<p>My explanation would be a chosen major.
And race, URM :)</p>
<p>^My son just learned today about a Hispanic friend with 12 AP courses (ten 5s), 2240 on the SAT, top 30 percent at a competitive school, decent ECs, who has been CAPâd. Apparently, being a URM did not help him.</p>
<p>UT Austin doesnât deserve him.</p>
<p>UT is bound by the State of Texasâ Top 10 Percent Rule (adjusted to a different percentage each year based on yield, etc) and every single person here knows that. When the application cycle begins, and you place your key strokes on your ApplyTexas, you are agreeing that you understand that you are bound by the rules set forth in the application process.</p>
<p>The admissions officers at the University of Texas only have say in the non-auto admits. They are looking to build a class of students that are diverse in interests, attitudes, talents and vision. The only place they control this, is in slots that are being discussed here. The students that make up 75% of incoming class, the auto admits, are very similar on paper. High achieving, AP pushing, high GPA competitive test score kids. So when the admissions people starts sifting through the kids they actually get to choose, canât you see why they would desire to seek out the kids that actually stand out beyond that? The things they are seeking canât be quantified by test scores, GPA, or AP scores. That kid that you are all complaining about here, whoâs scores are no where near yours, maybe they climbed Mt. McKinley last year or maybe they spent the last two years collecting school supplies for children in a village in Africa. Maybe they had their own lawn care business (not typical) each summer while you (typically) worked as a life guard at the local pool. Maybe they showed the admissionâs officer that they were more than a pile of overachieving numbers, maybe they showed they had heart or were able to apply despite a life changing situation like the death of a parent or sibling, yet had the perseverance to push through high school and reach this moment.</p>
<p>The bottom line is you will never know. But to come here, to hang your grievances here for the UT community to see, only tells me they got it right. Are you smart enough to have made it through UT? Of course. Did UT need yet another high achieving, top score tester, entitled student? No. What they need are students that are all kinds of threads that can weave into the fabric that is UT. If every single thread was the same, if would just be another piece of fabric instead of interesting textile that changes the world.</p>
<p>The piece of land you build your house on is important. In fact most important. I am talking about filling in 75% with auto-admits. Blur of subjectivity about beauty of the house notwithstanding, I think the admission officers know that it is keeping UT Austin from achieving greatness that it can achieve easily.</p>
<p>And letâs not put down one student in comparison to other. I am talking about above post.</p>
<p>In no way was I putting down one student over another, what a closed minded take on that post. With that said, please donât be so sheltered to believe that kids are not compared to each other in a competitive review environment. There is no magical measuring stick when an admission officer reviews an application. There are only so many slots. You have to draw comparisons to do your job correctly. If anything, the point of my post above was to clarify to parents and students on this thread who where insulting other students by implying they paid their way in, that that is simply false. If it makes them feel better, then so be it, but it is not even close to reality. Is rejection hard? Yes. Is it a fact of life? Yes. Does slamming other students change the outcome? No.</p>
<p>I would be very upset and frustrated if I was denied admission due my financial need being used as a factor. If in fact UT does not use need-blind admissions than it is possible that students more qualified (including students with more impressive resumes and/or having a lawn care business) are not admitted over students that do not have more financial need. </p>
<p>But I canât find any information on whether they use need-blind admissions or not?</p>
<p>Affirmative action is good. But filling in 75% seats with auto-admits can hardly be described as affirmative action. Itâs a lazy and political criterion.</p>
<p>Also I find it bipolar that students with good scores are often assumed to have good scores alone. We should allow all possibilities and combinations.</p>
<p>From some of the results I know it appears that UT Austin takes class rank seriously - even beyon top 8%. I would think it would be a âsafeâ policy to follow should its decision were challenged.</p>
<p>And giving this option of CAP to students with 8-12 APs is actually a joke if you read it together with what they write on CAP offer about required courses in first year. CAP would be good if UT Austin could at least promise the Major to the students.</p>
<p>@texaskid17, holistic review of non-auto admits includes consideration of grades, course rigor, test scores, information on your expanded resume, essays, recs (if any) and âspecial circumstances,â as follows:</p>
<p>Special circumstances in an applicantÂs life sometimes help an application reviewer to get a clearer picture of the applicantÂs qualifications. The special circumstances we consider include:</p>
<p>Socioeconomic status of family
Single parent home
Language spoken at home
Family responsibilities
Overcoming adversity
Cultural background
Race and ethnicity
Other information in the file</p>
<p>See [Application</a> Review | Be a Longhorn](<a href=âhttp://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/after-you-apply/review]Applicationâ>http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/after-you-apply/review)</p>
<p>Reading through this entire thread, Iâm struck by those of you who seemed to think you should have been a shoe-in when you didnât fall in the top 7%. Like it or hate it, UT has been subject to these admissions standards for many years now. We knew when my now senior son was selecting high school credit courses in 8th grade that if he wanted to guarantee admission, the only way to do that until the law changes would be to finish as high as possible in his class at his very large, highly competitive public Texas high school. He took every Pre-Ap and AP available AND made Aâs to insure his GPA would weight high enough to put him where he needed to be rank-wise. He did not take unnecessary electives that would pull his GPA down, and he saved required unweighted classes like Speech/Health until his senior year when it did not factor into his admissions rank. No matter how good your private high school, magnet school, etc. if it doesnât rank, you are not guaranteed squat. Top 9%, great test scores, lots of ECâs? Doesnât matter, you are still leaving it up to the admissions gods and you are guaranteed nothing. Maybe you DO deserve to be there, but itâs just not the way the system is currently set up, and once you drop below that threshold, admissions decisions are fair game for anyone they deem a fit to their program. Why do so many people now seem to think they are above the system? You have to play the game and take care of your own business, and if you donât, your fate is in their hands instead of your own.</p>
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<p>Best advise/comment on this thread</p>
<p>^agreed, so much sense of entitlement in this thread. UT Austin is not a safety school.</p>
<p>We are talking about rules vs fairness/justice. Obviously rules prevail for all sort of reason - objectivity being one of them, not to talk of ârules are rulesâ.</p>
<p>It is another matter that the rules can be gamed, or that UT Austin could be even greater institution.</p>
<p>Since the basis of my argument is different from what appears to be mantra of others - I get self-kicked-out of this thread for simple reason that such discussions donât converge.</p>
<p>But I hope I made a point. Itâs not for nothing that so many great institutions do not follow this top-percent-of-class rule binding.</p>
<p>KK0809⊠Iâm sure my alma mater would agree with you, but they didnât make the law, the Texas legislators did⊠they just have to follow it. So really, in this case and in MOST of life, rules ARE rules. Just because you donât like them, or think there is a better way, doesnât mean they donât still apply. Back in my day there was an SAT cut-off for UT auto admit. I missed it the first time by 20 points⊠took it again and missed by 10 measly points. I did not whine and beg UT to let me in anyway, because I was âSO CLOSEâ, I studied my butt off, took it again and GOT IT. As I always tell my kids, no sense worrying or arguing about things you cannot control, focus on the things you CAN control.</p>
<p>@Granipic, I agree with your post in theory, but in the real word, I still believe that colleges see the passion behind the numbers. Life is about more than weighted vs unweighted, AP vs not, 3s vs 5s, unnecessary electives vs. learning, and so on. My kid, not a stellar GPA/SAT kid by any means, got into UT because every single thing he did from 8th grade on -ECs, classes, summer programs, work, volunteer all revolved around the one thing that he is passionate about: product design. UT saw that and took a chance. ETA DS is graduating from a very rigorous private prep school that doesnât rank.</p>
<p>Since when was fairness or justice ever syonymous with any subjective process? The University of Texas is a PUBLIC University that is funded by the residents of the State of Texas. Because of this, the State of Texas Legislature can set the guidelines for University admissions. The TX Legislature has listened to the University in the past, hence the tweak of the law to limit auto admits to 75% of the entering class. Both âsidesâ understand that there needs to be some flexibility there and I would suspect that you will see the auto admit numbers tighten even more over the years.</p>
<p>There is no admission model that is perfect. For me and how I direct my children, if you donât like how a University chooses their students, then donât apply. But to come here and share your sour grapes how UT doesnât deserve a kid they capped, is childish. The kid obviously wanted UT, or they wouldnât be here saying how they donât like the outcome. Is it hurtful when your child is rejected? Of course. But why come here and let all the other kids that are happy with their acceptances be made to feel poorly that they have obtained their goal. Or that UT is âless of a Universityâ because some CC posterâs perfect snowflake got the big, âthanks but no thanksâ. It is not âgamingâ the system to know how to give your self the best shot at being in the top 7%. It is being smart, understanding the process, and executing your best work under those rules.</p>
<p>If you donât mind me asking, what major did you apply to?</p>
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<p>This is an amazing, amazing, AMAZING post. Very eloquently put. Thank you so much.</p>