When waiting for my daughter’s eventual PSA decision - I looked at a lot of the data, info, and support that @Thelma2 and @AggieMomhelp provided past cycles.
In November I came to terms with the fact my daughter (second quartile, 28ACT - 29M, 27E) was going to get PSA. Once VIZ (and Mays) was full - I knew she would not be going to TAMU. The structure of the Visualization program is one that you really have to start your freshman year. Blinn Team is not an option.
I spent November until March trying to gently encourage my daughter to look at other schools. She had attended 3 YAP summer camps and was very familiar with the visualization program. She really liked it. I really wanted her to see herself at another school. One that had already admitted her.
My husband thought I was being negative. I flat out told him in November that our daughter was not going to be admitted to TAMU. He thought I was crazy.
I’m very thankful that there was another program in Texas that is also national ranked. And in many ways I think the school is a better fit for my daughter than TAMU would have been. I did even before the PSA decision. But my daughter was focused solely on national ranking.
My daughter is opting to take the calculus classes that TAMU requires - her school only requires College Algebra for her major. She wants to be equally competitive as TAMU candidates for graduate school admission at TAMU.
@2NDGENAGGIE My daughter was also offered PSA but chose to go straight to Blinn CC and apply for transfer. Because she had some Dual Credits to bring in she can apply in January and hopefully be admitted early to apply for NSC and not hold for Spring grades. You may want to check out the transfer requirements. I am not sure I know what SEAL is so not sure how that fits into the transfer options but this is the link where you can find the transfer sheets.
If you daughter really wants to be an Aggie and isn’t offered full admission, she can still get there! So many viable paths… Not where you start is it where you end.
@BlueBayouAZ Thank you for the response. My HS came 2 years ago from a fairly elite private school to our 6A school. So, some of her input may be clouded by the other school. Based on what you said, I am definitely thinking I might get a Blinn TEAM offer in College Station but nothing more than that. I know Mays isn’t going to happen, but I was somewhat hopeful about College of LA. Now, I’m thinking that won’t happen either. Just a back door through Blinn TEAM.
I believe Texas schools are required to report Top 10% even if it is non-ranking which should have made her Auto Admit. @mliefer didn’t mention if she was OOS or Texas resident.
Good for her! Enjoy all your Proud Mom moments. I sent you a LinkedIn invite. And, yes, the VizKids camps are the “cool kids”…our daughter went to CampARCH first Summer…found out she hated CAD. Then, attended CampLAW, learned she wanted to be an Attorney…UIL MockTrial, etc. for her. The camps were great for exposing and helping make Undergrad decisions.
@mliefer , she is #1 out of how many? You might double check in her Howdy or call Admissions to make sure the guidance counselor recorded the class size. That was a problem for us last year when my daughter was #1. The guidance counselor refused to put the class size because of the “non ranking” status of the high school. I had to get a little ugly about it and copy the principal and quote the email from Admissions that said they required the class size too. Otherwise, being #1 means nothing to them.
@AggieDreamin yes she is in a Texas school, private, small, graduating class of 9 which is why I’m sure the class size wasn’t entered. So, I believe that’s why she wasn’t an automatic admit, we we’re just hoping with a 4.0GPA, decent SAT and all her extras and volunteer that that would be enough to get her in.
@mliefer Wow that is small! I guess technically there isn’t a Top 10%. Wishing you the best of luck that they see all the value she will bring to TAMU.
I want to be an Aggie more than anything else!! I am concerned about some of the review admits already receiving their acceptance letters for the College of Education already and I have not yet. I applied the first week the application was open, but it is December now and I still have not heard back and I am getting very nervous. Here are my stats:
Major: College of Education
ACT: 26
Class Rank: Top 25%
Review Admit
I am heavily involved in competition dance at my studio and I teach dance as well to elementary schools. I have a good number of hours for community service and have received lots of special awards from my school. I am also Editor in Chief of my school’s yearbook. I am in NHS as well.
Your stats are good. 26 act wasn’t enough last year but could be this time. Hang in there. Most review students won’t hear til after the new year. I haven’t seen many go through yet except engineering. Maybe one education major. Are you getting info from friends? If so what do their stats look like?
I’m not sure about this top 10% rule -even the Academic Top Quarter rule. I’ve got a 34 ACT and a 1450 (neither superscored, or they’d go up). I’m not getting in b/c my HS is so competitive, but there are people getting in from lesser schools with 23 ACTs and 1100 SATs. I’m thinking that it just isn’t the same.
@SlimJim001 If they are top 10% then their test scores don’t matter. 23 ACTs and 1100s for review candidates are not getting in. Not sure if you are getting false information or if those are the 10% peeps, but rest assured, If you’re top qtr and with those test scores, you’ll get in as academic. If you’re 2nd qtr with those test scores, you will most likely get in as well, just may have to wait til January (but I would suspect you’d hear in Dec. with those stats). If 3rd quarter, it’s a possible Gateway or Blinn Team admit to see if you can handle the rigor.
I can handle the rigor. I’ll have completed 13 APs by the time I graduate. My parents have property in a rural area and did talk about changing HS for me 2 years ago to help w/Class Rank. I nixed it. Now, I wonder …
Are you in state @SlimJim001 ? Your test scores are great. As long as you are in the top half of your class - like @AggieMomhelp is saying - I believe you will get admission to TAMU. (One caveat - rigor. Meaning you did the classes required to be considered Top 10 percent by law. Foundation plus endorsement/distinguished diploma for public schools).
It you are in the 4th quarter - you are not getting in.
Statistically, If you are in the 3rd the chance is pretty slim. In 2018 - there were about 100 kids (1% of total enrollment) that were in the 3rd quarter. While many athletes are great scholars - not all are. There is a chance that some of the 3rd quarter students are athletes. (They have to meet NCAA d1 requirements - but those are lower than TAMU averages) And there are great students like @AggieMomAgain daughter.
My daughters go to one the the “highly competitive” 6a high schools. One really bad semester (2.0) can seriously knock you out of the top half. But the class rank does not define you or mean you are not a good student. In 2018 the 3rd quarter GPA spread at their HS was 2.98 - 3.56. With the mean SAT 1240 and ACT 26.1. My daughter was 38% with a 3.8 GPA. She is a great student - I think she is making all As and one B in college. And like a lot of great students with above average GPAs and test scores - she received a PSA decision. And that was okay.
@AggieMomhelp I understand the state law about top 10%, but my point is can someone who is top 10% but scores a 21 on an ACT or a 1050-1100 handle the rigor just b/c they’re top 10% at their HS? They may have gone to a school w/no APs or practically none. My mom said when she went to TAMU in early 90s that a lot of kids were gone after the 1st semester b/c they got in based on that rule (may have been top 25% back then), then they couldn’t handle the work b/c their HSs weren’t that tough.
And, yes, the VizKids camps are the “cool kids”…our daughter went to CampARCH first Summer…found out she hated CAD. Then, attended CampLAW, learned she wanted to be an Attorney…UIL MockTrial, etc. for her. The camps were great for exposing and helping make Undergrad decisions.