This might not be the type of answer you are looking for, but here it goes.
Law School is a long ways off from getting your undergraduate degree. Unless you are aiming for the most elite law schools, most law schools do not care where you graduated from, and they are constantly changing how they review applicants. As an example, many law schools will allow the GRE in lieu of the LSAT, and even some law schools don’t require test scores (just like some Universities with the SAT/ACT).
My personal belief for almost every single student out there is to find the culture that best fits your child. A student can attend the greatest Liberal Arts program in the world but fail terribly because they do not fit, or like, the culture of the university. I say this because UT and A&M are VERY different cultures. I also believe that a student cannot hurt themselves in the future by attending UT or A&M as both are high quality universities.
If you submitted on ApplyTexas, check the A&M application and scroll down to where it says additional questions. It should show the answers you marked for that question and others.
I would want to confirm that the review of his application would not begin anew should you change first-choice majors?
Also, so-what if Mays is full (insert confident but defiant attitude), there will be plenty of students that can’t cut the mustard after their first year which opens the door for his second year. A perfect opportunity to prove the school isn’t very good at picking the best from the beginning. (Sidenote, what’s wrong with General Studies should he be admitted without a specific major…again, prove yourself and you will be rewarded). There are many paths to the finish line.
Rawls College is an entirely different question. This goes towards the “best fit” mentality. Where does your child fit best? And/or is HE (not you, HE) dead set on being an Aggie? Would he prefer to be the big fish in the small pond versus the small fish in the big pond. Only you know your child well enough to place them where they are setup to succeed. And having options is never a bad thing.
WOW… thank you for the thoughtful post. So much great information… I wish I had someof these tips before touring schools. You are correct, UT and TAMU could not be any different. My son toured UT first as he was attracted to the high rankings, but immediately decided the city is not where he wanted to be.
His big decision now is between TAMU (first choice) and TTU (scholarships). I think I am going to take some of your advice and plan a tour of TTU (he has not been there since band camp in middle school). I keep trying to tell him that he will spend the next 4 years there and needs to love it, but he has it stuck in his head that cheaper will be better. Thank you so much for the advice! I hope it helps him pick the best place for him… even better if it is TAMU!
My son received that invitation from Rawls as well. I posted a question in the forums about it, but no one has responded. The only information I can find about the program is on their website.
I can’t reply to each of you individually, so I’m going to try to help where I can.
Changing your major from Mays to Econ will not start your review process over again. They look at the student, not the major when admitting into tamu. So if you feel like changing it, do it. My son went Econ and changed major to Mays after 3 semesters.
I agree with the whole go where you fit mentality but also feel that if you can’t major in what you want, then maybe pivot and find schools like tamu (Ok state, U of A) or hit up Tech (it’s a great school).
As for choosing between Team, Waitlist or both, I would always choose both so I wouldn’t be limited.
And I do believe there is another wave coming for non engineering majors. Last year another wave came out after gateway and team/waitlist options. It was towards the end of month. So hang in there.
He’s not dead set on being an Aggie, nor are we, for him. He’s not an all or nothing type of kid. Neither my husband, nor I, even graduated from college so we just want for him what he wants for himself. He zoned in on A&M his sophomore year of high school after visiting his favorite cousin there (who is a mentor to him) and always had his sights set on becoming an Aggie since then. He’s visited College Station and his cousin numerous times and feels comfortable there, despite the campus being so big.
What’s frustrating our family is the whole process I guess, and the no-rhyme-or-reason to the “waves”. He’s feeling some pressure from his friend I think who was also a review admit but already got accepted back in November since they want to room together. We can’t make any plans to move forward since we don’t know if he’s getting in or not! So many decisions we need to make for our family and 10th grade twins depend on where S21 goes to college.
We haven’t been able to visit Lubbock yet, so he’s having some hesitation about Tech since he’s never even seen the campus. I think we’ll now seriously pick a date and schedule a tour for Tech, hopefully he’ll hear something from TAMU by then.
@MackAg - Thanks for your response. My reasoning for mentioning her major and possible future path (because who knows if she will change her mind) is if for some reason one particular major was “stronger” at one school vs the other. For example, if some type of International Studies major was stronger at UT vs TAMU, that wouldn’t really affect her choice. I agree culture, vibe and comfort is very important. Just trying to give her all the info she might need to make her choice.
Tech now has admitted student visits on their calendar - we picked an April date for my senior. They have lots of earlier visit options, too, of course.
@momtexas - Excellent ideas. Thank you. We have done the immersive campus walkabouts, but sometimes she gets impatient. We will be visiting both campuses again and I will show her your post so she might be receptive to stop and smell the roses (since mom isn’t the one suggesting it. : )
I couldn’t read it all. But what if a student comes from a non religious family that is liberal? Will they be ostracized at A&M? Will they make friends? Will they be comfortable? Just wondering because this is my child, through no fault of his own was raised by liberals. And he’s accepted A&M. You know it goes both ways, seems you put down UT because of the students, diversity, and professors. This is really scary what you wrote and that’s why I couldn’t finish it all. I was so excited for him to go to TAMU but now you’ve got me scared. Thank you for ruining my day.
I’m not momtexas so I can’t answer for her, but let me put your mind at ease. Yes, it is a fact that A&M is a conservative school, but keep in mind that is in relation to all other universities. This is not a political statement, it is fact, the majority of university campuses are liberal, some more-so than others. Teenagers typically lean liberal, maybe lack of brain cells (that’s a joke).
Also, A&M is making a huge effort behind the “inclusion and diversity” mentality, again not a political statement. The university is so large that every kid has an opportunity to find their friend group.
I would say the same for UT. It leans liberal, as does Austin. But a conservative student would find a home there as well.
I am well invested in A&M (4 generations and now 4 kids). I personally do not believe you should be concerned.
I hear your concern. Although I cannot speak personally about this, I do know that this question has been asked several times on here. From what other people have said, the campus at TAMU has so many students, that they say it is easy for kids to find “their people”. From what I have heard it is a very accepting campus that respects students with different views, believes and values.
No worries at either school…my son attended A&M 2014-2018. He is non-religious, science focused and as liberal as can be - and a minority too. He had no issues finding his niche and never felt uncomfortable at A&M. There are over 50,000 students at A&M and unless your child just wants to fit in with the “mainstream” he will find his own group. The overall feeling at A&M is super friendly and so he should be just fine - most kids end up hanging out with people in their major.
