<p>Article I referenced in another thread: interesting information re: top 10% and feeder schools:</p>
<p>A&M, UT share more than a rivalry / Despite all the hullabaloo, students' backgrounds are strikingly similar</p>
<p>By MATTHEW TRESAUGUE
Staff </p>
<p>AUSTIN - This morning, while Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin renew their rivalry on the football field, the faithful will engage in contrived class warfare. </p>
<p>The hosts will mock Aggies as a bunch of light-bulb-installation-challenged bumpkins, and the true believers from College Station will see their counterparts as spoiled rich kids from the city, or "teasips." </p>
<p>"If that's the idea, that's not me," said Zeeshan Malik, a UT student. "I'm not rich city folk. There is a lot of wealth here, but I'm sure there is a lot of wealth at A&M." </p>
<p>He's right. </p>
<p>In reality, the backgrounds of Aggies and Longhorns have become strikingly similar. Many students at the state's flagship universities come from the same small group of high schools, primarily located in well-off suburbs in the eastern half of Texas, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of enrollment data. </p>
<p>This fall, there was considerable overlap in the lists of the 20 high schools sending the most freshmen to each university. Eleven schools, including the Houston area's Cinco Ranch, Kingwood, The Woodlands and Stephen F. Austin in Sugar Land, appeared on both lists. </p>
<p>The top 20 feeder schools accounted for 16 percent of the freshmen at both A&M and UT. </p>
<p>What's more, graduates from about 5 percent of the state's 1,698 high schools filled nearly half the spots in the entering freshman class at both universities this fall. </p>
<p>Texas law guarantees admission to the top 10 percent of the graduating class from any public or private high school. This fall, 853 high schools sent their graduates to UT, up from just about 600 in 1998 when the Legislature passed the law as an alternative to race-based affirmative action. (A&M attracted students from more than 1,000 schools for the first time this fall). </p>
<p>But a recent Princeton University study found that graduates from top feeder schools were three times more likely than those from typical Texas schools to enroll at the two flagships. </p>
<p>Assessing enrollment </p>
<p>The reasons why qualified, low-income students did not enroll at A&M or UT were many, though cost and distance from home were the primary reasons, according to the study. </p>
<p>Wealthy students, meanwhile, placed greater weight on academic reputation in picking one of the two flagships. </p>
<p>That fact reflects a nationwide trend, with affluent students flocking to prestigious public universities for a fraction of the cost of private colleges. UT, considered the crown jewel of Texas higher education, is a bargain at about $8,000 a year, compared with the sticker price of $27,000 at Rice University. </p>
<p>Although it seems counterintuitive, many public schools, including the universities of Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin, have become "gated communities," said Thomas Mortenson, a senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education. </p>
<p>Mortenson gave failing grades to the Texas flagships for the proportion of their students receiving federal Pell Grants, which are awarded based on financial need. A family of four earning less than $40,000 a year typically qualifies. </p>
<p>About 20 percent of undergraduates at A&M and UT received Pell Grants, according to the most recent data available. Though the percentage of recipients has increased at both schools, the growth has not kept pace with the eligibility of students statewide, which is nearing 40 percent, Mortenson said. </p>
<p>The economically disadvantaged students typically are Hispanic or non-Hispanic blacks. Their numbers are relatively low at both universities, with UT holding a modest edge over A&M. </p>
<p>The main difference is that significantly more students of Asian heritage attend UT than A&M, where the student body is predominantly white. </p>
<p>Recruiting strategies </p>
<p>Aware of the numbers, both universities aggressively recruit at high schools that do not traditionally send many students to college. A&M has established a network of prospective student centers in Bryan, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and several cities in South Texas, with plans to expand to El Paso. </p>
<p>At the same time, UT is leading a push to change the 10 percent law in the next legislative session, arguing that the rule hampers the admissions office's ability to shape a well-rounded class of students. Under the law, the university admitted 71 percent of this fall's freshmen on a single criterion - grades. </p>
<p>Longhorns often label Aggies as intellectually inferior, but about 65 percent of A&M's freshmen earned automatic admission by finishing in the top 10 percent of their class or scoring at least 1300 on the two-part Scholastic Aptitude Test. </p>
<p>Despite the similar backgrounds of students, no one would confuse the campus cultures. Just 115 miles separate the two, but those differences can tip the decision on which university to attend, administrators and students said. </p>
<p>"College Station and Austin are just different," said Alice Reinarz, assistant provost for enrollment at A&M and a former UT faculty member. "A&M is a match for some students, and it's not for others." </p>
<p>Aggieland is a slow-moving place where tradition is everything. Here, the members of the Corps of Cadets wear uniforms to class, Aggies gather around the world each year to remember those who have died, and no one walks on the grass outside the Memorial Student Center. </p>
<p>In contrast, UT is situated amid the bustle of the capital. It is home to one of the largest chapters of College Democrats, as well as the biggest partyers, based on hard-liquor consumption and hours of study, according to one national survey. </p>
<p>A&M or UT? </p>
<p>Jason Engelman, who graduated from Katy High School, applied to both schools and eventually enrolled at UT, his first choice. Most of his friends went to A&M. </p>
<p>"It's definitely a lot more conservative at A&M," said Engelman, a senior studying economics. "But I think Katy is pretty conservative, and that's why people go there." </p>
<p>Colt Clemens, a junior studying political science at A&M, said he did not consider attending UT upon graduation from Plano High School, which sends dozens of students to both universities each year. </p>
<p>"People here feel like they are part of something bigger," he said. "You're an Aggie. I feel like you need a family, and you wouldn't be part of one at t.u." </p>
<p>Malik, who is studying government at UT, said he does not buy into the stereotypes. Opportunities abound for anyone to find a niche at either campus because they are so big, he said. </p>
<p>"The jokes are funny," he said, "and I like being on the winning end of most of them." </p>
<p>Let the game begin. </p>
<p>... </p>
<p>IN COMMON </p>
<p>Enrollment </p>
<p>UT-Austin...49,738 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...45,380 </p>
<p>% black students </p>
<p>UT-Austin...4 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...3 </p>
<p>% Hispanic students </p>
<p>UT-Austin...15 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...11 </p>
<p>% Pell Grant recipients* </p>
<p>UT-Austin...20 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...19 </p>
<p>% graduates with debt </p>
<p>UT-Austin...38 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...32 </p>
<p>Average student loan debt </p>
<p>UT-Austin...$16,000 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...$16,027 </p>
<p>Average SAT score** </p>
<p>UT-Austin...1242 </p>
<p>Texas A&M...1204 </p>
<ul>
<li>Based on undergraduates in 2004-05, the most recent data available </li>
</ul>
<p>** Based on first-time freshmen in fall 2005, the most recent data available</p>