University of Texas Austin Undergrad transfer chances

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Chadori

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I'm currently attending Houston Community College right now and my GPA is 3.73.
I've never taken a SAT which is not needed in the transfer requirement. I've asked a couple of peers who do go to UT Austin and they said my chances are pretty good and that I just have to maintain or of course higher is always better.

I've also talked with my biology professor who is a UT alumni and he said a 3.7-3.8 should get me in whereas all the students who I've talked with said to have at least a 3.5 which I am over that.

If I can do really well in my biology class, I'm going to ask the professor for a LOR.

Lastly, I'm apply for the College of Natural Sciences.

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I'm currently attending Houston Community College right now and my GPA is 3.73.
I've never taken a SAT which is not needed in the transfer requirement. I've asked a couple of peers who do go to UT Austin and they said my chances are pretty good and that I just have to maintain or of course higher is always better.

I've also talked with my biology professor who is a UT alumni and he said a 3.7-3.8 should get me in whereas all the students who I've talked with said to have at least a 3.5 which I am over that.

If I can do really well in my biology class, I'm going to ask the professor for a LOR.

Lastly, I'm apply for the College of Natural Sciences.

You should call to see if they want a sat or act score. From what i remember if you dont get into natural sci, you might get into the liberal arts. Then transfer later while in.
 
You should call to see if they want a sat or act score. From what i remember if you dont get into natural sci, you might get into the liberal arts. Then transfer later while in.

Liberal arts is my 2nd choice on the application form. My dilemma is getting accepted and not being able to afford living expenses. If I do get accepted and I'm not able to attend, I'm pretty sure UH will accept me and I'm a local in Houston so I can live at home. The thing is I really do want to get away from Houston.
 
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UT-Austin College of Natural Sciences grad here. And I teach Biology 1308/1309 at HCC Spring Branch.

You do not need to have SAT or ACT scores to transfer into UT-Austin if you have 30 or more transferable semester hours. Getting into UT-Austin is very competitive though, especially for junior transfers (you and three thousand others). But, HCC courses are setup for the UT and A&M systems (and of course UH); you will get a good look from Biology admins with a 3.7 or better. An LOR from one of your profs would be great to have...
 
UT College of Natural Sciences grad here. And I teach Biology 1308/1309 at HCC Spring Branch.

You do not need to have SAT or ACT scores to transfer into UT-Austin if you have 30 or more transferable semester hours. Getting into UT-Austin is very competitive though, especially for junior transfers (you and three thousand others). But, HCC courses are setup for the UT and A&M systems (and of course UH) and you will get a good look from Biology admins with a 3.7 or better. An LOR from one of your profs would be great to have...

Wow, thank you very much. After this semester I will have 38 credit hours. I'm not sure that I would be a junior transfer, but more so a sophomore. I just started college last summer and I have been full time ever since.

I read on the UT transfer page that it is better to apply now, although they cannot make a decision until they have my college transcript, it will be made available to them by the counselor as soon as the information is present.

And I am currently at the Stafford campus.
 
Each UT-Austin College has its own credit hours transfer requirements, some will only allow transfers at the junior level (60 hours). Make sure that you have at least thirty transferable hours, not all courses from HCC are transferable.
 
Each UT-Austin College has its own credit hours transfer requirements, some will only allow transfers at the junior level (60 hours). Make sure that you have at least thirty transferable hours, not all courses from HCC are transferable.

Yes, all of my courses are transferable. I checked on UT website. I have one course that is not transferable and that's because it's the gust 1207 class. Even though it is not transferable I'll still be at 36 credit hours total versus the 38 total.
 
You'll probably get in. I got in from an OOS CC.

Word of advice: keep your mind open about transfer schools. UT is ridiculously over-saturated with pre-meds. Literally every single kid on the streets of Austin is a pre-med (OK it's not that terrible, but I'd say it's a good 7000+ pre-meds running amok).
 
You'll probably get in. I got in from an OOS CC.

Word of advice: keep your mind open about transfer schools. UT is ridiculously over-saturated with pre-meds. Literally every single kid on the streets of Austin is a pre-med (OK it's not that terrible, but I'd say it's a good 7000+ pre-meds running amok).

I totally understand where you are coming from. My dilemma is that I really don't have too much funds to transfer anywhere too far. So if I'm going to be scrounging up the funds to do so, I figured I should just transfer to UT since its well known throughout the nation whereas my other option is to just stay in Houston and attend the University of Houston Main Campus. What I dislike about University of Houston is that the student body has no diversity. I want to meet new types of people and encounter new influences that may or may not alter my ultimate decision as to what profession to go into.

In all honesty, I may not even go to medical school. As of now I just want to continue working hard and use internal motivation and determination to hopefully get me somewhere. I feel that the professors at UT will be able to assist me in developing different ways of thinking and to broaden myself as a person.
 
UPDATE

I ended this semester with a 3.82 and got a letter of recommendation from my bio prof, again, who is a alumni from UT Austin.

I have recalculated everything and only 34 out of 39 hours is transferable which is still above the required 30.

Something that has come to my attention is that the 3.82 GPA encompasses all of those 39 hours, whereas the 34 transferable hours nets like a 3.91 or so.

Does anyone know if UT is just going to look at the 3.82 and 34 hours or are they going to only weigh in the GPA of the 34 transferable hours which would be the 3.9

edit - This is for transfer into College of Natural Science.
 
http://cns.utexas.edu/careers/health-professions/
http://cns.utexas.edu/images/storie...cal_School_Statistics_Entering_Class_2011.pdf

UT Austin stats for getting into med school looks kind of average.

From what I heard, UT Austin is an enormous school with many pre-health students and clinical opportunities are not easy to get, with often a waiting period for nearby hospitals or clinics.

I would say if you want to attend med school, go to a less prestigious or competitive school in Texas, get better grades, and have more volunteer opportunities to show for later. Doesn't seem UT Austin gives you much legs-up in applying for med school. I would say a school with a med school would be better too.
 
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http://cns.utexas.edu/careers/health-professions/
http://cns.utexas.edu/images/storie...cal_School_Statistics_Entering_Class_2011.pdf

UT Austin stats for getting into med school looks kind of average.

From what I heard, UT Austin is an enormous school with many pre-health students and clinical opportunities are not easy to get, with often a waiting period for nearby hospitals or clinics.

I would say if you want to attend med school, go to a less prestigious or competitive school in Texas, get better grades, and have more volunteer opportunities to show for later. Doesn't seem UT Austin gives you much legs-up in applying for med school. I would say a school with a med school would be better too.

hmmm Thanks for bringing this to light.

There actually is a med school for UT, University of Texas medical branch in Galveston.

My second option is to stay local and attend the University of Houston. There are plenty of hospitals around here and I'm in the midst of seeing if my pediatrician will allow me to shadow him.

If I were to get accepted into UT, my plan would be to come back home during the summers and take care of hospital volunteering/shadowing altogether.

Alot of the factors influencing my decision pretty much stems from me being the first one in my family to pursue medicine and also the idea alone of attending UT is one that will only come once in a lifetime, so I may just have to pursue it.
 
Wait, I'm sorry, unless UTMB is the graduate school.... then I'm mistaken.
 
You will get in as long as your essays are mature and have legitimate reasons for wanting to go to UT Austin. So do some research on the school and write specific essays. Your numbers are definitely up to par.
 
You will get in as long as your essays are mature and have legitimate reasons for wanting to go to UT Austin. So do some research on the school and write specific essays. Your numbers are definitely up to par.

I've already turned in my essays as of late Feb. when they were initially required.

As far as what I wrote about, my essays pretty much were about my mission statement and about how I have developed a new found desire, so to speak, to learn. I wrote about struggles in academics during my high school years and then how I bounced back in community college. I also wrote about how I want to make a contribution to the world through medicine.

A total of 2 essays were required. I did that and an optional one because I felt strongly about the topic.
 
http://cns.utexas.edu/careers/health-professions/
http://cns.utexas.edu/images/storie...cal_School_Statistics_Entering_Class_2011.pdf

UT Austin stats for getting into med school looks kind of average.

From what I heard, UT Austin is an enormous school with many pre-health students and clinical opportunities are not easy to get, with often a waiting period for nearby hospitals or clinics.

I would say if you want to attend med school, go to a less prestigious or competitive school in Texas, get better grades, and have more volunteer opportunities to show for later. Doesn't seem UT Austin gives you much legs-up in applying for med school. I would say a school with a med school would be better too.


You're correct about clinical opportunities being hard to obtain. I was lucky to get into a great program at our school's clinic, but they only take 25 students a year. The only other place for clinical experience that's somewhat close by that I know of is at a nearby hospital, but they do mostly clerical stuff from what I've heard. I've also found it difficult to find shadowing opportunities here. If you want to do research, however, there is an abundance of it and relatively not too hard to get.
 
Here is a question that I know probably has been asked multiple times, but here goes:

When making my decision to pursue MD or PhD, how much should I factor in salary. I come from a single parent household and financially I am not well off. But aside from that, this is also a motivator in attaining admissions into UT.

This summer I am trying to shadow both medicinal/scientific researchers as well as MDs in the local hospitals to try and get a better idea of what I may decide to pursue.
 
The UT system has 4 med schools in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston but I don't believe there is really any connection/advantage with the undergraduate campus in Austin. There are plans to build a school in Austin, maybe that will be up by the time you apply.

MDs and PhDs have very different jobs and training paths; both very difficult and rewarding for very different reasons. Do some shadowing, and look for a lab when you get to University and I'd imagine very quickly one will rule themselves out and one will stand out as great (if your interests remain in biomedical sciences in the first place).
 
Keep in mind that UT Austin can be an expensive school to go to unless you're on financial aid or you're lucky enough to get a scholarship. There's no real connection in Texas between where you go for undergrad and the med schools. I went to Texas Tech and interviewed/was accepted to 3 out of the 4 UT med schools.
 
Thank you guys for your comments. I guess what I'm making of all of this is that the ultimate goal is med school as a Texas resident, but going to UT Austin does not deem me a higher chance of getting in versus University of Houston (for localities sake).

It has been only two days since my final transcript was received at UT. Since then I have been getting minor headaches and feeling the most anxious I have ever been. My mind has not stopped running unless unconscious during sleep.

Perhaps, I should try and calm down. I have already gotten accepted at UH. It would be a commuter university to me and there are some Pros to attending. As for UT, I would probably be taking alot of loans and having to borrow money from family members just for the sake of living expenses and whatnot.

EDIT: Honestly, I believe that the true reason I want to go to UT is because I'm scared of failing. This past year has been my first semester of college and it is the hardest that I have ever worked from an academic standpoint. My GPA in HS was a 4 out of 6. I had to attend a truancy powerpoint seminar three years in a row starting my sophomore year to prevent getting a 500 dollar fine for skipping school. I was put on probation for it junior year.

This past year I was inspired; by my teachers and the lessons that they've taught. One of my first classes was an American Govt course and I absolutely fell in love with learning. I made an A in that class and my confidence increased exponentially. Although during that summer I didn't make all A's, I would proceed to make all A's for the first time since middle school. I would have never thought of applying if I had not made all A's that 2012 fall.

The reason I decided to pursue medicine is that I've always wanted to work in a hospital, but I never knew which specific profession. It became clear when my history teacher taught us about Andrew Carnegie and the "Gospel of Wealth" ideology. I know I am not going to be a millionaire that owns a huge corporation, but I want to make a contribution to the world and I feel that medicine is the best way I can go about that.

I don't expect people to read that long wall of miscellaneous text, but that is my reasoning for wanting to attend. I feel that it would be more of a personal accomplishment at the moment rather than a step that would better prepare me for medical school.
 
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UT is definitely saturated with premeds and it can be difficult to get some clinical experiences (although not impossible). You will find some if you have the desire. But remember that college isn't only about premed activities or preparing you for med school. You can get so much out a university like UT and a city like Austin because they have so many opportunities such diversity. I loved my time at UT because there were do many different things that I could do.

That being said, UT Houston is also a great university and it has great opportunities also. You can't go wrong with either choice.

Good luck with everything! Hook 'em!
 
Thanks for the insight. You're right UT, or university in general, is more than med school preparation. I may not even end up in med school or perhaps another major will strike appeal in me.
 
I got my acceptance about 3 days ago. Thank you to everyone who posted.
 
You're correct about clinical opportunities being hard to obtain. I was lucky to get into a great program at our school's clinic, but they only take 25 students a year. The only other place for clinical experience that's somewhat close by that I know of is at a nearby hospital, but they do mostly clerical stuff from what I've heard. I've also found it difficult to find shadowing opportunities here. If you want to do research, however, there is an abundance of it and relatively not too hard to get.

Nope, there are quite a few clinical opportunities that are available, they are just scattered about. The 2 big ones that come to mind within walking distance are st. davids and brackenridge. If you have access to a car there are far more clinical opportunities.
 
Yes, I will have access to my car. I'm trying to find a place to live in west campus so that I can just take a bus or walk to school.
 
Yes, I will have access to my car. I'm trying to find a place to live in west campus so that I can just take a bus or walk to school.

Don't know if you have considered this option but there are some good places to live on riverside. There are a bunch of student apts in that area that are pretty cheap. You can find a four bedroom apt with three other roommates for around $400, often all bills paid. You would have your own room to yourself also.

Also, your right on the UT shuttle which is less than 10-15 min from campus. I have lived there the last three years and have saved a ton of money. I personally recommend town lake student apt or the ballpark. You could always live at west campus the first year to get more acquainted with the area and live on riverside the following year. If you have any questions about riverside you can pm me.
 
Don't know if you have considered this option but there are some good places to live on riverside. There are a bunch of student apts in that area that are pretty cheap. You can find a four bedroom apt with three other roommates for around $400, often all bills paid. You would have your own room to yourself also.

Also, your right on the UT shuttle which is less than 10-15 min from campus. I have lived there the last three years and have saved a ton of money. I personally recommend town lake student apt or the ballpark. You could always live at west campus the first year to get more acquainted with the area and live on riverside the following year. If you have any questions about riverside you can pm me.

Dang, $400? That's nice. West campus usually runs $700-800 or more.
 
dam.. yeah I've been getting these low $900 deal offers from people wanting to do 2 BR and I'd have my own room.
 
I got two potential roommate deals going down on monday and I want to ask a question that requires some of empathy.

Is it wrong to be too cautious or picky of potential roommates? I was called snooty and that I'd have no trouble keeping to myself if I wanted to and that kind of got to me.

I'm all for making new friends and whatnot, but as far as finding someone to live with I use extra judgement because I don't want to live with someone that I'm not going to be able to trust.

Reason for being so hard-to-trust is because I've seen a lot of mishaps happen because of trusting someone too easily. My circumstance is not one that starts from doing good in highschool, but instead I had to fall hard before I had enough and took the initiative to gain this admission for UT.

In short, my circle of friends is small and only contains people that I know will have my back. Now that I think of it, yes, my circle also started out as people who were just acquaintances and developed from there.

I guess I just have to use good judgement about people and go from there.
 
I got two potential roommate deals going down on monday and I want to ask a question that requires some of empathy.

Is it wrong to be too cautious or picky of potential roommates? I was called snooty and that I'd have no trouble keeping to myself if I wanted to and that kind of got to me.

I'm all for making new friends and whatnot, but as far as finding someone to live with I use extra judgement because I don't want to live with someone that I'm not going to be able to trust.

Reason for being so hard-to-trust is because I've seen a lot of mishaps happen because of trusting someone too easily. My circumstance is not one that starts from doing good in highschool, but instead I had to fall hard before I had enough and took the initiative to gain this admission for UT.

In short, my circle of friends is small and only contains people that I know will have my back. Now that I think of it, yes, my circle also started out as people who were just acquaintances and developed from there.

I guess I just have to use good judgement about people and go from there.

As someone who is a very bad roommate, I would advise you not to room with someone who you think is a bad roommate. It almost always ends badly. I'm getting a single this year personally.
 
Could you elaborate on "bad roommate"? What habits do you deem as bad?
 
Could you elaborate on "bad roommate"? What habits do you deem as bad?

I am very, very, VERY messy. It caused alot of tension with some of my neater roommates. Some other things that come to mind that would make someone a bad roommate is not respecting other's personal space, not respecting other's property (like eating their food), and not respecting other's priorities (like having a really late party when someone needs to sleep).
 
congrats into getting into the GOAT university. you will have a helluva time in austin, enjoy it while you can.
 
lol i'm not one for school pride, but i do have faith in the education that i will receive
 
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