Heard back from admission friend on sending scores. You DO NOT have to send all scores. You can choose which dates to send, if any!
For those applying to engineering and or Mays, apply early August (even if top 10%). And don’t go test optional. Pad that application with as much details as possible.
For all other majors… still apply in August. We hear about it every year from those that apply in October & November that they wished they knew. That admissions said it was fine to apply by the deadline. It is not. I mean you may still get in, but you probably won’t hear til March and you may not get your desired major.
So please… for the people in the back… apply early! Send test scores (but not all if you don’t want to). Get your SRAR done soon and correctly. Ask for LoRs from the most influential person you have. A teacher rec Will carry little value. A scout master for an Eagle Scout will be strong. Just an example. LoRs are not required. Tamu only allows 2 to be sent.
Tell your student to spend the month of June writing and editing their essay. In July, write the short answer responses. In august apply.
Does anyone know when they can complete their SRAR?
SRAR can be worked on all through high school! I have SRAR accounts opened for both sons (CO 2023 and 2025) and each semester they get updated. They just connect it to TAMU when apps open.
You’re awesome. Thank you. This all started after my son. I had to go the old fashioned route of keeping a spreadsheet throughout my kiddos high school years.
I have more than one spreadsheet too with very detailed calculations for GPA, potential GPA, actual GPA, etc LOL The SRAR isn’t that bad if you have access to their transcript.
Fortunately the same SRAR is also used to apply to LSU and Penn State, which are also on our list.
This is a bit early, however, for everyone planning on applying just know that they day you submit your application on Coalition or Apply Texas is not the day your application is completed. Only once you receive the link to be able to access your AIS information along with actually completing the SRAR will your application be acknowledged as completed. So if you submit your application early don’t push off doing the SRAR as it would defeat the purpose of applying early. If waiting to apply (not recommended) don’t wait until the last possible day to apply as your application will be marked incomplete without the SRAR which takes up to 24 hours to acknowledge completion after submission.
Hope this makes you feel better - my son TAMU '25 was National Merit, 36 ACT and not in the top quartile, though his school did not rank. Admissions assigned him a top quartile rank. He applied in early November and was accepted within 2 weeks.
He had a great Freshman year - taking advantage of every opportunity I’ll add that I would absolutely have had him apply earlier - knowing what I now know.
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Just FYI we spoke to an admissions rep this morning and they aren’t totally sure they will be ready with the Common App this August 1st. There are some glitches that are still to be worked out. Sounds to me like we’ll be sticking with Apply Texas or Coalition. Kind of a bummer since I think LSU uses the Common App and it sounds like sending Letters of Rec is more straightforward there.
Question!
How can you get your LORs and transcript by August 1st if school employees return to work only on August 8th? My daughter let the school counselor and teachers know that she is going to start applying early, but I’m not sure if it makes any difference. Can somebody please enlighten me?
You don’t need to turn in LoR at time if application. It’s optional. You’ll upload them to your AIS portal (applicant information system) after you get your UIN (his Tamu id number).
Additional documents aren’t due til mid December typically. And you can still have a complete app without a LOR. Do not wait on these.
Most schools should Give transcript end of junior year not beginning of senior year. But one or two weeks into August won’t be a deal breaker.
I was supposed to take the SAT tomorrow, June 4. However, something came up and I will have to reschedule for the August 27th test. Will this affect me in admissions? I plan on sending in my application to A&M on the day it opens, August 1st, but my scores probably won’t possibly be ready until after August 27th.
I’ve already taken the SAT once, and I don’t like the score that I got, hence why i’m retaking it. Am I screwed?
Aug 27th test will have the score on September 9. But note that it may take up to two weeks for TAMU to receive it and process it. That will likely push your records to third week of September.
Depends on the major you are going to apply, and your current class rank. For engineering, that’s still ok. For business, if your class rank is top 10% it is ok. If outside top 10%, and if your SAT scores is strong (1400+) it is still ok. Note that many here still suggest submit the first week of August and have everything completed by end of August or early September.
I intend to apply to neuroscience/biology. My school also doesn’t rank. Should I just send the score that I already have to A&M and then send the August 27th score when those come in?
If there is an opportunity to take the ACT sooner, go for it. You might do better on it - you never know if you don’t try. Based on the past two years admission cycles, having a “good” test score as part of your application is a huge advantage. Hard to say what good is - might be 1300 or 1400 depending on an applicants overall application - but keep trying and take as many tests as possible if you are a review candidate
Applying august and then linking new score in September is still solid timing especially for your intended major. Tamu will rank you based on gpa and school attended. What is your GPA?
Yes! Good point. Also for top 10% in state, it isn’t complete until the transcript is sent too. It took like 5 days or so for them to receive the transcript. During that week, an A&M admissions officer actually emailed my daughter with a reminder to send it and let her know without it she would go to wholistic review.
This happened to my daughter too. Her app wasn’t fully complete until the tuesday after labor day because of this. She was still accepted in the first wave. She had everything in the last week of August, except the LOR’s and transcript, which she got in the next week. She needed to submit the transcript since she was applying as in state top 10% auto admit. I know LOR’s don’t carry much weight for admissions and mine was auto admit but we thought it might help for the scholarships since the same app is used for incoming freshman academic scholarship consideration.