Damn UT

nashhorn

nashhorn

5,000+ Posts
Damn UT, just plain damn UT. Thinking of all the money I have spent in support of UT, sitting thru the 63 point thrashing by UCLA, our years of mediocrity, never wavering but I may burn all my paraphernalia. My Granddaughter did not get accepted - got her notice over email today. Crap, worked her tail off getting top grades, going to the top Charter school in Nashville, struggling as a child of a single mom, a 32 on the SAT (or is it ACT, whichever has the low scores) extracurricular activities out the kazoo and gets the denial letter. Really pisses me off - of course her best friend (who happens to be India decent) gets in, pisses me all the more. Her life long dream come to an abrupt end.

Yeah I know she lost but someone else got their dream.....but still pisses me off, damn UT. Guess this will be enough to stop my season tickets, that'll save me a ton not to mention the fact that we Grandparents were making up what her momma could never afford in her tuition. Acceptances everywhere she applied but UT. Guess she'll go to Purdue, Seton Hall, or Rhodes - they all offered her admission and huge money but UT, not even a welcome. Damn UT.
 
Sounds like you have a wonderful granddaughter. Getting money and choosing a school with comparable academic reputation will no doubt work out fine for her -- but rejection, especially one that's unfair, has to hurt and there's no way to sugarcoat it.
 
That does suck indeed. I trust she will kick butt wherever she goes.

I know you are hurting but reconsider some things you hint at. Did you give to UT because you are a Longhorn and love the Longhorns? Or because you one day before she was even on the planet do it for possible grand kids? They don't know you and they don't dislike you.

The current process sucks and their hands are tied with the top percent rule and other factors. A friend of mine works in Admissions and worked her way up from the front desks. She says people break her heart all the time and it sucks. It's the system, Nash.

Maybe step the donation back a bit but cut it off? No football games or at least tickets you've worked hard for all these years?

I think letting some time pass is in order. It's too bad she's not in Texas which gives her a legit shot at getting in. Out of state, yeesh, somebody needs all types of other things, things that should not count.
 
She can always try for the transfer route. The issue isn't going to get easier. Texas is growing by 500k people per year and Texas wants to slightly decrease enrollment, A&M has similar issues. They are growing the school but keeping the Freshman enrollment the same.
 
Thanks all - very much appreciate the comments.
I am indeed sure she will do well, just no one likes to see their kids (or grandkids) so disappointed and then, as has been stated, to realize it is largely bureaucracy at its finest. Out of state, and trying to be female in the Engineering school, I thought the grades, test score, and some remarkable outside of school activities would push her through - well truthfully I hoped, because down deep I knew it was a long shot.
So true on the cold email - Purdue, one of the schools where she was accepted has sent her Mom incredibly warm welcoming emails. Can't say how anyone else declining has responded because no one has declined her application other than UT. Seton Hall was remarkable in their friendly attitude but man, that is far away and even with the big scholarship $ still too expensive!
She's young, bright, and very outgoing so I know she will be ok. And eventually so will Granddad. The Link
Thanks Hornfans
 
Don't want to be "Debbie Downer" on the grad school route, but that appears difficult as well. My daughter was accepted as an undergrad at UT but chose to go elsewhere. When she applied for grad school, she was turned down even with great undergrad grades and a good GRE. She was offered full ride at SMU, Zona, and Zona ST. Grads with MBA from SMU in in May and has a job waiting. Things work out. Hookem.
 
I'm sorry what happened nashhorn.

I have a recent experience with my nephew's daughter. But she got a full academic scholarship at Baylor so I am now a Baylor fan to a certain extent. Also an exception will be when it adversely affects UT of course. I won't be flying any Baylor flags on my car either.
 
Does UT still do entry on a provisional basis? I know I just missed the cut on acceptance, but they allowed to go to summer school to try to earn my way in on a provisional basis. I attended the summer school and made the grades and was accepted. If her heart is set on going to UT, as mine was, maybe this is a possibility if it still exists.
 
Dovey, not the way it used to be. A school like UTSA or Arlington, Brownsville, etc are the new Provi type thing. Do well there for a semester or two and it's not that tough to get in. When I say well, I mean really well.
 
I'm with you Nash. I just told (yet another) UT fundraising telephone caller that I am no longer sending any money their way. It goes where my child goes instead. That's just the way it is going to be.
 
You win some, you lose some. But your grandchild will live to fight another day. Who knows, maybe if she decides to pursue a graduate, doctorate (my brother might go back now that UT's got a med school), she might get in then.
 
concur on the UTSA route. the introductory coursework she may do at UTSA is not a big deal. If she performs well, it is an easy transfer to UT Austin. I had a few friends that took that route. Cheaper on the pocketbook as well for that first year.
 
Hornsforever - you are right - suck it up and move on, which is of course what we will do, but still pisses me off - although I did go ahead and renew season tickets. One more year, sigh.
UTSA is definitely something I thought about but with us in Houston (does SA have dorms) I thought was not reasonable although what am I saying, cost of UT without serious scholarship money was ridiculous for out of state.
Purdue offered her so much money her Mom may understandably say that is the best opportunity - and they have been incredibly accommodating with positive follow up.
Hey, life is what it is, constant change, constant adjustment. As Satchel Page said, "don't look back, someone might be gaining on you".
And thanks for all the supportive comments.
Hookem
 
I know several kids that have gone the UTSA route. It's a very nice, new campus. They went one year and then transferred in.

I know one kid that had the misfortune of going to Westwood. Couldn't get into Texas but got a full ride to Cal Berkley. Go figure.
 
The "holistic" admissions policy for the non top 7-8% (25%) is shameful and falls directly at the feet of the UT President Powers. Too bad we are UT and cannot seem to hire a great UT president. My youngest was top 5% and graduated UT in 2011. My kid went to a competitive High School - Reagan HS in San Antonio- and I watched the really good kids of UT alums get screwed by this President's admission policy because they were in the top 10-12% and had to go the "holistic " route and were denied admission. Probably same for Westlake HS. What a sham. I will continue to support the athletics, but I stopped other contributions until the admissions policy is changed. Powers has just spent a million UT dollars defending the racist part of a morally corrupt "holistic"admission policy.
 
The percentage will change depending on when the admitting class is at 75%. 25% of the entering class is admitted under the "holistic" admissions policy. The class is admitted starting with the top 1% , then top 2% and proceeding until 75% of the entering class is attained. Where the top percent ends is based on how many upper percent applying/accepting there are. Therefore one year the cut off could be top 8%, the next year couls be the top 6%. Once the 75% is attained, all remaining applicants are grouped together and "holistically" evaluated for admission for the remianing 25% of the class.
So a top 8% graduate at Westlake or Reagan will now be subject to the holistic review which awards other applicants
with more points for race, single parent home, english second language, etc. Also they will lose the advantage of their sat/act scores as the sat/act score from an applicant from a crap high school will be judged by a comparison of scores from his crap high school.
Ie: An applicant from Westake scores 30 on an ACT, an applicant from a crap high school scores 25 on an ACT but the average ACT score from his crap high school is 16, then advantage goes to the applicant with a 25.
Morally corrupt.
 
We just went through this last year, my kid was offered the CAP program (go to another UT school for a year, make a 3.0 and transfer) but he wanted to go to the same school all 4 years so he (and a few thousand other Texans) is wearing a different shade of orange at Okie Lite. All these dang people moving to Texas has screwed things up for the natives.....
 
I understand Sangre's point. It is a shame when you child qualifies that can't go to UT. I can understand that your money goes where your child goes. Sangre why don't you also ask for a refund of past donations?
smile.gif
 
I think 'top 10%' was a problem Powers inherited - all thanks to our legislature. The percentage of incoming freshmen who were taken/admitted under that policy increased over the years, and UT was at a distinct disadvantage in its admissions. At a time when 70+% of the incoming freshmen at UT were getting automatic acceptance, the same percentage at TAMU was something like 42%, and it was lower at the Techs of the world.

Powers is not to blame.
 
Nash - the UTSA to UT Austin route is the way to go. UTSA does have dorms and even the off campus is not bad.

I know of one co-worker and her son is going this route. Entered 1st semester this past fall and by junior year, will transfer to finish in Austin.

hookem.gif
 
Thanks all, interesting discussion.

On the UTSA route - what would be repercussion of her engineering degree - I suspect that even further decreased her opportunity of admission? And if she did go UTSA for a year - or even two, would she be able to then declare resident, using our address, or does her Mom's address carry the day regardless?
I think I remember reading that dependency status on tax filing was the key to residence claim.
Thanks
 
Unless it has changed, no, she would not be a resident. If you start off as out of state, you remain out of state unless there is a one year break in which you establish your residency in Texas. I had to do this when I transferred in from out of state.

It could have changed but I don't know why they would since they make more money this way. Seeing as how it is way more about the money than the education I think they would like it the way it was.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Weekly Prediction Contest

* Predict HORNS-AGGIES *
Sat, Nov 30 • 6:30 PM on ABC

Recent Threads

Prediction Results Threads

2024 Schedules

Back
Top