What are my chances of getting into Texas A&M University?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Texas A&M University
1

So I’m a high school senior and all my life I have wanted to go to A&M. My whole family has gone there, and it’s the only place I will even consider going, I’m not even applying anywhere else (I can always do the Blinn TEAM if I;m not accepted). I haven’t been able to get a straight answer on what my chances are.

I’m not an automatic admit because of some health problems that caused me a lot of trouble my junior year. My GPA is a 3.64 out of 4.0 (92.5333) and my rank is top 35% (187 of 526) . I have taken the SAT 3 times, my highest score being a 1350 (710 reading/ writing, 640 math) and my lowest being a 1320 (650 reading/writing, 670 math). I’m also planning of taking it 2 more times. I have taken the SAT twice, my scores being 29 and 28. I also took 3 AP classes.

I want to major in Animal Science and eventually go to the vet school. I have volunteered/interned at a vet clinic for 4 months, and I now have a job at another clinic. I actually got one of the doctors to write one of my recommendation letters. I’m in NHS and I was treasurer of my school’s art history club for 1 year and a member for 3 years. I have also visited campus twice and I’m signed up to spend the night with the corps.

I KNOW that I am good enough for this school, but my numbers don’t reflect it. I really hate how A&M doesn’t even look at your GPA, only your rank (that’s what the admissions officer told me). If only they knew me, they’d see how well I’d thrive at this school.

2

I am by no means an expert, my daughter is a review candidate.

But as a parent - I would strongly encourage you to apply other places too. And seriously consider other options. Back in the dark ages - I was accepted to UT Austin’s equivalent of Gateway. My dad, who was a UT grad, talked about summer school and not having the summer off etc. I made the decision to go to a smaller 4 year state school with the thought of transferring to UT after two years. I had the grades to transfer - but ended up staying at my smaller school. I was in a sorority, doing theatre productions, anchoring at the campus TV station, deejaying at the radio station, head of one of the UC programs committees and sub-chair of another…

My point is sometimes you are meant to go down another path and thrive in ways you never thought about. Life isn’t black and white.

I posted this on another thread. It basically shows, as a review candidate you have a 21% chance of getting full admission and a 20% chance of Blinn Team or Gateway.

This is from a 2018 slide presented by the office of admissions. Freshman class 22 by the numbers. 41,760 total applicants.
Admits:
26.7% - Top 10% 11,159
11.1% - Academic 4,646
9.9% - Review full 4,115
9.1% - Review Alternative 3,813

27.6% -PSA 11,518
15.6% - Denied 6,509 (when I went with my daughter to a regional TAMU application workshop meeting - they said the majority of the denials were incomplete or late applications)

So I looked at further - to see the distribution of the Holistic Review applicants - I removed the Top 10, Academic, and Denials/incomplete. That left 19,446 of what I would term competitive holistic review applications.

59.2% - PSA
21.1% - Review full
19.6% - Review alternative

3

@BlueBayouAZ maybe I should have clarified, I plan to apply to only a&m schools, such as Galveston and Commerce. But I see what you’re saying.

4

@ap1316 : You sound like you are well prepared for TAMU and that is where your heart is set. It is good that you also plan to apply to other A&M schools “just in case”. You have a good gpa and SAT/ACT scores, but of course, your class rank will count against you. But I think that having a good gpa but still ranking below 25% just shows that you attend a competitive HS and are well prepared for the rigor of TAMU. Showing a great deal of interest in TAMU by taking official visits and overnight with the Corps is also positive. I hope that your essay and your LORs highlight your strengths, or discuss overcoming a weakness or detail how you manage your time with all of your ECs and still keep up your grades. A LOR from an Aggie could help. Just make sure the LORs are from adults who know you personally and can write positively about you and your potential to succeed at TAMU.

For any review admit, it is pretty difficult to receive a full admissions spot. And it usually takes a long time to receive the offer and the wait is very, very stressful.

Just to clarify one thing, you cannot “always do the Blinn-TEAM if you are rejected”.

TAMU Blinn-TEAM is one of the alternative offers from TAMU and it is often the offer that someone with a good gpa and SAT/ACT scores but who ranks below 25% receives. It is a great option as Blinn-TEAM students take classes at both TAMU campus and at Blinn campus (will now be at RELLIS facility), the profs often teach on both campuses, and the hours taken at Blinn are cheaper. Blinn-TEAM students can live on campus and join Greek life and other TAMU groups, buy football tickets, etc. The ONLY thing Blinn-TEAM cannot do is play NCAA sports for TAMU. (I am not sure about the Corps, check for info online). And they will probably earn their ring as a Senior instead of during their Jr. year. But otherwise, they are full Aggies living the Aggie life in Aggieland.

It is an issue of space, there just isn’t enough room on the TAMU campus for everyone who wants to be an Aggie. I am so glad that TAMU has alternative offers available. Full admissions is always Plan A, but Blinn-TEAM and Gateway are what I think of as Plan A- as you still get to stay in CStat and live the Aggie life in Aggieland.

My youngest daughter had a 3.5 unweighted, upper 4s weighted gpa with decent SAT 1250/ACT 27 scores but was only in the 53% of her HS class. She had great essays and great LORs from HS teachers, one of which was an Aggie. She is currently a Sophomore on Blinn-TEAM. She decided to stay on for 2 years as she isn’t sure of what she wants to major in and also discovered that there is no downside to being on Blinn-TEAM. She went Greek last year, and is living in her Sorority house this year and is also a continuing member of another TAMU campus group. She had a wonderful Freshman year, living the Aggie life in Aggieland last year. :slight_smile: She earned great grades, made great friends and had a wonderful Freshman experience. I am so proud of her.

One of the Blinn-TEAM advisers at her NSC stated that the students who are offered Blinn-TEAM are very wanted, they think that they are well prepared and will thrive. My daughter was initially disappointed to receive a Blinn-TEAM offer, but that was because she didn’t know much about the program, and before she found out that very few of her HS friends/teammates were admitted.

Straight Blinn Junior College is what some people who receive either PSA or denial end up doing so that they can stay in CStat. One of my daughter’s teammates was denied TAMU admissions and her Plan B was to attend straight Blinn for 2 years and transfer into TAMU under one of the PTA programs for her major. Both of her parents and at least one grandparent were all Aggies with season football tickets and she didn’t want to go anywhere outside of CStat. And it works for her.

I wish you all the best. The wait for a TAMU review admissions offer is often very long and stressful. But don’t lose focus on your current classes and make sure that you take part in everything possible during your HS Senior year. It will go by quickly, don’t forget to also have fun.

5

Would you consider Straight Blinn Junior College? My DD has similar stats except she is ranked at 25.4% but this is a 4.0 GPA and her SAT isn’t so high. We are seriously thinking Straight Blinn. We have already talked to a transfer adviser for the Liberals Arts College at College Station (she wants to be a History Major) who told us that she would be a perfect candidate to transfer to A&M even after 1 year at Blinn (Of course her grades would need to stay high) We already know that she isn’t a Candidate for Blinn TEAM since she will graduate High School with 23+ College Credits from Dual Enrollment. (again this came from the Adviser) She wants to be in College Station and when we looked at the courses that you have to take for PSA many don’t match up with her Major Plan. Lots of Great Kids go to Blinn first and then transfer. Good luck!

6

@seniormom2000
Look into the TAMU PTA agreements. I’m not able to get the link for you at the moment but if you google it, it should come up.

It is a program you register for in order to do it, with guaranteed admission. The kicker is, don’t accept any AP credits until you need them. You can have them sent (to both Blinn and then TAMU) just don’t accept them except the ones she absolutely needs at that time. A lot of majors have a cap to the amount allowed when you are transferring in.

7

@Thelma2 Yes we already have the paperwork for a PTA agreement and are figuring out what classes to take the 1st year at Blinn. That is what we compared to the PSA agreement and realized that DD would have to take 2 math classes with PSA that she doesn’t even need for her major. Thanks for all your help.

8

@seniormom2000
I will have my fingers crossed for your D! Please stick around through the process. This forum is a great support group for each other esp for the review applicants. Those that don’t get admissions before the winter break, it can be an excruciating wait though Feb/March.
Also, it is great to have the knowledge of others shared. Everything you are gaining in exploring the PSA vs strait Blinn process via PTA could benefit another applicant.
Welcome Aboard! :smiley:

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@seniormom2000 every student has to have 6 credits of math. Has she already taken what she needs in math is that why you said she doesn’t need it? I’m confused on that point. But super excited y’all are thinking Blinn. It’s a great CC and she’lol get acclimated to Aggieland without the stress of 60000 other students.