<p>Maybe you all are familiar with this but I had never seen it before -About a year ago, cc user luckytxmom posted this:
I came across this article on how UT plots an Academic Achievement index against a Personal Achievement Index to determine admissions.
<a href="http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/research/taskforce.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/research/taskforce.html</a></p>
<p>Thanks..............................</p>
<p>Yeah I've been trying to tell people this for a while...</p>
<p>the admissions process is not truly holistic as people think it is. It's based entirely on ranking you as a number. People think that having a good essay or decent ECs will overcome their bad rank and SAT scores...and it won't.</p>
<p>But I'm glad some people are actually doing their research...</p>
<p>Be real clear what this means: UT changed their system in order to bring in affirmative action in a way that won't be legally challenged. Using GPA and SATs/ ACTs together has always been a better predictor of success. This way, however, they can achieve their desired diversity requirements.</p>
<p>However, this leads to strange results. Take the following example:</p>
<ol>
<li>Student A came from a mostly Latino or Black inner city high school. They were in the top 10% but had SATs of 1200.</li>
<li>Student B came from a mediocre high school taking mostly regular high school courses and achieved top 5%. SATs were 1150.</li>
<li>Student C came from a very affluent, tough high school and took all honors and AP courses and achieved a 1450 on the SATS,but was in the top 20-25% of the class.</li>
<li>Student D attended a magnet high school achieving SATs of 1400, with all honors courses but was only in the top40% despite having an unweighted GPA of 3.8+</li>
</ol>
<p>The first two students will get accepted under the 10% rule while the others are problematical. This is a very odd result.</p>
<p>what if your school doesnt rank? i have 700+ people in my grade!</p>
<p>bomchikawawa: They estimate your rank and use this number to make an admission decision if your school does not rank.</p>
<p>Note: the University did not change the rules to accept all top ten percent students. This was already an internal policy before Hopwood, but then was made state law in 1997.</p>
<p>However, UT is trying to get it changed to either a top 7% or that they only have to take up half the class with top ten kids, because they have to deny a lot of qualified kids because of the law.</p>
<p>However, the top ten law had nothing to do with the banning of affirmative action.</p>
<p>thelongranger notes,"However, the top ten law had nothing to do with the banning of affirmative action"</p>
<p>Response: WRONG. Read the history as to why the 10% rule was initiated. I knew a Texas Congressmen who admitted that geting strong diversity ,while not runing afoul of affirmative action legislation ,was the main reason Texas passed the 10% rule. Essentially they wanted affirmative action without it seeming like affirmative action.</p>
<p>Also, Bomchikawawa, schools sent out a class profile. Thus, colleges can make an estimate of class rank. For example, they might put a cut-off for each decile. Thus, they might show what the GPA cut off was for the top 10%, next 10% and so forth.</p>
<p>My S is homeschooled, so he is truly unranked. I'm sure kids from smaller private schools would be in the same situation. I am guessing they would have to do a more holistic review of his application to make a decision on him.</p>
<p>For the Academic Index (AI) for a home schooled kid, he'd have everything needed except class rank, so surely they'd come up with an Academic Index for him
Academic Index / High School Record:
Class rank
Completion of UT required high school curriculum
Extent to which students exceed the UT required units
SAT/ACT score</p>
<p>If you have anywhere over a 1400 score SAT, even not being in the top 10%, its extremely likely that you will gain admission (barring extenuating circumstances). It is the people that are around the 1250-1380 range in situations C and D that become problematic.</p>
<p>This sucks so much for me. I will never make the top 10% cut off due to administration problems, and my only way to show my academic worth is to take more AP courses (which I am forbidden to). The other alternative, getting good SAT II scores and AP scores, can't even be considered though I will probably get good scores on those.</p>
<p>Although I have decent SATs (2260/2400), I'm concerned I won't be able to make it next year as a senior because the engineering school looks tough. Next year is going to be rough...</p>
<p>How could you not make the top ten because of the administration or be forbidden to take AP classes? What kind of school do you go to?</p>
<p>Top 10% seems like a pretty lame rule to me. At least in my school I could pick classes that I could literally sleep through all year and get a 4.0. My weighted G.P.A. would suck, but technically I could finish #1 in my class. I think an automatic admission law could be a good thing but I think it should take in more factors.</p>
<p>"How could you not make the top ten because of the administration or be forbidden to take AP classes?"</p>
<p>My credits have been screwed, meaning I am missing several prerequisites to take the AP classes. I can self-study for the AP test, but UT austin apparently doesn't seem to care.</p>
<p>Bumping this because I think the link posted at the top of the thread may be helpful to the "not top 10%" people posting "What are my chances?" questions.</p>
<p>Bumping again...</p>
<p>Admission selections are not quite as mysterious as they have been made out to be. The link shows how UT comes up with an Academic Index and a Personal Achievement Index for each student who is not in the top 10% of a Texas high school.</p>
<p>I'm not in the top 10%, but I'm really hoping I can get at least a 1400 M/CR on the next test to further improve my chances. It's so ridiculous these days on how many students who're in Texas and are in the top 10% are applying to UT. :(
*Sighs
Oh well. Texas A&M for all the UT rejects. = /</p>
<p>does anyone know what their average ACT score is? I'm in the top 15%, not sure what my GPA is but last time I checked it was like a 3.5 unweighted. I didn't score well on the SAT, so I took the ACT without wrighting last June and scored a 21 ;( So I'm retaking it again with writing this October. I've been taking timed practiced test and been averaging a 28 so I think I'll do better next time around. I'm shooting for a 25. Is that good enough?</p>
<p>I'm also a Black female
First generation college student
competitive high school
taken 8 AP/Honors courses, and taken four more this year</p>
<p>I want to major in Philosophy, not business or engineering.</p>