University of Texas Recruitment 2017

[DiWantstoTravel]

Our daughter was also a high profile grad from a competitive school who was automatically admitted to UT (she was top 4% of 1350 students with a heavy math/science AP curriculum) but chose to go out of state due to the scholarship offered at OU. We aren't originally from Texas so not an issue for us, but many of our friends were very surprised that she would turn down attending UT (and paying for it...) vs having her education paid for at a different school.

[jolene]

And this is probably why recruitment numbers aren't climbing at Texas. My niece went to Alabama and she had a psychotically high GPA, bilingual, was accepted to many universities like Vandy, Duke, etc, but Bama would give her more scholarship money. She could go there debt free. She chose Bama, and despite doing a semester abroad, she graduated a semester early. But she only attended Alabama. SMH Oh and she was a Theta there, but if you ask that particular site (and a mom poster here), Theta at Bama sucks and takes losers. Tell that to my stunning niece.

[APhiLife]

I wrote recs this year for a couple of girls from Plano/Allen area who are going into UT as freshman this fall. I have now found out that one decided not to rush before it even began and the other two dropped out of recruitment somewhere along the way. I think UT is a hard recruitment because all the incoming freshman have the idea that they are the best of the best. Which they are usually in the top of their hometown, but at UT so is everybody else.

[clemsongirl]

I've seen this as a wider trend, where Southern state schools are offering high scholarship packages to lure students from up north with promises of big Greek life and a fun football team. It worked on me-Clemson gave me the max out-of-state scholarship and that made it almost as good a financial decision as URI, so I went to Clemson instead for the big rah-rah college experience URI couldn't offer me. I imagine that's part of why recruitment numbers keep rising at these states schools.

[LaneSig]

As a high school teacher in Texas, let me put in my 2 cents.

Because of the competition to be in the upper 10% of graduating classes, it is raising the bar for all the students. This is causing out-of-state and private universities to actively recruit Texas students to come to their schools.

I am at a pretty well-known school district in the northern suburbs of Dallas. We have college recruiters asking to specifically meet with our 9th and 10th graders in order to get them interested early in their specific schools.

So, yes, we are sending many of our best students to other states.

[PVGORD]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

As a high school teacher in Texas, let me put in my 2 cents.

Because of the competition to be in the upper 10% of graduating classes, it is raising the bar for all the students. This is causing out-of-state and private universities to actively recruit Texas students to come to their schools.

I am at a pretty well-known school district in the northern suburbs of Dallas. We have college recruiters asking to specifically meet with our 9th and 10th graders in order to get them interested early in their specific schools.

So, yes, we are sending many of our best students to other states.

Wow! That's pressure.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

As a high school teacher in Texas, let me put in my 2 cents.

Because of the competition to be in the upper 10% of graduating classes, it is raising the bar for all the students. This is causing out-of-state and private universities to actively recruit Texas students to come to their schools.

I am at a pretty well-known school district in the northern suburbs of Dallas. We have college recruiters asking to specifically meet with our 9th and 10th graders in order to get them interested early in their specific schools.

So, yes, we are sending many of our best students to other states.

I no longer live in Dallas, but my kids graduated from JJPearce in the 90's, when it was still an elite high school. The competition was always fierce to get into UT and TAMU, but neither one wanted those schools - they were ready for a different experience.

[PVGORD]

Yes, I've noticed many schools like Alabama, OU, etc are offering huge academic scholarships to bright Texas students. UT Dallas does much of the same. These schools want to change their academic reputation and use bright OOS students to help accomplish that. Some families won't pass up a free education while other students won't apply to those schools, free ride or not.

It all comes down to the type of college experience that a student wants to have. Texas is not generous with academic scholarships but it's allure is strong. Students that get in are happy to pay to be part of it.

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by PVGORD

It all comes down to the type of college experience that a student wants to have. Texas is not generous with academic scholarships but it's allure is strong. Students that get in are happy to pay to be part of it.

And once more with feeling - "it's" is a contraction for "it is." It is NOT the possessive of it. Believe it or not, I majored in English at Alabama and know that!

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by Titchou

And once more with feeling - "it's" is a contraction for "it is." It is NOT the possessive of it. Believe it or not, I majored in English at Alabama and know that!

One of my pet peeves - that, and writing "alot" instead of "a lot". My students know better than to do either!

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

One of my pet peeves - that, and writing "alot" instead of "a lot". My students know better than to do either!

"a lot" and "a part" (vs. apart). They both drive me crazy.

[Knitstar]

Originally Posted by Titchou

And once more with feeling - "it's" is a contraction for "it is." It is NOT the possessive of it. Believe it or not, I majored in English at Alabama and know that!

Thank you, Titchou! I majored in English at the University of Michigan.

Roll Tide and Go Blue!

[txAOII_15]

Originally Posted by PVGORD

Yes, I've noticed many schools like Alabama, OU, etc are offering huge academic scholarships to bright Texas students. UT Dallas does much of the same. These schools want to change their academic reputation and use bright OOS students to help accomplish that. Some families won't pass up a free education while other students won't apply to those schools, free ride or not.

It all comes down to the type of college experience that a student wants to have. Texas is not generous with academic scholarships but it's allure is strong. Students that get in are happy to pay to be part of it.

THIS. Way back in 2008 when I graduated in the top 10 of my 600+ student class, I was offered a spot in in the UT class of 2012 thanks to the 7% rule. I declined my spot due to lack of financial aid. I was offered a measly $4000 academic scholarship spread over 4 years and a one time $500 grant for my freshman year. I instead chose to attend a small, Jesuit college in the northeast that offered me a 90% tuition scholarship. The amount of student loans I wound up taking to cover my room and board the first two years (my campus had a 2 year live in requirement) and the remaining 10% of tuition were less than the amount I would have had to shoulder for an education at UT. For me, it was not worth it financially to shoulder that much debt for a public education. Had I been offered more aid, I may have considered attending.

[AnchorAlum]

Agree with the view of PVGORD about the excellent education at public universities (cannot omit Virginia, arguably the oldest public ivy).

UT Alums are justifiably proud of their University, and I have always been a fan of the Longhorns - my son was accepted there, but always had his sights set on TCU, which was his final choice. Many, many friends of ours are UT grads, since my Far North Dallas neighborhood was full of them!

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlum

I have always been a fan of the Longhorns - my son was accepted there, but always had his sights set on TCU, which was his final choice.

Just popping on to say that CLEARLY your son is brilliant and one of Texas' finest

I won't deny that UT isn't full of elite students, but some of them allow their orange colored glasses to cloud the fact that some of us COULD have gone there but chose not to do so.