What is your immigration status? If you are considered international, then admission is a lot harder than it would be for a domestic student.
Your never-went-to-college-in-the-US relatives should read through some of the information at http://educationusa.state.gov/ That will give them a better idea of the whole process.
You haven’t failed at all. Life has barely begun. I’d take a gap year, but if you spend a year at a college where you don’t want to be, then you can transfer to another one.
I spent my entire college time at one college that I didn’t like; I never thought of transferring (although I should have). I then went to a graduate school that I loved. In the big scheme to things, one year is not much. Go into it with the attitude of “even though I didn’t pick this place, I will make the most of it and will then transfer.”
@gp12929 It’s a small hiccup. I know this sounds like I’m a hundred years old but I don’t understand why young people think that they have to have everything they want at every moment they want it or else failure. Life is full of hiccups. You don’t get your dream job, you don’t get a promotion, you may have a child with a handicap. You don’t just give up. Life’s true winner strive through good and bad. If you didn’t move when you did, you probably wouldn’t be on track for UT. Very hard for OOS to even get admitted. So you have 9 months at a CAP. VERY importantly, you need to find out what it takes to successfully transfer. You were accepted to 7 other colleges including Baylor. See if UT is a realistic path. Having to get a 4.0 in engineering is not realistic. You worked so hard for your education to be educated and you are. So the guy next to you in Physics gets to party in Austin. How long do you think that will last? Stop comparing yourself to others. Most kids do not have a chance to go to their dream school and you do. (And most kids do have a 1410) The glass is half full.
STOP!
When you say that you don’t see any point in continuing to live, you are signalling an intention to take your own life. If that is what you mean, you need professional help, please call 911 and seek out a psychiatric emergency room.
If that is not your intention, let’s continue.
First of all, one of the best things about living in America is that we are a nation of risk takers. That’s what makes us great! We fail all the time, learn something, and just pick ourselves back up and go on smarter. There is no shame in this.
Secondly, you haven’t even failed! You actually have a viable path to any career that you might want. Do the CAP program and do it well. You are a winner. College admissions determined by a bunch of recently graduated social engineers is not a measure of your self-worth. You are in the drivers seat.
Stand proud!
Did you take the SATs in the US or when you were in Indonesia?
@ gp12919
Texas resident here. First I want to congratulate you on the schools you did get into. As you have found out, the application process to UT and A&M can be difficult and frustrating due to the class rank issues.
OP, if you are considered an international applicant, your chances are so much smaller at both of these schools. lf so, the rank from your current school in that situation becomes less critical.
Has anything changed significantly from when you applied? What is your immigration status? Is the three year rule still in place if you are applying for permanent residency? What is your class rank now (are you now in the top 25% or will you be when you graduate)? As long as you don’t take any college classes after graduation, you can apply for spring admission as a freshman. It would probably not be worth doing this if you are still considered international (not a US citizen, not applying for permanent residency).
Also, I don’t recommend this route without checking with UT and A&M directly about these issues.
It looks like you have researched the options for transfer into engineering at UT and realize that it will require top grades. UT Arlington may be your best bet in that case. Not sure if most posters here realize that CAP program only guarantees admission to UT’s school of liberal arts. Those applying for engineering will be applying/competing as transfer students. The advantage with CAP is that if you don’t get accepted to engineering, you will have a spot in Liberal Arts.
Baylor has a top-rated engineering program for undergraduate students - why is this not worth considering?
Baylor is probably the OP second option. The first one is the CAP to Austin via Arlington. The assumption is that a transfer within the UT system is easier. The courses will be considered equal and that might help. The first year of courses will be mostly pre-determined.
The OP biggest problem is the perception of being a failure. She might find helpful to know that a number of TOP students in Texas are also offered the CAP or Summer entry for the sole reason their school is NOT officially ranking. Think prestigious private high school. A student might bag a HYPS admit and a CAP in the same year.
It might help the OP to have a clear path to Austin and she can count on plenty of advising in Austin and Arlington to monitor her progress. There are also pages upon pages detailing the admissions at UT and Cockrell.
I think I need to defend the city of Arlington a bit. I grew up in Arlington and my family still lives there (I’m in London). Arlington is an extremely safe suburban location, and the area around UTA is terrific - plenty of restaurants, nearby shopping, etc. Public transportation is limited but the university offers shuttles and there is a new bus service to the train station so that you can easily get into Ft. Worth or Dallas. UTA used to a commuter school, but within the last 10 years they have built several new (and really nice) campus apartment buildings and many students now live on campus. Many of my kids’ friends attend UTA and love it. And, considering you are in the CAP program, if you do well and work hard, you won’t be living in Arlington for long. Make the best of it and good luck!
The unsafe part was brought up by the OP and must be based on hearsay or web searches. Perhaps someone confused the availability of cheaper student housing off-campus with being seedy. The fact remains that many prestigious schools are not exactly located in Beverly Hills. Walk away from USC, JHU, Penn, or Yale and the area might surprise some.
Arlington is a very nice suburb. The OP might be disappointed that UTA is a commuter school but many schools are. Yet, the MAC in Arlington is great and plenty of attractions are close by. The OP should probably plan a visit in the summer with her parents and look at the lines at Six Flags and the baseball stadium and see how many families make the trek. UTA is not a large campus in the middle of nowhere, but as an urban school it is pretty nice.
In the end, no school is perfect. Heck, some people think that Stanford is a somber place in a plastic city that happens to be the biggest Taco Bell in the world!
^especially Yale. New Haven is very dodgy.
Yes, but there is no guarantee of a transfer to the UT engineering program. If the OP has been accepted to the Baylor engineering program already and can afford to go there, she should strongly consider it.
Sounds to me like you have overcome a lot myself. You sound like you are hardworking and determined. This is but a small roadblock! Realize that this experience will make you a stronger person and there are many different paths to success. Don’t let this derail you! I know a few CEOs myself who thought they had failed going to college…as I said they are all three personal friends and each shared their stories and like I said, CEOs of top companies now. One laughed when he told me and said failing just makes him more determined and focused and pretty much all his successes started with a failure first.