Texas A&M: To rush or not to rush?

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by TXGreekMom

It will be interesting to see what the impact to the state is, in 5-10 years when fewer of these kids bring their educations home.

I hope it leads to more diverse hiring in Texas companies.

[TXGreekMom]

Am not a regular, DeltaBetaBaby, so please forgive me if I am missing some context here, but...

Is your implication that the Texas students leaving en masse because there are more opportunities at out-of-state schools, thanks to the automatic admissions law at TX public universities (which ranges from top-10% up to top-7% depending on the campus), are disproportionately white?

[OPhiAGinger]

Although I love data, in this case those acceptance numbers don't tell the whole story. The top 10% acceptance rule is so widely publicized that I suspect Texas high school seniors who are well outside the top 10% are strongly discouraged by their guidance counselors from even applying to UT or A&M. So although TAMU's acceptance rate looks high relative to USC or Clemson, the overall pool of applicants has much higher qualifications. Again, this is just because a lot of applicants already know they don't have a snow ball's chance and don't bother to apply there.

[Hartofsec]

Around here - and by extrapolation, surely just about everywhere else - often more than 10% of the seniors in large suburban high schools have a 4.0 (often above a 4.0 if AP courses are given extra weight in the GPA). And in excess of 10% also have high college entrance scores. Example:

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/05/...ccept_166.html

If our state universities used a top 10% criteria, for example, many very academically strong students from these large high schools would not be admitted.


I don't know a thing about admission to Texas public universities, but having a program to buffer this reality seems like a good idea. Isn't it possible that some of the students in whatever bridge program exists have overall better academic credentials than some who were admitted to the university in question?

[als463]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

Around here - and by extrapolation, surely just about everywhere else - often more than 10% of the seniors in large suburban high schools have a 4.0 (often above a 4.0 if AP courses are given extra weight in the GPA). And in excess of 10% also have high college entrance scores. Example:

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/05/...ccept_166.html

If our state universities used a top 10% criteria, for example, many very academically strong students from these large high schools would not be admitted.


I don't know a thing about admission to Texas public universities, but having a program to buffer this reality seems like a good idea. Isn't it possible that some of the students in whatever bridge program exists have overall better academic credentials than some who were admitted to the university in question?

This is my thinking about the bridge programs. I will say that while advising some undergraduate students, I was shocked at how many came to college with tons of AP courses. Students actually come to college, where I am currently living, with almost a full year's worth of courses from AP. They are also involved in so much. Some of them seem to be on the brink of curing world hunger (exaggeration) and make me feel like I must have been a real slacker in high school. It sure has gotten competitive, in general, for these new undergraduate and graduate students. I don't envy them one bit. Instead, I applaud them.

[Just interested]

I think one way our more competitive private schools in Texas get around the 10% rule (now 8%, I think) is not to rank their students.
The inequity in the public school system in Texas can be dramatic and some of these students are not as well prepared for a large University experience. HIgh Schools matter when looking at potential members for this very reason. I think these programs are a way around the rules and as someone said not to lose them to out of state schools.
My Reference Board sends more references to Arkansas than to Texas Tech and they are closing in on A&M(Although A&M's numbers are WAY UP this year)

[DeltaBetaBaby]

But none of the Texas schools only admit 10%ers, do they? I know that makes up a large part of admissions, but the entire freshman class doesn't fill with them, does it?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

I don't know a thing about admission to Texas public universities, but having a program to buffer this reality seems like a good idea. Isn't it possible that some of the students in whatever bridge program exists have overall better academic credentials than some who were admitted to the university in question?

Of course they do. That's why letting BT students rush makes sense.

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

But none of the Texas schools only admit 10%ers, do they? I know that makes up a large part of admissions, but the entire freshman class doesn't fill with them, does it?

That probably depends on how many people decide they want to take advantage of the 10% rule. At some point you have to say the class is full. Those in the know - is there any sort of "if you're top 10% you have to let us know by x date" restriction?

[Just interested]

Yes,you are right. It is my understanding that that is the case at A&M and Texas. I don't know exactly how it works. It is a large part of admissions but not the be all and end all. It is good objective way to start things out similar to 1st cuts for pnms during recruitment being for grades. I have no clue how it works from there. None at all. I do know girls who are not in the top 10% do get into Texas from Dallas.

[Hartofsec]

Here is info that helps explain the Automatic Admission Law in Texas (since 2009):

http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshm...atic-admission

And for those applicants admitted who did not fall under automatic admission -- the holistic review process used to fill the class:

http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/decisions/review

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Thanks! The 75% part was what I was curious about.

[aggiemom14]

I don't normally comment, but I noticed there is some misinformation on here regarding admissions. There are two guaranteed admission methods: auto admits ( top 10% rank, TX resident) and academic admit (top 25%, 1300 SAT/ 30 ACT (with score min.), any residency category).

Currently, roughly 70% of admissions are guaranteed admissions, 30% are review admits. Review admits are evaluated on everything (rank,scores, essays, recs, EC, etc). They are primarily offered: full admission, gateway (summer at A&M probationary to full admission), PSA ( a year at another A&M location then transfer), Blinn Team ( co-enroll A&M and Blinn CC, then transfer) or rejection. There is also a feeder program for certain majors at participating CCs (PTA). All the alternate programs include an academic requirement be met for the transfer to occur.

Regarding the sororities wanting BT members to participate - maybe at the leadership of Panhellenic, but it is not a grass roots campaign by the members themselves. Most were annoyed by the prospect, these students were not able to attain full time status for admissions & they still have to academically qualify, so it makes no sense to them. If they are looking to grow Greek Life, they should put more emphasis on recruitment at NSC (new student conferences) and inspire more full time students to consider joining. The university sponsored club fair is a few weeks after sorority recruitment ends freshman year, so many do not consider joining when they have to wait a full year or try for a few spring bids.

[33girl]

Who are these most you speak of?

And from what's been presented, it seems the majority of BT students are completely academically, socially and otherwise good candidates for sorority membership at a competitive rush school. They just happened to go to HS with lots of other people who were similarly stellar.

And call me cuckoo, but I really don't think the majority of people interested kn Greek life at TAMU need to attend a club fair to be aware of it. If we were talking Maine A&M, it might be a different story.

[aggiemom14]

Regarding my post the word 'most' refers to the quantitative evaluation of chatter against the idea. No, there's no formal poll nor head count, just an observation as school ended and the membership rules were changed.

BT students I'm sure are socially wonderful, however they do attend a CC for 45 units and A&M for 15 units of classes. It can take 2 years to become a full A&M student (although they can apply as a transfer student earlier). I was not evaluating their character, nor ability to be a good candidate - the only issue is that normally CC students are not allowed to join, but they have become exceptions.

Since my daughter has worked the club fair, I know that the method/process for joining sororities is not as well known to all students as it could be at this school. That's why I mentioned it.

[33girl]

They ARE exceptions. They're not normal CC students. They're students who have to squeeze through the eye of a needle to get into a school that normally they wouldn't have any problem getting into if there wasn't a ridiculous arbitrary state regulation in place.