Overheard at a high school game Friday night

I was accepted to the three schools that I applied to: Baylor, UT, and A&M. I went to Baylor because it was smaller and more personal (the same reason that I later went to UTMB). My brother, who was not in the top 10% of his high school class, wound up in the exact same situation 2 years later and went with UT and now has a BBA from McCombs.

The generalization made by the OP may have some value, but the trouble with generalizations, particularly crummy ones, is that they are horribly unreliable.
 
Yeah, I graduated HS in 2003 and still used the old SAT - analogies were still part of it and 1600 was still the max.
 
There are other ways to graduate from UT. Attend junior college for the first two years; make decent grades and then transfer to UT. The degree doesn't have any note at the bottom that says" didn't attend UT for all four years" at the bottom of it.
 
Kevin C, You sound like a jackass.
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I dont understand the beef with the top 10% rule. Maybe I never will.
I graduated from Baytown Lee in 2003. The school is "on the wrong side of the tracks." However, it had, IMHO, great teachers and offered AP classes that were great. I was at the top of my class, my test scores were good. I got a scholly at UT for my PSAT scores. Many of my AP classmates decided on UT and ATM as their college. They didn't have to. Almost all of them - near 70 students (30 of which were not in the top ten percent) - got accepted at an institution at least the equal of UT's with regard to academics. I am talking Michigan, Florida, Rice, Ohio State, University of Chicao, Stanford, Berkley, and that is not to mention the Ivy Leagues.

My point is this: If you have the kind of scores on the tests and the extra-curricular activities that have been noted in earlier posts, then you won't have any trouble getting in to other top tier institutions, or even Texas. We all see UT as one of the best universities in the nation, but the truth is, it all depends on the individual. I chose UT over Harvard and UC Berkley. I chose it because it was closer to home. I also chose it because it was closer to a GF that later cheated on me... Our reasons for choosing a college are varied, and "translating" someone's reasons into "I couldn't get into UT" is a disservice to those kids and to ourselves.

HOOK 'EM!!
 
Agree with almost everything you said. Where I disagree is that it's all about scores on tests and good deeds. For a while there, if you were not in the top 10% of your very privileged (and parentally goosed) school, you couldn't go. Kinda ironic.
 
Btw, there used to be a poster around here, Bellmont maybe?, who worked in the admissions office. He said that the UT admissions wasn't happy with the inflexibility, but that 10%ers from crappy high schools performed (my menory) as well, if not better, than others. I do remember him saying that the kids were good students.

FWIW
 
The performance of top 10% versus non top 10% students and top 10% versus non top 10 % students by SAT range is posted on the UT website. The top ten percent consistantly outperforms the non top ten percent students. The interesting chart is where the SAT range scores compare gpa results of top 10 versus non top ten. The top ten percent with lower SAT scores outperforms non top ten percent with higher SAT scores in gpa. Draw your own conclusion as to work ethic and top ten percent with low SATs that do not perform well.

The problem I see is that most believe the reason the University wants to do away with the top ten percent rule is to allow those students within the top 12% to 15% to be admitted from academically rigid school such as Plano, Kingwood, Westlake etc. I do not believe the present administration has any intention to include more white students from these schools, but rather to use any leeway from the top ten percent rule to admit lesser qualified minority students and then put into place social promotion programs such as the Longhorn Scholar program. The use of race and other factors in the admission matrix clearly shows the university's intention and is racist.

8,000 should be admitted in the freshman class.

The majority of students from Texas high schools should be admitted to UT based on high school performance with a entrance exam qualifier such as the SAT and ACT. The combination of performance and test qualifier (pick your test score) should start at the top 1% of high school graduates and continue until the 7,200 are admitted. This would qualify up to 15% to 20% of the top students in Texas.

The UT president would be given 800 entrants per year for special students such as athletes, musicians, national merit scholars and foriegn students( I include out of state admits as foriegn students).

The Capps(sp?) should stay in place in order for students that did not make the initial entry to replace students that leave school the first two years.

Do away with all social promotion programs. Sink or swim. You either belong at the University and can do the work or you dont. Social promotion programs only diminish and devalue the degrees that have been EARNED.

End all racial preferrence in admission. That time has come and gone. I have no problem with Asians or any other racial group having skewed enrollment numbers if they EARNED their position by hard work and have the intellegence to score well on entrance exams. The UT's own top ten percent performance/SAT charts indicate they are the best students.
There are plenty of other colleges and universities for those that don't make it in.

My first post is true as I see it, the Alumni are cowards for not speaking up against a racist admission policy and social promotion program that denies entry for more qualified students.
 
When Mrs. ImWP and I entered UT in '79 and '80, there was a matrix in place. There was a minimum SAT score you had to obtain depending on wear you ranked in your graduating class. I can't remember if the top tier was set at 10% or 25%, but I do remember you had to have a pretty high SAT if you weren't in that top tier of your graduating class. I had to have a 1000 out of 1600 at my level, which was not that difficult. But again, I can't remember whether the top tier was 10% or 25%. Mrs. and I both graduated top 10% and were well over 1000, so we weren't worried enough to have that matrix burned in our brains.

It was a bit easier to get in back then, but it wasn't as simple as having a pulse. The biggest difference is you had a chance if you weren't in the top quarter.
 
I like the concept of geographic diversity. This is the University of Texas not the University of Wealthy Suburbs. However, I do believe a minimum SAT/ACT should be required. Example, a valedictorian at an poor high school with a 700 SAT is not college ready.
 
OK, I'm a longhorn fan but I have to point out that there are folks who WANT to go to A&M because of the veterinary program. UT doesn't have one. I have pets and am therefore glad A&M is there.
 
The only real difference between Texas and A&M academically is that - generally speaking - Texas has better graduate programs than A&M. As far as undergraduate programs, there isn't much difference between the two.

Most at Texas and A&M would agree that Rice is a step above for undergrad, but many of their graduate programs are nowhere to be found on the top whatever lists.

Many, if not most, TT students will admit that they went to TT because they didn't get into UT or A&M. I'm embarrassed for them when they feel like they have to joke about it. On one hand, you don't feel like laughing about it, but you also know they shouldn't talk that way because it's still an above-average school. It's kind of uncomfortable when that happens, and it's happened to me numerous times. I guess that beats the ones who have a chip on their shoulder.

I'm wise enough to know that the best student at just about any school is head and shoulders above than the worst egghead student at Harvard. Some people choose their schools out of necessity or out of some unique attraction they have for that school. I have a cousin who chose a college with no entrance requirement - none, nada, zilch - and he ended up being a neurologist who trained at M.D. Anderson. Some relatives raised an eye brow when they found out where he chose to go to school, but he was happy with his choice.

I think the fact that so many of Texas' graduate programs are top 10 or 20 speaks volumes for how much the top 10% rule has hindered it's undergraduate rankings. About 30 years ago, a book was written about the "public Ivys." Texas was included on that list along with several of the University of California schools, Michigan, Virginia, North Caroline and a few others. I'm not sure if that same book would include Texas today if not for the strength our graduate programs.
 
UT is a lot of smaller "schools" together in one location. You can make it as big or as small as you want to. I don't understand why it is intimidating to anyone, or not personal.

Regarding the 8-10% rule for admissions, I do not like it but I don't think it is going anywhere soon.

My son was brainwashed by me from birth that he should go to UT. He went to a great HS and graduated with honors, but was not in the top 10%. He did not "settle" for A&M or LSU like many of his friends with similar grades. He went to UTSA for a year and then successfully transfered in as a soph. So it can be done if a kid really wants it.
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The op on this post....wow... Spend some time around kids.

Plenty of kids get into UT and a good portion choose to go elsewhere.

Where you go to school is more then just about the university or college and if you can get in:

Majors offered, program rankings, where your friends are going, finances involved, how far or how near it is to home, where family has gone to school, what professors teach there(you would be surprised the number of kids who pick a college because it has someone in their major that is famous and might teach 1 class), etc

and I am not even getting into the top 10% argument again. I know too many well rounded kids who were not top 10% that have gotten into UT in the last 5 years to think it is any harder then when I was accepted.
 
Admission to Texas is not about what happened yesterday or today, it is about what is going to happen tomorrow and who is not going to have equal footing for admission.

Look at the admission policy. The policy is racist, biased and subjective, and thus does deny a certain students equal opportunity for admission.

The attack by the President of UT on the top ten percent rule is not to enable more kids from UT parents to attend Texas.

The relevence is that the kids who want to attend Texas and whose parents attended and graduated from Texas are discriminated against in the admission process.

Wake up.
 
I completely disagree with the post. I'm betting you don't have a kid that's a senior in high school applying to college right now

My son just graduated from UT and i agree with it.
 
"I know too many well rounded kids who were not top 10% that have gotten into UT in the last 5 years to think it is any harder then when I was accepted. "

I am really sorry I started this post but you sir do not have a clue.
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Longhorn/Texas alum who bleeds burt orange here... My daughter graduated # 2 in her class of 650 and scored a damn near perfoect score on her SAT and ACT. She applied to more than half a dozen schools and got accepted to all of them. She was offered a full or partial scholarship to each school including Rice, Texas, aTm, Wash U, Duke and a few others. She chose to go to aTm on a full ride. (I THOUGHT I RAISED HER BETTER THAN THAT!!!) Seriously though, we had lots of long talks about it. I would have made a different choice and I told her so. But here's the thing... she worked her *** off in HS and earned the right to make the decision imo. All this to say, there are plenty of kids who get accepted to Texas and choose to go elsewhere.

As a bonus, I sat in the upper deck at Kyle Field with my daughter (in the Mizzou section) and got to enjoy watching aggy get pummeled on Saturday. For the record, I was wearing my burnt orange Texas cap and my white on white stealth aggy polo shirt (for my daughter's sake).
 
Hey devilicious, want your kids to hit the 40 Acres but not in top 8%? Drop a boatload of cash, that's what the legacies do in my neck of the woods. Works out just fine.
 
what SHS1984 said. if a kid is smart & willing to do what it takes, he/she will find a way in (my son took similar route to SHS's kid & is now at Cockrell). there simply isn't enough room for everyone who wants in. some who don't make it in how/when they want make excuses...such as institutional discrimination. sheesh...see puke emotocon.
 
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