fun, too. I described a game I play and challenged the reader to do the same, and added some funny postcripts about Superfrog (I really do love him 
)
If someone is hoping to become a CS, they definitely need to apply to JVR Honors College, which requires 2 essays. I spent quite a bit of time on those, but again made sure to make them flow and tell a story or vision of mine.
If she applies EA, in the December decision she will be notified if she is a candidate for CS.
@SuperfrogFan Thank you for taking the time to be here to answer questions, and congrats on being a Chancellor’s Scholar!
My son has applied EA and is hoping for a CS invite. He has a 35 ACT, 4.0 UW, interesting ECs and great rec letters. He has not applied for the Honors College, though. At a good private school like TCU he doesn’t feel it’s necessary the same way it is at a large public university, and the TCU Honors College perks don’t really match up with his interests. Is applying for the Honors College really an unwritten requirement to be considered for the Chancellor’s Scholarship? Are there other CS recipients not in the HC?
Thank you. Those are definitely on par stats. I’m honestly not sure about your question. The reason why though comes from historical precedent.
From the establishment of the HC until the Class of 21 or 22 admissions cycle, Honors did not need to be applied for, and students were simply invited, and CS culled further from that stellar pool. However, from the very direct grapevine link I have, the increased enrollment started making it “too easy” to get into the HC (not to say HC students weren’t bright).
My admissions cycle Class of 23 they introduced the solidified new application to JVR HC to somewhat create a process that ensured students that actually wanted to be in the HC and had the chops were invited.
To your son’s point, all TCU classes are wonderful and not everyone wants to be HC. However, all CS I know from my class and already graduated ones have been in the HC and live in Milton. The CS Program is quite nondescript though… basically we don’t like to be elitist and we mingle with the rest of our classmates and don’t really want to go around boasting of being CS because the reality is some people here applied and interviewed and didn’t get it, and we would never want to make them feel bad about that.
So in my opinion Honors is an unwritten requirement. Good news is that he can still apply from his admissions portal until Nov 1 to meet the EA deadline. If that’s too soon it might be a gamble, but the Nov 15 deadline could also be close enough to help.
https://honors.tcu.edu/prospective-students/admissions/incoming-freshmen/
I’m not here to be some salesperson, but I honestly think he should consider Honors not sheerly for CS opportunities:
I can understand if he doesn’t want to do a thesis or more work due to honors, but that is mostly upper division. He could just do lower division honors and be done if he so chooses. LD is only 3 honors courses, and 1 can be fulfilled through AP or IB credit. I think its a low effort high reward situation.
I know I’ve effectively just talked your ear off with an overload of information, but I hope its helpful.
HMU (as us children say) if I can help further. And also maybe give your ShrimpBurrito #2 a hug because he enjoys it even if he doesn’t say so 
Thank you so much, @SuperfrogFan ! 
This is very helpful. I will show this to my S so we can discuss. Best of wishes to you.
Anytime @ShrimpBurrito. You are always welcome to ask anything and holler if you come visit, I’ll try to meet up with y’all. Or any of you lurkers for that matter (I was once one of you)
Thank you very much for all this great advice!! I will also pass on to my son who is hopefully finishing up his application this weekend.
@SuperfrogFan Thank you so much for your informative answer. It put my senior at ease and she submitted her application.
How long does it take to get your Frog Portal after submitting your application. I submitted on Monday but I still need to upload my essay and resume.
@ApplyinginTexas Did you apply through Common App? Which essay are you referring to, I’m assuming the ones for honors?
I don’t remember exactly, but here’s a direct link to the login:
https://apply.tcu.edu/account/login
If you don’t have one, you may want to email your admissions counselor.
And now that I’ve researched it seems Honors Supplements to be considered for CS should be submitted by Nov 15th according to their website.
https://honors.tcu.edu/prospective-students/admissions/incoming-freshmen/
Hello! Do you have any specific advice for writing the Honors College Supplement essays? Is there anything in particular that I should avoid? I have heard that some schools prefer straightforward responses while others favor more story-like ones and am unsure as to what TCU is looking for in particular.
Hi, so I talked today with someone who actually reads some of the Honors Essays. Here’s the gist of what they said:
Write something distinctive not formulaic.
Don’t write what you think they want to hear. They want to know of something in your identity that you bring to the table, and will bring to TCU with you.
I’d like to add:
Avoid perfection and choppiness. Be candid, and let it flow in a storylike nature. Let them hear something about you that would enrich the school and program, and ultimately help you follow TCU’s mission to create “responsible global citizens.”
Of course, use common sense, but write something you are proud of that showcases a part of you that you want to continue to develop. Best of luck!