Does anyone know when semifinalists will come out? Last year they came out on January 23rd I think.
No, my understanding they send email about time frame when they will be releasing the semifinalists. Is anybody out there received any email from UT regarding to forty acres candidate selection or semifinalists?
Semi finalists were notified today. 15-20 minute phone interview to be scheduled within next 5 days. Approximately 100 semi finalists chosen. Finalists to be announced Jan 29th.
Son received 40 Acres letter today. Very exciting. Good luck to all!
@psywar by snail mail or by email?
Congratulations to you! Could you include a excerpt from what it did say?
@Eidetic so I assume if one didn’t receive an email then they aren’t a semifinalist?
I can’t be sure, but I assume that since finalists will be announced on the 29th, that interviews will take place before then. It seems to me that a very short window between now and the 29th would imply that those who they want to interview have been contacted.
Another possibility (and this is SPECULATION only) is that some candidates may advance to Finalist status on the strength of their applications alone—but I have no proof of this and have no inside information to indicate whether this could be true or not.
If it mirrors years past - all of the semi finalists will participate in the phone interviews. This is a well-greased machine and it moves rapidly from here… Good luck!
But what about those who applied to fine arts? I received an email about a week ago stating that semi-finalists would be notified within the week, however those who applied to the fine arts school would be notified of semi-finalist status early February? So how will those semi-finalists play into the finalist pool if they will be notified after the finalists are already announced?
Scholarships are not paid by UT, they are paid by sponsors. Sponsors willing to support fine arts will have a different time frame.
Son received 40 Acres finalist email today, he is one of 60 finalists. Very exciting. Good luck to all!
I also received a finalist email! So happy, can’t wait for Finalist Weekend!
psywar and dtranger16,
can you share the kinds of EC’s you or son have that get one into semi-finalist status?
@jjloehr I wish there was something amazing to tell you, but my son has just middle of the road ECs, started a club, did some research, volunteered each year. I think what pushed him over the top (and got him accepted to Princeton SCEA) were his essays. I wonder if 40 Acres committee can see full UT app?
yeah, not sure what they see. pretty disheartening when it happens with your alma. the kid has never made a “B”, kills it academically, 1600/2330 sat, star qb on fball, started 2 clubs, regular church member, blah blah blah. Seems so strange he was one of only about 40 accepted into the Dean’s Scholar honors, and also one of 300 into Plan II, but couldn’t make the cut into the semi-finalist round. His LOR’s were fantastic as well, as the teachers sent copies to us after they sent in… unusual I know, but I think they liked him so much that they wanted us to know…
My daughter has never made a “B”, well ranked in a large school, AP Scholar, comp swimmer all her life, blah blah blah but hasn’t heard on Dean’s Scholars or Presidential Scholars. Hard to understand why, but nothing we can do to change it.
@jjloehr
Forty Acres scholarship is not financed by UT, it is financed by sponsors. They have the last word and they decide who they will give money to. For example some of them will give money only to Business majors.
@NotSoPatient
https://admissions.utexas.edu/afford/scholarships/presidential-scholars
Do you know what “exceptional achievement” means? I met and kind of know 5 people who received this scholarship. Their stats. #1-8 in their high schools, ACT 28-33 when average/mean ACT in their schools is 19-20, SAT 1800-2200 when average at school is 900-1000. They have some volunteering hours even when they HAVE TO work to help families with money.They even win UIL competitions, state level.
Has any Fine Arts majors found out anything about the Forty Acres program? An email I received said that Fine Arts majors would not find out till early February so I’m just curious to know if any have found anything new out?