Can I get into Texas A&M???

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
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I have already applied for TAMU and I am very anxious about getting accepted. (I tend to always worry about things haha). I have taken as many AP classes as possible and if that was not available to me, I have taken Pre Ap or Advanced courses. I am also enrolled in Dual Credit classes. I have very few regulars classes and if I do, I have an A in them. Even in my AP classes, I have always gotten either an A or B. I have never gotten a C throughout my entire time in high school. My GPA is a 3.7 out of 4 and a 4.7 out of 6. I am in the top 18% in my class ( my school is VERY large and VERY competitive.) For my SAT score, I got an 1180 but I am planning on taking it again and hopefully getting a higher score. As for extracurricular, I have LOTS of volunteer work. I volunteer 2-3 times a week at different programs such as an afterschool program for disadvantaged kids and leading a bible study for middle school girls. I also am in NHS, SNHS, HOSA (4th in the state for biomedical debate), and Speech and Debate. I have gone on two mission trips and I have been a counselor at two different camps this summer. I qualified for a gold key for the scholastic writing competition as well so my writing piece went to nationals. I am the president of the writer’s club at my school as well. I had an internship at my church this summer. I played volleyball for 5 years and I am involved in the art program at my school, where I placed in local and state competitions for. Currently, I am planning on graduating a semester early. In order to do that, I am taking online classes over the summer. I am getting letters of recommendation from multiple adults, but the most notable is a donor to the architecture program at TAMU, so I hope that will help me to get in. I am applying as a history major and focusing on either getting into law school or becoming a professor. Both of my parents went to TAMU as well.

I get very very nervous about whether or not I will be accepted due to my SAT score but I hope that my extracurriculars will compensate for that. What do y’all think???

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I think you sound like a really strong student and person. Your ECs are fantastic and you definitely put yourself out there. Your grades/rank are decent but you are right, the SAT could hurt you. Have you tried the ACT? You can even take the ACT at tamu and it’s scored within the day. It only counts for tamu but it also shows you’re serious about being an Aggie. Next year when the do away with academic admit, students like you will have a much better chance. Sadly autos and academics make up the bulk of admission offers. I really hope the best for you. Please keep us posted on your journey.

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@hallen073
Your EC’s are great. Unfortunately, they don’t compensate for scores. Your rank is also great. Rank and scores are 50% of the equation for review applicants and everything else is 50%. Only two letters of recommendation will be read, so after the first two submitted, the others will be tossed. A&M also doesn’t take how competitive your school is or isn’t. They want to see how well you competed against your own p.eers with the same access to the same resources and not students from other high schools that may or may not have the same resources, classes, etc.

It is impossible to chance a review applicant for several reasons.
A&M has a target number of admissions offers they can make in order to yield a desired sized freshman class. Each year in the past 4 cycles, the number of applications has increased with review applicants as well as auto top 10% and academic admits. Last year saw an increase in 10k applications, many being auto top 10% and academic admits, forcing A&M to offer less full admissions offers to review applicants. We saw applicants who, in the past would have received admission or at least Blinn Team, be offered PSA.

Being the last admission cycle for Academic Admit, will that increase more academic admit applications? We don’t know how that is going to play out.

Your best chance is to raise your SAT to Academic Admit level, which is 1360 with 660 EBRW and 620 math. You can also try taking the ACT at A&M and shoot for a 30 with 27 in math and english. The scores are good for A&M only. You do need to call to find out the testing dates. http://testing.tamu.edu/Exams/ACT

Get everything else in, even your current scores. You have until Dec 1 (or Dec 8 I think for supplemental docs and test scores) so keep trying to improve. Study your weak areas and get that score up! Good Luck!!!

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@hallen073 : As AggieMomhelp and Thelma2 have said, your grades and class rank and ECs are good, but your SAT score is holding you back. Since you are in the Top 18% of your HS class, if your SAT was in the Academic range, you would be an automatic Academic Admit. Do EVERYTHING that you can to bring that score up to the Academic Admit range, or at least as close as possible. You have a real chance to improve the odds that you will be admitted to TAMU. Students with the same gpa and ECs and with a higher SAT/ACT score but not in the Top 25% of their HS class have NO possibility of improving their HS rank in the time remaining, but YOU CAN pull up your score at least a few points. I have heard that Khan Academy has online help which will target your weak areas. Spending time on improving your SAT score/ACT score is much more important than any volunteer hours or extra ECs stuff (or social activities) that you do between now and when the TAMU application closes on Dec. 1. Taking the ACT on TAMU campus is also a good thing, sometimes one test will suit you better. And taking that test shows TAMU that you are very invested in going there. Take multiple practice tests for each online before you take the real test. Check online for info on the types of questions that you missed and STUDY to improve as much as possible. Also, while you are in CStat to take the ACT, schedule an Official Campus tour for after the test and also see if you can schedule a meeting with an advisor in your target major, and ask if you can sit in on a class if it is a day when classes are in progress. Maximize your involvement with TAMU so that they know you are really interested. Meet with the TAMU recruiter in your area to get as much info as possible. I think that they track an applicants interest and time and involvement with TAMU. It is just getting harder and harder each year to get into TAMU. Good luck and keep us posted! :smile:

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I called TAMU and asked about the residual ACT. I am going to take it in three weeks and in the meantime, I am signing up for an online ACT prep class. I took a prep class for the SAT but I think that test is not the best for me. I have taken the ACT before and I did ok on it (I don’t remember my exact score) but I did really really well on the writing portion of the test. I got a 10 which is apparently in the top 3% of the essays they receive. Hopefully, with some prep, I can bring my score to that level as well.

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@hallen073 : That sounds great! It sounds like the ACT is your style of test, kudos to you for scoring high on the essay! That is fantastic, and will help you with Law School! :slight_smile:
STUDY, STUDY, STUDY! Spend every available minute on preparing for the residual ACT test. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT, MOST CRITICAL change that you can make for your application. If you can raise your score into the Academic Admit range, you are IN!! And it will all be worth the effort. :smiley:
Also sign up for the official campus tour and meetings with your major advisor and sit in on a class if at all possible. Have lunch on campus, too!
Keep us posted.

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@hallen073 When taking residual ACT, please know that you are not able to write on the test… no markings at all. To some that’s not a big deal, but if you do practice test by underlining and circling etc, then this could throw you off. So practice using a separate sheet of paper to help you work on those questions and answers. Good Luck!!!

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so UPDATE: I got a 28 on the test, which is higher than the average for other TAMU students!! I scored a 31 on both English and Reading, but a 25 on Math and Science. Considering that I am applying as a History major with a Poli Sci minor, I think these scores are good. Do you think my chances are better at getting in??

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I am also taking it again in a couple of weeks so I am hoping to get a 30, which is auto admin. Either way, I am supposed to get my response in September.

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If you’re taking the test again in a few weeks, I’d advise zeroing in on the math section, dissecting your wrong answers-- I mean really dissect them. Understand what types of questions you got wrong, and why you got them wrong. Then practice those types of questions. For the ACT, to reach the Academic Admit threshold, you’ll need to those two extra points on math, a 27, which will get you to the 30 that you also need.

From a holistic admission standpoint, your scores, rank, and ECs are solid. Even if you hadn’t taken the TAMU ACT, you’re a strong applicant to the vast majority of schools. That being said, there are a lot of strong applicants that are either offered alternative admission paths (PSA), or not accepted, because it’s a numbers game. The true admission rate for review admits is (someone calculated this last admission cycle), somewhere between 10 and 20%, due to the extremely large number of applicants, and the low number of available admission slots. This last admission cycle, for the freshman class starting at TAMU now, we saw a whole lot of amazing applicants who were just on the cusp of auto or academic admit offered PSA. Because of these reasons, nobody can chance you for admission as a review admit. Your application is strong, no question about it. You’ve spent your time in high school well. :smile: You just have to realize that you’re competing against about 50k other very strong applicants just like yourself. The majority of those seats are going to auto and academic admits. You’ve still got a chance to put yourself in an assured admission category by achieving academic admit. Work on your math ACT score! Otherwise, realistically, your chance may be somewhere between 10 and 20% of acceptance.

Also, don’t expect to get an admission decision in September. Last year, it was mostly auto-admits who heard then. The review admits, by and large, didn’t hear until February and March, even if they had their apps in on July 1st.

Finally, I want to say to shoot for your dreamS. ← Plural. If you want to be an Aggie, work hard to bring up your math score. But make sure that you have other matches and safeties that you would be absolutely thrilled to attend. And, considering you’ve done so well on the TAMU residual ACT, you should consider taking the national ACT again as well to increase your chances at merit scholarships in general.

Keep us posted, and know that we’re rooting for you!

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I’m glad I read @nomatter reply… well said.
And @hallen073 You will not hear before December unless bump to academic admit. Keep working hard!! You’ve got this.

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Here is the breakdown of the review admit stats for the past years.

2018 VS 2019
Review Full - 16% vs 7.5%
Review alt (Team, Gateway, engineer academies)- 15% vs 9.6%
Total 31% vs 17%

Only 7.5% of review candidates in 2019 were granted admission to the College Station campus. And student athletes and certain targeted scholarships are included in that percentage.

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@BlueBayouAZ, I knew I recalled that someone provided the admission rates for review applicants! I just didn’t recall that it was below 10% for 2019. Ouch! For A&M applicants for 2020, between 10.01 & 25% in rank, the one thing that you can control to position yourself for assured admissions is your SAT/ACT scores. Make sure that you’re looking at test registration dates, consider the TAMU residual ACT if you’re better at that test, and practice, practice, practice. This is the home stretch, and you’re almost there!

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@halen073 Did you get in?