How do I get into Texas A&M?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
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How do I get into Texas A&M?

Background Info:

I am currently a high school sophomore in SoCal. My current unweighted GPA is 3.4 and I know I can change that because I will be taking 6 AP courses (3 per semester) my junior year to increase my weighted GPA. So far, my first semester of my sophomore year has been the most difficult. It looks like I will be receiving a C in math. This is the first C I have ever gotten and hope it will be the last. Next year as a junior, my plan is to take AP Biology, AP History, and AP English which will increase my overall weighted GPA.

These past few months, I have been thinking about some potential colleges I would like to attend. I am interested in going into Business Administration. Out of all the schools I have been looking at, one school that has really stood out is Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. What I like most about this school is that is has a great business program with a decent out-of-state tuition. After doing my research, I have discovered that the average GPA for Texas A&M applicants is 3.57 and the acceptance rate is over 60% (correct me if I’m wrong). I plan to have around a 3.6 weighted GPA by the end of my junior year.

My extracurricular activities are decent but not over the top. I have been playing piano with the local music school for over 8 years, swimming for my club team for almost 3 years, and plan to swim with my high school swim team throughout my whole high school career. My volunteer hours are just starting but I plan to have more by the time I start my college applications. I am also part of an academic club at my school known as California Scholarship Federation (CSF).

I have many questions regarding on getting accepted into Texas A&M.

Does Texas A&M look at weighted or unweighted GPA?
Will one C ruin my chances of getting in?
Do they care more about individual grades, or more about GPA?
What does this University look for most in their applicants?

I know I am just a sophomore and haven’t taken the SAT or ACT, but as of right now, am I doing every thing right and do I have a good chance of getting accepted into Texas A&M?

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First of all, the 60% acceptance rate is very deceiving. It is based on types of acceptances, not full time at College Station campus only. That being said, there is a path to automatic admission, it is based on class rank & SAT/ACT scores (academic admit) which is the best way to gain admission from OOS. Admission is on a rolling basis and applications begin August 1. Apply early, as it is also rolling admission to majors and many are ready to push submit on August 1st. Here’s a link to some admission stats for the class of 2018 http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/texas-m-university/1676831-class-of-2018-offers-of-admission-breakdown.html#latest Check here for academic admit details http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/admitted . Engineering applicants have different admission pathways, Mays Business school follows the regular university admit system.

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@smartstudent1000 - Just to piggy-back on @AGmomx2 - My son is an OOS junior at TAMU. Only 3% of TAMU students are OOS. There are at least a couple of reasons for that. Texas has a population of 27 million or so and two flagship universities, Texas and Texas A&M, so the in-state demand for admission is huge.

As you will see on the page AGmomx2 linked (http://admissions.tamu.edu/freshman/admitted) all Texas students in the top-ten-percent of their classes are automatically admitted to TAMU. So, many slots are filled by these students, which was required by the Texas legislature. This admission route is not available for OOS students.

Then there are the academic admissions, also automatic Both Texas and OOS students can qualify for academic admission.

This does not leave a lot of room for OOS students who are not automatic admits. Review admission is a holistic evaluation, so an OOS applicant needs a strong profile.

At the risk of hijacking this thread, I will give you another college to consider, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Miami’s Farmer School of Business is a top-50 program. Miami is a top 80 college and ranked at 30 (just behind TAMU) among public universities. Unlike most public universities, Miami has very few graduate programs, so the focus is on teaching undergraduates, not on training PhDs. US News ranks Miami second overall (after Princeton and ahead of Yale) in undergraduate teaching. The campus is gorgeous (we visited 21 colleges and Miami stands out). Undergraduate tuition is $31k, but Miami is generous with merit aid to students with GPAs above 3.5 and good test scores:http://miamioh.edu/admission/merit-grid/

My middle son is a sophomore at Miami, studying engineering. He loves it there. We live in Arizona, so we were concerned about the weather for him, but it has not been an issue. I thought of Miami for you because both of my son’s roommates in the Honors dorm last year were in the Farmer Business School. Both of them were OOS students, one from Northern Virginia and the other from the North Bay area of California. They both love Miami too.

Two other schools to consider would be Arizona and Arizona State. Their business schools are ranked 19th and 27th respectively. OOS tuition is relatively low for public universities and both are pretty generous with merit aid for top OOS students. Here’s ASU’s scholarship calculator: https://scholarships.asu.edu/estimator Arizona should be close to this. ASU’s Barrett Honors College is the top-rated honors college in the country, with it’s gated campus within ASU, including dorms, dining, gym, classrooms, etc. Arizona’s brand new honors dorm is beautiful.

Good luck with your college search. Feel free to contact me directly.

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@Beaudreau Thank you, this information is very helpful!

As an OOS applicant to Texas A&M, would I have a difficult time of getting accepted into Texas A&M if I were to have a weighted GPA of 3.6? Do they look at in-state applicants the same as they do OOS?

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@AGmomx2 Thank you, this information about the admission process has been very helpful. As an OOS applicant, would SAT/ACT scores and class rank have a higher factor of me getting accepted than GPA. How can I increase chances of getting admitted into this university?

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@smartstudent1000 - Sorry, I don’t know the answers. My son was an academic admit three years ago. A lot has changed since then and virtually everything I know has come from this board or searching the TAMU site. You might try the TexAgs academics forum. A guy from TAMU admissions actually reads and responds to questions over there.

Here’s a current thread on chances of getting in: https://texags.com/forums/17/topics/2773002 (this site may block the link). If so type in: texags(dot)com(backslash)forums(backslash)17(backslash)topics(backslash)2773002 You may have to join the forum to post, but it is not premium content.

Also, applying to be part of the Corps of Cadets could help your chances and could even get you in-state tuition if you are accepted. http://corps.tamu.edu/ There is no military service obligation.

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They look at class rank vs. GPA. Are you currently in the top 25%? If you become an academic admit with scores & rank of 25% at the end of junior year - you just submit a complete application & you’re in. If you’re a review admit then you are subject to holistic review. Scores & rank count for half the decision, everything else on your application is the other 50%. You can submit two recommendations & a resume (if needed) as well as the full completed application with all 3 essays. They take the highest score from one sitting of SAT or ACT with writing. If you submit multiple test results, they only look at the highest. There is NO super-scoring here, nor penalty for taking multiple exams.

You are not discriminated against ( or given benefit) for being OOS, the only big difference is that you are not eligible for the top 10% admit which is solely based on class rank for instate applicants.

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@AGmomx2 I come a from a pretty competitive school in a well-ranked district. Would I still have a decent chance if I wasn’t in the top 25% for my class rank?

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If you come from a competitive school, you should in theory score very high on your ACT or SAT. That is the premise behind the academic admit, to even the playing field for those who come from competitive schools. If you fall between 26%-50%, it is much harder to obtain admission, but not impossible. You will need a very strong overall application, competition is stiff for the review admits slots.

Check at your school, but at our OOS HS you could take summer school courses and raise a GPA, therefore raise your rank -this tactic is usually used by valedictorian competitors & those just trying to raise a GPA to graduate. Ask your counselor. The rank that counts is the one at the beginning of senior year when you submit your application ( opens Aug 1) it can be updated through Dec 1 if anything changes to your advantage. Since you’re a sophomore, I would try to increase your class rank whether you apply here or to other schools.

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Make sure you’re in the top 25% and look up the required sat/ act school to be an academic admit. You don’t get into your program necessarily, but you get into the school itself. You have lots of time to focus on doing this stuff!