Will signing up for these classes help me get admitted to UT Austin?

Above is one of the most common questions I get this time of year as students are selecting their senior class schedule. We will get to the answer to that question in a little bit. But first here are some things to consider. 

Have you taken all of our required and recommended courses?

The following Be a Longhorn link lists all of our required units of high school courses and recommended units: http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/admission/hs-courses/index.html.

Interested in studying architecture, business, engineering, geosciences, natural sciences, or other technical/math intensive fields?

You should prepare by taking math every year of high school.

Have you exhausted all of your opportunities to learn more?

You can never get back any of the preparation you missed at any prior stage of your educational journey. Make sure to exhaust the opportunities for learning at your high school and through dual enrollment opportunities (even if you have already met or exceeded required and recommended coursework). 

Speaking of Dual Enrollment, you can use the Automated Transfer Equivalency (ATE). It will be easiest to search by the Sending Institution’s Course, and then it will show you what transferrable credit you will earn at UT Austin. You’ll find the ATE at the following Be a Longhorn link: http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/transfer/admission/factors/transfer-courses/index.html.

Now to the question we started with – Will signing up for these classes help me get admitted to UT Austin?

We look positively upon students who take the recommended rather than the required high school courses. But, with so may other factors and variables at play when it comes to making our admission decisions, you can’t predict your admissions success just from your course selection. This Be a Longhorn link covers all of the factors we consider: http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/freshmen/after-you-apply/factors/index.html. 

The reason to take and succeed in your classes is not just to possibly get a favorable offer of admission to all the colleges on your wish list. The bigger thing to focus on is getting the best preparation for your academic future. Then whatever institution of higher education you end up going to – you would have prepared the best you could have for the next leg of your educational voyage.

Brian is the Director of the Dallas Admissions Center. He’s a Texas Ex who was a student in the College of Communication. Find out more about Brian by reading his counselor profile.