Surly kids who can't get into UT

[BabaYaga 15288]

On 2/9/2024 at 8:31 AM, CooterBrown said:

My kid's AP Physics teacher has never taught physics before so that accreditation can't be too important.  The only time the kids understand the material is when the teacher shows the AP Youtube video over the lesson instead of trying to teach it herself.  That class is a complete trainwreck.

 

This was me with math in HS - taught mainly by coaches.  It wasn't until grad school that I realized it's not a great mystery and is actually pretty interesting and applicable.  

[CooterBrown 18003]

8 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

This was me with math in HS - taught mainly by coaches.  It wasn't until grad school that I realized it's not a great mystery and is actually pretty interesting and applicable.  

We ended up getting a tutor. That's the best $50 a week I've ever spent.  It's been so successful, we're just going to keep the tutor for AP Calculus next year regardless if she needs it. A side benefit is that the tutor has taught her really good study skills.

[yoladu 4090]

18 hours ago, Grimas said:

Anyone else having "fun" with this FAFSA mess?  We had ours in in January but apparently any of the early ones were flagged as missing signatures and you couldn't actually make the corrections until April 16th.  All corrected now but several of our target schools still haven't got the FAFSA info and May 1 is decision date for most schools...  Argh...

I am going thru this process with two kids right now. I am finding their target schools are pushing the decision date to June 1st, based almost entirely on the FAFSA snafus.

 

Pretty sure UT has.

Edited April 24 by yoladu

[jimmyjazz 45887]

UT seems pretty unconcerned with filing FAFSA.  I've been trying to pay cash for my two kids on campus, and literally haven't filed FAFSA in two years.  I think they might have made it a requirement for year 1?

[yoladu 4090]

11 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

UT seems pretty unconcerned with filing FAFSA.  I've been trying to pay cash for my two kids on campus, and literally haven't filed FAFSA in two years.  I think they might have made it a requirement for year 1?

i know our high school requires that the seniors do FAFSA as a condition of graduation. Not holding out hope that is actually does anything for us specifically.

[boilerhorn 1373]

37 minutes ago, yoladu said:

i know our high school requires that the seniors do FAFSA as a condition of graduation. Not holding out hope that is actually does anything for us specifically.

That seems like a pretty ridiculous requirement, especially for a high school.

Some colleges require it for a student to have access to merit rewards.  I suspect they'll steer a merit reward to the need-based (or gov't) bucket if they can. 

Some private colleges require it for access to any level of scholarships.

[Grimas 669]

I assume this is for all schools but ours has an option for graduation where you say you aren't submitting a FAFSA form as an alternative.  I don't expect a dime for either of mine but one thing I plan on doing is having both of mine take that $5K government loan (in their names) so they know they have skin in the game (and I'll pay it off when they graduate...).  We also need the FAFSA for a private scholarship that they apply for in August...

[Fudge Nuggets 19188]

I pulled out my previous year tax return and opened the spreadsheet where I keep monthly updates on my shit. The entire FAFSA deal took 10 minutes. Not sure what the big deal about it is. 

[Grimas 669]

They changed to a new system and you couldn’t upload your data until January. There was a glitch in the system that rejected a large portion of those submitted between January and early March - most regarding issues with signatures the system couldn’t recognize and the system was locked until mid-April so you couldn’t make corrections. Many schools still haven’t received the FAFSA from the site so can’t send out their letters to students and the May 1 date most schools want the students to accept is fast approaching….   The form itself wasn’t the issue but we have friends who actually need those financial aid forms to chose where their kid will go because of cost and need for the financial aid. Mine aren’t getting crap beyond their merit scholarships so it really doesn’t matter to me other than having a nice summary before I start writing checks…

[F250 28764]

7 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

UT seems pretty unconcerned with filing FAFSA.  I've been trying to pay cash for my two kids on campus, and literally haven't filed FAFSA in two years.  I think they might have made it a requirement for year 1?

This has been the case for my first two kids but yesterday my youngest son called me up saying something about having to do his FAFSA again to register for fall classes. I told him what you said, we only do FAFSA once which he did his senior year in high school.

 

[wood 11225]

8 hours ago, yoladu said:

i know our high school requires that the seniors do FAFSA as a condition of graduation. Not holding out hope that is actually does anything for us specifically.

Same here. It's fucking bullshit.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0256, beginning with students enrolled in 12th grade during the 2021-2022 school year, each student must do one of the following in order to graduate: Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

[someguy 1508]

TEC, §28.0256. FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION REQUIREMENT FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.

(a) Before graduating from high school, each student must complete and submit a free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) or a Texas application for state financial aid (TASFA).

(b) A student is not required to comply with Subsection (a) if:

(1) the student's parent or other person standing in parental relation submits a signed form indicating that the parent or other person authorizes the student to decline to complete and submit the financial aid application;

(2) the student signs and submits the form described by Subdivision (1) on the student's own behalf if the student is 18 years of age or older or the student's disabilities of minority have been removed for general purposes under Chapter 31, Family Code; or

(3) a school counselor authorizes the student to decline to complete and subm

[Saint Tacky 1614]

Well. It’s all over but the crying. 
My kiddo was capped at Texas, but did get into Univ of Chicago, Purdue, Washington Univ, Ohio State, and A&M. Go figure. Time for her to blaze her own trail. 

[txduck87 985]

Well. It’s all over but the crying. 
My kiddo was capped at Texas, but did get into Univ of Chicago, Purdue, Washington Univ, Ohio State, and A&M. Go figure. Time for her to blaze her own trail. 

Major?

[Saint Tacky 1614]

5 minutes ago, txduck87 said:

Major?

Biology/Biomedicine 

[jimmyjazz 45887]

15 hours ago, Saint Tacky said:

Well. It’s all over but the crying. 
My kiddo was capped at Texas, but did get into Univ of Chicago, Purdue, Washington Univ, Ohio State, and A&M. Go figure. Time for her to blaze her own trail. 

Strong to very strong.  I feel for your checking account.  (Dad taught at Wash U for years, love that school.)

[Saint Tacky 1614]

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Strong to very strong.  I feel for your checking account.  (Dad taught at Wash U for years, love that school.)

Timmy, you ever seen a grown man beg?

 

[yoladu 4090]

19 hours ago, Saint Tacky said:

Well. It’s all over but the crying. 
My kiddo was capped at Texas, but did get into Univ of Chicago, Purdue, Washington Univ, Ohio State, and A&M. Go figure. Time for her to blaze her own trail. 

Capped at Texas, but got into Univ of Chicago and Washington Univ?!

What a time to be alive.

Univ of Chicago is a beautiful campus.

[South Austin 52448]

My daughter is going to the University of Oregon. They threw her a good amount of money, so the nonresident tuition bite isn’t as bad. The school hosted a Central Texas gathering of accepted students a couple weeks ago in Austin, and she met a good amount of people at McCallum and Anderson going there, so she’s pretty excited about her choice, which makes me damn happy for her.

[SaucyJack 3488]

[tx 3 putt 76869]

On 4/27/2024 at 10:59 PM, Saint Tacky said:

Well. It’s all over but the crying. 
My kiddo was capped at Texas, but did get into Univ of Chicago, Purdue, Washington Univ, Ohio State, and A&M. Go figure. Time for her to blaze her own trail. 

Congrats

[Iceman 2692]

3 hours ago, South Austin said:

My daughter is going to the University of Oregon. They threw her a good amount of money, so the nonresident tuition bite isn’t as bad. The school hosted a Central Texas gathering of accepted students a couple weeks ago in Austin, and she met a good amount of people at McCallum and Anderson going there, so she’s pretty excited about her choice, which makes me damn happy for her.

I'm sure grandma did her part to sway the committee...

 

( Congratulations to the younger Ms South Austin.)

[yoladu 4090]

On 1/5/2024 at 10:25 AM, yoladu said:

We cant really afford (more, i don't want to spend thousands of dollars) to run around all over the country and visit schools. Instead, we (he) pinpointed particular schools based on his class rank, GPA, SAT, his qualifications, etc. As well as, criteria like : well it would be cool to live here or be in this part of the country.  Google maps is your friend.

He ended up applying to 7 schools [2 acceptances (UT & A&M) + 5 waiting] - most the remaining schools are "reach" schools and out of state. If he gets in to any of them, we'd take a visit to those schools in March at that point, so he can ultimately decided a college by April.

So it is down to UT, A&M, and UW

The UW visit was pretty spectacular. I think he is leaning UW, which would make my pocketbook cry.

Sadly, We have found UT requiring a major choice for a 17 year old when they apply and then the seemingly subsequent difficulty in switching majors while at UT a huge negative.

Myself and Mrs. Yoladu are both grads.

Edited April 29 by yoladu

[Texas Jeff 1944]

On 2/8/2024 at 10:35 AM, High Plains Drifter said:

 

Not an expert at all, but I think this is correct, more or less: 

AP is administered by the College Board. (Google them). Teacher has to be "accredited" by the College Board. Not sure what that process entails. Very high level, you take a test at the end of the year, the college decides if your score is good enough to get college credit for that class. Test grade is from a 1 (or maybe 0) to 5. So for example, if you take AP Physics 1, and get a AP test grade of a 3, TAMU might say that is good enough for a physics credit for a history major, but UT would say that is not good enough for a physics credit for a chemistry major. 

Dual Credit get your kid a HS and college credit for that class if they pass. Kid graduates HS with a college credit regardless of major or school. (Although I would assume a college that cares about its academic reputation would take a close look at the rigor of the class before awarding that credit, but I don't know). 

Not sure about IB, or how it is different/similar to AP or dual credit. 

My feeling is that the AP classes are much more rigorous, and harder to get that credit. 

tldr: Both are good, take both if the kid can, but AP is probably better, but harder. YMMV. 

I can add a little more .. what you said is pretty much correct...

The College Board supplies the AP content and the exam at the end of the course.  The teacher can be straight out of school and needs no special training, but usually they are interest in the subject.  The College Board recommends, but does not require, that the teacher have a bachelor's degree in the subject.  Students learn the material and spent time taking practice exams to get ready for the test.  The test costs about $100 if you are not low income and maybe $20 if you are low income.  Students who take the test get a score from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).   Generally, 3 is a passing score to get credit.  Each college has a list of what tests they accept and what score gets you credit for what class.  You are not guaranteed to get credit for a class.  Some students collect lots of AP credits so that they can max out their college application.

Dual credit is usually a community college class (like ACC) or something like UT OnRamps (UT's dual credit offering).  The students usually take them in a high school classroom and get "dual credit" for the class, meaning it counts for high school and college.  You take the class and you get a grade in the class, credit in the class, and it is on your college transcript for that school.  Texas requires universities to accept credit classes taught in Texas and has a standard naming structure for them, so they are easy to transfer.

At our kids' school, sometimes the AP teacher was considered "best" and sometimes a dual credit teacher was "better", so ours ended up with a mix of AP and dual credit.

The US News "Best schools" list gives a lot of weight to schools that have a high percentage attempt or pass AP tests.   You can collect "smart" kids at a magnet and/or max out AP participation and almost guarantee that school will have a high ranking.  Do the same with dual credit and your school goes down the list.

[Brew 3049]

Looks like our oldest is locked into UGA. She ended up accepted everywhere she applied other than NYU. We preferred Illinois or Willam and Mary, but left it up to her to decide what was best for her. She will be in the honors program there as an out of state kid, so she is about as excited as she can be at this point.

[tx 3 putt 76869]

29 minutes ago, Brew said:

Looks like our oldest is locked into UGA. She ended up accepted everywhere she applied other than NYU. We preferred Illinois or Willam and Mary, but left it up to her to decide what was best for her. She will be in the honors program there as an out of state kid, so she is about as excited as she can be at this point.

congrats

[jimmyjazz 45887]

Update for parents of kids who were CAPed to UT:

 

Our son just completed his sophomore year on the 40 Acres, and honestly, we initially didn't think he belonged.  Not that he's lacking in terms of intellect, but we just didn't know he could handle the competitive grind.  Well, he just got a 102 (out of 100) on a semester project and his professor was super glowing in their evaluation of his performance and future potential.

Long story short:  you don't know when the light bulb might come on for your kids, and for goodness' sake, don't limit them.  They can surprise you.

[cabowabo 4484]

7 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Update for parents of kids who were CAPed to UT:

 

Our son just completed his sophomore year on the 40 Acres, and honestly, we initially didn't think he belonged.  Not that he's lacking in terms of intellect, but we just didn't know he could handle the competitive grind.  Well, he just got a 102 (out of 100) on a semester project and his professor was super glowing in their evaluation of his performance and future potential.

Long story short:  you don't know when the light bulb might come on for your kids, and for goodness' sake, don't limit them.  They can surprise you.

My son will be transferring from UT Tyler in the Fall.  His high school grades were very average, and honestly I don't know how he even got offered CAP.  He got a 4.0 his first semester at UT Tyler and thinks he'll have another 4.00 this semester.   Now, UT Tyler ain't UT Austin (academically and in terms of "distractions") but he's off to a pretty good start.  

[jimmyjazz 45887]

10 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

My son will be transferring from UT Tyler in the Fall.  His high school grades were very average, and honestly I don't know how he even got offered CAP.  He got a 4.0 his first semester at UT Tyler and thinks he'll have another 4.00 this semester.   Now, UT Tyler ain't UT Austin (academically and in terms of "distractions") but he's off to a pretty good start.  

This is literally the description of our son.  Every detail.  HS, UT-Tyler, GPA, etc.

Tell your son that UT-Austin is far more difficult than UT-Tyler.  Semester 1 (soph year) was an eye-opener!

[texasdago 7567]

34 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

My son will be transferring from UT Tyler in the Fall.  His high school grades were very average, and honestly I don't know how he even got offered CAP.  He got a 4.0 his first semester at UT Tyler and thinks he'll have another 4.00 this semester.   Now, UT Tyler ain't UT Austin (academically and in terms of "distractions") but he's off to a pretty good start.  

Shoot... his grades can't be worse than mine while at UT.  Just get that degree.

[tx 3 putt 76869]

55 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

My son will be transferring from UT Tyler in the Fall.  His high school grades were very average, and honestly I don't know how he even got offered CAP.  He got a 4.0 his first semester at UT Tyler and thinks he'll have another 4.00 this semester.   Now, UT Tyler ain't UT Austin (academically and in terms of "distractions") but he's off to a pretty good start.  

You donated  building ?

also, avoid those hs sr strippers in Tyler 

Edited May 6 by tx 3 putt

[South Austin 52448]

If a kid has to go the CAPed route, is there any one particular UT satellite campus that is better than the others, or does it depend on major, etc.?

 

[jimmyjazz 45887]

11 minutes ago, South Austin said:

If a kid has to go the CAPed route, is there any one particular UT satellite campus that is better than the others, or does it depend on major, etc.?

 

I think UTSA is the consensus "best" route.  Arlington and Tyler are probably next on that list.  (Daughter went UTSA, son went Tyler, so I'm just going on experience and discussion with other parents.)

[South Austin 52448]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I think UTSA is the consensus "best" route.  Arlington and Tyler are probably next on that list.  (Daughter went UTSA, son went Tyler, so I'm just going on experience and discussion with other parents.)

Thanks.  Unlike my daughter, my son is very high on UT.  He's only finishing up seventh grade, and I certainly don't want to dash his dreams about going to his dad's alma mater.  But over the next few years I'm going to have a realistic conversation with him about how incredibly difficult it is these days to get into UT as a freshman, and if he really, really wants a degree from there it's possible that he'll have to start at another UT campus.

[Frank Drebin 5655]

I have noticed more than a few kids I know start at ACC and then transfer to Texas.  Or that is their stated intent.  How common is that?

[jimmyjazz 45887]

2 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Thanks.  Unlike my daughter, my son is very high on UT.  He's only finishing up seventh grade, and I certainly don't want to dash his dreams about going to his dad's alma mater.  But over the next few years I'm going to have a realistic conversation with him about how incredibly difficult it is these days to get into UT as a freshman, and if he really, really wants a degree from there it's possible that he'll have to start at another UT campus.

I differ from some on this point, but I would also be very clear about the choice of major when CAPing into UT.  It's pretty much liberal arts only.  I doubt many get into Cockrell or McCombs. 

My view is that it's good to get in the door and then try to transfer within UT, but that has proven difficult for some.  If your kid is dead set on being (for instance) an engineer, then CAP might not be the optimal route.  My son is planning to transfer from Psych to Biology and then grad school in kinesiology or physical therapy, and it appears possible, but some transfers would be very unlikely.

[South Austin 52448]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I differ from some on this point, but I would also be very clear about the choice of major when CAPing into UT.  It's pretty much liberal arts only.  I doubt many get into Cockrell or McCombs.

Yeah, I've heard that.  He seems interested in the sciences, but who knows at this point.  If he does want to pursue a STEMs major, then I'll make sure he includes plenty of non-UT options in his college plans. 

[Jerry Callo 8698]

22 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I differ from some on this point, but I would also be very clear about the choice of major when CAPing into UT.  It's pretty much liberal arts only.  I doubt many get into Cockrell or McCombs. 

My view is that it's good to get in the door and then try to transfer within UT, but that has proven difficult for some.  If your kid is dead set on being (for instance) an engineer, then CAP might not be the optimal route.  My son is planning to transfer from Psych to Biology and then grad school in kinesiology or physical therapy, and it appears possible, but some transfers would be very unlikely.

My oldest CAPed into UT and is majoring in economics with a minor in business.  Just recently they added a BS econ degree under the school of liberal arts with is much more math intensive.  Might not be McCombs, but a BS in econ with a business minor will give a kid many of the same courses.

Youngest wants to be a PT.  When she was CAPed, she chose Texas State to major in biology instead.

As to the question about best CAP school - there are tiers with USTA and UTA being the highest, not all kids get that option.  Some CAPed kids have to chose UT Tyler, UTRGV, or UTEP instead.

[Cap33 384]

1 hour ago, Frank Drebin said:

I have noticed more than a few kids I know start at ACC and then transfer to Texas.  Or that is their stated intent.  How common is that?

A lot of boys who want to pledge do this. UT also has a program where you can take some hours at UT and the rest at ACC, and girls who go this route can still rush (sorry, go through recruitment) as a freshman. Have no idea how you get into that deal, but it exists.

[F250 28764]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I differ from some on this point, but I would also be very clear about the choice of major when CAPing into UT.  It's pretty much liberal arts only.  I doubt many get into Cockrell or McCombs. 

My view is that it's good to get in the door and then try to transfer within UT, but that has proven difficult for some.  If your kid is dead set on being (for instance) an engineer, then CAP might not be the optimal route.  My son is planning to transfer from Psych to Biology and then grad school in kinesiology or physical therapy, and it appears possible, but some transfers would be very unlikely.

My oldest was CAP'd, choose comp sci at UTSA but wasn't able to transfer to UT as a computer science major.

The computer science program at UTSA is strong and their security program is really good. He was on an Air Force scholarship and UTSA has a great Air Force ROTC program. Fortunately, through the school of computer science and the AFROTC, he was able to have a lot of interaction with the 16th Air Force as a student and cadet.

The UTSA route worked out perfect for him. He is currently a 2nd Lt. in the Air Force.

Edited May 6 by F250

[texasdago 7567]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I differ from some on this point, but I would also be very clear about the choice of major when CAPing into UT.  It's pretty much liberal arts only.  I doubt many get into Cockrell or McCombs. 

My view is that it's good to get in the door and then try to transfer within UT, but that has proven difficult for some.  If your kid is dead set on being (for instance) an engineer, then CAP might not be the optimal route.  My son is planning to transfer from Psych to Biology and then grad school in kinesiology or physical therapy, and it appears possible, but some transfers would be very unlikely.

Yeah, so its interesting but my oldest wants to go into Art or Music.  I have my opinions on this but it is what it is.  Anyway, I suspect trying to get in via those programs is drastically less competitive than trying to get into McCombs.

[DaysOff 7947]

Last year, UTSA and UT Arlington CAPed students were required to attend summer classes on campus. I believe they pull this nonsense because those are the two most popular choices to thin the herd.

[ABSR 5308]

2 hours ago, South Austin said:

Thanks.  Unlike my daughter, my son is very high on UT.  He's only finishing up seventh grade, and I certainly don't want to dash his dreams about going to his dad's alma mater.  But over the next few years I'm going to have a realistic conversation with him about how incredibly difficult it is these days to get into UT as a freshman, and if he really, really wants a degree from there it's possible that he'll have to start at another UT campus.

Do you love him enough to move to a less competitive school?  Much like my personal success, the key to Texas auto admits is to surround yourself with losers and low performers.  

It's why I post here.

[South Austin 52448]

6 minutes ago, ABSR said:

Do you love him enough to move to a less competitive school?  Much like my personal success, the key to Texas auto admits is to surround yourself with losers and low performers. 

He'll be at McCallum.  It's not bad, but it's not Westlake or Westwood.

There's a young lawyer at my law firm who went to the Kealing magnet for middle school, and he would have gone to LASA, but UT had just implemented the Top 10% rule, and his dad told him he needed to go to Austin High.  Good decision in the long run.

[1978horn 892]

10 minutes ago, South Austin said:

He'll be at McCallum.  It's not bad, but it's not Westlake or Westwood.

There's a young lawyer at my law firm who went to the Kealing magnet for middle school, and he would have gone to LASA, but UT had just implemented the Top 10% rule, and his dad told him he needed to go to Austin High.  Good decision in the long run.

I have heard of kids going to Bowie the first couple of years and then transferring to Crocket to get into the top 10% or 6.5%....whatever UT is requiring these days.

[jimmyjazz 45887]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Yeah, so its interesting but my oldest wants to go into Art or Music.  I have my opinions on this but it is what it is.  Anyway, I suspect trying to get in via those programs is drastically less competitive than trying to get into McCombs.

Definitely.  My daughter wanted to major in Psych (and is) but the percussion prof offered her a spot straight out of HS with the goal of her transferring into Psych.  Obviously it helped that she was a top-of-state level percussionist, but it was still a path he was familiar with and was willing to exploit.

I still think she should minor in music, but she's chosen French.  Dammit.

[ABSR 5308]

14 minutes ago, South Austin said:

He'll be at McCallum.  It's not bad, but it's not Westlake or Westwood.

There's a young lawyer at my law firm who went to the Kealing magnet for middle school, and he would have gone to LASA, but UT had just implemented the Top 10% rule, and his dad told him he needed to go to Austin High.  Good decision in the long run.

I was partially joking, but McCallum is a good school.  I was there for 9-10 until my parents moved, but that was before it became a magnet school and back when they let in any old losers like me.

[Jerry Callo 8698]

1 hour ago, DaysOff said:

Last year, UTSA and UT Arlington CAPed students were required to attend summer classes on campus. I believe they pull this nonsense because those are the two most popular choices to thin the herd.

When my daughter went to UTSA in 2021, they required summer classes as well.  Due to covid, the classes were online, though.

[texasdago 7567]

3 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Definitely.  My daughter wanted to major in Psych (and is) but the percussion prof offered her a spot straight out of HS with the goal of her transferring into Psych.  Obviously it helped that she was a top-of-state level percussionist, but it was still a path he was familiar with and was willing to exploit.

I still think she should minor in music, but she's chosen French.  Dammit.

Well, I chose Italian but that's because I placed out of a bunch of hours...