<p>The program the OP is in does not rank their students (or at least, they did not the last time I checked). However, admittance into UT is difficult simply because of the difficuluty for holistic review students. The OP’s classes are all dual-enrollment level courses, though there should be honors differentiation (but no weight in the GPA).</p>
<p>OP, what probably happened is that TAMS has a glut of well-qualified, passionate, articulate kids. The program is full of Siements/INTEL semi-finalists/finalists and the like-- so in the context of your school, you may not be that strong. Schools don’t look at your app in a vacumn, but rather in the context of the opportunities at your school. I’m familiar with your program, and I’m aware that research is /very/ common-- so much so that happykidsmom is right that your lack of it may be a detractor.</p>
<p>“35 percent of my class got rejected from UT Austin while the other 65% got in.”</p>
<p>Well, that’s a shocking data point. Do you know this for a fact – did your counselor or principal say that this was the case? If it is true, it is troubling. They may not be telling you your class rank, but if 99% of your classmates apply to one school, then that school can figure out your rank with no trouble. This suggests to me that either the grade inflation in your program is colossal, so that a 3.85 puts you in the bottom half of the class, or there was some flaw in your application that you/we don’t know about. It might have been a poison pill in a recommendation letter. We just don’t know.</p>
<p>To a great degree, at this point it’s irrelevant why you got rejected. Your list was filled with private schools with very low admittance rates (<20%) or flagship publics with equally low out-of-state acceptance rates. Obviously you need to wait and see what happens with Brown and Berkeley, but if you want to be a little more proactive you could start researching schools more in the ‘match’ category but with higher acceptance rates. If you’re unhappy at UTD then you at least have a plan to build on.</p>
<p>Sounds to me like he’s at a private school or some type of magnet that doesn’t rank, hence, the top (now) 7% at UT does not apply. I agree that I don’t think you have enough in the EC column, leadership, etc. if you are being judged holistically. S had friends applying to schools that academically they were very competitive for, but they did not have much in that respect and are also getting rejected by highly competitive privates. What school did you apply to at UT Austin?</p>
<p>@happykidsmom and purpleacorn
When I first wrote this post I was just in a dissapointed state so I didn’t really include everything but I will list them here:</p>
<p>I went to HOSA state in 9-10 only bc its not offered at TAMS</p>
<p>I did do nueroscienece research for 1.5 years but I didn’t win anything unfortunately when I entered Siemens this year</p>
<p>I created the program in 11th grade but not for the sole purpose of EC. I really wasn’t too interested in most opportunities for volunteering at TAMS and there is a special award that is given to students in their senior year for implementing a new idea and getting your peers and next years juniors involves in it as well, and this program is going very well. </p>
<p>All the nhs and stuco stuff has been going on since 9th grade…spanish and multicultural in 9 and 10th…going unto TAMS I had to give up a lot of ec for this opportunity to get a head start</p>
<p>@hannah yes its a fact bc our counselor sent an email…and actually im sorry I totally mis-typed that…45% got in and 55% rejected</p>
<p>@granipc I applied to CAS</p>
<p>Btw thanks to everyone for their opinions. That’s all I really came here for and I appreciate everyone’s words!</p>
<p>Also, there are only like 165 students in my class, if that makes a huge difference…</p>
<p>Speaking about counselor, unless the student specifically did not want to apply to Texas’ other flagship, there should be a question about a student with such high test scores not applying to TAMU since there is an automatic admission for such students.</p>
<p>The issue of ranking is problematic. A number of schools have decided to play the non-ranking game to maximize their admissions, and the other side of the coin is that some students are left out. </p>
<p>This said, one has to wonder what went wrong here, because that string of rejection is rather bizarre. Strong students in Texas that are victims of the ranking cutoffs are often given the opportunity to start in the summer or attend a CAP school. </p>
<p>Lastly, UTD could be a good school for a strong math student.</p>
<p>Even if he is ranked, not being outside the top 8% probably wouldn’t hurt him that much. I just doubt that a school that he terms rigorous and that produces students with this kind of test scores would be grade-inflated enough for a 3.85 to be nearly worthless.</p>
<p>It is very very hard to get into a top school nowadays. Last year, my son had a 2300 SAT, and 14 AP classes, and got waitlisted at a ton of schools.</p>
<p>I urge that all juniors who are top students to stop listening to this nonsense about applying to only 8 schools. With acceptance rates at top schools so low, and affirmative action and legacy working against you, I would advise people to apply to 25 schools. In that way, you will probably get into 2 or 3 top schools. Apply to 8, and you risk getting rejected everywhere.</p>
<p>^25? I understand your reasoning, but my parents never would’ve gone for that - actually, they considered it a stretch for me to apply to 11, including safeties - and I don’t think that’s an uncommon caretaker opinion. Money matters, and getting into a “top school” often isn’t high on the priority list. I know one person who applied to 22 and one with 25, but these were definite rarities.</p>
<p>Oh, and I meant “not being inside” in post #28.</p>
<p>If there is at least one safety, then the applicant will get in somewhere. Indeed, some students apply to just one school because their first choice school is a safety (e.g. a top 7% rank student in Texas whose affordable first choice is UT Austin, and not in an extra-competitive major or division like engineering, may not see the point in applying anywhere else).</p>
<p>On the other hand, someone who applies to 8 or 25 reach schools could still be shut out.</p>
<p>How in the world did you get rejected by UT Austin with those stats… Maybe they’re taking so many Texans through the top 10% rule that they have to take OOS students? That’s wild though. Should have admitted in a blink of an eye with those stats.</p>
<p>Good luck with the rest of admissions. You’ll have great opportunities wherever you end up.</p>
This is the question so many in Texas would like answered. My children attend(ed) a rigorous, well-known private prep with kids whose stats are similar to OP’s who don’t gain acceptance at their flagship. What I find unfair is that some of the large public high schools in my area have kids in that top 8% (guaranteed admission) with a 1600/2400 SAT, maybe 2 APs, and few ECs who gain acceptance. Many private school students in our area are in fact trying to game the system. It’s been a lifelong dream to attend UT so they’re bailing and transferring to the publics where it’s easy for these high achievers to qualify by being in that top 8%. The unfortunate reality is they’re not challenged.</p>
<p>Looks like you applied to all reaches, and only one safety. Why no matches? </p>
<p>I never think it’s a good idea to only have one safety because in cases like yours, you may end up feeling railroaded into your safety, while others had choices. Not good for morale.</p>
<p>Are you a NMF? </p>
<p>If you’re not thrilled with your safety, can you quickly apply to some other schools that might accept you? do you need FA?</p>
<p>*Quote:
How in the world did you get rejected by UT Austin with those stats
*</p>
<p>Texas’ 8% and 10% rule really hurts kids who attend private or specialty high schools. You’ll have NMFs and such who don’t make the cut. My kids’ undergrad gets a lot of these high stats Texas kids who miss those cutoffs.</p>
<p>The “problem” for a student like you is that you are in that category of student who really doesn’t have “matches.” All of what you would consider a match school have such low acceptance rates that it makes it into a reach, for every student, regardless.</p>
<p>The sad thing for students in places like Texas is that your state flagship ought to be your match school. But, it’s not.</p>
<p>You got some bad breaks.</p>
<p>If you really hate your situation, you might consider a gap year, and applying to OOS flagships. </p>
<p>Every year, there are just kids who get a bad break in every lottery.</p>
<p>You got to be rich to apply to 25 schools. Just the application fee and cost for scores/transcript submission would burn a scholarship easily. I would not let my daughter apply for more than 10 schools but advise her to spend more time in writing each essay and to follow up the applications closely. What is most critical is to establish the list of schools for applications. It should have schools you really want to go (top schools) and are within reach, schools that are matched with your scores/GPA (higher than 50% admitted statistic average), and 2-3 safety schools (significantly higher than the 75% admitted average).</p>
<p>I want you to find me actual “matches” for a student like this. there just aren’t any, given the admit rate for any student applying to her score and GPA matches. This is kind of an open secret on CC. Sad but true.</p>
<p>I honestly think UT Austin would’ve been a match. The point of matches is that they’re between safeties and reaches. It wasn’t a reach, but the OP didn’t get in so it probably wasn’t a safety.</p>