If CAPd, should I accept it?

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

Hello everyone!

I had a question about the CAP program, and whether or not it is right for me. Frankly, I think CAP is the best I can do at the moment. Due to my own ignorance, I severely underestimated the value of my freshman and sophomore year. (I didn’t even know what class rank was, which really hurt said rank as a result.) I improved considerably my Junior year, and I have a lot of ECs, but I’m not expecting to get in. (That won’t stop me from trying my best to do so, but I’m trying not to set my self up for a break down.)

Anyways, here is my problem. I went to an Early College High School. All of the classes I took were Dual Enrollment. Because of that, I will have my Academic Core completed by the time I graduate. If I get CAPd, and I accept it, will I have to start over from the very beginning? Honestly, the only reason I came to this high school was because I knew my family wouldn’t be able to help me through college, as neither of them actually went themselves, and my dad has cancer, which, naturally, leads to a lot of debt.

So, in my situation, is CAP worth it? Will I have to start over again, or can I still do cap for a year and then transfer to U.T for my Senior year? (I want to major in History.)

Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear everybody’s input!

2

The thing with CAP is you have to complete 30 hours of approved coursework at that particular university.

This is Arlington’s. http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/cap/2014-2015/uta.pdf

You will still have your dual credits, but the problem is that 30 hours, since you said you’re going to complete your core classes, there probably might not be a lot of choices on what classes you may choose.

If money is your biggest concern, I would suggest not to go to CAP and maybe get some scholarships at other universities.

3

You don’t have to start all over but you will likely end up with credits that you won’t need when you get to UT. You will probably take more than 2 years to graduate- 1 year in CAP and 1 year in Austin. Most but not all CAP students come in to undergraduate studies and then have to spend a year trying to get into their major. Some schools don’t let you apply if you have too many hours (McCombs for one). Course sequencing for many majors won’t allow you to get it all done in one year.

I can’t find it today, but there is a thread from a previous year where someone came up with a CAP schedule for kids with a lot of AP credit. It may work for an ECHS student but I would still be concerned about the sequencing issue.

Classes aside, do you really want to spend one year in San Antonio (as an example) and then one year in Austin? It is up to you and a degree from UT versus UH may be worth it to you. Employers won’t know you only spent one year in Austin. Is that what you want though?

As far as scholarships, I am not sure if the CAP schools do much to meet financial need for CAP students. That is something you should research or maybe post as a specific question.

I would say that you are more likely to get a scholarship at a school you go to for two years and more likely to graduate in two years without CAP.

As you say apply to UT, knock your essays out of the park, give it your best shot because you still have the holistic hope. You need a solid Plan B though.

4

Thank you both for your replies. That makes a lot of sense actually, and helps to paint a better picture.

It seems to me that the best course of action, should I be CAPd, would be to attend a different college and then try to transfer in, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!

Again guys, thank you both for your replies.

5

What are your stats, if you don’t mind me asking? You might also be a candidate for PACE, which allows you to take classes on UT’s campus and ACC’s campus, then you transfer to UT after a year at ACC. I was also expecting CAP because of my rank, but next month I’ll be entering as a PACE student. Just a thought :slight_smile:

6

That is an interesting point. I’ve read about PACE, but I didn’t know if I was eligible for it because I will already have 2 years of college done.

My academic stats are pretty mediocre. I’m only in the top 50 percent of my class, and my SAT score is only a 1680. .(I plan on retaking it, and I’ve taken necessary steps to improve my score. I meant to retake it again last year, but I could not get a waiver from my counselor in time.)I’ve taken all Dual Enrollment, except for one AP course, which was World History, mainly because it was not offered at the college.

My college GPA is not incredibly bad. It’s a 3.1. Granted, it was much, much lower my Freshman and Sophomore year, and I’ve really improved.

My extracurricular activities are pretty good. Class President for 2 years in a row, and I’m going into my third year. I’ve also raised more money and planned more events than any class president in our school’s history. I’m our National Honor Society President, and have been a member for 2 years. I’m not that popular, but I gave some pretty convincing speeches and earned the trust of my fellow students, which is what I owe my success to haha. I also engaged in summer fundraisers.

I’m also a “Senior Mentor”. Basically, since our school tends to be more difficult than any other high school in the area, our staff selects some students to mentor and guide the new freshman. (Funny enough. I had four in my Freshman year, and all of them quit on me within a day. Oops.)

I’ve also done BEST Robotics for 2 years, and I am going into my third year. I co-lead table presentation with a fellow student, and we managed to take first place last year.

On top of that, I work part time at Cinemark. I’ve done so for about 2 months now, and I plan on doing so throughout my time in college too, assuming I can transfer to another theater. (Granted, if something better comes up, I’ll take that too!)

I’m also first generation college, and I come from a low income family.

Thanks!

EDIT: I also have around 200 community service hours, and I’ve been in Student Council for 1 year, and I am going into my second. I think I’ve written pretty decent essays. Some of my friends have looked at mine, and they said they’re really good. I plan on having my teachers take a look at them as well when the school year starts back up.

7

Well…you’re not lacking in ECs or community service, but with those academic stats, I don’t know about your chances. I would say McCombs (business) and Cockrell (engineering) is a stretch, but I of course am not an admissions person. CAP and PACE may both not be great options if you’ll have that much school done, since you have to choose your courses off a prescribed list. I went into orientation only claiming 9 credit hours, so it wasn’t hard for me to find 4 ACC classes to take. Definitely apply, but try to work on that rank and have a backup plan. Im not by any means trying to discourage you, I’m just saying UT admissions is notoriously difficult. Good luck!

8

Thanks for your feedback! I know that I’d instantly be rejected for McCombs or Cockrell, but neither of those schools really interest me as much as COLA does. (I’m trying to major in History. I’m not entirely sure how competitive it is, as I can’t really find anything on the internet about it.)

I’m definitely going to try and keep raising my SAT score. At this point, it is probably all I can do. I think I should move up one or two spots in ranking, as I just took ECON and CHEM over the summer and scored pretty well in both. Frankly, most of my bad grades were Freshman/Sophomore year. (Especially Sophomore year. College Spanish was killer.)

So far I’ve gotten everything written out. I have my expanded resume and my two essays done. I’m definitely pouring all I have into this, but I’m not letting my hopes get exceedingly high. With that said, anything can happen, and I still suppose there is a slight glimmer of hope for admission, right? Haha.

Anyways, thanks again for your feedback everyone!