Thank you so much for the advice. I will definitely have my daughter apply to UTSA tonight directly. It looks like she should be auto admit to the Engineering school directly after looking at UTSA website. So crossing my fingers!
I’ve been following this thread for awhile, but this is my 1st time posting. Was happy to receive a PACE offer last night since my intended major is within the College of Education. I’ll be trying to learn more about the program over the next few days, but if anyone has insight (positive or negative), I’d love to hear it. The only thing that makes me nervous is the competition for spots when the portal opens on 2/6.
As the parent of a daughter that was rejected to her first and second choice majors (Mechanical and Aerospace engineering), I have many of the same feelings. She worked her tail off to be top 4%, took all the hard math, physics, and engineering classes, did an extra program through NASA, and was well-rounded in many other ways. She had a 1450 SAT, which is lower than many others who were rejected. I think the top 6% rule and holistic admission are good things- as there are many kids from the “wrong” zip codes that have not had the advantages that kids from the “right” zip codes have had. The thing about kids from the “right” zip codes is that they most certainly have other options. No doubt all these kids will land in a place where they can thrive if they put in the effort to do so. It is hard to have a dream crushed, but haven’t all of us continued on with our lives in the best way possible, despite everything not working out as we initially hoped?
@19MMM89, were you offered PACE or CAP last night??? PACE is automatic once you accept it. It’s different then CAP. CAP students will go to other state universities like UTSA, UTEP, ATArington (UTD not included), before potential transfer to UT Austin.
PACE students take most of their freshman classes, a couple of blocks away from UT campus, at the Austin Community College. (ACC), as well as 1 or 2 classes on UT campus. You are considered a UT student with all it’s privileges, including Dorms, Games etc. It’s a 1 year program that allows transfer into COLA and other non Business/Engineering/CNS majors. It’s similar to TAMU Blinn program.
This is when I knew it was over for us … when I started seeing acceptances of OOS people with lower stats by far. I thought wow, if they’re giving away the OOS acceptances already, they must be done with IS offers. Sad but true fact. We’ll never know the “personal challenge story” they wrote about in their essay or if they were an URM or first in family/first gen. That could be the only thing that changes the equity of what we think we see in the numbers as being unfair. Last night is like a nightmare though, that I keep reliving; every time I forget about it and then remember it again. We have 2 other offers with more likely coming so it’s not that she won’t have a home but darn it why do I have to ship my kid oos to go to a school on her choice list. I know that our state’s rapid population growth hasn’t helped things and UT can’t just keep taking more in enrollment since they are an urban location, land locked, and can’t just keep building new buildings and taking more kids like other campuses, but shoot, it burns. Can’t imagine the pain the alumni families are feeling about their legacy taking a fork in the road. You all have my sympathy too.
I was offered both, but am only interested in PACE. Email says I can’t complete & submit the PACE agreement until 7p on 2/6 (I confirmed with Admissions).
@19MMM89 , you should be fine. It’s different than the CAP procedure, but still, to be safe, be ready at 6PM. Congrats. Are you planning to take the PACE option??
Rejected. (1st choice Econ, 2nd Business)
OOS
1370 SAT
4.13 Weighted GPA
Solid ECs/ Leadership/ Sports
Could have done a better job on supplements…
OK, thanks! I’m hoping to hear back from one last school before making a final decision, but I loved UT after touring it, so I am definitely leaning towards PACE at this point. It seems to be a small, somewhat new program so I just can’t find a whole lot about it online beyond the basics. I’ll keep searching. Thanks again for your insight!
Rejected OOS McCombs
35 ACT, 1490 SAT, 4.48 W GPA, 4.0 UW GPA, 15 AP’s by end of HS, National Merit Commended Scholar, multiple business extracurriculars, including placing at a state competition for FBLA competition. 4 year athlete, NHS, AP Scholar with Distinction. 14th in my class of 574 people (top 2%). sister goes to UT. I don’t know what happened. They didn’t even email me, I just checked my portal randomly and it was there. Didn’t apply early.
Interestingly, the strongest applicants (who are overwhelmingly OOS) get rejected …
wow.
Pace is a great option!
Basically full admission!
It is the same as Blinn Team at A&M. It is basically full admission, but taking some courses at UT, and the rest at Austin community college usually for the first year, then automatically all classes at UT as long as you complete meet minimum GPA and complete classes required. UT and A&M do this in order to take more students then they really have room for and don’t want to reject. You also basically have all the same privileges of full admits. Congratulations on being offered PACE!
Congrats on the TAMU acceptance! A&M is an excellent option!
RE: UT admission & the Top 6/10% rule-- “less qualified” kids weren’t put ahead of “more qualified” kids. What’s really happening is that there are a LOT of qualified kids, and in this state… They all seem to try to pile at two state flagships (UT Austin & TAMU). The most typical data points that you see here on CC is GPA and test scores, or class rank, GPA, and test scores. Those are only three data points in MANY. So, it’s not possible to judge “qualification” based on what people post here. Both UT and TAMU list a slew of other data points that they rate as “Very Important”, “Important”, and “Considered”. It’s the combination of all of those things, plus the strategic needs and direction of both the university and industries that combine to make up a full holistic review.
The only thing “wrong” is that there are not enough spots for ALL of the great students who want to attend two universities. And, that’s always the toughest part of admissions.
It does not follow that if you can get into Harvard that any/every other college will admit you. I know a kid who got into Stanford and was rejected at UT. I also know that the kid spend a lot of time and effort on his Stanford and Princeton application and supplements. He did not put nearly as much effort into his UT application (his own words). Not only do other colleges have a birds eye view into where all/else you’ve applied (cough… FAFSA), but they’re pretty skilled at detecting when they’re an afterthought, when they’re being used as a backup to the backup, and when an app was rushed or ‘phoned in’.
It takes a LOT of time and effort to do justice to multiple college apps (that require unique supplements and writing), especially for selective college admissions. It’s really not a surprise at all that some apps, even for extraordinary students, can’t rise to the level of others. That’s the nature of the game. And, great students get rejected from low admission colleges all the time, while sometimes being accepted at another. Hopefully, every student finds fit in where ever they land.
@texmommm @UpstateSCmom
Did y’all take the time to look at the majors most of the kids that were rejected were trying to get into? My daughter may have lower stats, but she also wasn’t trying to get into engineering or business. Most of the kids that are posting that they were rejected are from those two majors. There are limited slots. If your first two major choices are filled they usually reject (especially if both major choices are in the same field, ie. international business and finance, mechanical or aerospace engineering.) My daughter is a Texas resident who got in as an OOS student because the forms I sent in were routed to the wrong department. She is going in as a Biology major with Marine and Freshwater concentration. If your kids wanted to do this, they may have been accepted into Texas. Good luck to your kids! University of Texas is a gorgeous and amazing university!!
An interesting sentiment, but if you check the TAMU board here on CC, you will see that a LOT of amazing students get soft rejected (PSA’d), hard rejected (a lot fewer), wait-listed (returned this admission cycle), denied their 1st and 2nd choice majors, constructive denial (financial), etc… There is no doubt that TAMU is an excellent school, very strongly regarded in Texas and in the country. But, they can’t fit all of the outstanding students who want to attend either. And, after this year, there will be no more “Academic Admit”; Just Top 10% and holistic review. You can read TAMUs strategic plan, and you’ll see that their move away from Academic Admit and into more full holistic admissions is to support and accommodate increased access to students who are less likely to apply to A&M for various reasons.
Unless you/your student/your friend/some random kid/etc… applies to an open enrollment institution, “students with excellent stats” are rejected from universities all the time. What’s more, colleges and universities don’t cherry pick, based on what any individual considers their crowning strength in the admissions game, a couple of the data points (two or three “stats”) and build their entire admissions machine around it. Holistic admissions has far more depth than that.
Whether or not UT is “all that” or not is in the eye of the beholder. Presumably, any student that applied found it to be a desirable enough match or they likely wouldn’t have wasted the time and energy on an app. For OOS, it’ very tough, because Texas owes its loyalty to the in-state taxpayers who help to fund UT (and the MANY other public universities in this state). 90% of the admitted students are required to hail from this State. So, OOS admissions is even more competitive, and with a narrower margin. But, even for OOS, UT Austin isn’t basing decisions on a couple of data points then holding a lottery.
^ yes i’m actually only looking and comparing stats for the same major as my kid. Def not comparing to kids who got into Moody or Lib Arts for example which I can see from our own school’s kids who got in are looking for different stats and accomplishments. I agree - highest rejects coming from business, engineering, and CS/CNS for sure. I’m glad you got it but I’m not comparing to anyone other that those who got into our major.
I’d like to add a couple of notes/comments about automatic admissions.
First, according to UTexas admissions website, “You may be considered for your second-choice major if you qualify for automatic admission and are not admitted to your first-choice major.” I interpret that to mean, “If you are not an automatic admit, your 2nd choice major is irrelevant.” If there are anecdotes that counter my interpretation, please share.
https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/majors
Second, the top-XXX% number is decided 1-2 years in advance, based on applicant and enrollment trends. A significant discrepancy between projected and actual applications can impact the acceptance rates of those receiving holistic reviews.
Third, an auto-admit student who does not get accepted into her 2 options for major should get accepted into University Studies, if I recall correctly. If UT Austin is your “be all, end all” university, that might be OK for you. However, keep in mind that it is virtually impossible to transfer into CS, ECE, Aero, ME, etc., as they have full enrollments and tend to stay full.