<p>I read a really informative post on this forum last year about CAP and found it really helped. Heres my 2 cents </p>
<p>If youve been CAPPED I truly do sympathize with you. I was a senior last year and was in the same position as many of you find yourselves in now. Im sure most of you who were rejected are pretty disappointed, if not irate that you didnt get in. I know the feeling it sucks. Keep in mind theres also some who are just glad that UT allows people the opportunity to do CAP, because otherwise they would have no chance to get in, and thats a good thing. First off, Ive been a Longhorn all my life. Both of my parents are alumni and Ive been going football and basketball games for as long as I can remember. The decision to do CAP for me was an easy one. UT is my dream school. I would say its the best in the state and, it could be debated, in the nation (my biased opinion). I got in to some other schools but knew that Id always regret not going to UT. I know for others the decision might not be as easy. Some parents dont want their kids doing CAP (God forbid going to a lesser school for a year!!!) and send them somewhere else, while some parents force their kids to do it (they MUST go to UT!!!). My girlfriend was one of those whose parents sent her somewhere else and now shes trying to transfer in. Its a lot easier to get a 3.2 than a 3.6 or whatever it takes now as a transfer, not to mention essays and all that. </p>
<p>At first I thought that CAP was going to be terrible. I chose UTSA because I live 15 minutes away and could save money by living at home (talk about motivation, I cant WAIT to get away from my parents!). Coming from outside of San Antonio, UTSA has always gotten a bad rap so I didnt know what to expect. Its not known as a very good school, and a lot of dumb kids end up going there from my high school. I thought it'd be horrible going there. I signed up for the first available CAP orientation (CAP kids are separate) to get the best classes I could. Id really really really suggest getting a pickaprof account for grading histories, and browsing ratemyprofessor to pick your professors BEFORE you get to orientation. If you end up with a professor that passes 25% of his class then you are screwed before you even start. They dont give you an allotted time during orientation to look at those sites but you can go during the freetime they give you. Id also recommend standing in line close to someone that you think you could make friends with because thats who youll be rooming with for the next 3 days. Make sure you read up on the requirements for CAP before you get there, and dont be that person who asks dumb questions in front of everyone. One girl at ours asked what GPA we had to make. Really? Once youre done with ever-so-lame orientation then you sit back and anxiously wait for school. </p>
<p>School will come and fly right by. Like I really cant believe Spring Break has come and gone! UTSA is definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and despite living at home I have met some really cool friends and had my share of fun. I made a 4.0 last semester and currently have a 4.0 at the midterm. A 3.2 GPA is just 1 A and 4 Bs per 15 hour semester so it is definitely doable if you stay focused on your academics. There will be some who dont make it whether its because they party too much or just dont have the motivation to make good grades. I think the number was 50% who actually go on to UT. A lot end up staying because they end up loving UTSA though, not because they dont have the grades. Its funny - youll come to notice what a pain it is to try and explain CAP to people that ask where you go to college. I never want to just say "UTSA."</p>
<p>Wow, I just wrote a lot. Anyways, CAP is not a bad option is all Im trying to say. Youll find people in the exact same situation that youre in and you'll have a lot of experiences to carry with you. Your study habits will grow and youll feel rewarded for your hard work. Its yours for the taking. You can do it! So yeah, if you have any questions feel free...</p>
<p>Yeah ya’ll. Don’t be upset if you got CAPPED. I know people with over a 4.0 and got CAPPED. Just go to UTSA, make the grades…and you’ll be at UT the next year. YOU WILL NOT BE ALONE. I feel that the majority of the freshmen I talk to are CAP students!</p>
<p>Wow, thanks so much for that post. I recently got capped and I’ve been totally bummed about it because I always knew that UT was THE school that I wanted to attend so I couldn’t have been more disappointed in myself when I found out the news. It didn’t help that most of my friends are top ten percent so they were all automatically admitted. I feel like everything you said in that post related to how I feel exactly because I always feel a bit demoralized by bad rap that UTSA gets. And I totally feel the pain of trying to explain to people about the CAP program. I just can’t get myself to say that I’d be going to UTSA…haha. But really, thanks! I’ve been having a hard time trying to find someone who’s done the CAP program who could tell me that it won’t be the most miserable year and thanks for the pointers about orientation and picking professors. I’ll definitely keep that in mind!</p>
<p>UTSA is actually a pretty good school. Do you know how many UTSA graduates that have gone on to become successful phycisians, professors, dentists, lawyers, engineers, scientists, or musicians? A lot!</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. My son was very disappointed that he did not get into UT-Austin, but he got into “CAP” and will be going to UTSA. Even though you are not on campus, do you know anything about the dorms? His friends want to stay at The Outpost, but that seems so far from campus. Would Chaparral Village be better? Where do most of the CAP freshmen stay? (The UTSA web site said they are mostly in Chisolm, but that place looked pretty old and dreary when we visited UTSA.)</p>
<p>Also, do you know anything about the fraternities at UTSA? He would like to join one, but we don’t know that much about them other than the Fijis just got banned until 2013 for hazing… If he wanted to get into a fraternity at UT Austin next year, should he just wait, or should he rush at UTSA and try to get into one that has a chapter in both places?</p>
<p>I would say CAP students are definitely spread out amongst UTSA dorms and apartments in the surrounding area. The Outpost is really nice and really close to campus (and even cheaper than living on campus–thought a tow truck driver did get murdered there a couple weeks ago) but they only do year leases, which is not prime for CAP students wanting to move to Austin. Chaparral Village is very nice and definitely has a lot of CAP students. Same will Laural. University Oaks is also okay, but definitely not as nice; though parking is A LOT easier. Outpost is known for having a lot of parties. You CAN NOT have parties at Chap/Laural/University Oaks/Chism because UTSA police is VERY strict.</p>
<p>Fraternities at UTSA are eh. Definitely not competitive to join. There are no houses. Drinking is more strict. The guys (and girls in sororities) are not the cliche type that go to UT. If your son would want to become part of a fraternity at UTSA he could, but it definitely is not the same as UT. I would honestly say the “cooler” people are probably not apart of UTSA Greek Life and most Greek Life students at UTSA are staying there the full 4 years. </p>
<p>Does he know anyone else in the CAP program? Even though most of the Frat boys stay the full 4 years, it could be a good way to meet people. Though I heard “transferring” to the UT sect of the frat does not really work.</p>
<p>Spree, unless they chose to change it this year, everyone in state gets CAPped if they don’t get in to Texas. And I’ve heard on the board here that they have begun to CAP out of state students, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.</p>
<p>i have a 2.7 gpa, lots of community service hours, and a 19 on the ACT, I still don’t know what my SAt score is. I really hope I get offered into the CAP Program at UT, do you think I have a shot at getting the offer?</p>
<p>this post really made things so much easier… i obviously knew other students were capped, but it felt as if i was the only one. If UT is your dream school the one year away from it seems totally worth it</p>
<p>Skylar: lots of applicants are capped, do well at the alternative campus, and then transfer successfully to UT. Some find they love the smaller campus and they stay. Congrats on getting accepted in to the CAP program. I don’t believe it is at all automatic. I believe the other option is a full on rejection. UT is worth the extra effort, so go and kick some serious butt your freshman year and transfer to Austin! You can do it if you want it and you work for it!! Hook 'em!!</p>
<p>I got cap’d because my school has a graduating class of only 8. Lol. Therefore, NONE of us get the top 10% rule, even the valedictorian. I didn’t make it through review simply because I applied to the engineering department and had only a 29 on the ACT. Apparently, the score average (30) for the engineering department is there CUT-OFF score. From what I heard, whether you’re in top 10% or not, you don’t get into the engineering department anymore unless you have at least a 30. Everything else on my app was fine: GPA = 3.95, 70 dual/college credit hours, tons of extracurricular including 14 years in piano lessons/concerts/performances, 13 years in martial arts (competitions etc.), and political involvement. I actually helped with a presidential campaign (for Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer). Anyhow… Really, their engineering department is very prestigious. It’s #8 on the U.S. News and World Report 2012 Graduate School Rankings. I understand the vicious competition. Nevertheless, I really want to go to UT Austin, so I’m definitely participating in the CAP program. :)</p>
<p>As eaglemom101 said, it is NOT a full on rejection. You were ACCEPTED to several/all of these other great schools! Honestly, I am contemplating staying at UT Tyler. We’ll see how I like the small school feel though. Also, it wasn’t necessarily automatic. You had to have at least a 21 on your ACT to get into several of the schools and a 22 to get into UTA or UTSA.</p>
<p>I wish Dallas was part of the CAP program but oh well. :/</p>
<p>I remember reading this thread almost a year and 2 months ago on that dreadful day I got capped. I think it was March 15th 2011. Good times. Checked my status at exactly midnight and I almost died a little bit on the inside.</p>
<p>Anyways, a year and 2 months later, I am a week and one day away from leaving this crappy school (UTA). This is honestly worse than high school was. It is so boring here. But, it was all worth it. I felt like I walked into this school just yesterday. Time flies so fast in college especially when you make friends to make the time fly fast. And, I too always tell my friends who go to different schools “Uh… I go to UTA right now, but I’m in the CAP program and I’m going to UT next year.” I can never just say UTA. </p>
<p>But if you’re stuck on making a decision to CAP or not, this was honestly one of the best decisions I made in my life. It gave me a second chance to take school more seriously. It’s something I seriously needed. I couldn’t just skate through life without doing any work. I had to do my best to go to the places I want. So many people I know got CAP’d, but they went to different schools. Now they’re desperately trying to get into UT because they went to Tech, A&M, UNT etc., but they don’t have the grades for it. It’s better to be safe than sorry in the end. And let me tell you, I went to Austin for one weekend last semester and IT WAS THE BEST WEEKEND OF MY WHOLE YEAR IN COLLEGE. Just that one weekend in Austin. I know what I’m doing is worth it, and if you guys do it too, it will be worth it in the end also. Time goes by sooo fast and before you know it, you’ll be in the promised land.</p>
<p>Well good luck if you make the choice to CAP. As for me, I gotta go back to finding a place to live next year in Austin. LONGHORN BABY!</p>
<p>im planning on doing the cap program for ut Austin and going to utsa for the first year and I was wondering what are my chances of getting into the school of architecture if I get transferred. how high would my gpa have to be. and what about civil engineering. are those two hard to get in?</p>
and thanks for the pointers about orientation and picking professors. I’ll definitely keep that in mind!</p>