My daughter goes to UT. She also went to a very rigerous high school that sends quite a few students to UT each year. She was not in the top 10%, but she did have good test scores, good GPA at a difficult high school, and good extra curriculars. She was in the top 20%. She is a legacy to UT. Her father graduated from there in the 80's. Her legacy status was not a factor in her admissions. I also know that she is surrounded by friends who were in the top 10% of their less difficult high school and they are struggling. Carnation was 100% correct in her earlier post stating that not all high schools are equal.
Munchkin asked in an earlier post about how do legacies get admitted..the simple answer is just like everyone eles. UT does not consider legacy status when making admission decisions. The Hopwood Act, which inacted the top 10% rule, states that it is illegal to consider legacy status. As far as athletes, that is an entirely different ballgame and Im not sure if they are mentioned in the Hopwood Act.
I can't quote the exact breakdown of this year's student body, but I do know that white is no longer considered the majority at UT. The white student population is 49%. Blacks make up only 4%, Hispanics are at 22% and Asians are at 25%..these are approx. numbers based on an e-mail I received from the university. UT is also the most expensive Texas state university, which makes attending there cost prohibitive for many students.
I really dont know what the answer is. I do wonder why Ms. Fisher didnt just transfer into UT, which is much easier by the way, due to attrition from the students that fail out. She would then be a part of "the good ole boy network" here in the state of Texas
