My daughter was given summer admission because her high school screwed up her class rank. Her school failed to add the additional points from the International Baccalaureate program which would have placed her in the top 5% instead of the top 12%. I believe her SAT score was around 1300. It turned out that her scholarship money from the University of Dallas actually made it cheaper to attend UD rather than UT. While I did not go to undergrad at UT, my brother did and I certainly enjoyed my three years at the law school. I was somewhat disappointed my daughter did not go to UT because I think she would have thrived there (she is doing well at UD). I don't know the solution to the admissions issues and the bureaucracy has always been a problem. They should send letters or at least e-mails. I bet President Powers might fix this if it came to his attention. I was actually pretty impressed with the admissions office when we toured the school.
The dean or lord high chancellor or whatever at Alabama was the dean of the UT business school and there are more really nice and smart kids going to Alabama from Alamo Heights in SA than are going to UT. BTW, they finally admiited the regent's grandson into UT kiddie school (something like undetermined studies). They also admitted several flibbertigibbets whose resumes read with items like "danced at...presentation". I'm sure the girls worked hard on their dancing, but they had no leadership positions on their resumes. Just "Member of" organizations that you just sign up for (I know this because the wife was asked to write sorority reccommendations and I read their resumes). It is more than puzzling that top 11% kids with 1400 SAT's and 32 ACT's just get ignored, yet their alum parents get solicited on a monthly basis while Alabama will extend north of $100k and give them private dorm rooms overlooking the pool where the floozies sunbathe. Dean Whitten of UA understands marketing and they are doing a really slick job. I bet we have received more than 100 e-mails and letters (combined total) and phone calls and receptions and personal visits here in SA and UT couldn't bother to send a No. Or a "we hate that we have this law" message. I LOVED my time at UT in Austin and if you see that my post count is ridiculous, you can understand how passionate I have been in favor of UT and it really pains me to see them f**k themselves with so many people. As an aside, I now have a crimson shirt that says "BAMA" and I have had numerous people yell "ROLL TIDE, ROLL" at me and also quite a few who have remarked that they love their jelly. New territory for me...
For the same reason you might put "go screw yourself" in quotations. It is a term of art that some people might take literally when you want them to understand that it's just a term of art.
I wouldn't have ever posted if I wasn't willing to accept criticism (except for one particticularly offensive poster) so I take no offense. Your post is impossible to respond to in toto as much of it quotes thing I didn't even post and I doubt you intended that I respond to every quote. Yes, it stung that he wasn't admitted, but more to him than me. Despite the poster who claimed that ire was misdirected at notification irritations, that is all that it was about. He read WAY too much into the post. Of course, I am a proud parent of a child who has achieved much. He Deserved better. It is not lost on me that he attended a school where there is a great deal of parental "support" and many kids have sacrified their "fun" years for achievement in the sake of getting into a good college. I don't really consider UT, and never have, to be a "great" college. It is where I chose to go when I could probably have chosen to go anywhere else (I have no idea if my parents could have afforded "anywhere else"), It's serviceable. These days a college degree is about as impressive as a high school diploma was in the past. Most people go on to gradual school. The difference between the test scores and the class rank attest to either a lack of effort or a dysfunctional ranking system in the school. Probably the former. The whole point of the rant (and I really just wanted to spark a discussion) and the point of sendiing the resume and the letter about the family history with UT was to illuminate the point that UT is alienating people who they really shouldn't be alienating. It reminds me of Lily Tomlin in Laugh In saying "We are the telephone company and we don't care, because we don't have to". Well guess what UT, you have to.
