We do get a lot of Texas folks....we've recruitment them heavily and give them big scholarships

Every Texas girl I know going to Alabama, Arkansas or Ole Miss didn't have the grades to get into Texas. Not sure they would be considered the state's "finest".

Wow. Who pissed in your cereal this morning?

ps it's "toeing" not "towing".

Arkansas has always had a large number of students from Texas, especially the DFW area. This has been going on decades before UT capped enrollment to the top 7%. Being a small state/university some of our largest alumni associations are out of state: DFW, Houston, Tulsa, Kansas City, Memphis etc.
UA athletic teams love to play in Texas especially in DFW, like our yearly visit to Jerry's World (Arkansas Kappa Sigma) to play A&M. We also still play games against our former Southwest Conference rivals to satisfy the Texas alumni base.

Yes, I know many Bama and Ole Miss folk who lament on the inferior exports from Texas. They refer to them as "pity" bids.

I know of several who had at least a 4.0 but because of weighting, these girls from very competitive high schools didn't qualify to get into Texas' flagship schools. These are brilliant and active students who wanted 4 years' worth of a big school and who can blame them?

I don't consider a student one of the best just because he/she had the class standing to get into UT or A&M. Many of those who do get in flunk out on their tails because despite class standing, they went to some crappy high school that in no way prepared them for a rigorous university.

Exactly. Go to a high school in an ISD in a certain area of the metroplex, and your class rank gets you in if you're top 10% at that school. You might get a 950 on your SAT and have to be in remedials your freshman year, but you've taken a spot from a student who happens to live in a more academically competitive ISD and who might have a 1300 SAT and better GPA. Those are the kids who then choose to go to OU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, etc. and they're very, very good students.

ISD?

There are vast differences in course offerings etc between high schools just in the tiny (population wise) little county where I grew up. I can't imagine how much more extreme that must be across a state as huge as Texas.

There is a minimum SAT/ACT requirement to get into UT. UT is considered one of the public Ivies along with Michigan, NC and UCLA and others. It's a long time member of AAU, which is the gold standard for universities (UT worked to get A&M included in recent years) so, if you want to compare UT students academically to A&M, OU, Arkansas or Ole Miss students, there will be differences (just like comparing UT students to Stanford students).

All that being said, there are some very good students who choose Arkansas, Ole Miss, etc, but it is also true that greek-minded Texas kids go elsewhere in droves because they can't get into UT, as carnation said.

To my point: UT draws such a diverse student body and has such a different vibe that it can't be compared to Alabama, Ole Miss or A&M, etc. in terms of student body size as related to greek life participants.

Texas greek life is strong, old, well established and limited. Nothing "sad" about that.

Texas school districts are referred to as "Independent School District".

Most of us talking about Hometown Independent School District will call it HISD or Hometown ISD.

And I apologize for my snarky 2nd comment.

I just dislike hearing denial of differences, whether in universities or chapters or whatever. Like denying winners and giving out participation awards instead. I think clear winners, higher ranks or whatever are motivational for gaining strength. The trick is to improve while having a clear understanding that chapters have different strengths and serve different types of girls.

As to UT admissions:

"Note also that a number of students were accepted with test scores and grades a bit below the norm. The University of Texas has holistic admissions, so the admissions officers are considering qualitative as well as quantitative information. Students who show some kind of interesting talent or have a compelling story to tell will often get a close look even if grades and test scores aren't quite up to the ideal . . . From the graph at the top of this article, you might be led to conclude that students with "A" averages and strong SAT or ACT scores are almost certain to get into the University of Texas at Austin. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Plenty of students with GPAs and standardized test scores that are on target for the university fail to be admitted."

Not being accepted into UT is in no way a reflection on the student's right to call themselves one of our finest; being accepted at UT does not mean you are automatically one of our finest. We have amazing students at just about any university you care to name, and something which is important to consider is the major. A program at one school, however well-regarded the school, might not be as good as a program at a less known school. Many flagship universities emphasize their graduate programs to the detriment of their undergraduates. I don't deny differences - I celebrate them, and also like a realistic, objective, fact based discussion of the benefits of choosing where to attend from a variety of opportunities. Just as our pnms benefit from large Greek systems with a variety of chapters, so our students benefit from having differing options in higher education.

Interesting graph - note the number of "admitted will not attend". Plenty of those who are admitted choose to go elsewhere: https://www.thoughtco.com/ut-austin-...and-act-786750

@SWTXBelle.

From that same article:

"The rejection of a seemingly qualified student can be the result of many factors: lack of depth or accomplishment in extracurricular activities; failure to demonstrate leadership ability; a lack of challenging AP, IB or Honors courses; a sloppy admissions essay; and more. Also, out-of-state applicants will face a higher admissions bar than Texas students."

Again, t's hard getting into UT and greek minded kids are going elsewhere because of it.

But then some of those same kids who are affected by those factors you just named are still getting in bc they're in the top 7% of their classes. And when they flunk out, the state shrugs and says, "Oh well, we gave then the chance."

No one has claimed it is easy to get into UT; we've just pointed out that not being admitted to UT does not merit snarky comments about them not being Texas' finest. There are a number of factors that might contribute to a qualified student's decision to attend another school. Having taught at a highly regarded private school in Houston, I've been able to see what a variety of students consider when choosing amongst various colleges. Sometimes it is a mature decision based on criteria we would applaud; sometimes it's whether or not the campus gets snow.

ETA - The young women for whom I've written recs to Bama, U of GA, U of OK, etc. have been exceptional. Complete packages - grades, service, leadership, looks, and no problem with money. I'd gladly claim them as among Texas' finest.