I would pressure them. But keep in mind, LORs are a very small part of the application. It’s optional and they only allow 2.
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Yes. Some school districts here even have a policy where teachers will not write letters of recommendation for school that have an LOR optional policy. My daughter had asked her teachers if they would write a letter and they said yes to let them know what she needed and she decided to wait till she actually needs them to write a letter for a scholarship or if one of the schools does actually require it and give them the info at that time. She is applying to four schools. TAMU is one. I think only one of the schools she is applying to requires an LOR and it has to come from their guidance counselor and be on the college form.
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My daughter will not be an auto-admit, but has already applied. We are at a hyper-competitive high school in state. She is a two year marching band member, two time varsity letterman, started her own business, worked every summer at a second job, over 200 Charity hours including being on the Board 2 years, and executive council for her school’s version of Fish Camp. She has an unweighted 3.5/4.0. Has taken some AP and pre-AP classes, but not a ton. Her test scores won’t help so she won’t be submitting. She also has invested a lot of time in building relationships with professors in her intended major. Any insight on Blinn Team timelines (as realistically this is her only option)? Major is entomology so at least it isn’t Engineering or Business!
Is she top 25%. Team offer come around late January and into February. They may ask if you want to waitlist, considered for team or both. Those that just chose team at that point, seemed to hear pretty quickly. Those that waitlisted… some didn’t hear til March April. It was excruciating.
She isn’t. Our high school ranks based on a 100 point scale. The entire top 25% is well north of a 95 so she is just outside of that. Will still graduate Cum Laude. Absolutely brutal. We have a friend who has her exact rank and AP profile who got Blinn team last year, but for physics. He had almost no extracurriculars, applied Dec. 1, but did have a decent SAT. I have already told her I think she has a less than 10% chance of admissions so the waiting will be brutal. She has applied other places but just loves A&M.
Our school uses Parent Portal instead of Aeries. It shows grades, schedules, and attendance, but not class rank. DS requested his unofficial transcript a while back, and we have been waiting. I asked him about it today, so DS checked his email and said “oh, here it is - came in 4 days ago.” Goodness gracious! He’s not ready for college.
@tristatecoog Callaway House has a pretty wild, party reputation-most are in greek life, and many Blinn students. Not close to Engineering complex at all, but freshman will have classes all over campus.
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Having the same issue with possible 2 week delay. Very frustrating to work so hard to apply early, then get delayed because of system issues. I’m sure the admissions office will be receiving a great deal of email about this.
Has anyone submitted the Admissions Application and then gone back at a later date to complete the Scholarship Application?
The ApplyTexas FAQs state “You may choose to apply for admission first and submit a scholarship application at a later date, as long as it is prior to the scholarship application deadline for the institution for which you are applying.” so it seems like you can, but with all of the bugs we’ve been experiencing on this new app, I don’t have a lot of confidence in it.
The interface isn’t very user-friendly when it shows it in this order:
- Admissions Application
- Scholarship Application
Submit this Application
Its placement implies that “Submit this Application” covers both “Admissions” and “Scholarship.”
My DS isn’t ready to complete the Scholarship Application yet but is worried that if she submits the Admissions Application now, the Scholarship Application won’t be there later.
Edit: Or if you’ve already submitted the Admissions Application, can you log in and see if the Scholarship Application is still there and can be filled out?
My son submitted a complete application on Aug 1 via GoApplyTexas but still hasn’t gotten an email with AIS set up information. I know there are delays, but it seems some that submitted Coalition app have received emails. At what point should he email TAMU admissions about the delay? Or should he email GoApplyTexas? I’m hoping @AggieMomhelp has some good advice.
@heather97 if he ends up getting one by emailing admissions, come back her and let us know please! My daughter also submitted Aug 1.
Another school she applied to on Aug 1 has a more that said Apply Texas apps submitted Aug 1-15 should receive their ID by Aug 16 (but coalition/ common was still 2-3 days) So we are applying that wait time here to TAMU too. But if there’s a way to get it earlier, then I want to know!
What I want to know about the delays is how they impact time-sensative components of the application process. At TAMU, it’s majors with limited entry. At other schools, it’s getting on a housing list. I know some people in my area in Houston who applied last weekend but didn’t use Apply Texas bc they heard issues. So they get bumped before those who submitted a week earlier? The “apply early” mantra was so firmly beat in, that this whole thing is stressing me out now.
My kid, on the other hand, seems fine!!
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We toured A&M last month and we liked White Creek Apartments best. However curious if there is any insight into the “reputation” of it. Someone above asked about Callaway House and someone said it was a party dorm. We like the features of White Creek. What is it like living there?
Girlfriend lived at White Creek our soph. year, 2019-20. She really liked it. It is an on-campus apartment, but is not the most convenient for most majors, excluding Mays, potentially Agriculture, and Vet Med. Nobody on campus really pays much attention to the “reputation” of any one place to live (whether on or off-campus). If it fits your budget, is in a good location, and is what you’re looking for, by all means go for it.
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I would call. You’ll probably get a patent answer but it seems like all go apply Texas are in the same boat. This is not going to impact anyone for getting into Tamu to housing. The Uin is for you. The application is already in.
As for time stamp for housing that someone mentioned… that’s based on when you apply for housing and pay deposit in phase 1. This only happens after you’ve been admitted. So there is literally nothing you can do til then.
Y’all I cannot stress this enough…: this is a long and frustrating process for most and definitely more for the parents than students. Hang in there and be proactive but also remember you’re not alone and it’ll all work out. Things are not as big a deal as they seem.
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My son lived there his freshman year. He enjoyed it. The bus system is great so never an issue getting to main campus. Bikes are great to have too. The white creek community center is extremely convenient and beneficial. West campus library is close too. All in all, good spot and spacious apt. No reputation that I’ve heard of.
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Thanks for the feedback on Callaway. I assumed this student chose Callaway because it has a great reputation for a “just off campus” dorm. The one at UT – also heavily Greek – is booked a year in advance so some may book at A&M based on similar reputation. I asked whether it was close to the engineering school and the parent said not really. However, the complex will pack you a lunch so you can take it and be away all day which makes things efficient.
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My Daughter submitted on Aug 1 as well. She is top 10%. However, we were not able to pay on Apply Texas. It said we could pay on A&M’s website however with no UIN it has been over a week so I am getting nervous about the application not being recognized without payment. Should I call and pay over the phone? Anyone else not able to pay?
I did get a reply from my daughter’s guidance counselor and A&M admissions office. The top 10% do need to have an official transcript submitted from the high school. They can’t just upload their copy into AIS. They said to follow the procedures of the high school to request an official transcript and have it sent twice-now while applying and then later after graduation.
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Hi @O_Munroe ,
My daughter called the next day and submitted her payment by phone. There is a phone number you can call on TAMU’ How To Apply page. They only asked for the application number. She didn’t have it with her bc we were away from home when she finally got through, but they were able to find her by name/DOB. You don’t need the EIN to mature a payment by phone.
At that point, it was Aug 2, and many in the same boat, so it took her several attempts at calling throughout the day to get through.
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For anyone who may need it (and to save a trip to the Admissions website), the phone number for Fee Processing within the Office of Admissions is (979) 458-5155.
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