<p>I go to a very small but extremely competitive private school. I have a 4.4 gpa but that only gets me in the top 20%. Does UT consider this because it is my #1 choice and I really dont know what I would do if I dont get in. Do they consider like school size because it would be a shame if some hick gets in from a small town because his school is easy.......</p>
<p>thats the problem with the top ten percent rule and part of the reason they’re changing it…im sure they consider it. because I got to a very competitive high school and we have many ppl outside the 10% be accepted into UT…but u mite just be out of luck</p>
<p>I went to a small and competitive private school and my school did not rank. I was accepted to McCombs. One of my high school classmates with a GPA of 3.3UW (probably in the bottom 25% of our class) was admitted. He scored a 1420 M/V on the SAT, which is high, by UT standards. I think the SAT score is what got him in. </p>
<p>My best advice to you is to score > 1400 M/V on the SAT. If you can do that, you shouldn’t have a problem. They will consider school size and the rigor of the school by looking at your school profile. </p>
<p>It also will depend on the brand name of your private school, believe it or not. UT admits many non-top 10% students from St. Marks, Hockaday, St. Johns, Jesuit, and other top private schools. </p>
<p>It is my theory that UT has a secret quota for admissions from these schools, though they can’t explicitly say so, they understand that many of these kids could be the sons and daughters of wealthy alumni or influential people, so they will often admit many students. At my former HS, you can certainly find many influential families. Dell’s kids? The UT athletic director’s grandkids? Attending my old HS. And typically, students from good private schools tend to have stellar SAT scores. The average SAT scores at my HS are higher than UT’s average. But in the end, money talks. Just not directly :)</p>
<p>However, the number of students UT admitted from my HS dropped dramatically the few years. I wonder if this is the result of the overcrowding due to the top 10% law or is it the result of the yield from our HS being extremely low (every top student uses UT as a safety). Food for thought. </p>
<p>I have some friends who are “hicks from easy small town high schools” and I find the term you used fairly insulting. Please be a little more polite, pretty please 
I will honestly admit that those friends seemed ill prepared for college, due to lack of academic rigor/opportunity at their schools.</p>
<p>What’s shameful is your attitude.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best at your #2 choice,</p>
<p>UT Hick From The Sticks</p>
<p>You are so wrong about preferential treatment. Every marque public state university learned from the University of Illinois. The president was fired for exactly that!!!</p>
<p>I don’t think UT does it for individuals, like UI did, but it might do a group risk hedge, to a certain extent. And if UT does in fact do this for individuals, well frankly, I’d be appalled. They admit many students from those schools (the majority of students are well qualified in terms of grades/SAT, besides) because the possibility of donors/influential individuals is large. </p>
<p>But anyways, to the original poster, if you can score 1400+ M/V, then you will be absolutely fine. If you are being recruited for football, well, then 900 will do…</p>