<p>1- It takes them a while after apps open on Aug. 1 before they start admitting folks. I think the earliest reported admission last year was mid-Oct. As I recall, auto-admits like you usually hear very quickly, within 2 weeks at the outside.</p>
<p>2- Don’t know… I wouldn’t treat any response other than one from UT Admissions as authoritative because this is the first year McCombs admits will be made via pure holistic review. With that said, I think it’s safe to say there is no penalty to applying sooner than later, and if you think there are risks of pushing it to the Dec. 1 deadline, why wait? The only good advice is, never rush to push “send.” Pace yourself so you can put in sufficient time to assemble your best application. That includes allowing time for counselor, English teacher, etc. to review and assist with essays, which you should treat as the single most critical piece of your app (as the rest is basically “done,” i.e., you can’t change your GPA now). </p>
<p>3- Again, no one can answer this but UT Admissions, and if the answer is anything but an unequivocal “no,” I doubt they will ever publicly reveal any internal cutoffs or other methodology for prioritizing holistic review apps. UT’s holistic review process is already amazingly transparent solely as a result of litigation and legislation. Few other schools offer such detailed insight into their review procedures. </p>
<p>4- Same answer, but realize the very reason McCombs and others at UT desired pure holistic review was to allow them to get out from under admission constraints based solely on rank/GPA. They don’t want to have to explain to anyone why they leap frogged a non-auto admit over an auto admit (and I don’t mean to suggest any improper admission practices–rather, they want the freedom to say, this kid may have missed making top 9%, but everything else about him/her is remarkable and shows great promise).</p>
<p>5- Unknown because it’s Year 1. The only thing you can count on is, you will know by the last date admissions are announced!</p>
<p>6 - Understand that your app doesn’t go to McCombs for review. UT Admissions reviews your app. Period. They’ll notify you quickly of your admission generally because you are an auto admit. Then they will review for major. Because it’s the first year for McCombs, who knows how they will handle. They may do some rolling admits of top applicants. They may wait til Dec. 1 to see the entire pool. Whatever they do, it seems like as soon as they decide your McCombs fate, if rejected, they’d move onto your CNS request…but again, who knows?!</p>
<p>7 - General rule is, put your best foot forward in your app, don’t submit anything after unless you have new, significant info to impart, e.g., won a national contest. </p>
<p>8 - Chances - Your stats are good, congrats on your good grades and rank. With your rank being so high vs. on the cusp of 9%, I think you are less likely to be leap frogged (see #4). On the other hand, I have to say that based on the minimal information you provided under PAI, it seems you are light on personal development. I’m wondering what you do with your non-school time…they will, too. The lack of any work experience stands out to me as a big ? for a business school applicant; don’t spend time explaining away that lapse, but do spend time developing a compelling argument for why you see yourself in the business school and what you bring to that table. </p>
<p>I am sure there is more than what you’ve briefly noted, and I encourage you to do the expanded resume before you do anything else. That will help you flesh out the “who you really are” part and point you to strengths and weaknesses that you may want to address by weaving them into essays or having teachers write on them. Example: You said “not many” for leadership. Aside from traditional club officerships and other indicia of leadership, could it be said you are a leader in the classroom? If yes, go brainstorm that concept with your favorite teacher to ideally poinpoint a concrete example or two and be sure it’s a part of his/her rec. </p>
<p>** Don’t get hung up on the PAI formula. Remember that human beings are coming up with subjective numerical values for each category, and they don’t have to explain why they weighted this a 4 or a 2, plus they have a catch-all “anything else in the file” category that covers just that…anything and everything! They are really dependent on things like prose short answer and essays to get past raw data and the usual litany of ECs and figure out who you are and what makes you tick. If they get a good feeling from your subjective input, they are more likely to give you higher values on those PAI figures and vice versa. IMO this paragraph from the most recent top 10% report containing the holistic review rubric offers a far better explanation of your mission under holistic review: </p>
<p>“Thus, merit includes the ambition to tackle rigorous high school coursework, the production of quality prose, and a civic commitment to make a difference in ones school, home, or community. Evidence of employability (work), and some sense of having excelled in any number of areas are also considered. Moreover, admissions officials place these attributes in the context of the circumstances under which the student lived.”</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>