Hey CC, I am new to this place even though I’ve been looking around before signing up.
I have a goal of being accepted into the Health Science Honors Program at UT Austin.
Anyone know certain standards to achieve this in terms of:
SAT
ACT
GPA (rank and actual number)
Extracurriculars
Leadership
Sports
Help me out!
Reply!
First of all, it’s awesome that you want to be in HSS! It’s a great program with an awesome, supportive community and I absolutely love it! And contrary to popular belief, HSS is not so much a program that will help your chances for med school as a cohort of students identified by UT to already have the potential and passion that distinguishes top med school applicants. The main benefit is a community of likeminded, pre-med students with fascinating research interests (see capstone project).
HSS is truly diverse, and I don’t think there’s a set standard for acceptance. However, there are general trends that you would expect from a top honors program, including high SAT (I would say 2200+ is standard) and solid GPA (all A’s, science AP’s, top 5-10%). Extracurriculars were pretty varied amongst the accepted students. Some were absolutely dominant in their respective high schools, whereas I got in with an abysmal leadership record (that being said, I stood out with three years of research experience and unique shadowing in rural medicine). Almost everyone did some sort of academic competition (UIL, speech and debate, HOSA, Latin, etc.) so that seems pretty standard. We have quite a few former varsity athletes, but I feel like that doesn’t help nor hurt your chances unless you integrate that into your essay and/or motivation for medicine.
A huge component of admission is demonstrating interest in medicine and science in your personal statement. They can tell when people are bs-ing or just want to get into medicine for the standard reasons (pay, prestige, “want to help people,” “played doctor when I was a kid,” etc.) Put a lot of work into your ApplyTexas essay, because that is a huge determinant, if I remember correctly. I know other schools in Texas don’t seem to care very much about it, but it is crucial for the honors program. You absolutely have to mention your medical interest with a new, personal spin. I’m not going to go into specifics of my essay but I tied in seemingly unrelated extracurriculars (research, speech and debate) to a passion for medicine despite attempted rebellion against the stereotype (Indian girl w/ doctor dad, lol).
I’ll just let you know that putting HSS as your first choice does not guarantee that you’ll get into HSS even if you get CNS honors. I heard that last year something like 3000 people applied to CNS honors, and I would venture a guess that anywhere from 1000-1500 people selected HSS as their top choice. And HSS is somewhat smaller and more intimate the other programs, with 37 freshman, compared to over 50 (as far as I know) in Dean’s and Polymath each. A TON of people put HSS as their first choice and got Polymathic Scholars instead, so be aware that that is a very high possibility. I’d say over half of the Polymathic Scholars I’ve met so far put HSS or Dean’s as their first choice. But Polymathic Scholars is still just as good, and has a pretty cool focus on field invention, so don’t discount it! They also have a few ties to HSS with similar program structure and events, so you’ll still get to know the HSS community.
Overall, CNS honors, especially HSS (I’m shamelessly biased), is a great program! Feel free to ask me if you have any specific questions about program structure. Good luck!
ChemManiac144, when should I expect to hear back from HSS if I applied after the priority deadline? I applied right before winter break (12/5/15) and it says my application is still in review. The suspense is killing me!
ChemManiac144, when should I expect to hear back from HSS if I applied after the priority deadline? I applied right before winter break (12/5/15) and it says my application is still in review. The suspense is killing me!