“public universities not just ut, give advantages to certain groups of students” go figure
Does asking for financial aid put you at a disadvantage if OOS?
@bayougal the honors review is completely separate from the admissions review, and (depending on which honors program you applied to), can come as late as mid-March. The timeline for notification isn’t definitive, and tends to change from year-to-year. You’ll see a notification in MyStatus (in the honors tab) when a decision is made. You’ll also receive an email notification, and for most (if not all) honors programs, a letter in the mail.
@icedmachiato I call them as I see them, and address aspects of admissions that there are frequently misconceptions about. If you don’t like it-- don’t read. Your upset at information is then resolved. 
There are aspects about the UT (and a couple of other university) admissions processes that I know concretely, and those are the things that I address. For example, the widespread myth of the “competitive school” and “the only reason I wasn’t in the top-whatever-%” that pervade UT and TAMU forums. MOST people come to these forums because they want information, or to better understand the process, or to share information, or to commiserate. I share the information that I’ve learned and know to be true. I realize it can be upsetting for those who want the process to be tailored to their or their student’s strengths, but I yield on the side of facts, not fantasy.
I don’t have to twist yours or anyone else’s words. I address the issues, questions, assertions-- whatever that are posted in this public forum, if and when I have an answer, a point, or a counter point. And, I do so because I enjoy it.
A few years back, I started reading CC to re-wrap my head around college admissions, and some special aspects of it, to prepare myself for my own student’s journey a little earlier than I’d anticipated having to. My student is very young (for his grade), is a recruited athlete, and is a very high performing honor student (gpa, rank, & test scores). Oh, and an URM. People wrongly imagine that this is some kind of trifecta for college admissions, but here in Texas, sports is king. Before my kid could even wrap his mind around typical high school things, he was being what we’ve dubbed as ‘herded’ by coaches and colleges that were interested in his athletic abilities. But, he’s an intellectual, more than anything. At a very early age, he was frustrated (and so was I) with sports leading the college charge, and all of the surrounding noise. So, I sought the information, and the resources to put his journey back on the track that most fulfills him. The kind and helpful advice of the people here on CC helped a lot.
Then, I got an amazing, but very unexpected (albeit timely) opportunity to see and gain insights into how the college admission review processes actually work from the university perspectives, at least for a few Texas universities. It was eye-opening, some of the things that I thought vs. the realities were startling. It also brought home for me that Texas is its own special beast, LOL! Here, in a couple of of the Texas forums on CC, the annual meltdown (frequently cruel and hateful things based on misconceptions about how admissions actually work vs. how some think/want it to work) brews and boils over year-after-year. I don’t like when hard working students get attacked and put down, mostly by parents who can’t cope with normal stressors and disappointment.
So, you may not like the answers that I give, or the aspects of admissions that I choose to comment on. That’s perfectly okay (again, don’t read). I’m not participating to feed your perceptions or misconceptions. I’m participating to pay it forward. I’ll share what I know, what I’ve learned, and continue to cheer for the applicants. Angst and facetious rebuttals will only result in misinformation, and misconceptions being corrected.
Some of us would call that, “leveling the playing field.”
@ash980123 UT Austin practices need blind admissions, but they don’t meet full need. So, asking for financial aid won’t put you at a disadvantage for admissions. But, if meeting need is critical, UT Austin isn’t known for being generous in that regard.
any thoughts on OOS releases?
People, I get that this is a very stressful process. It’s hard when we don’t know whether our kids are going to get into their top choice program. But let’s all show each other a little grace.
Some people have inside knowledge - they might know people in admissions, they might be working with a college consultant that knows people is admissions. Some of us are just bold enough to call admissions and get straight answers from them and show up for no less than five information panels at UT! We then come here to share the information. That doesn’t make us ‘know it alls’ - for some of us the posting comes from a drive to help others and also provide perspective. Just because that is not what would motivate you, does not mean that it doesn’t motivate others.
There’s a lot of anxiety (and projection) coming across on this board. A lot of that is the result of distorted thinking and expectations. That’s not an insult, we all fall prey to it because we are human beings. The worry and anxiety are not going to change what happens, instead it will only keep us up at night. So let go. If the applications are in, they are in admissions files on someone’s desk and out of our hands. There’s nothing left to do.
Whatever happens, have faith that your son or daughter can roll with the decision. During difficult periods, our kids look to us to set and example. Let’s be strong, let’s tell them that no matter what happens they are going to be fine and they are going to make the best of the next four years where ever they land.
My son is waiting to hear on his honors program. I think at this point, he’s not likely to get in even though his stats are very strong, he has an interesting backstory, and he had a great interview (he’s done enough interviewing in his life to know when something goes great and when something doesn’t - part of his ‘interesting backstory’). The reality is that super competitive programs at UT and some other schools have an expectation that these teens are fully formed and know exactly what they want to do at 14-17- I don’t think that’s realistic, but they are looking for how your high school experiences demonstrate an interest in that particular major. That means kids with perfect SATs and perfect GPAs (not claiming my kid has either so please don’t accuse me of being ‘bragadoccio’) are not going to get exactly what they want because they don’t have the right ECs. And that’s okay. Maybe that means they go to another school that gives them time to find themselves, maybe that means they go to UT and try to transfer in, maybe that means they don’t get accepted at all. But that’s not a failure and there is no shame in that.
I am in my fifties (I am an older parent) and I have watched the way secondary education has dramatically shifted over the past three decades. Parents and schools are making the college admissions process a living hell for young people. If you move on over to Reddit page you will read absolute anguish in the posts of 17/18 year olds who did everything ‘right’, sacrificing sleep and time to just sit and think and figure out who they are, because they were convinced that if they just took the maximum number of APs to maximize rank, spent Saturdays doing test prep, and participated in ECs to add to a resume, they would get exactly what the wanted. Yet many with over 1500 SATs and top 1% -2% status auto admits, still didn’t get in to their preferred majors. This is no way to spend adolescence. Also the adults in their lives gave them a false sense of security. There are risks in life - things don’t always go the way we hope.
There’s a great documentary called “Race to Nowhere” – I watched in when my kid was in 8th grade. I chose to pull him out of this rat race. We valued sleep and time to explore over ‘achievement’ for the sake of college admissions. I have no regrets. If that means he doesn’t get into his top choice program, that’s what it means.
Because tone is not clear over the internet, please read this in the spirit it was intended, not as a finger wagging, rather as an invitation to join me and take a step back from the madness. Breathe deeply, have confidence in your young people, and adopt a new perspective. You will sleep better, you will feel better, and ultimately you will be setting a great example for your kids about how to weather the vicissitudes of life. Peace.
@rola23 I would think they’d be this week at some point. But that might just be me being optimistic and hopeful.
Good luck to everyone this week. praying that your child hears positive news. If not, it is not the end of the world. There are many great universities out there. Please be sure you have a plan B choice available in case you receive the news you do not want to hear. While it may seem like a failure, it is not. No matter what university your child goes to, it comes down to what they do with it. My oldest stepson had the grades and was accepted to every Ivy League school he applied to. He eventually chose Cornell. He now has his masters degree. My younger stepson was a B/C student in high school, tried a community college for one year, but did not like it. His biggest traits were his work ethnic and personality. He currently makes 4 times more than my oldest “Ivy League graduate” step son, he has his own business, just purchased his home, travels extensively, etc. Life still comes down to what you make of it… Wishing everyone the best!
This forum is for students and parents to share information and get insights and feedbacks on their chances of being admitted to their dream universities. It is a very important decision for most of the families hence a very stressful process for all.
The parents on this forum are trying their best they know how to get a better ideas whether their kids have a chance. They provide “stats” that’s available to them, rankings, SAT, ACT scores, ECs, and may be some relevant/irrelevant facts and information…
But in NO WAY the students and parents on this forum are trying to drum up drama EVERY SINGLE YEAR or make up definitions of strengths/weakness as one has alluded to. And definitely, nobody thinks since they are in a certain school districts their kids are “more smart” and “more wonderful” than others kids. That view have absolutely no basis whatsoever !!
Some might have better insights about the admission process than others since they have read more or talked to admissions more than most. But that doesn’t give them the rights to put down others opinions or shout out other views or disparage parents’ opinions of their kids chances. No matter how informed one is, their view is not the singular truth of how UT admission works.
Instead of criticism, encouragement and empathy should be the key words here …
I don’t think the parents are drumming up drama. Maybe venting frustration. I do appreciate those that are giving insights to the admission process and timeline. I wish I had known about this website before my child started High School. Regardless, I do appreciate the timeline of decisions and learning lots.
We are still waiting on a decision and hoping a full admit is on the way for us.
Seriously, most of the students are waiting for their decisions for almost 3 months!!! Hate this process of waavvvessssss!!!
I hate the wait, too, but my son also has some big-boy private schools on his list that don’t even offer Early Action. He’ll be waiting for those until end of March. So, consider ourselves lucky that Texas is end of January and that some lucky people get to hear before that. Perspective.
My daughter is still “under review”. She has great stats and goes to a competitive school. Some of her friends found out they were admitted last Friday. I know there is a good chance we will hear something by the end of this week. What I am hearing, however, is that only a few acceptances will now be offered with the majority being rejected or CAP/PACE. Is that what you guys are also hearing?
From Texadmissions.com
UPDATE 4 January 13, 2020: There are three Fridays remaining (Jan 17, 24, and 31) until February 1. UT historically releases decisions on Friday afternoons. Last year, UT released a large batch of favorable admissions decisions (January 18, 2019) one Friday followed by mostly rejections/CAP offers and only a handful of admits the following Friday (January 25, 2019).
@drjay71 it’s a good point of reference, but keep in mind that if you go by how many Fridays there are in the month, then this year could be a large batch of favorable admissions on 1/24 and the mostly rejections/CAP offers are 1/31. So let’s stay positive!
OOS - check your status…
OOS JUST GOT INTO MCCOMBS!!!
IBDP Candidate
32 ACT
95.15 wGPA
Accepted to Moody Film TV and Radio about 10 minutes ago.
32 ACT
oos
3.58 UW 4.04 Weighted
Really surprised and super happy. UT is my #2. I thought my chances were low due to my GPA but I was proved wrong.
Good luck everyone!
anyone from COLA OOS hear?