anybody else's kids applying for fall 24 admission? Just sent in my youngest kid's application. Top 10 so should be good to go, but still surreal. Son is there now and d probably will be there too. Empty nest almost here.

Glad she is top 10 percent, have heard horror stories now about "holistic review".

My son submitted his application last night. He is unfortunately just a few spots outside the top 10% at a large 6A school (top 11% ). Plays multiple varsity sports, NHS, attended boys state, multiple volunteer projects.

He is our oldest, so no idea what to expect. Mom and I are both Aggies, so fingers crossed!

My son just submitted his. Top 10% so not sweating it. Also not sure A&M is the right fit for him but will be nice to have it locked as an option.

My oldest submitted his last Wednesday. Still trying to figure out how to make sure everything was done correctly with SRAR, transcript requests, and linking all the stuff together. Definitely a lot more complicated than back in the day.

Mine hasn't even started on the essays.

#1 in class, 4.85(4.0) GPA, 1570 SAT. Expecting rejections from all top 20 he applies to. Looking at Safety net schools with full merit (not adversity) based scholarship.

Reservoir,

Our class of '27 who moves in next week just went through this. Ended up getting the rellis offer which is great but did take some adjusting mentally. He was set on A&M so disappointed initially but is all in now. His "profile" matches up very closely with what you posted.

I will tell you, with those grades/scores, your son will get into a lot of great schools and some significant $$ at OOS options if interested. Adds to frustration a bit because ours heard from everyone else before A&M.

Best of luck... expect and enjoy the circus because it's a wild one.

AggieDruggist89 said:

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Mine hasn't even started on the essays.

#1 in class, 4.85(4.0) GPA, 1570 SAT. Expecting rejections from all top 20 he applies to. Looking at Safety net schools with full merit (not adversity) based scholarship.

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I wouldn't be so sure about that, top 20 schools are always looking for smart kids that have to pay the full sticker price. Congrats on the smart kid.

I'm not sure why you're being so negative on your son's chances. I think this year is going to be an odd one in admissions. Schools are not going to stop discriminating against Asians and Caucasians, but they ARE going to let a few more top scoring students in those categories in. Just my opinion. A few years down the road, after some lawsuits won by students discriminated against, schools might reward merit properly.

As far as paying for things, I would assume that with those scores your son is also going to be a National Merit Finalist. I have a son in similar circumstances. With the research I have done, I think Florida and USC (the real one) seem to be the best schools offering merit money - especially if your son has grandparents in Florida, which will give him in-state tuition.

Also, check out UGA's Foundation Fellowship scholarship. My son's counselor is having him apply for this, even though he has zero interest in UGA. It's a pretty amazing deal, and kids absolutely LOVE going to school at UGA.

Foundation Fellowship Scholarships - Go Dawgs???

Thanks,

I just remember my daughter's struggles applying to University of Californias and USC( legacy) 6years ago and law school 2 years ago where many URM (Under represented minorities) were getting accepted to top law schools with much lower GPA and LSAT. She is graduating next year from an Ivy law school so she fought through the system fine.

U of CA has now made SAT obsolete and made adversity score as the replacement merit. So my hard work to ensure my kids academic success has actually backfired in a way. And that's how UC countered the affirmative action ban.

So, top 20 schools are reach, top 50 with merit based scholarships are target and the full ride schools will be the safety net for my son.

AggieDruggist89 said:

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Thanks,

I just remember my daughter's struggles applying to University of Californias and USC( legacy) 6years ago and law school 2 years ago where many URM (Under represented minorities) were getting accepted to top law schools with much lower GPA and LSAT. She is graduating next year from an Ivy law school so she fought through the system fine.

U of CA has now made SAT obsolete and made adversity score as the replacement merit. So my hard work to ensure my kids academic success has actually backfired in a way. And that's how UC countered the affirmative action ban.

So, top 20 schools are reach, top 50 with merit based scholarships are target and the full ride schools will be the safety net for my son.

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That's horrific, I didn't know that. I know that California overturned reverse discrimination years ago, my recollection was that they did it via a statewide referendum. I guess this is how they do an end-around. Keep me (us) posted as to what your son eventually does.

Edit: Great article hot off the press from WSJ, confirming what I've said before about how discrimination will prevail until lawsuits against these schools are successful:

Can Harvard use Application Essays to Discriminate by Race?

A few snippets in case still behind paywall:

"Meanwhile, Harvard, UNC's co-litigant, has looked for ways to keep discriminating, and so have many other institutions. They focus on one sentence of the court's ruling: "Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise."

Harvard responded to the decision by citing this line in isolation, suggesting it would treat it as a loophole. The university said it would comply with the law but reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, commenting, "we will determine how to preserve, consistent with the Court's new precedent, our essential values."

Harvard has made a formerly optional prompt a requirement for all applicants: "Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?"

Rice is fishing for the race of applicants with a new optional essay prompt, which asks, "What perspectives shaped by your background, experiences, upbringing, and/or racial identity inspire you to join our community of change agents at Rice?"

It looks as if many colleges and universities will need to be told again, and they will deserve the litigation required to tell them."




The last sentence pretty much says it all.

And in the comments section, to your point:

"The UC system has been working around affirmative action since 1996 by carefully reading the applicants essays and determining admissions. Where there's a will, there's a way."

My son will be applying next year. His sister's both graduated from a&m this year, pre covid so the rules have changed.
What is the deal with ACT /SATs? He is a junior and will take this year. Are these required?

It's hit and miss depending on where you apply. A&M was optional I believe.

We found a good score useful even at "optional" schools because many used them for $$ awarded.

For those of you applying this year, I would suggest referencing the below forum. There is a lot of good information that will be posted throughout the process that I found VERY useful as my son applied last year and got accepted.

https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/t/tamu-class-of-2028-application-process-community/3638092

Thank you!

Make sure you get everything with a check mark(transcript, srar. Etc). Also check back every few days. I have seen the check marks go away. They may give you a check mark when you submit, but if someone reviews the file, they may remove it.

Helped our class of '25 son move in this past weekend and moving in our class of '27 daughter this weekend. Older two are graduated and already out of the house, so empty nest time is very near.

Feel free to check out our Insta; we have lots of great info there too.

https://www.instagram.com/avantgarde.collegeprep/