Apparently the Texas Senate passed today a cap on the 10% rule. The House is supposed to vote out of committee a similar measure, and then they'll hammer out a compromise bill. But a cap is on the way, it appears.
Good they are going to change the rule. I graduated on the coast in 91 with 28 people. So, 2.8 of us would be smart enough to get into UT. My high school sucked and didn't prepare any of us well for college. We had shop, Ag, home making and sports. That was it. No precal, no computer classes (except apple II class that everyone screwed off in), nothing. I went to a local juco and got a degree with a nice, lovely 2.75 GPA because I didn't know any better. After 5 years in the Air Force, I decided to go to school and be an engineer. I tried 3 times to get into UT Engineering, and eventually got my GPA up past 3 - 3.5 at ACC and finally, on my 3 time applying, I got accepted as a CS major. While I was in UT, we had a 10 year reunion that maybe 15 or so of us showed up to. I was talking to the 'smart girl' valedictorian about college, because I was proud to actually be working my *** off at UT. We talked about classes and calculus came up. I had gotten an A in it because, me 27 at the time, hooked up with a couple of younger kids that went to high school in Austin and knew calculus and I basically learned from them. The smart girl told me she got a D in calculus while taking it right after high school. Come to find out, everyone that went on to college did at places like Sam Houston State, SWT, etc, etc. So my problem with the 10% is just because you are the top of your class, doesn't mean your school is worth a crap and you are 'smart'. 2.8 people out of my class of 28 probably couldn't hold a candle to the hundreds or so of kids that weren't in the top 10% at larger schools with a more diverse curriculum and can't get in to UT out of high school because of a ******** rule.
Just got this email: Today, the Texas Senate approved on third and final reading SB 175 by Senator Florence Shapiro, relating to a cap on the Top Ten Percent Law, by a vote of 24-7. This bill is now on its way to the House for consideration. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and Senator Shapiro deserve our greatest appreciation for passing this legislation out of the Senate. While the bill came out of the Senate with several amendments, they are all acceptable and give UT flexibility in the admissions process. We ask that you please send a handwritten thank you note (no email or phone calls please) to Lt. Governor Dewhurst and Sen. Shapiro, in addition to any of the other Senators who voted for SB 175. Here are the YES votes: District 1 â?" Kevin Eltife (Tyler) District 2 â?" Robert Deuell (Greenville) District 3 â?" Robert Nichols (Jacksonville) District 4 â?" Tommy Williams (The Woodlands) District 5 â?" Steve Ogden (Bryan) District 7 â?" Dan Patrick (Houston) District 8 â?" Florence Shapiro (Plano) District 9 â?" Chris Harris (Arlington) District 10 â?" Wendy Davis (Fort Worth) District 11 â?" Mike Jackson (La Porte) District 12 â?" Jane Nelson (Lewisville) District 14 â?" Kirk Watson (Austin) District 16 â?" John Carona (Dallas) District 17 â?" Joan Huffman (Houston) District 18 â?" Glenn Hegar (Katy) District 20 â?" Juan Hinojosa (McAllen) District 21 â?" Judith Zaffirini (Laredo) District 22 â?" Kip Averitt (Waco) District 24 â?" Troy Fraser (Horseshoe Bay) District 25 â?" Jeff Wentworth (San Antonio) District 27 â?" Eddie Lucio (Brownsville) District 28 â?" Robert Duncan (Lubbock) District 30 â?" Craig Estes (Wichita Falls) District 31 â?" Kel Seliger (Amarillo) Mailing addresses for all Senators can be addressed to: The Honorable (Senatorâ?Ts Name) Texas Senate P.O. Box 12068 Austin, TX 78711-2068 We anticipate HB 52 by Representative Dan Branch relating to a cap on the Top 10% Law to be voted out of the House Higher Education Committee this week. We expect the House to add its own amendments and we will keep you posted as the legislative process continues. Thank you. Jim Boon Executive Director Stay tuned for more legislative updates!The Link info@utadvocates.org 877-839-2739 toll free
I applied to UT back in '79. At that time, they had a matrix that indicated up front whether or not you automatically qualified. Top 10% had to have a certain SAT score, the next 10% had to have a certain higher SAT score and so on. They simply tweaked the minimum SAT scores every year. Times were simpler back then.
doesn't help the current poster, but for guys with younger girls, here is the answer: women's rowing team (20 scholarships) Because of Title IX, you've got all of these girls sports with a bunch of scholarships. how much competition can there be in rowing?
My daughter plans to attend Simmons College, and received a Presidential Scholarship for same. She made over 2100 on her SAT, and is third in a class of about 350. She always considered UT her "fallback" position, in case the dollars for a Simmons scholarship didn't materialize. She did the common app for UT, attended on of the student visitation days, and was actively recruited by the band guys. (She is also an all-state piper) Unfortunately, her school counselor sent her transcript by email rather than a hard copy, so her application was not "complete". She got a letter from the dean's office saying that they could not offer her a spot in the fall class at UT, but that she was "guaranteed" a spot in the spring if she did not attend school any where else in the fall semester. I would have been really upset if we were counting on that admission, and we would have no one else to blame but ourselves. UT was the only school to which she applied which required a paper transcript.
Yeah they have 3 sections now: Math Critical Reading (verbal) Writing ------- the new one which includes an essay. Interestingly, most schools still use the (math + verbal) when evaluating students for acceptance, but they all look at the writing section separately to see how well the student can write. I have asked why this is when I went on college tours over the last 2 years, and I was told that it is because they have become so used to doing it this way, that they are not changing yet. That is why you see SAT median scores reported using the M+V. It will take a few more years for the universities to think in terms of 2400 scale.
In rowing are their weight classes? If so I may have just figured out a way to have my daughter's way paid to go to THE University of Texas. She's the smallest kid on her track team and I have not seen a smaller girl competing, and she WILL push herself to the point of puking if that's what it takes. Hard worker and incredible aerobic capacity. She has played soccer for me for years, but her size makes her concerned about her long term prosepcts, plus the fact she is the youngest kid in her class. She runs both the 2400 and 1600 in the track meets, and placed 3rd and 2nd respectively in a three way meet yesterday. District will be interesting to see if she can improve on last year's 6th place finish. She realized yesterday that had she listened to me and started running some longer distances in December and January, the girl a foot+ taller than her she nips at the heels of would be chasing my little dwarf. She is not massive in the upper body but could add quite a bit of strength pretty easily I imagine with her work ethic and genetics. Maybe I become a champion rowing coach on the side, on top of my championship soccer coaching... (if that doesn't cause me to get a divorce)
I guess I finally need to put an end to this story. Thanks to all for the advice. Since my last post, my daughter was also accepted to Northwestern and Wake Forest, and she had been trying to decide where to go. Yesterday she got a letter from USC offering her a 4 year full-tuition scholarship as long as she maintains a 3.0 and stays out of trouble. That was one of her top 2 schools, so that closed the deal for her. Doesn't upset me either, so I guess she'll join her sister out there next year. Now I have 5 years to work on my son for UT (assuming I'm still around that long).
Thanks texasex, I will. On my desk is a picture of my wife and I at the NC game surrounded by USC fans. It was glorious to hear the 'eyes of Texas' after the game and complete silence from the Trojan fans.
