McCombs - Business Honors Program

<p>hello everyone, i'm REALLY interested in getting into BHP because i know it won't be too tough for me to get into the ut business school. i go to a public school in texas and i'm in the top 1% of my class. i know that ut admissions will accept all top 1% students first and then go down the applicants till the spaces fill up even if not all top 10% students get in. </p>

<p>what i'd like to know is like all the qualities that BHP admissions' officers will be looking at. i'm going to be a senior in high school this year and i've had four officer positions in extracurriculars, i've been involved in community service a LOT (volunteer at a museum, clinic, and hospital regularly). i have about a 1200 sat score but hope to bring that up to a 1300 the second time i take my sat. </p>

<p>do i have good chances of getting into bhp? what else would bhp admissions look at? and, would getting a part-time job at starbucks make my application look better, seeing that i've never had a job before in my life?</p>

<p>btw, my ethnicity would be considered asian, and i don't know if that lowers my chances of getting in or heightens them. my exact rank is 8/564 from a very low-achieving high school. my high school is probably one of the least competitive in texas, but i don't know if BHP admissions looks into information like that. also, my family income is between 45-50K. </p>

<p>I think I might even be able to up my rank by the end of the first semester of my senior year, so should i send an updated transcript after the end of my first semester or would that be too late if they finish reviewing applications by about mid-jan.</p>

<p>APs: 4 in US History, 4 in English Language, and 2 in Statistics :(</p>

<p>ttt for an answer</p>

<p>btw, I can only imagine that being asian could hurt your chances..definitely not help them.</p>

<p>yeah that's what i guessed. ttt?</p>

<p>does anybody think that i might have a chance? because, i don't want to go through the huge process of applying to BHP and not getting in. maybe i should just wait till the end of my freshman year at ut...</p>

<p>I am not really sure what they base the admissions on but a 1200 or even a 1300 is pretty terrible for BHP.</p>

<p>i know i can bring up my sat score considerably because the 1200 was a result of only studying for a week during the summer and cramming the night before the test 10 months later. if i can focus myself better into studying for a particular section of the sat (namely, math), i'm sure i can raise my score this october. </p>

<p>what i'm worried about are my ap scores and the rest of what BHP uses in assessing the applicant's capabilities. how should i conduct myself at the interview if i am invited? would i be considered socioeconomically disadvantaged? this is the kind of questions i have. </p>

<p>thanks for the input!</p>

<p>Really do try to bring up that SAT to at least a 1400. Don't worry too much about your AP scores. Focus more on your class rank and SAT score which I believe are the two strongest criteria. If you receive a phone interview, just come across as genuinely intrigued by the program and how you would fit in it.</p>

<p>Furthermore, if you don't get in as a freshmen, you should definitely consider to try as a sophomore. Based on your class rank and leadership, you would be a great candidate for that method of acceptance into the program.</p>

<p>thanks for the info! </p>

<p>if i were to take the ACT instead of the SAT and scored in a higher percantile than i scored through the SAT, would the admissions' committee disregard my SAT score or still utilize it when evaluating my application?</p>

<p>That is what they told me when I asked about general admission. The ACT was easier for me, so I would suggest taking a month and reading up on the ACT before you take it. I only read up for a week, but still managed to best my SAT score well enough.</p>

<p>Wat is considered a good score to get into McCombs regs and McComs honors. I know that class rank also factors in but I was just wondering.</p>

<p>An expected score for McCombs would be a 1300 on the SAT and for BHP would be a 1400. Anything lower would be looked down upon. I would say around 1400 for McCombs and over 1450 for BHP is more common. For ACT, I would wager you should try to get at least a 32.</p>

<p>is the ACT Writing section used at all at UT?</p>

<p>No it is not. Here are the things that BHP will look for in order of importance:</p>

<p>-Class Rank: You should be in good shape however, (8 out of 564 is top 2% not top 1%)</p>

<p>-SAT score just M and CR as of now. Aim for at least a 750+ in math especially because you are Asian, I know this sounds bad/racist but its true and at least a 650 on the CR, that gives you at minimum a 1400 which I think is absolutely critical to your success. Considering that there are well over 1000 applicants each year for a program wishing to matriculate around 150-200(<check this but i'm pretty sure) you really have to be outstanding</p>

<p>-Leadership positions are great and the third most important thing in their criterion for admission. However, make sure they are meaningful positions that perhaps can really be expanded upon in an essay, resume, or letter of rec by one of your teachers.</p>

<p>-Senior Course Load will also play a factor, so the tougher the classes and the better you do in them the better that will look to admissions.</p>

<p>^This is a realistic assessment of your chances for getting into BHP, now considering that your high school environment is very uncompetitive I think if you were accepted into BHP the nature of the program would be shocking, BHP IS EXTREMELY competitive, relative to the other programs offered at UT. It is the most cut-throat atmosphere because they are training and guiding you into one of the most cut-throat industries. Now if I may offer you a little advice which I think you will find extremely beneficial down the road, consider the Plan II Honors program, it is equal in prestige to BHP, slightly easier (by the numbers) to get into and much more nurturing and enriching. Research Plan II and the great thing about it is the fact that the majority of Plan II'ers double major in another field. So hypothetically you could major in Plan II Honors (which is a degree program and HIGHLY prestigious) as well as being a Business major in McCombs with a relatively manageable schedule. Now I don't suggest this, but many top students, usually from highly competitive high schools are accepted into both Plan II as well as BHP, this is probably the best possible overall education with a slant towards business that you can get in the world, and I am not overestimating this! BHP+Plan II is better than Wharton in my opinion. Now the final choice which I also think you would be highly pleased with is simply attending the McCombs school of business. The atmosphere is still competitive however, it would not be as much of a shock as BHP. Hope this helps because I am a freshman in Plan II who went through the exact same problems as you did and I highly highly suggest you take my advice because I know what I am talking about, I was where you are a year ago.</p>

<p>umm, the last time I checked 8/564 is not top 1% you'd have to be 5/564.</p>

<p>i thought top 10% means ur automatically in? or does that rule not apply anymore?</p>

<p>u can get into the college but just can't guarentee u in the different schools in the college.</p>

<p>thanks for the advice; i guess BHP will be a challenge if i ever got in. </p>

<p>i will be applying to plan II as well, but i haven't heard great things about the environment at plan II. i don't mean to offend, but i've heard that many of the students at plan II are a bit stuck-up. i like the curriculum though; i've always been fascinated with the kind of things that plan II curriculum offers (in-depth study of both the sciences/mathematics and the humanities/philosophy). </p>

<p>i don't know if i can make as high as a 750 on the SAT math, although making more than a 650 on the CR wouldn't be too hard for me. i'm thinking that i'll just shoot for a high score on the ACT. would bhp admissions' look at ACT subject test subscores? </p>

<p>8/564 = ~1.4% (i thought that would round up to 1% but i guess it rounds down)</p>

<p>yeah they are stuck up-they are under the delusion that they are at a lower-priced HYPS and that they are "intellectually stimulating" themselves. That said, its a great place for people to find themselves.</p>

<p>My son was very disappointed last year when he was not accepted into BHP. Had the stats (1/450, 34 ACT), but not the leadership. That is very important also!
That being said, he is extremely happy to NOT be in it now and prefers McCombs and the time he has to minor in his other areas of interest. BHP takes alot of time.</p>