Chance Me Please!

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
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<p>Thank you for clicking on this, because this is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. My dream is to go to UT Austin,but I am afraid that my grades will prevent me from reaching this goal. Below I have listed a bit of what my life has been like as well as my academics and extracurriculars. </p>

<p>I am currently a junior in high school who is doing the full IB program. I live overseas and I have been doing so my whole life due to my father's job. I am still an American citizen and I am looking into options for college. I have selected a few schools that I'm thinking of applying to, but my dream school is UT Austin. I know it is a very competitive school and it would be my dream to get the opportunity to study there.</p>

<p>I started of with a strong GPA my freshman year at around 3.88 but when my father was reassigned to a new country my grades began to drop to a B- range and I got a few C's in my more difficult classes. I overwhelmed myself with too many courses (including Chinese and extra Science classes.) I started the IB program this year and my grades have been going up with the exception of one class but that is under control now.My grades dropped to moving to a new country and starting at a new school. I am a Texas resident but I have gotten to experience the diverse cultures of the world since I was a young child.</p>

<p>My question is, do I have any remote chance of getting into UT Austin. Are there any particular schools I should apply to? My interests are in Business (I am doing IB Business and planning on doing it HL,) and in the Performing Arts.</p>

<p>My Academics:
- Doing the full IB Diploma, I am strong in all my classes
-By the time I apply I will be at around a 3.2/3.3 GPA
-My high school does not give out any class rank, I've asked my counselor and they will not provide the university with this information
-SAT: 1920
-Extra Curricular Activities:
Performing Arts- I am heavily involved with the PA program in my school and I have been the lead in my school's musical. I take singing lessons as well as piano lessons. I am also in the IB music class at my school.
Community Service- I am involved in a number of community service projects. Most of them include helping the environment and raising money for worthy causes.
Languages- I can speak English, Spanish, and French fluently. I am currently studying Chinese and Portugese outside of school.
Jobs: I have gotten the opportunity to work at the Embassy for one summer dealing with consular affairs. During the school year I take care of pets (this is because overseas I am not allowed to work because I am considered underage.)
Summer Programs: I have attended various French language courses, and I was selected to attend a leadership conference at Columbia University last year through a program that my counselor recommended me for. </p>

<p>Please help me! I really want to go to this school and I don't know what the best way to get in is.</p>

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<p>First off, I would like to say that anyone’s opinions on here should not be taken as a final judgement because we do not recognize your essay writing ability or other special circumstances in your life. </p>

<p>Applying as an international to a state public school is a really hard knock life. You might not hear back until very very late in march or maybe even April, as you can see by the worried internationals in one of the threads here, so you have a difficult path ahead. That being said, I think your experiences have the potential to be an incredible essay c (special circumstances essay) and your extra curriculars are pretty unique and interesting.
Lets get to the negative, you are right to say your GPA is low but I believe this could be off set by the difficulty of the school and maybe an explanation from your counselor. What I do believe you need to work on is your SAT score. Take the SAT and ACT again. I am saying this because the international admittance rate is already very low and if you want to be considered you should really show that one objective facet of your application is above most of the other American applicants; this is even more important for McCombs school of business.</p>

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<p>^ As a US citizen, OP will not be considered an international applicant.</p>

<p>stressedcollege, if your family hasn’t lived in Texas since you were a young child, please be sure to work with the residency office re: your “Texas resident” status before you start the application process, especially if your father’s job is non-military. Start here: [Texas</a> Residency | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/residency]Texas”>Texas Residency | Undergraduate Admissions | The University of Texas at Austin) Just FYI, in addition to the tuition benefit, 90% of the freshman class is reserved for residents, meaning your chances as a non-auto admit Texas applicant are better than your chances as an “out of state” non-resident (you wouldn’t be an international application, as you’re a US citizen).</p>

<p>Regardless of whether you’re considered a resident or non-resident, your application for admission to UT will be reviewed holistically. Additionally, all applicants (even Texas auto admits) are assigned to a major based on holistic review. The admissions office sets out the holistic review factors here: [Application</a> Review | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/after-you-apply/review]Application”>http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/after-you-apply/review) </p>

<p>As you can see, class rank, test scores and course rigor comprise the Academic Index part of the rubric. (Click through “class rank” to read how they deal with non-ranking schools–basically, they will assign you an estimated rank based on your grades in the context of the grade distribution information your counselor will provide.) Everything else is considered on the Personal Achievement/Special Circumstances side. You are well-covered on the latter; and with IB, you’ve got rigor. But if you’re shooting for business, which is probably the most competitive admit at UT, you need to make the best possible grades and consider retaking your SAT (or try the ACT). Research past threads here to see discussions of what it takes to get into McCombs and see: <a href=“https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/Prospective/Admission/Freshman-Admission.aspx#tab-pane3[/url]”>https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/BBA/Prospective/Admission/Freshman-Admission.aspx#tab-pane3&lt;/a&gt; If you decide to go for performing arts, you’ll need to audition or interview. See the major-specific requirements here: [Schools</a> & Majors | Be a Longhorn](<a href=“http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/admission/majors]Schools”>http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/admission/majors)</p>

<p>Bottom line: It is hard to get into UT–if you read through the recent postings, you’ll see many well-qualified applicants who were denied this year. And for many, it’s even harder to get into your first choice of major! Those who don’t get their first or second choice of major are assigned to UGS = “Undergraduate Studies.” Although that’s temporarily disappointing, it’s not a bad thing! The great news is, you are a Longhorn like everyone else–you’ll just work out your major later. </p>

<p>Good luck in your application process! Please note that most public schools, whether in Texas or in other states, favor their own residents and work from a data-driven admission formula, i.e., rely heavily on rank or grades + test scores. With your IB background + strong foreign language skills, performing arts portfolio, consular gig, pet care service and other ECs, you may want to broaden your list with some private schools, particularly liberal arts colleges (“LACs”), as they aren’t constrained by state-mandated top 10% rules and the like, but are free to holistically review the entire application. Of course, your stats still matter–you can figure out whether a school is within your reach by looking at their GPA and test score data (Google for a school’s most recent Common Data Set, then go to section C for admission information). In Texas, Trinity might be worth looking at. Your counselor should be able to offer ideas about composing a savvy list, plus you can use any of the college search engines to filter results based on your preferences and profile.</p>