At 11.6%, you won’t be auto admit, so put some time and revision to your essays and expanded resume as you will be considered holistically. 30 ACT will depend on the major you are applying for. Probably low for Cockrell, CS, and McCombs.
So since I am applying for a degree in Physics & Astronomy, would you say that I have a good/bad chance? They have a very small group of Astronomy majors, only about 90, would that be an advantage?
It depends on whether they are keeping the program small or interested in growing it. There is no way of knowing in a given year who you will be competing with. It could be an advantage and it could be a disadvantage.
You need to have safeties. Also investigate CAP and PACE to see if you are willing to go that route if that is what you are offered.
If I don’t get accepted into UT at Austin, then I will just go to A&M, and then transfer from there. That’s my back-up plan.
Also, I have already taken one course from UT at Austin during school last year. A Pre-AP Pre-Calculus course. I made an A during both semesters. Would that have any significant impact? Knowing that I have been involved with UT at Austin in the past and having done well.
No it will have absolutely no effect. If it was preAP precalc then it wasn’t a real UT class anyways so they won’t consider it being involved with the university. Same goes for summer camps.
You sure? I have a transcript at UT at Austin. It had to do with the canvas/onramps thing that is online. We had a professor from UT at Austin who created all of our test and came to our school from time to time.
Dude, you need to face reality, it is seriously unlikely that you will be admitted at UT, maybe PACE or CAP.
Even A&M is not a sure bet with your stats.
You need to start thinking of some more back-ups. 2016 grads with similar if not better stats and ec were not getting in with that. Really your resume looks pretty standard. Honestly only a handful of grads out of the top 8.5% from my D16’s very similar HS were accepted. Even A&M was not a sure thing for those in the 12%-15% range. Several “I want to be an engineer” kids got Blinn-ed. Cast your net a bit wider or look to transfer in but remember you have to have about a 3.5 GPA to do that. You had a 3.56 in HS what it the likelihood that you are going to be able to top that in your first college semesters?
Why not consider other schools? U of H has a respectable Physics program and proximity to NASA perhaps you could find an internship that hooks you up with the astronomy interest.
Is it that I need a higher ACT/SAT score? Is my GPA what’s killing me? Or is it my extracurriculars that are lacking? Do I just need really good essays? What can I do?
The vast majority of spots are taken by the top 7%. For the remaining spots, UT is looking for exceptional OOS students, good instate students who want to major in a noncompetitive area, and students that have a hook. It is your GPA/class rank that takes you out of the first round. Your ACT/SAT scores are not high enough to overcome the GPA and you are applying to a competitive major. All engineering applicants that don’t get into engineering but are automatic acceptances choose math/physics as their major as well as true physics majors. At far as doing anything at UT and giving you an edge - I agree, they don’t consider it. My DD friend, brilliant in math not so much English, doing research at UT as HS senior was not accepted to UT.
Apply, but definitely look for other options. A&M is a good one but as stated above getting more competitive every year. If you can afford OOS, University of Arizona has got a great astronomy program as well as some other surprising universities like New Mexico State.
Another good option would be UT Dallas. It is really an up and coming school. In those fields you want to go somewhere where, if you get good grades, you have a lot of internship type programs. Remember if you get high grades you get get forward from almost any school. So apply to UT, but have backups. UT Dallas, A&M, Oklahoma, and Arkansas should all be good starting points for you.
I would second UT Dallas. They have a good physics program and I just remembered they are sending interns down to the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
If you apply to UT you will likely be capped. It’s up to you if you want to go that route and prove your chops. A&M is a good option and I would advise you to look at schools like OU or The University of Arkansas. Those schools love kids with stats like yours. UTD is a great school but it takes a kid with a certain mindset to like that school. If your looking for the typical college experience it would not be a good choice. You have above average stats but understand UT get’s thousands upon thousands of applications from kids with the same stats.
I think you have a pretty good chance at getting into PACE, which is a super awesome program and has given me an excellent way to enter the university. Besides, no one here can tell you you won’t get in anyway. You have as good a chance as anyone else. Good luck!