<p>Hi there!
I was wondering if anyone on these forums could give me any insight into transferring into UT Austin.
I completed my freshman and sophomore years at University of St. Thomas in Houston. It is a school with a huge core curriculum so it was a bit challenging. (On top of that, I was also in the honors program.)
I managed a 3.25 with 57 hours complete.
After all that, I decided UST simply didn't offer what I wanted. I started looking around and discovered UT's School of Social Work. Wow, just what I wanted!
Well, I realized it was too late to apply for Fall admission. I withdrew from UST because, honestly, if I had attended this fall I'd simply have wasted money on classes with credits that probably wouldn't have transferred to UT (higher level theology and the like.) (There are also a few personal reasons: I have been living on my own, working 40 hours a week and attending school full time. It takes a toll and, had I attempted to do that again this semester, my grades may have sunk lower.) Instead, I am volunteering my time and trying to get a spot as an intern at a law firm.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I have just finished up my application, putting the final touches on my essays and waiting on my recommendation letter, but I just wanted to hear from some of you guys:
Do my chances at getting in seem realistic?
If no, what should I do? Apply to a Community College for spring and try transferring to UT again in Fall? Apply to St. Edwards too?</p>
<p>Also: Is the school of social Work a really popular school? Is it over crowded? Do they actually need more students? (I tried asking these questions to a lovely lady via the phone last week. She didnt know.)</p>
<p>Anyway, thans for your time! (And thanks in advance for being honest y'all.)
Elaine</p>
<p>I think you need to talk to an admissions counselor first and then one of the advisors in the School of Social Work and see if they think this can work for you. </p>
<p>It sounds like you might need to first be admitted to UT and then be admitted to the BSW program in the School of Social Work, which would be a hard two-step procedure for you to do, but maybe it can work differently for transfer students.</p>
<p>If you aren't accepted as a UT transfer student, you have at least four choices:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Keep trying to get into UT and the BSW program there. If you picked up 36 credits at a 4.0 from a community college, for example, your college GPA would increase to above 3.5. I don't know how high they would want to see it for a transfer student. Maybe a 3.25 is fine. (Going to a CC to add a lot of credits does not sound like a good plan for someone who already had 57 credits.)</p></li>
<li><p>Get into a BSW program someplace that is easier to transfer into than UT and less expensive or a better fit for you than St Thomas in Houston.</p></li>
<li><p>Finish your bachelor's degree at St. Thomas in Houston and do an MSW in the school of social work at UT (or elsewhere).</p></li>
<li><p>Finish your bachelor's degree at a less expensive school and do an MSW in the school of social work at UT (or elsewhere).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hey, thanks for the advice!
Kinda confirmed what I was worried about- it seems like along, hard road ahead of me but that's fine. I can take it. (Sort-of makes me regret taking honors classes right now though <em>shakes fist</em>)
The second school at UT that I am applying to is Liberal Arts: Religious Studies. I have quite a bit of theology/phil credit so maybe that will work out. I had the desire to be a non-denominational chaplain for a while... until I discovered they really don't do non-denominational chaplains. Yeah. Put an end to that dream.</p>
<p>(I have a friend from college who is a chaplain at a prison and although he was ordained as a United Methodist minister, he really is functioning as a non-denominational chaplain.)</p>
<p>If you get into UT on your first try, that is great! Just get in there and transfer to the School of Social Work. </p>
<p>If you don't get in on your first try, well, in my opinion, if you want to be a social worker, you are going to need a masters degree eventually, so try to finish your bachelor's as efficiently as possible and start work on that MSW..</p>
<p>Well, I was accepted so yay. :)
If anyone else reads through this and ever has any questions about my transfering in process, just shoot me a message or email me at <a href="mailto:harwell@mail.utexas.edu">harwell@mail.utexas.edu</a></p>
<p>Congratulations!!!</p>