Top 10% Question

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

<p>I live in Texas. I'm in the top 5% of my class, and I am planning to apply to UT - Austin. I am confused, though. To which school am I automatically accepted into under the top10% rule? I would like to get into engineering-honors or McCombs(not-honors), but I am not sure they fall under the top 10% rule. So if I apply to these schools, and am not accepted, will I still be accepted into the university, and just not any colleges? How would this work?</p>

<p>Thanks, any answers/input appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Top 10% gets you admitted to the university, but not necessarily to any specific major. Engineering and business are both more competitive than other colleges, especially the business school. I'm not sure what their specific admissions statistics are, but top ten percent does not guarantee admission to engineering or business. You would automatically be admitted to either liberal arts or natural science. There may be other areas, but those two for sure.</p>

<p>If you were not accepted to engineering or business, you do have the option of transferring in after your freshman year.</p>

3

<p>Thanks Fiyero, but sorry just one more time for clarification. On the application I can pick two colleges I want to apply to. So if I pick Engineering Honors and Regular Business, and am rejected from both, am I still accepted into LA/NS, even though I did not put either of those colleges on my app?</p>

4

<p>If you are denied from both you will be placed a spot in the liberal arts college probably as an undeclared major. If this happens though it is not the end of the road in terms of getting into the program you want. Internally transferring is fairly easy with a good GPA, maybe not easy but at least you have a shot if you are not accepted your freshman year.</p>

5

<p>thank you schism, precisely the information I was looking for! :)</p>

6

<p>In the past they would have probably put you into Liberal Arts, Undeclared, but I think this changes for the current applicants.</p>

<p>
[quote]
The University of Texas at Austin Establishes New School of Undergraduate Studies
May 29, 2008 </p>

<p>AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has established a new School of Undergraduate Studies as a college-level academic unit reporting to the executive vice president and provost.</p>

<p>The School of Undergraduate Studies will be led by Professor Paul B. Woodruff, who became inaugural dean of undergraduate studies in fall 2006. It will be the initial home for students who choose not to select another college or school before the beginning of the first year and for those who are admitted to the university but not into the majors they have chosen. The school will offer special advising resources to help new students explore potential majors before making a selection and to support continuing students who are considering a change of major.</p>

<p>The School of Undergraduate Studies will accept its first cohort of students in fall 2009.</p>

<p>The School of Undergraduate Studies will develop a new central advising center, the Center for Strategic Advising, which will work closely with other advising units across campus. This center, supported by the new Jamail Endowment for Excellence in Advising, will collaborate with the Bridging Disciplines Programs, Signature Courses, First-year Interest Groups and the Office of Undergraduate Research, to provide students with opportunities to explore their academic and career interests.</p>

<p>"This is an important change in the way the university interacts with undergraduate students, and we have been careful to seek the input of faculty, students, staff and alumni at every stage," said William Powers Jr., president of the university. "I believe we have an opportunity in the School of Undergraduate Studies to show that a large research university can attend to the needs of individual students as well as a small, private institution."</p>

<p>"I look forward to leading the new School of Undergraduate Studies," said Woodruff. "In collaboration with the other UT colleges and schools, I believe we can build a program that complements the outstanding work of faculty and academic advisers across campus."</p>

<p>The creation of a new central administrative entity to oversee undergraduate education and to advise undeclared students has been recommended by a number of university committees, including the Doluisio Committee on Undergraduate Education (1989), the Bean Committee on the Undergraduate Experience (1991) and the Task Force on Curricular Reform (2005). The task force was convened to recommend an implementation plan for the first strategic initiative of the university's Commission of 125: to develop a new undergraduate core curriculum to better prepare students for lives of accomplishment.</p>

<p>For more information, contact: Robin Gerrow, Office of Public Affairs, 512-232-2145; Lara Harlan, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, 512-475-7374 or 512-475-7000; Cale McDowell, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, 817-939-8484.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Here's the link where this information came from:
The</a> University of Texas at Austin Establishes New School of Undergraduate Studies</p>

7

<p>Hmmm, that's interesting. Thanks for the information!!</p>

<p>Hey, how's your daughter doing? I hope she's enjoying Austin!!</p>

8

<p>
[Quote]
You would automatically be admitted to either liberal arts or natural science.

[/Quote]
</p>

<p>So, is Natural Science not very competitive at UT? </p>

<p>What is the most uncompetitive major?</p>

9

<p>probably geosciences if i had to guess</p>

10

<p>Or education. I've heard from a number of sources that this is a backdoor into UT, but with this new "undeclared liberal arts" thing - New School of Undergraduate Studies - this might be the "easiest" if you want to call it that.</p>

11

<p>i'm pretty sure neither engineering nor business will consider you unless you put either one of them as your first-choice major on the applytexas application. </p>

<p>also, this is a link to their description of how to get into business. there is a note on there about how admissions to "restricted programs" (such as business or engineering) is determined. they, basically, go down the applicant pool, admitting the top 1% first, then top 2%, then top 3%, etc. until 75% of their freshman class at that school is full. the remaining applicants compete for their places based on the regular admissions criteria. </p>

<p>Business</a> - Freshmen | Be a Longhorn | UT Austin</p>

<p>what i'm not sure about is whether the "top 1%, 2%, etc." is determined relative to the applicant pool or whether it's determined based on the applicants' percantile rank relative to their own graduating class of seniors. can someone please clarify this?</p>

12

<p>It's based on the class rank. They fill 80% of the spots based on highest class rank (usually cuts off about 3-4%) and then 20% using other criteria as well.</p>