what is the easiest major to get into A&M with...applying from high school

As a freshman applicant your major choice has no influence on the decision of admittance to the university itself. For more explanations talk to this guy:

TA username: saxxeyaggie

Jayson Naiser '05
Admissions Counseling Advisor
Prospective Student Center
Office of Admissions and Records
Texas A&M University
jnaiser@oar.tamu.edu

TAMU Mailstop 1265| College Station, TX 77843

Tel. 979.458.0427 | Fax. 979.458.0434

http://admissions.tamu.edu

[This message has been edited by tamuags08 (edited 1/8/2009 4:05p).]

wow, I always thought major choice had some type of influence.

It does in transfer applications, but not in freshmen applications.

i think that they just have to say it doesnt

If you just want to get in, try forestry or rpts. Don't try general studies or history, thats what all the people who didnt get into business go for.

I think it does have some effect whether they say so or not. I know some people who got in as ag leadership majors whose stats were well below average.

No. It really doesn't. The colleges and departments don't review freshman applications. Students are put into their first choice major until they are full. When the major is full, the student will slip down to their second choice. If that is also full, they would be put into General Studies which is everybody's 3rd default choice.

The only college that has some sort of extra requirement beyond what the university looks at is the Dwight Look College of Engineering. They have a minimum SAT/ACT math requirement to be placed in one of their majors.

Put what you want to major in. It will have absolutely no bearing on your decision. This is coming from a former admissions counselor and current scholarship advisor/recruiter. Do not listen to the others on this board. Aside from saxxeyaggie. He's cool!

[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/8/2009 9:48p).]

It would appear the advice I offered was correct aggiekasberg, thank you very much.

You'll still have to excuse my skepticism. Someone, somewhere is accepting marginal students if they indicate interest in the Corps or Ag leadership. I've met way too many marginal students in both groups to be persuaded that A&M isn't trying to boost its dwindling numbers in those institutions.

[This message has been edited by AggieMavsfan (edited 1/9/2009 4:28a).]

well then which major is a major that lots of below average students put as their 1st or 2nd major choices.

is communications one?

also...i ask this because a friend of mine is applying. here are his/her credentials, and do you think they will get in?

3.8-3.9 GPA
28% in class rank out of 600+ students
26 on the ACT
Vice Prez of National honor society
book club member
best buddies club member

chances of getting into just GSTUD?

For freshmen admission the choice of major does not play any role in the decision of a freshmen applicant. The admissions office makes the decision for freshmen applicants and an applicant is admitted to the university as a whole and then filled into a major based on what their first choice major is and if there is room in that major. If there is not room then the student would be placed in the second choice, and if that is full then the student is placed in General Studies. This is truly how it works and it is not something that "we just have to say”. When you are applying for freshmen admissions just pick the major that you are most interested in and if there is room when you are admitted then that is where you will be placed. Please note that we have what we call impacted Colleges, The Mays Business School, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and the College of Architecture. These three schools are very good schools and so they are very popular so their slots fill up fast. In addition, the Dwight Look College of Engineering does have a stipulation on the SAT/ACT Math section in order to gain admissions. You need to make a 550 (SAT)/24 (ACT) (Good as of 1/9/2009) on the Math sections in order to gain be placed in the College of Engineering. If you do not have this score and you are admitted you just can’t get straight into engineering but you can still go to another major.

Jayson Naiser '05
Admissions Counseling Advisor
Prospective Student Center
Office of Admissions and Records
Texas A&M University
jnaiser@oar.tamu.edu

TAMU Mailstop 1265| College Station, TX 77843

Tel. 979.458.0427 | Fax. 979.458.0434

http://admissions.tamu.edu

[This message has been edited by saxxeyaggie (edited 1/9/2009 10:41a).]

12th Man777
I can’t tell you what your friend’s chances because there is no knowing until decisions are made and sent out. Your friend’s chances will depend on what that application pool looks like and how that person does within the pool. If your friend is admitted then if there is room in their choice of major that is what they get, if not it will be their second choice and so forth.

AggieMavsfan,
I would like to know what your basis for a marginal student is. In addition, what is your basis for the number of these students within majors?

I would like to point out that Ag Leadership has become a very popular major and when that happens that naturally increases the competition for entrance in to the major (this would be through the transfer process or change of major) because they do not have the room for students in their classes. So if the college has less seats do you really think they will be taking "marginal students"?

As for your Corps comment I've said this before but interest in the corps does not have any merit in the admissions of a student. Remember Admissions makes the decisions of who is admitted.


Jayson Naiser '05
Admissions Counseling Advisor
Prospective Student Center
Office of Admissions and Records
Texas A&M University
jnaiser@oar.tamu.edu

TAMU Mailstop 1265| College Station, TX 77843

Tel. 979.458.0427 | Fax. 979.458.0434

http://admissions.tamu.edu

[This message has been edited by saxxeyaggie (edited 1/9/2009 12:14p).]

thanks saxxyaggie...seems as though the admissions department has found out what texags is, and decided to have you straighten things out in it lol.

Actually I've know what Texags is and when I started working here I made the decision myself to straighten it out.

Are you saying Mays is "first come, first serve"? Someone in the top 10% with a 980 SAT could get in while someone with a 1400 SAT could get rejected if the person with the 980 applied earlier? That seems pretty silly. At McCombs they make decisions on who to let in based on merit. You have to have top-notch stats to get in.

Yes, Mavsfan. That is exactly what happens. Mays is one of the impacted colleges that tends to fill up with top 10% and automatic admit students (top 25% with a 1300 SAT or 30 ACT). A person's first-choice major is guaranteed if they are an admit under those previously listed automatic categories and submit a complete application before December 1st. After that, there is no guarantee. So, yes, your scenario can and does happen.

The academic colleges admit very differently that our friends in Austin. In Austin, McCombs admits all top 1% students first, then moves on to top 2%, then top 3% and so on. Once they fill up, they are done.

In a way, this makes our programs very desirable because students actually stand a shot getting into their major of choice. I spoke with many prospective students who were turned of by Texas' method of admitting students. They are not without flaws. The top 10% law has really hurt them more than helped them.

[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/9/2009 8:17p).]

It sounds like A&M is making the top 10% law even more important than it has to be. We have to accept it, because its state law, but now we're basically determining who gets their major of choice by the 10% rule also, as if someone in the top 10% in a crappy DISD school is really a better candidate for Mays or Dwight Look than someone in the 11th percentile at St. Marks, Jesuit, etc. This would have been a sore subject with me (I missed top 10% at a small, competitive private high school) had I not gotten auto admit with my SAT score.

[This message has been edited by AggieMavsfan (edited 1/10/2009 12:08a).]

Students who are automatic academic admits get their top choice too, it's not just top 10%. Going in with another major isn't going to kill you....most students use at least a year to finish basics anyway. Ace those, prove you can succeed, and most likely you'll end up in the major you want.

Exactly musicalaggie. Top 25% students with a 1300 SAT or 30 ACT are also among those students who have the best shot at getting their first choice major. If somebody is as academically talented as you claim them to be just because they attend a private or more competitive school, then they should have no difficulty achieving one of these standardized test scores. That academic admit category is TAMU's way of helping those students battle the top 10% rule.

Mavsfan, I have seen plenty of students from what you call "crappy" DISD schools rise to the top in Mays, Dwight Look College of Engineering, etc. while the kids from the best of the best private schools fail out. Where somebody attended high school is not exactly a predictor of success.

And like I said before...if you think it is bad here, it is 10 times worse in Austin.


[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/10/2009 1:44p).]

I never asserted that the high school you attended is a predictor of future success. What I said was that in general, I would expect less collegiate success from a top 10%er with a mediocre SAT score than from someone in the second decile with a really good one. Pretty much every single person at St. Marks High School in Dallas could finish in the top 10% at every single non magnet public school in DISD.

What you said in your above post had nothing to do with SAT scores. Now you're changing it to top 10% at a DISD with a poor SAT score vs. top 20% with a great SAT score.

Again, I have advised just as many students who are on scholarship probation/suspension with high SAT scores from "competitive" high schools as I have with lower to average SAT scores from the "less competitive" schools. SAT scores and class rank are not the end all be all. Intelligence, drive, determination, and commitment also matter and those are not measured through rank and tests.

[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/10/2009 5:11p).]

What you're talking about are intangibles, and those can't realistically play any part in an admissions decision. Admissions decisions have to deal with tangible data. I think the top 10% rule is a pretty stupid way of interpreting the data we do have.

I'm not talking about determining their drive and commitment in the admissions decision. I am simply saying that students across the spectrum of class rank and test scores succeed at A&M. It isn't as you claim...that the kids from competitive high schools always rise to the top and the others don't deserve to be in Mays, Dwight Look, etc as much as they do. And as far as intangibles go, you have no idea that all of your colleagues from private school would be in the top 10% at any non-magnet DISD school. There is no possible way to ever know that.

This argument could go on forever. It is very clear that both of us feel very strongly about the issue at hand. But I must say this...if you have a problem with the top 10% rule and what it has done to Texas A&M, take it up with your local legislators.

[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/11/2009 9:52a).]

I never used words like "always". You've added those in to create a strawman. I will say that in general, I'm confident that if A&M were allowed to take a more holistic approach to admissions, that they would find a lot more problems with top 10% admits with low SAT scores than with non 10%ers who have high SAT scores.

I already wrote the legislators when I was in high school. I have nothing to gain by pursuing it any further, because

A-I'm about to graduate anyway
B-The legislators aren't interested in listening to reason. They convene about once a decade, and last time they did, they voted to uphold the disguised affirmative action rule in spite of all the complaints about it.

[This message has been edited by AggieMavsfan (edited 1/11/2009 6:07p).]

About 40% of our students are admitted under a holistic review approach. The top 10% only accounts for about 50-60% of our incoming freshman classes each year. So, we do look at those things. Again, compare it to Texas where almost their entire freshman class is bound by the top 10% rule. At least we still have the luxury of looking at students outside the top 10%.

I guess I would just like to see some data to back up some of the claims you have made on here (marginal students admitted to the Corps, Ag Leadership, less successful students from top 10% of non-competitive high schools). Or is it just opinion?


[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/11/2009 3:13p).]

For starters, I believe its been mentioned that non 10%ers ate Texas and at A&M have a higher mean SAT score than non 10%ers. That should tell you something.

I'm not completely against the top 10% rule. I think it gives some economically disadvantaged students a chance they wouldn't have had otherwise. My problem is when people refuse to call a spade and spade and just admit its an affirmative action program. There's no point in pretending that someone who's in the top 10% at a ghetto school and barely broke 4 digits on the SAT is an academic titan.

[This message has been edited by AggieMavsfan (edited 1/11/2009 6:09p).]

I came from a horrible high school and everyone in the top 10% was much smarter than barely getting 4 digits on the SAT.

Just to lighten the mood, because this could go on forever...

quote:

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I believe its been mentioned that non 10%ers ate Texas

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They must have been hungry.

[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/11/2009 6:52p).]

Mavsfan, I really think you are looking at the top 10% with a very narrow mind. The top 10% rule helps plenty of kids from small, rural schools as well. Do you have issues with that, or is it just a race thing with you?

Additionally, it takes a great burden off of the admissions offices at the Texas public universities. Think about this...we get 25,000 applications each year. To individually review each of those applications would be unfeasible. By having automatic admission categories, it takes the number to review down to a much more manageable amount.

I don't think substandard students of any race or ethnicity should get preferential treatment in admissions, whether they're a URM, or a good ole boy in the top 10% at Timbucktoo high school.

[This message has been edited by AggieMavsfan (edited 1/11/2009 7:09p).]

Mavsfan, then you bring up a good point. Because substandard means so much more than just academics. Pretend the top 10% rule does not apply in this scenario and you are an admission reviewer at Texas A&M. Who do you want at your school?

Candidate A:

Rank: 35 out of 625 students at Booker T. Washington High School in DISD (Top 5.6%)
SAT: 1000 (math and verbal combined)
Extracurriculars: Cross country, National Honor Society, French Club, PALS, Choir
Community Service Hours: 175
Leadership positions: 3 (Captain- Cross country, VP- NHS, President- PALS)
Work- 15 hours a week during school year (local restaurant), 30 hours a week during summer (local restaurant)

Candidate B:

Rank: 26 out of 105 at Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas (Top 24.7%)
SAT: 1330 (math and verbal combined)
Extracurriculars: National Honor Society
Community Service Hours: 20
Leadership positions: 0
Work: 0 hours during school year, 10 hours during summer (mowing lawns)

These are typical applications we might see at A&M. Actually, under both circumstances, both would be admitted automatically. You're looking at such a narrow view of students under top 10%. Many of them have other things to offer besides stellar SAT scores...which quite frankly don't mean the world. Do some students get in under top 10% who might not be the best candidates? sure. Do some get in under academic admit and review categories? sure. We don't know until they get here. But guess what...they all have to come in and prove they can hack it. Or else, they're gone.



[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/11/2009 7:32p).]

quote:

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But guess what...they all have to come in and prove they can hack it. Or else, they're gone.

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That attitude would be fine if we admitted an infinite number of students, but we don't. There's an opportunity cost to admitting undeserving candidates. The opportunity cost is that smart kids at Bishop Lynch and Highland Park are going to go to Baylor, SMU, or TCU instead, and be really successful there. Or even worse they're not going to be able to afford those schools, and they'll get banished to somewhere like Tech because we had to make room for someone with a 1000 on the SAT.

I see what you're going for: The applicant at Bishop Lynch probably has more money, more resources, and more time at his disposal. That generalization frustrates me though, because my single mother sent my sister and I to private school on a teacher's salary. I don't like being lumped in with the "rich kids" and having people try to "level the playing field" against me when I'm already coming from less than ideal circumstances. I could have gone to public school and made the top 10% in my sleep, but then I wouldn't have received anywhere near the amount of preparation needed to do well in classes like finc 341 and mgmt 211.

[This message has been edited by AggieMavsfan (edited 1/11/2009 7:59p).]

quote:

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I don't like being lumped in with the "rich kids" and having people try to "level the playing field" against me when I'm already coming from less than ideal circumstances. I could have gone to public school and made the top 10% in my sleep

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If you don't want to be lumped in with the rich kids, then try having a different attitude then them. You don't know that you could have made the top 10% in your sleep. Public schools are not exactly cake walks and private schools are not exactly at Ivy League level. I'm glad that you are proud of your education, but you really should bring the pompous attitude down a notch. Public schools offer just as many top notch classes as private schools do with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate options.

As far as those students who choose to go to SMU, Baylor, or TCU, then unfortunately they are choosing to get an education which is inferior to A&M's. Again, these students still have the opportunity to be accepted to A&M under two different categories (review and academic admits). If they cannot get accepted in one of these two categories, then maybe they are not a qualified applicant. And if they are committed to coming here, then perhaps they can transfer. And last I checked, Tech has the top 10% rule as well.

[This message has been edited by aggiekasberg (edited 1/11/2009 8:31p).]

quote:

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The applicant at Bishop Lynch probably has more money, more resources, and more time at his disposal.

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That's not what I was going for at all. What I was going for is the fact that just because one goes to a top tier private school doesn't automatically make them the better candidate. And just because someone goes to a "ghetto" school doesn't mean they don't have something to offer our school. You have to look at more than the high school and SAT score.