Just found out today that DD was not accepted into Engineering at TAMU. Given we were expecting not only to be accepted, but to be in the honors program, this comes as a very big shock. Wanted to understand if it is possible the admissions folks may have made a mistake of some sort. Maybe they thought her SAT score was based on an old SAT test instead of the new one?
She is an OOS student with the following stats:
Toughest course load her public HS offers (10 AP classes)
GPA (4.0 UW, 4.7 Weighted)
SAT 1510/1600 (800 M, 710 V)
Math 2 Subject Test: 800
Did not send ACT
Rank ~1/350 (however, school doesn't rank, so you would have to read the app carefully to know she was actually #1)
AP Scholar with distinction after Junior year
National Merit Commended Scholar
RPI medial winner
4 year varsity swimming letter winner
State championship in a unique sport that TAMU has rec participation in
hundreds of hours of community service
NHS for 2 years, officer role senior year
Glowing LORs from Math and Chemistry teachers
School district representative on action committee from her HS
Decent, well written, Essays
Many other things I'm likely forgetting.....
When she got the 1510 SAT, we advised her that she didn’t need to take it again, as that should be good enough for any school, including Ivys, that she may want to apply to (in hindsight, maybe that wasn’t the best advice).
Are similar stat students seeing rejections? Is there any recourse?
I don’t think there are more than about 3000 girls in the country who get an 800 on the SAT math test, I cannot imagine she wouldn’t be in higher demand. I also cannot imagine what else she would have to do to get admitted. She got straight As again her first semester senior year with 5 AP classes and one research seminar with a college professor. She is skating through AP Calc BC as the top student in that class.
Thanks in advance from a concerned Father for any advice.
Texas schools are VERY rough on OOS students. Perhaps they thought your daughter would not fit in well at the university as conveyed through essays and recommendations.
She was rejected outright (although on her app, she said she wasn’t interested in Blinn or Galveston). TAMU was her #1 choice, with what we thought as best fit, so the rejection was especially disappointing.
She visited College Station and wanted to attend there, not Blinn or Galveston. We also felt she had the stats to start in CS and not have to prove herself elsewhere first.
Assuming this isn’t a mistake of some sort, I suspect she’ll end up at Alabama on a full tuition scholarship (unless she gets accepted at Stanford or UT-Austin). She would have chosen TAMU at College Station over any of those others.
That does sound like quite an odd rejection, however it is very possible that there simply wasn’t enough space, though i am not sure of the actual likelihood of this. I would strongly urge you if you are serious about being an Aggie however, to go through Blinn if you cannot get in as a full CS student. The students at Blinn are affording nearly everything that a regular admitted student has, and are guarenteed full transfer to A&M at the end of the program. And to be fair, Freshman engineering at A&M is in no way specialized, and one doesn’t even select a major in the program until the end of the year, so a minimum of one year at Blinn would not hurt. Good Luck!
I really do feel bad for the way A&M has chosen to accept students. I was top 10% so I got auto admit, last year was the last time auto admit also got you into engineering, but even now, that doesn’t guarantee admission to engineering. I had a 1450/2400 SAT score, didn’t even take the ACT, and my rank was 45/480. I also had a 2.997 GPA/4.0 unweighted (a much higher weighted but can’t remb). I have proven myself at college station and have above a 3.0 gpa. With your stats, I’d imagined they would have thought they struck gold, but maybe hardening on applications is their way of justifying their plans for 25/25 or whatever.
@ColoFatherOf3 Hey, a friend of mine too was given Galvenston despite having the stats for College Station. I received my decision two weeks back and was accepted to college station. I had a 1430/1600 on the SAT. My friend had 1400/1600. He contacted the engineering admissions office and they told him that by the time they reviewed his application College Station was already full and so they had to put him in Galvenston. I think this is what has happened in your daughter’s case as well. We’re both international students.
On a side note, schools can see where you send your FAFSA & where else you send your scores. A few years back, saw an article on admissions for schools do infer based on school order if it is NOT alphabetical. Part of me wonders if they thought she might be leaning towards another school ? Also surprising the late notice when she met the early deadline. Something doesn’t seem quite right.
Blinn(Blinn Team Engineering Academy) is in College Station. You are considered an A&M student. To be honest Oct. is late for applying to A&M. I’m sure that if she had applied in August, she would have gotten a spot. I don’t know if that would make you feel better or worse.
My son was denied last year after applying in October. He didn’t even get Blinn Team(didn’t have those stats!). He is attending Blinn and getting fantastic grades. He applied again for next Fall as a transfer. Blinn has been a good experience for him. He will still get an Aggie ring and be an Aggie. This was just a bump in the road for him.
I’m not sure if October can be considered late. I applied only by November 19th and I was accepted into CS at college station by Jan 16th. I’m an international student. My GPA and SAT were not as high as your daughter’s and my ECs were not very special or CS-oriented either. But I put a LOT of work into my essays. Just thought this may help put things into perspective!
They may have thought TAMU was her safety. In addition, she wouldn’t be admitted directly to Engineering anymore.
Also check with guidance counselor to make sure there’s no hidden problem in the application (transcripts sent late, recommendation with a mistake red flag …)
Her other choices would be better than Blinn though.
(from a female engineering graduate of an arch rival of A&M…)