<p>I am ranked 6th from the Coppell district, which is very competitive. I had considered UT to be my safety school (the other schools I'm applying to are high risk: Duke, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, University of Michigan Ann Harbor, UC Berkeley)</p>
<p>And now someone told me that the top10% rule was taken out of Texas this year. Can someone confirm this? That means that UT is no longer a safety school for anyone.</p>
<p>No, the rule is still in effect as the changes did not pass. It will probably not be brought up again for 2 years.</p>
<p>yah and they werent going to abolish it....just cut it to 7% at Ut...</p>
<p>I wonder if removing the 10% rule at UT would make it an overall better school in terms of academics, prestige, etc</p>
<p>What effect would having a smarter student body have?.. I mean maybe academics would go up if the professors rose to the occasion and taught at a higher level, but honestly the only thing I could see happening is a lower drop out rate, and UT having more impact in the world. Maybe in the long term it would make it more prestigious, but I really couldn't see it improving academically.</p>
<p>"That means that UT is no longer a safety school for anyone."</p>
<p>This is a silly statement coming from a guy of your academic profile. If you can be competitive for admissions to Stanford, then yes, UT Austin is a safety school for you regardless of Texas laws. A safety school is something you KNOW you can get into. If you're not sure that you can get into UT, then you definately shouldn't apply to the other schools.</p>
<p>I would forget about Harvard if I were you since being from Texas, you probably won't like it there and you pretty much have to save the world before you can get accepted. I think Stanford would be a better choice. I don't know why anyone from Texas would want to go to UC Berkeley, though.</p>
<p>Out of all the schools you posted, I'd choose UT with Stanford being second.</p>
<p>Foxshox, I think a smarter student body is a deterrent. If you're around really bright kids at a prestigious university, more than likely you're around kids that didn't have very good social lives in high school. I think UT is the best balance as far as a smart student body who knows how to have fun.</p>