Hi! I am a rising senior from Maryland. I have around a 4.1 weighted 3.5 weighted gpa. Only have taken sat once, taking again this weekend, and got a 1710. Ive been doing a lot of studying so I am hoping my scores will go up, in addition I am going to try the act in fall. One school that has caught my eye is UT Austin. Barely anyone from my area goes to Texas in general, so getting info about this school has been difficult for me. If anyone can tell me any information about this school specifically about its student life and its location please help! I was also wondering would it be difficult for someone from Maryland to fit in at this school, or would I have difficulty getting into a good sorority. I want the southern feel, but I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb for not being a Texas native. Thanks again.
UT Austin is extremely difficult for OOS students to get into because most spots are taken by Texas residents. I really think you would be better off investigating other state schools.
You should probably move this to the UT page since it is school specific.
I agree with txstella, you should be looking at other schools in the south. Obviously, you can still apply knowing it is a high reach. Austin is a terrific city with lots of music and great food. The weather is not as humid as Houston but it does get very hot at certain times of your stay during the college year. I understand that sorority life is huge and that girls in Texas are being scouted at the high school level. If you don’t own a pair of cowboy boots, they are very popular. The kids that go from New York tend to love their experience and fully embrace the southern way of life. The campus is spread out and has a pool area and gym that are noteworthy. I believe there are no dorms with just freshmen. With the number of kids attending, housing is competitive. Lots of school spirit!
UT won’t happen - they’re a public university dedicated to serving the needs of state residents. Therefore, there’s a cap on OOS applicants, and those include legacies and athletes. After that they look for academic superstars who will also be full pay. Even if your SAT gets to 1850 (which would be HUGE), it still won’t be enough. So, focus on other schools like UT - what did you like about it? There certainly other colleges.
Look at SEC schools if you like the South. Look at St Edward’s if you like Austin. Southwestern, Austin College, and Trinity Texas are all in Texas if that’s what you’re interested in, etc…
As a new freshman at UT this fall, I would say research the school and apply if you like it! I live in Texas and I don’t own a single pair of cowboy boots, and I definitely don’t have a southern accent. But I do love Austin and I love Texas. Austin is an amazing city so different from the rest of Texas, and there are so many opportunities at UT for almost every department. While it is difficult to get in for OOS, it does not hurt to try. Don’t put yourself down or let anyone else put yourself down. One tip I do have for you is to write your essays during the summer and apply EARLY. getting it in early gives you a leg up. Good luck!
^The key here Lilac008 is that you’re from Texas. UT was created to educate you and the most excellent students from your state. Kids from Maryland with Texas Tech/UTD-level achievements have zero chance of getting into UT. Once automatic admits are in, only 25% spaces are left. Most of those go to academic admits from Texas (top 10%, etc). Then what’s left goes to legacies and athletes from out of state. Then the tiny sliver of spaces that’s left goes to full pay/academic superstars from OOS, kids who can get into BHP or Plan II or Petroleum Engineering/Geotech or CleanTech. OP needs to look at other colleges in Austin or nearby (St Edward’s, Texas State, Southwestern) or other colleges in Texas or colleges in the SEC or colleges in cities similar to Austin.
I agree Austin is an amazing city (and if you get into UT, celebrate at Fonda San Miguel you’ll thank me later :p) and I hope you’ll get in because it’s a great university!
I was the small 25% that got in non-auto and into a very competitive major, and I don’t consider my stats amazing. Also just for clarification, Tech and UTD are great schools. I also know many OOS students that aren’t athletes and UT does not consider legacy status. @warnme1 all I am saying is that you can atleast try. OOS will definitely be tough. So my best advice is work hard, keep researching, look at other options too, and if you like this school, the best you can do is at least try.As the user above me mentioned, St. Edward’s is also in Austin and a great college too, so I highly suggest you looking into that too if you like the city. Best of luck on your journey and I hope you find the right fit! 
@Lilac008 thanks so much for all the positive advice!! The other comments on this post were quite upsetting so I appreciate your intake-I know I am not a “legacy” but I agree with you its worth a try.
@warnme1 Please understand that people in this thread are not trying to upset you, they’re only being realistic. The middle 50th percentile for admitted students SAT’s was 1690-2060. You’re barely over the 25th percentile. Lilac might have gotten in without being an auto-admit but she had an SAT that was about 150 points higher than yours and I’m willing to bet a number of EC’s that put her over the top. I would say with a 1710 you’re wasting an application to UT. Unless your score improves by 100+ points I wouldn’t see the value in applying, and even with a 18xx it’s a reach. As an OOS student admission to UT-Austin is very difficult, especially with an SAT of 1710.
I’m not even close to being a legacy and I’m from California, but I’ll be attending UT as a chemical engineering major in the fall (and I’m pretty sure ChemE is one of the hardest majors to get into at UT). FYI, I didn’t get into engineering honors, so I assume I’m not a super great applicant, lol. People make it seem virtually impossible to get in OOS on this website (and it scared me to death), but it honestly isn’t impossible if you are a well-rounded applicant. I do think you’re going to need, at bare minimum, a 2000 on the SAT one-sitting, or a 2100 if it’s a more competitive major. I don’t think it’s easy to get in OOS, it is hard to get in. I’m the first person who was admitted to UT from my school in at least 6 years, if that puts things into perspective in terms of competitiveness for OOS admissions. Don’t completely doubt yourself, though! BTW, GPA doesn’t matter for UT admissions beyond rank purposes. Rank may be the most important factor in admissions.
That being said, UT was my top choice since the beginning of high school because of the mix of academics, student life, and location. UT is a huge school with ~50,000 students. You’ll find a lot of different people with different cultures and ideologies. Most of the students are from Texas because of their auto-admit policy, so there are very few out-of-state and international students. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem, though. The vast majority of UT students are not your stereotypical redneck, uber conservative, republican types. There are actually quite a few liberal people, and again, it is Austin (the dot of blue in a sea of red) and it is a college campus. One thing I’ve noticed is that Texans tend to have a LOT of Texas pride, and it’s pretty contagious.
Austin itself is really fun. People are really friendly, and I was surprised to find that it’s has a ton of nature-y stuff. Some of the coolest I’ve done during my limited time in Austin are seeing a swarm of bats fly from under the South Congress bridge at sunset, check out Barton Springs (a hot spring that stays the same temperature year-round), and sit under the trees next to Lady Bird Lake. Austin sort of has small town feel, but with big city conveniences. The food is also absolutely amazing in Austin, and always something to really look forward to. Also, there are tons of music festivals like Austin City Limits, SXSW, and Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Sororities in the south have a lot more rushing requirements than they do in other parts of the country. You have to get letters of recommendation from chapter members, head and body shot pictures, and rushing is very formal. Legacies tend to get priority when rushing. I think that it’s a pretty complicated process and tough to get into a good sorority if you aren’t a legacy and are not from the south where sorority chapters are abundant and extremely active, but if you are motivated enough, it’s definitely worth a try.