I must have posted this incorrectly the first time, so here goes again. For an in-state student, not top 8%, is there an SAT score that "assures" admission to UT? Probably not, but any info would help. Or if not "assures" admission, makes one's chances much better?
Here's a link to the average SAT score for the 2011 incoming class: SAT scores Not sure if any score can virtually guarantee anything since applications should be judged on their entire package, but you can probably have a ballpark figure on how someone's score matches up. Hope this helps in some way even if I don't know the answer.
Thanks everyone (michtex, too). I've heard some so many horror stories of high-scoring students who didn't get in that I'm soliciting some anecdotal feedback, I guess.
Those stories are true and getting more common each year. There are people able to get into Ivy's not getting into UT and also A&M but not those schools. Thanks top ten rule. Oh, it's also fair to point out that many of the top ten people would not get into the other schools.
It is the Qualitative measure that is keeping kids out. When we went to Texas it was either top 25% or a minimum SAT score, Quantitative. Now, you have to be top 8%, certain SAT score and essay, activities, what is your ethniticity. While I agree with Quantitiatvie part, the qualitative part is not real life. Go get a job and see what keeps your job? Running the ABC corporation Running Club or producing your numbers. Bring a nice guy or producing?
I never took the SAT Got in with an ACT score of 28 instead. That said, when did the SAT scoring change? Didn't it use to stop at 1600?
Also important is whether or not your parents divorced(or never married) and you lived with only one of them that did not get remarried. Extra points. Also, if the language of the land is a second language in your home. Extra points Also, your race or ethnicity. Not White or Asian, then extra points. If your family is poor, more points. Also, you will get special consideration on your SAT score if you went to a poorly run school. If your school was poorly run, your SAT score will be judged by how the score relates only to the rest of the scores at your funky high school. If you are White or Asian, your parents are married and have done well in life, you only speak English in your home, you went to a superior high school but were in the 9th or 10th percentile of your graduating class and your SAT score is not high enough in relation to the funky school's comparative SAT scores, then you will be at a disadvantage in the UT "holistic" admissions review.
I got in UT and graduated in early 70's. My two sons both gradutaed UT with the last one graduating early in 2011. So I don't really have a dog in the fight until my 4 year grandson is ready to apply. But, I went through the High School / UT admissions process with my youngest son in 2008 and found out just how bad the high school/ UT admission process was. My son ended up in the top 6% at a competitve high school in the NEISD (Ronald Reagon High) and recieved automatic admission. The first problem with the top ten percent rule is that each individual school district can develop and implement how to determine the top ten percent. I believe NEISD's top ten percent policy was developed by three monkeys and a rock. Rather than use the accepted gpa method, they used a cumulative point total for determining the top ten percent that did not give any cumulative points to extracurricular activities. My son played football and ran track which equaled zero cumulative points. Same for band, ROTC ,etc. My son took advanced classes (AP) that recieved higher percentages for cumulative grade points. However core courses(English, Math) that would count toward cumulative points in the school year if taken in the summer would count toward graduation, but not cumulative points. The reason being that it would not be fair to students that could not afford summer classes. An AP class got 125% of the grade made for cumulative points. If you made a 90, you got 112.5 cumulative points. Regular classes recveived cumulative point equal to the grade received. If you made a 90, you received 90 cumulative points. 9 periods in a day. If you played sports, 2 periods went to extracurricular. So the below average student could take 9 remedial classes and be higher ranked than the AP student that played sports. I called NEISD and asked this question: If a student that takes AP calculus and makes a 90(112.5 points) is compared to a student that takes two remedial math courses and recieves a 70 in each class(140 points), which student is better prepared for college? The response from NEISD was that the remedial student is better prepared for college and should be ranked higher. GPA's would be 90 versus 70. There were kids with low 90 gpas in the top 10 percent. I saw plenty of kids that should have been admitted to UT and were turned down because they were screwed by a terrible ranking system. Then they had to apply to UT under the non top ten percent "holistic" admission policy where they were passed over by factors they had no control over. (see earlier post.)
Actually, I love America. I was just speaking to my frustrating experience between Sept 2006-May 2008 when my youngest was graduating high school and applying to UT where everyone in his family has attended and graduated. I say 2006 as that was his junior year and the first time Powers attempted to change the top ten percent rules for UT. I remember Texas exes advocacy trying to get my support for a a change to top seven percent for UT admissions during the 2007 session at the same time I was learning how NEISD determined the top ten percent of his high school class. He was in the top 7% range and we were trying to determine if he would have to give up sports in order to make sure he was in the top 7% if the law changed. Not because of his gpa, but because of the absurd District policy. We then learned about the non top ten percent UT admissions policy in case he did not make the proposed top 7% admissions. Fortunately the law did not pass that session and we were reasonably sure he would be in the top ten percent and would not have to give up sports. But I learned the UT "holistic' admission for non top ten percent and still cannot believe it is allowed to continue. We should be a University of the first class and admitting the very best students and that cannot happen without a uniform High school ranking system and blind application admissions to UT for non top 7% applicants.
