<p>Thanks for the info. I was given misinformation about Fish Camp. I will let her know that is an option. I appreciate your reply!</p>
<p>I don’t buy all the issues with a competitive high school and top 10%… if the high school is that good, then the kids should easily have high enough SAT/ACT scores to get automatic admission. Though this into the place to have that discussion. </p>
<p>Blinn Team definantly can go to Fish Camp. Blinn Team has its own New Student Confrence. Blinn Team can buy athletic pass and attend all sporting events, use the Rec, they blend in perfectly.</p>
<p>Not at all, not every student is the same. There are those who have magnificent scores in their SAT/ACT and have really bad grades at school. A lot of times because they are lazy. And there are those who have excellent grades and are simply bad at standardizing testing. Then of course there are those who are simply good at both. It would a false statement to generalize every student considering everyone works differently.
I’m not saying your wrong or anything, but coming from a competitive high school it’s really not an easy task to be in top 10%. Specially if you are doing an IB Diploma.
Just some thoughts.</p>
<p>I’m saying at a competitive high school that kids should have higher SAT/ACT scores than a school you consider not so competitive. I know only ten percent can be in the top 10%… But at a good high school not being in top 10% shouldn’t stop students from getting into A&M via automatic academic admit</p>
<p>at our high school - top 10% kids all have 6.5 or higher GPA (on a 6.0 scale). idk what the academic auto admit numbers are now, but a lot of kids just out of top 10 do not have the test scores for academic admit.</p>
<p>the issue is that people feel like kids from other lower level high schools (with lower GOAs and lower test scores) are taking spots away from kids with better credentials.</p>
<p>i get why they do it, but to me it is too simplistic. maybe it should be two-tiered. top 10 AND a certain SAT score.</p>
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<p>Then they don’t deserve to be at this school if that is the case. Laziness is an excuse. Period. </p>
<p>I understand that being at a competitive high school can be a disadvantage, and at times the top 8% rule can seem a bit frustrating, but overall I think it serves its purpose relatively well albeit not perfect in some cases. I think sometimes the “one high school is better than another academically therefore it would be easier for me somewhere else” is used as again an excuse. I am of firm belief that if you want something bad enough, when within reason, it can be achieved by genuine hard work and pulling together of all resources.</p>
<p>Yeah, by all means anyone can in the top 10% its simply a matter of working hard, I completely agree. I just think from my experience it becomes more challenging task when competition is harder. But sadly Texas laws are not always fair haha, so all we can do for now is adapt to them and wish those people who do not have auto-admin, good luck!</p>
<p>To all, so sorry, I really wasnt trying to start a big debate. I think you all have some valid points. I would however, like to point out that in order to qualify for academic auto-admit to A&M, you must have scored a 1300 on the SAT(with a min. 600 on each math and verbal). According to the SAT testing stats that puts one in the 89 to 90th percentile nationally. So essentially, you must score in the top 10% in the nation in order to be an academic admit. Pretty elite group, Id say. A&M says they examine all the candidates holistically, but when nearly 65-70% of the incoming freshman class is taken up by auto-admits, this leaves little room for others. Im willing to bet that not many of those review admits have scores much lower than that. My only point was that it was frustrating to see students work the system they way I have seen them work it in order to secure a spot in the top ten percent of the graduating class. I cant speak for other schools and again, my daughter ultimately chose to take the more rigorous track, but at our school, it is widely known that taking regular classes gives you a much better shot at finishing in the top ten percent. If you can persuade your counselor to work your schedule to get certain teachers, then youre even better off. Not many do this, but its pretty obvious when they do. I have another child who is a freshman this year and I am questioning whether or not to push him to the AP track. I do think the system is too simplistic and feel that it should be a two-tiered qualifier. If you are capable of doing the work that puts you in the top of your graduating class, then you should indeed be able to score high enough to also qualify as an academic admission as well. I know there are those that argue the merits of standardized testing, but it is what it is. There has to be some way to measure what youve learned. Standardized tests are just a fact of life. I understand, too, that my daughter didnt qualify under the academic admit, and Im really okay with her only being in the top 70th percentile nationally. I just hate that its come to the point where A&M, like UT, has been held hostage by this ridiculous law and is forced to admit over half its freshman class just by the top ten percent rule.</p>
<p>no matter what the system, students are going to work the system to get what they want. that’s kind of the way the world works, doesn’t it. in your case it may be taking the “regular” classes. in our case it may mean making sure you only take the “regular” classes you have to take in your senior year so they don’t effect your GPA at admission time, taking certain classes pass/fail, etc.</p>
<p>if you know what you need to do to get the desired end result, then it is your choice to do it or not.</p>
<p>True, you do what you have to do. But my point is, that doing what you have to do, playing the game, doesn’t necessarily prepare you best for what’s ahead. All I’m saying is, it’s a shame that the ones being accepted are not necessarily the best, most prepared candidates!</p>
<p>I am puzzled by the concept that regular classes give you a better chance at the top 10%. At my school, you would have had to have made a 100 in every single class if they were regular if you even wanted a chance at the top 10%. Did your high school not weight the grades differently between regular and AP/IB? That is a shame if they don’t, simply unfair and for that I am sorry that the system has treated yall this way.</p>
<p>The system blows, I know this sounds arrogant but a lot of kids along with me are damn more smarter than most of these top 10 people</p>
<p>“damn more smarter” hahahaha</p>
<p>are you sure?</p>
<p>aggie engineer - don’t get it either, unless wsmith’s school does not do a weighted GPA.</p>
<p>in our high schools, if a kid took ALL on-level classes and made an A in every single one, he would still not even be close to top 10% - more like 20 or 25. i really don’t know for sure. i do know that 6.25 is about 15%.</p>
<p>so, here, taking on-level classes and making all As is not a strategy to get you into the top 10%.</p>
<p>will.not.work.at.all.</p>
<p>while i agree that it does not make sense to have to take lower level classes to make it into the top 10%, if that is the way the game is played in your school district, you play by the rules in your “league” if you want the desired outcome. you kind of know it going into it.</p>
<p>the top 10% rule makes it possible for kids from “lower performing” schools who may not even HAVE access to upper level classes to have a chance to get into UT or A&M. without the top 10% rule many/most of those kids would have no.chance.at.all.</p>
<p>dumb as it is, it is the way things work right now.</p>
<p>Yeah I agree at some school the students being put on the waitlist are way more qualified than those who have automatic admissions at some of the public schools around Texas and sadly there is not much we can do about it.</p>
<p>I would like to comment on a couple of things not mentioned in other posts. When a kid is borderline on academic admission, then TAMU looks at other things, in some cases more strongly than at other Schools. I have heard it mentioned in this forum many times that TAMU looks for people who really want to be Aggies. This is shown in official campus visits. My son was top 25% but did not have great test scores. He had 4 official visits to campus in the 18 months leading up to his sending in his application. Two of those visits were with Admission Counselors who had his scores and his HS transcripts. They told him his academics were good but SAT/ACT scores hurt him. They emphasized the importance of being extremely thorough in documenting his extra-curricular activities. They wanted detail. Jobs, sports, music, church, community service etc. They also saw that he had 12 hours of dual credit with a 3.0 avg. That being said, in both counselor visits they said that the most important thing he could do to improve his chances was Essay C. They said it gave the admissions commitee a look at who the person was and this could differentiate him from others in a similar situation.</p>
<p>Secondly, he was told not to get letters of reccomendation from teachers, or prominent Aggies or community leaders, but from people who have known the candidate all their lives.</p>
<p>That being said, I wish everyone still waiting out there good luck. I know it is hard.</p>
<p>if you want a high class rank… just get A’s in your ap’s. Everyone here is capable of doing it</p>
<p>I dont need correct context to prove anything, everyone knows the system needs work</p>
<p>In the State of Texas, there is a move underway to push more Freshmen and Sophomores into two year colleges so that A&M and UT undergraduate work is more available for Juniors and Seniors. The cost of higher education continues to increase and the state will become even less able to subsidize education in the future. Two year colleges are a much cheaper option that full four year institutions.</p>
<p>That is why you see so many options for freshmen that makes it easy to transfer to TAMU from Blinn. You will see many more in the next few years. In fact, in January the local paper reported that A&M and Blinn administrators were in discussions about making Blinn a branch of TAMU, like Corpus Christi, Kingsville, etc. The discussions were terminated with no agreement but it is probably just a matter of time before such a merger happens. This will be a win-win for families, TAMU and the state. </p>
<p>The truth is that there are too many students who have great potential, either demonstrated by being in the top 10% or having high SAT’s or demonstrating that they are excellent well rounded students in other ways. They all deserve to have access to such a great university such as TAMU. I hope in the future that such excellent students are not turned away as often as they have to be currently.</p>
<p>Well, to clear up how our district handles advanced level classes, students are given five bonus points per class. We are on a 100 point system, so in order to make it worthwhile, you would need to make a 95 in the AP class to equal making a 100 in a regular class. Sounds okay. But the discrepancy in the difficulty of the two classes is incredible. The AP classes are very demanding (as I feel AP classes should be), but the regular classes are rife with students with little or no desire to learn or be there at all. When a decent student does the minimum work, in a regular class they are rewarded with a high grade, most times higher than what the AP students are making in their AP classes. From the feedback I see here, maybe we are an anomaly and not the norm. Its almost like two schools within one! This is my eldest child and actually I didnt really know all of this going into high school. Im learning how to play the game, though, thats for sure! Anyway, no sour grapes. I am content with the road weve chosen. Its just my personal opinion that the system sucks! And yes, we also did many official visits to A&M, she did the third essay about how A&M is in her blood, etc. She has countless volunteer hours- all documented, leadership positions, had two great letters of recommendation, etc. Just fell short on the SAT and top ten percent. I feel fortunate that out of 30,000 applications (8100 accepted and supposedly 2000 waitlist/other options), at least we didnt get an outright rejection like nearly 20,000 did. Like I said, if its meant to be- it will happen. Thanks for all the replies. Glad things have worked out for you all. I love A&M and hope your time there is as wonderful as mine was. Im just sad that its not looking like a reality for my child. Peace.</p>