University of Texas at Austin Class of 2024 Admissions / Preparation

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
761

We haven’t even reached the Priority decision date yet, so there’s no reason to not have hope. I assume that your daughter applied to UT Austin for a reason. Presumably, she found fit, so give UT the opportunity to holistically review her, and see if they find both fit, and space. That some students find out early is not an indicator of your student’s status.

Your daughter can’t be an auto admit, because (as you indicated) she’s OOS. Auto admit status is only for in-state residents. She seems to have great “stats”, but those are only a few of the data points that UT will evaluate in a full holistic review, they’re important data points, of course, but there are others that are equally as ‘very important’, and still others that are important. Don’t get too caught up in the “stats” (very hard here on CC). You’ll drive yourself crazy trying to understand a very skewed and limited view of how your student does/doesn’t compare to other applicants. And the view that parents and students have is exceedingly different from the view that UT admissions has.

Engineering is an impacted major, as it is nearly every where. UT looks for, among many other things, math and science readiness and STEM aptitude, and potential. What a lot of people frequently overlook is that they also look for strength in other categories that are greatly influenced by business and industry trends an demands. Things that might not be on your radar of attributes, but that UT will look for in your daughters application & supplements.

If you’ve followed this thread, you know that your daughter has a very low chance of admission, because she’s from OOS. That’s not a judgement about your daughters qualifications, viability, or potential for success, that’s just the reality of applying to OOS flagships, and statutory requirements. If she’s admitted, she’ll probably be admitted to her major. OOS students aren’t likely to be considered for a 2nd choice. It happens sometimes, but chances are low.

Still, she has a chance. If her whole application was very strong and compelling, if her supplements and writing was strong and convincing, if she was able to persuasively convey her “why UT” then she has as good a chance as it can get for an OOS applicant. Stop worrying. She did her best, and put her best application forward. The ball is in UT’s court now, and a most, you have a few more weeks to wait.

I’m wishing her luck! And, please, keep us posted!

762

I guess I don’t get what the upset is about. UT was very clear and transparent about the Priority Notification date. The opportunity to find out earlier than February 1st is an extra that I can absolutely promise you many people appreciate. My student understood the requirements and deadline, applied well ahead of the priority deadline, found out about his admission early, his admission to his major early, and his admission to honors early. He is not, in the least, insulted. Getting his decision earlier than what he had a right to expect was the gravy. IF he’d had to wait until January 31st/Feb 1st, he was fully prepared to do that, even knowing that his decision could have been deferred to March 1st. Because, UT was clear about that, and he knew what to expect.

It’s become common practice for universities to ‘encourage’ applicants to pay a non-refundable housing deposit, even ahead of admission. What it’s not, is required. You don’t have to pay it. You can wait until an admission decision.

Because UT practices holistic admissions, I cannot even remotely fathom a reason why your two-phased approach to admissions would be desirable for them. And, I can’t think of a reason why any university would not want to drive up their applicant numbers, increasing geographic & intellectual diversity as much as possible in the applicant pool, AND increasing the amount of revenue from submitted applications. I’d personally question UT’s sanity and business savvy if they didn’t. :smiley:

You make it sound as though you believe that your student has made a mistake in applying to another state’s subpar (by your description) flagship. Ultimately, you likely hold the purse strings. You could simply tell your student that UT Austin is a no-go, and your student can apply for & accept offers from what you believe are higher quality universities with admission practices that meet your expectations. Meanwhile, the very large pool of Texas residents, along with OOS & internationals who want a spot, found fit, and understood the admission timeline will endure.

763

Yes, students who were denied first and second choice majors have until 1-20 to choose fallback major.

764

@nomatter, thank you!
Some more partial info from same HS to share about UT CS admission:

  1. A classmate of DD20 was also admitted to CS a while ago, with rank 12/700, instate AA, but SAT less than 1400.
  2. A student last year was also admitted to UT CS with 5%， instate AA, SAT 1590, school coding club chair, but no scholarship, went to TAMU.
765

@nomatter
Several of your statements are peculiar, and some even presumptuous. That aside, nowhere did I state that UT is subpar…if that was the case, my child would not have applied there as they are an extremely competitive applicant. Indeed, I stated that UT was a public elite. Apparently and understandingly, IS parents/applicants are very defensive (and some quite arrogant) of UTs application process (AA and holistic), but there is no need to be; there just needs to be a better understanding of the OOS perspective, which could influence a better experience for the OOS applicant.

766

@bh8690 Some words speak louder than others. What impression were you trying to leave…? I didn’t presume further than the reach of your (above) statements.

I’m not being defensive, and I have no need to be. I’m being “realist”. While we are in-state, we’re not Texas natives, barely here long enough to be considered in-state. My student’s (original) top choice was our ‘home’ state flagship, University of Michigan, where he’s been accepted as well. UT’s Plan II program & the eclectic and quirky urban atmosphere of Austin spoke to him, and may have swayed him to the Longhorn side. But, he has several amazing offers to choose from, three here in Texas, and five OOS (a mix of public and private). All are a fit for him with regard to academics & aspirations, social, location, and athletic opportunities. None were chosen from the US News or Forbes lists.

One thing that I absolutely don’t care about (and you can read my many, admittedly soapbox, posts on the matter) is “prestige” and rankings. I’m a very strong advocate of finding real fit, without looking for it at the bottom of the prestige crackerjack box. Luckily, I’ve probably got the most laid back kid on the planet, who probably has no idea where any college is ranked.

I understand the ratcheting anxiety of the wait. College admission season is its own brand of high-stakes stress. But, we will have to agree to disagree on the “transparency for OOS applicants”. UT published the notification dates. If you weren’t hyper aware of other applicants learning of their admissions decisions earlier than the published deadline it’s quite probable that you’d just be ‘anxiously waiting’ vs. ‘anxiously waiting’ and accusing UT of lack of transparency + other remarks. We’ve not even reached the official notification date, so why would any priority applicant be upset and critical of not hearing? UT told you; You’ll receive a decision by February 1st or a deferral to March 1st. It’s only January 19th. That some applicants have heard already should mean nothing to you/your applicant. I think UT, along with the other universities that my student applied to were all very clear in their admissions timelines. Most importantly, I think that (given the volume of applications), it’s a really good thing that UT chooses to notify students when admission review is complete and a firm decision has been made, ahead of the deadline.

767

@nomatter
Now you’re bordering on pontificating … you’re not the only person who has a keen understanding of the application process. Conversation does not implicate anxiety. Congrats to your son, enjoy his successes.

768

@bh8690 Everyone has a threshold for what annoys them to be sure (I sure as heck do), and are entitled to their opinions.

Much luck to your daughter as well! :smile:

769

I was having a conversation with a friend in another state recently and we both agree that the internet has made the college application process much more stressful than when we were teens. The best thing I did was suggest to my teen to give up these boards. He doesn’t need to know who is in when and where - he will get his notifications when they come. Comparing oneself or one’s kid to other applicants can detrimental to both the kid and the parent. I feel like the “Chance Me’s” can lead to false expectations and can make a rejection sting even harder.

I started hanging around this board a couple of months ago after my son told me about it. Because we live in Austin, we’ve attended many info sessions at UT regarding different majors. I’ve read Kevin Martin’s book about UT Admissions and I have spent a lot of time on the phone with the admissions counselors prior to my son’s application because he’s a non traditionally educated student and so a lot of the information on the website for prospective students didn’t apply to him. Because I contacted them far before deadlines, I was very fortunate to get a substantial amount of information regarding the admissions process because they had time to talk to me. I feel like the admissions people have been very transparent and even very helpful.

I figure that information I have gleaned over the last couple of years might be helpful to other parents and students here.

1 Like
770

yes, my daughter has not heard either. Applied by priority deadline and has pretty high stats. Applied to Moody. Still says under review, i guess means she has not yet been rejected.

771

@Jennibc I absolutely love your insights! Your contributions are immeasurable to this community. I also think that your son’s unique and inspiring background is a great help for people trying to wrap their minds around the notion of holistic admissions. Your insights are always factual, thoughtful, and greatly add to the collective knowledge of the community!

772

Don’t know if anyone has any insight into my question but was wondering… If DS accepts admission now will it hurt his chance for placement into honors since they know he is already committed? He has been accepted to CS and in review for Turing, CSB and Dean’s. Kind of like we already got ya so we don’t need to hook you with honors… I hope that made sense…

773

@kmacrna I doubt it makes any difference at all.

774

@kmacrna Might actually be the other way around. Accepting means he is clearly interested and won’t go to another school, which means they can count on him to fill the spot if they offered him to any of those honors schools.

775

@kmacrna The honors review is completely separate from the admissions review, so the honors decision makers won’t know if you’ve already accepted your admissions offer or not. It won’t matter. If it’ll make you feel better, my son accepted his offer the day he was admitted, and was accepted to one honors program two days later. Honors program 2 is still pending review.

776

@nomatter, @HokieCrazy , @Jennibc - Thank you all for your perspectives and insight.

777

I was accepted In-state, non-auto admit Mccombs last week and I also applied to three honors programs. How long does it typically take to hear from honors programs following an acceptance? Also, do honors programs send out rejection notifications?

778

You’re really good at taking a post, twisting it into your way and going off. Disregarded all the mentioned facts, twisted and went off your way. Like when you responded to my other post, your response is totally unrelated to the post you quoted. I wasn’t even arguing for my son. I have not said anything about those things you mentioned in your response. If you read the forum and spend time on here as much as you seem like, you should know that. Everything I say is very objective. If anything I argue, I argue about the process and how they, aka public universities not just ut, give advantages to certain groups of students. In case you didn’t notice, I decided not to respond to your replies. You seem to have a strong believe that you know how the (ut) admission works. And whatever ut does is right. Why so? Have you wondered? Have you read your own posts?

779

One thing that’s for sure is that this College Confidential site is chock-full of prima donnas. The braggadocio is everywhere - as are the experts.

780

LOL