I have a senior that is looking into the TAMU PTA option. If you have one too, please respond so we can get a conversation going.
Thanks for adding this. We’ll be joining in this process of PTA.
Major? What community college? Boy or girl?
Blinn Bryan
Daughter-English Major
Will live in College Station
Mine is thinking about English or Psychology. BLINN. I’m sure u have already been doing research. (One other school is still in the running.)
Oh wow. My daughter too. Do u guys live there?
Oh yes she definitely considered other full admission offers. However, A&M is her goal so she wants to start living there right away.
She is also still struggling with decision of going straight to her 2nd choice. So, we r trying to find out as much as we can about both programs. What does she want to do with English?
These r the questions we have posed to A&M and are awaiting response.
Just to confirm: On the PTA sheets there are bold/italic courses which are required and additional coursework. The additional coursework is suggested and appears to “keep you on track” for the major, but if you take additional courses not listed on the sheet they will count towards the 30 hours and the GPA goal of 3.2. For example ENGL 1301 is a prereq to ENGL 1302, but it is not on the sheet. Another example is ARTS 2356 – Photography, as this is one of her hobbies. Would these be considered “transferable” hours even though TAMU does not have corresponding classes.
We are confused by the statement “bold, italicized coursework on the Major Coursework Check Sheet may only be attempted once (excluding grades of W and WP)”. Hopefully this would never come into play, but can you explain the W concept/process more? Dallas County has the W concept and allows you to withdraw from a class well into the 16 weeks. BLINN seems to have a Q drop and a W concept which is for special circumstances. So, if you are taking a bold/italicized class and you are getting close to the withdraw date at DCCC or the Q drop date at BLINN and believe you are not going to get a B, can you use those options to get out of the class and take the course again?
Is the PTA submission process different from the straight transfer process? The PTA Student Participation Form and Completion Signature page talk about application, fee, transcripts and essay. So, is an essay required with the PTA process or is an essay only needed for a straight transfer? Is the PTA process handled through Apply Texas or is it handled directly with TAMU?
Goal would be to start TAMU as soon as possible (Fall 2022). On the TAMU websites they show transfer dates for this year of (1/1 – 3/15), but I am thinking these dates are for straight transfers and they should be ignored for the PTA process. Correct?
Could you briefly explain the PTA Final Submission process? On the PTA Student Participation Form it says final spring grades must be submitted by 6/1 for consideration for the fall. So, I assume students typically wait until they have finished their Spring semester at the various community colleges to make sure they have the required bold/italicized courses (B) and an overall GPA of 3.2 before having their final academic meeting, submitting their PTA forms and getting transcripts sent (looks like transcripts are typically available around [5/14] from the community colleges) but that everything must be done by 6/1. Do you find that the community colleges are helpful and this is very doable? Also, is it possible to take summer classes as an Aggie if everything is submitted by 6/1?
Worse case situation…have completed spring semester and have required B’s, but overall GPA is lower than 3.2. Could you postpone doing your final academic meeting and take a couple more classes over the summer to raise your GPA to 3.2 and then submit PTA? Looks like in that situation you could not become an Aggie until the Spring. Correct? Once PTA paperwork is done could you continue to take classes at a community college in the fall and not really worry about overall GPA since you have already submitted paperwork or would you still need to be careful that your GPA didn’t drop back down? If still have to be careful about the GPA is it okay to just work in the fall and start TAMU in the spring?
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These are all great questions!
She just responded. Her responses are in red so a little hard to put on college confidential. If u want to I can forward in email if I have your address.
Does your daughter have many AP or duel credits?
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Oh if it’s possible. Would be great to find a way to post it on here. Maybe copy paste into word then change the font color???
Thanks for making this; my daughter has decided she will be doing the PTA program as well.
Major? Will she be doing BLINN or another community college, where from?
Here r the answers to the questions that I sent to the Dallas A&M advisor.
A: Just to confirm: On the PTA sheets there are bold/italic courses which are required and additional coursework. The additional coursework is suggested and appears to “keep you on track” for the major, but if you take additional courses not listed on the sheet they will count towards the 30 hours and the GPA goal of 3.2. For example ENGL 1301 is a prereq to ENGL 1302, but it is not on the sheet. Another example is ARTS 2356 – Photography, as this is one of her hobbies. Would these be considered “transferable” hours even though TAMU does not have corresponding classes.
A: You are correct. Madeline would not be required to stick to the courses listed at the bottom of the PTA sheet, but you would need to verify that any course she chooses is considered transferrable. To do this, you should utilize the Transfer Course Equivalency Tool. TRNS courses and courses that show a TAMU equivalent will apply to the 30 hour requirement, whereas NTRN courses will NOT. Here’s a quick example:
Q: We are confused by the statement “bold, italicized coursework on the Major Coursework Check Sheet may only be attempted once (excluding grades of W and WP)”. Hopefully this would never come into play, but can you explain the W concept/process more? Dallas County has the W concept and allows you to withdraw from a class well into the 16 weeks. BLINN seems to have a Q drop and a W concept which is for special circumstances. So, if you are taking a bold/italicized class and you are getting close to the withdraw date at DCCC or the Q drop date at BLINN and believe you are not going to get a B, can you use those options to get out of the class and take the course again?
A: I cannot speak as to how Blinn College manages their Withdrawals, so I must refer you back to their Registrar’s office, but any course that is listed as a “W” on an official transcript will be applied to the 3 withdrawal limit. She will need to review the Withdrawal process at whichever institution she attends, as the processes and deadlines may differ from institution to institution. Any course which is withdrawn from may be repeated. If a grade lower than a B is earned is a required course, the student is no longer eligible to participate in PTA, but MAY still apply for traditional, competitive admission.
Q: Is the PTA submission process different from the straight transfer process? The PTA Student Participation Form and Completion Signature page talk about application, fee, transcripts and essay. So, is an essay required with the PTA process or is an essay only needed for a straight transfer? Is the PTA process handled through Apply Texas or is it handled directly with TAMU?
A: The PTA application process is NOT different from the traditional transfer application process. She will still need to submit an application for admission (either ApplyTexas or the Coalition Application) within the posted transfer application periods listed on our “How to Apply” website. We do encourage PTA applicants to include an admissions essay, although it may not be reviewed if the student meets all PTA requirements for guaranteed admission at the time of application submission. The PTA does require an Enrollment Meeting and a Completion Meeting. These steps are in addition to the traditional transfer process detailed on the “How to Apply website” linked above.
Q: goal would be to start TAMU as soon as possible (Fall 2022). On the TAMU websites they show transfer dates for this year of 1/1 – 3/15, but I am thinking these dates are for straight transfers and they should be ignored for the PTA process. Correct?
A: This is incorrect. Madeline will need to submit her application for admission and complete her PTA completion meeting within the Fall application period of 01/01/22 – 03/01/22. Please note that the application period for next year is scheduled to close on March 1st. The application period was only extended this year due to the winter weather event which took place in February of this year.
Q: Could you briefly explain the PTA Final Submission process? On the PTA Student Participation Form it says final spring grades must be submitted by 6/1 for consideration for the fall. So, I assume students typically wait until they have finished their Spring semester at the various community colleges to make sure they have the required bold/italicized courses (B) and an overall GPA of 3.2 before having their final academic meeting, submitting their PTA forms and getting transcripts sent (looks like transcripts are typically available around 5/14 from the community colleges) but that everything must be done by 6/1. Do you find that the community colleges are helpful and this is very doable? Also, is it possible to take summer classes as an Aggie if everything is submitted by June 1?
A: Most students are still completing required coursework in the Spring term preceding their Fall admission. The PTA will require that we verify that all required coursework has been completed with a grade of B or better, 30 hours have been completed, and the cumulative GPA earned is a 3.2 or better. Most community colleges post their spring grades in the 1st or 2nd week of May, and there is usually no problem whatsoever with us receiving the transcripts by the June 1st deadline. We strongly advise students to monitor their AIS portals to confirm receipt of the transcripts, AND to retain proof/documentation of the date and time the transcript was ordered. Ultimately, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the transcript is submitted and received by the June 1st deadline, so she is encouraged to monitor her application status, and follow up with any action (such as picking up a paper application and dropping it off at the TAMU Admissions processing center, for example) if necessary.
Q: Worse case situation…have completed spring semester and have required B’s, but overall GPA is lower than 3.2. Could you postpone doing your final academic meeting and take a couple more classes over the summer to raise your GPA to 3.2 and then submit PTA?
A: Unfortunately, this is not a possibility. All PTA requirements must be completed and met by the end of the Spring term for fall applicants. Summer grades will NOT be reviewed for Fall admission for either traditional or PTA applicants.
Q: Looks like in that situation you could not become an Aggie until the Spring. Correct?
A: This is incorrect. Another application for the Spring ’23 term would be required, and the entire application process completed again.
Q: Once PTA paperwork is done could you continue to take classes at a community college in the fall and not really worry about overall GPA since you have already submitted paperwork or would you still need to be careful that your GPA didn’t drop back down? If still have to be careful about the GPA is it okay to just work in the fall and start TAMU in the spring?
A: GPA calculations for all transfer applicants (PTA, PSA, and traditional transfer applicants) will include ALL transferrable college courses completed. This is true even if, for example, a course is repeated to earn a higher grade. It is critically important that an applicant be mindful of this because every transferrable course is included in the GPA calculation. Let me know if you have questions about this.
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Education major with teacher certification. NW Vista college since we are nearby San Antonio.
Wow. You got a hold of a great person. Thanks for sharing that.
Sounds exciting.
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Not to be nosey… but have y’all thought about having her come to blinn Bryan vs staying home her first year? Blinn is not a commuter school. Most are out of town students who live here just as if they were going to a four year college. Aggies and blinn mix and match all the time. My sons pledge brother from freshman year started at blinn and still rushed. He never got into Tamu but he lives with my son and 3 other fraternity brothers. He’s now going to rellis campus through Corpus I think.
My point being… you can live, learn and excel up here whether you’re at blinn or Tamu or both!
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I have a PTA question- does anyone know if the student can start working on their 30 hours this summer in CC summer school? Can she take 2 classes and have that count toward the 30 hours? Or does she need to wait until the Fall to start the program? Also, when do they sit with an advisor to sign the PTA paperwork? Just wondering if anyone would have information on that yet.
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