<p>@collegeshopping I agree with what you’re saying, but I think you brought a serious question for people considering UT and that is when you said “I have a second semester Junior and if you think the admission wait is long, wait until you get into the internship and job search wait.” When I was going through the college visit and application process I thought whether at UT I would feel like I would always be waiting for everything because I’m just one out of around 38,000 or around 4,000 at McCombs. Doesn’t the admissions process at least reflect somewhat of what the actual college experience would be like. And you also say “it has much more to do with “REAL” life than where you go to University.” I really don’t know what you mean by this because any college at least tries to simulate “REAL life,” just some do a better job with first impression from the timing of their admissions to the actual experience and not just being a number trying to beat the system right? </p>
<p>I’m just skeptical if the admission process for “Non 7%” (somewhat like second class citizens in the eyes of admissions) reflects/warns/negates how the actual college experience is like, like you said about waiting for a year for some things.</p>
<p>The Ivy League schools do not send out until end of March…fine. BUT, they had January deadlines. UT Austin does not get more applications than say, Princeton, but they take way way longer to get admissions answers back. For an in-state person who is in the top 10% but not top 7%, and has higher than 75th percentile scores, who applied several months ago, to have to see OOS students who applied just before the deadline, similar majors, but for their answers months ago, it is offensive. Plus, the Ivy league schools did not have a Dec 1 deadline. When their cut off is so much earlier, their answers should come out earlier too.</p>
<p>@undecided2014
UT Austin’s deadline was one month before that of the Ivy League’s, so it makes sense that the decisions would also come out one month before, yes? </p>
<p>@brighdalake. You ask if you will be a number at UT. Honestly, that is 100% up to you. IMO your “attitude” for lack of a better word makes me think, yes probably. If you consider yourself to be victim of the system then you will be a number. Or as another posted said you feel at all “offended” by the process, then UT will be a disaster for you. You are the paver of your path. UT can prepare you for that path, but you have to walk it. Listen, the admission system is not perfect. People know the 8% or 7% rule or whatever it is each year. Each student can make choices and put the time in to be in that number IF and only if it is important to them. Every single choice that is made in HS affects this. The classes you take, when you take them, whether you pursue “double blocked” electives, etc. If you look forward and then think backwards, you have the ability to make choices that put you in the position to be where you want to be. I hear it all the time…BUT my HS is SO competitive…blah blah blah. Each of my kids graduated inside the UT recommendation for admission. We knew the game, we knew the rules and they frankly busted their butts. They didn’t go out much, studied their backsides off and met their goals.</p>
<p>As far as the wait for internships and jobs. The wait is long for each and every school. We have had a child at a high price private who supported job fairs, as UT does, and the process was identical. Do you know where the big difference is? It is at other “State” schools who don’t draw the high level recruiters. Those students don’t have to “scrap” for those jobs and opportunities because they just don’t exist. We live in an instant gratification society. Any time having to spent waiting for anything seems to cause anxiety in the most level headed person. So all I was trying to say that in the college admission process and the job seeking process, instant gratification doesn’t apply and that is the real world. If you don’t think McCombs draws the best companies and recruiters in the business, you are wrong. Does it hurt to wait it out and see what your options are before you just quit the process? You won’t start school any sooner than anyone else, no matter where you choose.</p>
<p>And in closing the notion of being “offended” that you have to (SHOCK OF HORRORS) wait for a letter of admission or denial, is the most absurd thing I have ever read (and @brighdalake I know that was not you)</p>
<p>Excellent post, collegeshopping. I tell prospective students that UT is an amazing place that has incredible resources and opportunities. BUT you have to be willing to look for those - nobody is going to knock on your dorm door and say, “Be sure you get your application for _____ in by tomorrow!!” or “Ooh, you’ve missed a few classes - what’s going on?” You have to act like an adult! If you can do that, you will get a world-class education and a great start to life. If not, you won’t last long at UT.</p>
<p>Not totally accurate. When starting your high school career and building your GPA you do not know what the percentage will be. That is set later. So even a kid that works their butt off as you say may miss out. They may hit the 8% mark which is what is was when they started only to have UT lower it to 7%. </p>
<p>Not all kids are perfect like yours. And I dare say most worked hard to get where they are even if it is not an auto-admit status. Downplaying that is just wrong.</p>
<p>@collegeshopping I totally agree with your statement about you are the maker of your own path and what I said in an earlier post is I’ve already found schools that I want to do just that: make my own path. I only wish I had the opportunity to know whether I could include UT in that decision, but I couldn’t. I think it’ll be interesting once I get notification whether I am accepted/denied and if finally having a response from UT will make me reconsider my options, including UT, I’ll have to repost here to do an update with my admissions status.</p>
<p>^ What is your hurry to make a final decision? I would suggest waiting until you can lay all of your options on the table and then choose the one that is best for you. You have a few months before a decision has to be made and I am not aware of any prizes for deciding early but there can be penalties for making decisions without knowing all of the options.</p>
<p>@WAPacker I haven’t made an official decision, but I’ve already made personally decisions that have narrowed down which schools I see myself at. I have received options that I feel are already better than UT so that’s why I could make these personal decisions. I won’t make any official decisions until early April. But the start of this thread began about the length of the admissions process and the fact that you can put down a housing deposit before you receive an admissions decision. You would receive your admissions deposit back, but you would lose the fee to register for housing, something like $20-70?, which I wouldn’t want to waste.</p>
<p>^ I am glad you have some options you like. I am also glad to hear you are going to wait to make final decisions. Sometimes we feel different once the opportunity is actually presented to us. Good Luck.</p>
<p>This is probably the funniest thing I have ever read on CC. MY kids are not perfect, I have had kids arrested and I have kids that are top in their class yet can’t figure out how to use a laundry basket. The auto-admit percentage will more than likely never be below 7% so the point I was trying to drive home was shoot for a number that practically guarantees your admission and set that as your goal. Yes, I have a few kids that prioritize their school work over all else to get the result THEY desire. If any goal is important enough, people will do what it takes. But to actually believe you are somehow a victim of this system is ridiculous. </p>
<p>The problem I have with people who slam the system is that the true problem is their inability to understand, adjust and adapt to the system. If you don’t like the system. Simply don’t apply. If you apply, take the time to understand the system and carry on. But don’t apply and by doing so accept the rules that the University plays by and then come here and b*tch about the process. It is a horrible waste of energy (and wasting energy is precisely why the person is in that situation in the first place)</p>
<p>I can’t speak for Texas’ process for in-state students, but as the parent of an OOS applicant, it sure seems like Texas has designed its admission process to discourage OOS applicants. My son applied OOS to Michigan, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Texas, and Texas A&M between October 15 and November 1. He has been accepted in Aerospace Engineering by all of these schools, but Texas, with the last school (Georgia Tech) sending out the good news on January 4. Since then, he has been bombarded with mail, glossy brochures, and flattering e-mails from all the schools urging him to accept their offers. From Texas … nothing but crickets since he completed his application.</p>
<p>Texas is a great school, Austin is a great town, and we had a wonderful visit. But Texas is definitely playing from behind now, regardless of their final decision.</p>
<p>UT’s schedule doesn’t seem unusual to me, or didn’t until I started reading this. I had NO idea so many colleges gave out decisions in …August?</p>
<p>But I’m in California and the UCs have a November 30 deadline and most hear back in March. This year Riverside moved their date up, but we will be waiting for the others for a while. We are waiting for UT, as well.</p>
<p>I WILL ask my son to check his ‘my status’ page, though, I think he expected an email, because he has gotten other emails from them about local scholarships to apply for etc.</p>
<p>2320 best SAT. National Merit Finalist. National AP Scholar.(after sophomore year), 15 APs passed after junior year. 3.9 GPA in very competitive school. Ho hum extracurriculars. Good essays and recommendations.</p>
<p>@beaudreau…I don’t think UT discourages OOS, but they are bound by the law of Texas that they fill 75% of their class with Texas’ top students. It is a state University heavily supported by the tax payers of Texas and IMO those admission numbers are pretty bang on based on what the University was created to do. So even if UT were to award all of the other 25% of the spots to OOS students, if you look at admissions stats at UT and try to figure out how many spots there are for non-residents, the number is not high. Maybe 50-100 slots or so for Aero, so that is 1-2 kids per state. So yeah, it is hard. Your son has amazing choices, all better ranked schools in Aero except TAMU. So unless he just loves Austin (which I can see why kids do) he as better choices anyway and maybe UT knows that and will choose to pass on him and offer admission to someone who they have a chance of courting.</p>