I just wanted to say hang in there to those who don’t have a decision yet (including my kiddo!) it’s a long wait for sure. She submitted as a review applicant 10/1 and still nothing. She’s an excellent student with a 4.5 gpa (I know A&M doesn’t look at that but still) she has amazing LOR’s, stellar essay, and a ton of EC and community service, #26 out of 350, dual credit, but, very average test scores. While we know the test scores may make this a long shot, I want to say, she’s had several classmates get accepted with lower test scores, and all around lower stats than her in general. I know it’s said that A&M is extremely selective about test scores, I’m curious to hear if anyone else has had a child with average to low scores, but was accepted anyways. There are lots of threads about high test scores getting accepted, but I’m curious to hear the success stories when it’s a student with excellent everything else but average scores!
@nervoustamumommy : What are your daughter’s test scores? Average SAT for TAMU has been around 1250 ish, I think that includes all of what they consider “accepted” offers, Full, Galveston, Blinn-TEAM , Gateway. Probably not other campuses.
I have a current Blinn-TEAM Sophomore. I consider her a success story with “average” SAT/ACT scores. She has thrived on TAMU Blinn-TEAM.
Applying around Thanksgiving 2016 for Fall 2017 admission, she had 27 ACT, 1250 SAT (580M/670E), unweighted gpa of 3.5, weighted gpa 4.7, one Dual Credit class (6 hours College English), one 4 year EC plus a competitive team also in Senior HS year (that taught her great time management skills), NO volunteering hours as she had no extra time, (she was eligible for National Honor Society but chose not to join as she did not have time for the mandatory volunteer hours), really great LORs from 2 teachers (one Aggie, one Longhorn), great essays and at an extremely competitive 6A HS, (where the average SAT was 1250 and there are usually 30-40 NMSF out of a class of around 550+ students), her class rank was 53% of her HS class. She received her offer of Blinn-TEAM on Feb. 14, 2017.
She was initially disappointed to not receive a Full admission offer, but after she realized that she would have all Aggie privileges (would take some classes on TAMU campus and would have TAMU ID/could buy a Sports Pass/could live on campus/have meal plans/join a Sorority/join TAMU activity groups) EXCEPT she could not join a TAMU sports team (LOL), she realized it was a great offer. Many of her friends were offered PSA or denied admissions to TAMU. The Top 10% at this school usually go to Ivies and a lot of the rest of the class goes OOS with great scholarship offers.
Blinn-TEAM has worked out well for her. She is LOVING living the Aggie life in Aggieland!! 
She joined her first choice Sorority as a Freshman, made wonderful friends and still makes great grades. She has a 4.0 in all of her TAMU classes and something like a 3.5-3.6 in her classes she takes at Blinn-Bryan Campus. Her class is the last to take classes there, all of the current Freshman on Blinn-TEAM take classes at Rellis. One reason why she decided to stay on Blinn-TEAM for 2 years is that she is still exploring her major. She applied to be an English major to begin with and may stick with it but she has explored other options.
Good luck. Keep an open mind for all offers.
Hey guys! The holiday kept us busy, so I’m just now reading these. I have a question… my daughter is set up this Friday to attend the information session, tour etc… all students in attendance of the session will be given the opportunity to meet with an academic advisor at the end of the session. Do any of you think being in attendance helps to show serious interest? I’m not sure how much attention is paid to the fact that a student attended the session. Furthermore, when meeting with an advisor, what are some pertinent questions to ask, and does anyone know if any stock is taken that a student took the initiative to speak with an advisor, or does it not matter at all? She’s extremely nervous because she wants this so bad, and wonders if this is an opportunity to make a good impression. Thank you for any input!
@nervoustamumommy YES, this does make a difference and she will put this on her apply texas application. It asks what you have attended so it will show she has interest in TAMU beyond just saying, “hey, TAMU looks good.”
What major is she interested in? That may help us help you with questions to ask.
She wants to major in Psychology! Her dream is to work in the mental health field, with an emphasis on childhood trauma. She did include her personal experience with losing not one, but two friends to suicide in junior high, and how it impacted her on her essay. Since her apply Texas app was submitted long ago, she was able to include something about visiting campus because her varsity cheer squad spends a week at A&M for cheer camp each summer, which she’s done for four years now, but no “official” visits. We will be at the prospective students session this Friday, as well asa tour. She’s interacted on social media here and there, especially on the tamu psychology pages on Facebook and Instagram as we read that somehow they do sometimes notice things like that. So, do you know if they’ll document that she attended on Friday, and if the advisor may document that she visited with them? We know she needs to come up with a question or two for her to ask an advisor, she’s very nervous about that part. She’s pretty soft spoken, but this is literally her childhood dream.
It’s too late to add anything to the apply Texas app since it was submitted in October. I wish we would’ve visited before then. We are very familiar with the campus already, my oldest also goes to Blinn in Bryan, so we spend a lot of time in that area and naively didn’t know in advance that the question would be on the apply Texas app, and now it’s too late ?
@AggieMomhelp I didn’t know how to tag you, just learning this site lol
@nervousmommy I’m guessing you are out of state since the top 10% rule doesn’t apply for her?
LOL @nervoustamumommy YAY, you figured out the tag! One of my good friends is advisor in Psych. Let me ask her what she thinks and I’ll get back to you.
BUT… as a freshman, the department (besides Engineering) doesn’t accept/admit you, it’s the admissions office in general. If Psych doesn’t reach its cap by when your daughter is accepted, then she’ll be placed in psych.
Also, I’ve known kids close to top 10% get accepted with less than a 24 on ACT… just saying.
No, @JenniferAggie91 I’m in Texas, she’s number 26 and her test scores were not the best, 1300 SAT, 26 ACT but community service and extra curriculars coming out of her ears, stellar essay, amazing LOR’s, so I’m praying they see her more than just a test score. She did progressively raise her scores from junior year to senior, her gpa is high, too bad they don’t consider it ?
@AggieMomhelp I honestly can’t stand the top 10% rule. Not because my daughter is not in it. Although it’s an enormous achievement, not all top ten perecenters go on to be stellar college students. My oldest daughter once asked her best friend, who was the valedictorian of her class if she felt that the top ten percent of her class were absolutely the smartest students. She surprisingly said no. There are students in the top ten who don’t necessarily take advanced classes, dual credit etc. I’m not implying that they haven’t worked their butts off of course, but I really think that college acceptance shouldn’t be based solely around that. Some of the most successful people in the world, Bill Gates for example will be the first to say that they weren’t the best students, but look at what he achieved? Ok, off my soapbox LOL
Any tips as to a pointed question or two for her to ask the advisor on Friday? She’s thinking of asking some questions such as are there many internship opportunities within the psych department, things of that nature. Definitely don’t want to ask something that can be easily found online, but she definitely feels coming prepared with a good question or two might help demonstrate her interest. I keep reminding her that this is not an interview, but she knows this may be her last chance to make a good impression, so she’s a little stressed ?
@nervoustamumommy Asking about internships is a great question. Can also ask about student work options in the department or research opportunities (like assisting grad students).
And you’re right, definitely not an interview. There will be a lot of prospective students and advisors have no bearing on acceptance.
@AggieMomhelp thank you so much! That’s also a very good question to add to her notes! I really appreciate all of your feedback, it’s a nerve wracking time for sure. My oldest is in Blinn, and is hoping to transfer into TAMU in the fall, so this waiting for acceptance situation is a new one here for us!
@nervoustamumommy : An official TAMU campus visit and advisor meeting is always a great thing! It shows real interest in TAMU. I’m a parent, not in admissions, so I don’t have proof that it helps their application, but it can’t hurt either!
My daughter took an official campus tour, had a one on one Major advisor meeting (English) and sat in on an Honors English class during a regular class day in Sept. 2016, before she submitted her application in late Nov. 2016 for Fall 2017. I think it helped her receive a Blinn-TEAM offer instead of a PSA or denial, but that is just my opinion.
The tour, the advisor meeting and sitting in on a class was also beneficial to her by clarifying that she “fit in” at TAMU. Her older sister was an Aggie (Full admit and Class of '16) and although she had visited her sister and attended games, etc. I wanted her to make sure that she wanted to be an Aggie for herself, not just because her sister had been one, or for the convenience that as a family we were more familiar with CStat, etc. While we were having lunch on campus after the tour, my daughter told me that she felt like she really fit in at TAMU, everyone was so nice, and was really glad that I had brought her there. She missed an EC event to attend on a TAMU school day, even though the HS had the day off. We were given quite a bit of flack from the EC teacher for her missing the EC event, (just an appearance not a judged competition) but finally, after I pointed out that she would be excused from a full day of ACADEMIC classes with a signed official campus visit letter, they decided that they would excuse her absence for the event. LOL. HS ECs are just part of the pathway to the rest of their lives; as a HS Senior, planning for college has to take priority!
At her advisor meeting, my daughter had a couple of questions including: “What jobs after graduation and what graduate pathways are possible with a Major in English?” And, “Are there part time on campus jobs or community volunteering positions available?” My daughter loves English and loves to write and nothing but an English major seemed to meet her interests, but she just didn’t/doesn’t know exactly what to do with a Major in English. She definitely doesn’t want to teach! She stayed on Blinn-TEAM for 2 years because she wasn’t sure of her Major, but it sounds like she has decided to stick with majoring in English and then work on a graduate degree. She is in a Sorority and now doesn’t have time for a part-time job and participates in volunteering opportunities with the Sorority. But perhaps she will be able to work part time as a Jr/Sr.
It sounds like your daughter knows what she wants do, that she has a real affinity for Psychology and that she will be able to make a real contribution to society. I can’t imagine how painful it was for her to lose 2 young friends to suicide.
Her SAT score is higher and her class rank is MUCH MUCH higher than my daughter’s, so I predict that at the least your daughter will receive a Blinn-TEAM offer, but I’m betting on a Full Admissions offer for her! She has great EC’s and volunteering and her essay on losing her friends will surely grab the reviewers attention.
Just make sure that she signs in at anything where they are taking names, and if possible, that she introduces herself to the advisor or admissions counselors, or any official TAMU person. I’m not sure that they take notice of everyone who makes a extra effort to attend an official campus visit, etc. but it really can’t hurt. And if she is nervous, tell her to take a deep breath every so often, and think positively and picture herself as an Aggie! I believe in the power of positive thinking!
Well, @AggieMomhelp , that wound up being a bust ? not even sure where to start. We arrived to Rudder with our check in info. For whatever reason we weren’t in the system, but they were able to look her up using the confirmation number. Got upstairs, watched the slideshow, then, once the woman came in to give her presentation, she first asked for a show of hands asking how many juniors (in high school) were in the room. Then asked about seniors. My daughter raised her hand (there were not many people there, maybe 15) and the woman said “oh! I’m sorry, this is really meant for juniors and under, you’re welcome to stay, but since you’ve already applied, I don’t want to waste your time, so I won’t be upset if you’d like to excuse yourself”. She was very nice. You could tell she felt bad that we clearly weren’t explained that this was only meant to help people with their potential applications. I’d made the reservation of sorts by phone, and I’d told them she was a senior and asked what the session was all about and they’d made it sound common for a senior to attend. We stayed for most of it. It still had some info that at least gave us some insight as to what goes on behind the scenes regarding admissions etc. she said many review applications won’t know til possibly March because they are above 52,000 applicants at the moment, and still processing ? she gave the very bleak chances for review applicants for 2019 and said that with as many auto admits as they’ve already processed so far, the margins may be extremely slim. She said there’s never been more than there is this year. Anyways, so we finally left and decided maybe we’d at least try and go see an academic advisor but they weren’t accepting walk in’s. So, basically we drove almost two hours there nervously over nothing ha. I’m not even sure if they got to note that she was at least there because, the reason they couldn’t find her registration info for the session was because they only had her first name. The gentleman who checked us in said he’s never seen that happen, so we may have just been there basically in only her first name. Definitely a mix up, to say the least. So, we pretty much walked around a bit and left. It was pretty quiet there (probably due to the break) so there really wasn’t anyone to engage with. She was so disappointed, I felt pretty dumb for not investigating further that this really wasn’t a “senior” thing ??♀️
So, any advice on what to do next is welcomed! I realize we could just twiddle our thumbs and wait patiently, but being a review admit, any little additional things that she can do to make an impression in some way she will do. She wants this so badly. Talk about stress LOL
@nervoustamumommy : Wow, that had to be disappointing, I’m so sorry that happened to y’all.
Here is my 2 cents worth: Schedule an official campus tour asap, and if at all possible, schedule it on a day when TAMU is having classes. Perhaps not their first week back in January, but as soon as you can. Also schedule a meeting with an advisor in her major and ask for her to be allowed to sit in on a class. I realize it may be hard for her to take a day off from HS classes, but at this point, her focus needs to be on getting into college. Most school districts excuse absences if you have a signed official tour letter, which you get at the place where you check in for the campus tour.
I scheduled my daughter’s tour online back in 2016 and I contacted the English Department through their email address.
It is mind blowing that they have over 52,000 applications for this year! There were 42,000 applicants for Fall 2017 when my daughter received her Blinn-TEAM offer. It does just become a space issue since they have to accept all of the Top 10% and Academic Admits first and then review everyone else. I really think that your daughter has a good chance of receiving a full admit offer with her SAT and class rank. But having another plan in place for “just in case” is always a good thing. Being familiar with all of her options will help her handle any offer that could be less than a full admissions offer.
We didn’t know much about Blinn-TEAM until my daughter received her offer in Feb. 2017. I had lurked on CC for a while and was worried that my daughter would probably not receive a full admit offer because of her class rank. But when my daughter realized that Blinn-TEAM had changed over the past few years and that there wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do except play an NCAA sport, she realized it was a great offer.
If your daughter gets offered Blinn-TEAM, then she is an Aggie, has the TAMU ID, takes some classes on TAMU campus and some at the Rellis campus, she can go through Sorority recruitment, participate in all Aggie activities, buy a sports pass, buy a meal plan, live in a dorm, etc. I call this Plan A- as she still gets to live the Aggie life in Aggieland.
If she is straight Blinn CC, there is still a lot that she can do, especially if she lives in an apartment or private dorm near the TAMU campus. I call this Plan B. She can still purchase game tickets, wear the t-shirts, eat on TAMU campus (pay cash), hang out and meet people. If she is living near the TAMU campus, she will meet more people. She will probably have profs who also teach at TAMU, getting to know them would help her get a foot in the door. Volunteering in the community may also be an option and will help if she can make connections who will help recommend her to the Psych Dept.
If TAMU runs out of seats before they get to your daughter, would your daughter be willing to go to Blinn CC and participate in a PTA program? I think that Psychology is a PTA program, check their website. It sounds like the PTA program is the most direct way to get to TAMU, as long as the requirements are met. It is a signed contract and sounds more secure instead of just being a transfer student and going through that review process. If she really wants to be in CStat to begin with, then this can work for her. A LOT of people do this, seats open up at TAMU when people who are admitted as Freshman decide that being an Aggie isn’t for them ( it is a very different culture from the average college), or they can’t handle the course rigor or have time management problems or other issues, etc.
We know of several people who started out at straight Blinn CC on PTA programs and transitioned easily to TAMU and have done well. It isn’t where you start out but where you finish that is the most important. Hang in there.
Awe @nervoustamumommy I wish I would have given you my number. I love here and my son is a freshman. I’m sure you’ve toured it before but she could have talked to my son and asked questions from student perspective etc. in the least… I could have given you great advice on where to eat.
Sorry it didn’t turn out well, but don’t worry about the bleak outlook. They do that a lot. My son was 4.0, top 14%, 28 act with a LoR from someone High up at Tamu and they said we wouldn’t hear til Jan or February and that it’s reallly competitive blah blah blah. Got in during the December wave. So basically they just cover their bases and don’t want to give hope in general, which I understand. But ugh. Have a great weekend.
Those numbers do sound bleak @nervoustamumommy. Was the 52,000 given in the session? I ask because one of my friends and her son had a similar experience last year when touring as a junior. They were left the a really bad vibe from TAMU. They felt like the admissions presentation was like a scared straight episode - where they were made to feel he was not worthy of applying. It wasn’t that they said “If you don’t have X score you really don’t have a chance” It was the way they said it. This friend is way sweeter and kinder than I am. It had to have been presented poorly to rub her the wrong way. My friend felt like their goal was to keep people from applying.