Required to complete your application Transfer Essays
As part of your complete ApplyTexas Application for Transfer Admission, you must submit responses to two essay topics.
Most applicants submit essays in response to Topic A: Statement of Purpose and Topic E. Applicants to architecture and to some fine arts majors must submit responses to Topic D and Topic E. International applicants are also encouraged to submit a response to Essay C.
A |
Statement of PurposeThe statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects of your academic background or valued experiences you may have had that relate to your academic discipline. The statement of purpose is not meant to be a listing of accomplishments in high school or a record of your participation in school-related activities. Rather, this is your opportunity to address the admission committee directly and to let us know more about you as an individual, in a manner that your transcripts and the other application information cannot convey. |
|---|---|
D |
Submit this essay in place of Essay A when applying for admission to architecture, art history, design, studio art, or visual art studies/art education. Major-specific essayPersonal interaction with objects, images and spaces can be so powerful as to change the way one thinks about particular issues or topics. For your intended area of study (architecture, art history, design, studio art, visual art studies/art education), describe an experience where instruction in that area or your personal interaction with an object, image or space effected this type of change in your thinking. What did you do to act upon your new thinking and what have you done to prepare yourself for further study in this area? |
E |
Personal EssayChoose an issue of importance to you – the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope – and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation. |
Optional Essay (recommended)
In addition to the two required essays, some applicants choose to submit a response to Essay C. Essay C is optional and cannot be submitted in place of a required essay.
Students submitting Essay C do so in order to submit additional information to the university about special circumstances, such as socio-economic standing; educational goals; cultural background; employment, internships, etc.; race or ethnicity; personal experiences and hardships; personal responsibilities; and any additional information submitted by the applicant.
As an international applicant you are encouraged to submit a response to Essay C in order to provide additional information to the Office of Admissions about your goals, what drew you to the major that you’ve requested, and why you’ve chosen to apply to UT Austin.
Special Circumstances: Essay C
There may be personal information that you want considered as part of your admissions application. Write an essay describing that information. You might include exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, personal responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents, educational goals, or ways in which you might contribute to an institution committed to creating a diverse learning environment.
Submitting Your Essays
The best admissions essays are written using a process—drafting them in a word processor and editing them until they reflect your best response to the topic. Composing your essays in this manner also means that you will have a copy of your work for future reference.
Once you’ve composed your essays, it’s best to plan to submit them at the time you submit your ApplyTexas application.
However, if you submit your application without including one or more of your essays, you can return to the ApplyTexas site and submit your essays (Essays A, B, C, and D) at any time up until the deadline. Follow these steps to submit your essays:
- Enter your username and password to log in to ApplyTexas.
- Select the “My Essays” tab on you’re “My Account” page.
- From the “My Essays” page, select the link in the far right column that corresponds to the application for which you want to submit essays.
- Follow the directions in the “Essay Topics & Requirements” section on the “submit essay – application for admission” page to submit one or more essays. Each essay must be submitted individually.
Essays submitted this way may take a couple of days to appear in Status Check.
E-mail essays not accepted
Essays should not be submitted by e-mail. If you submit your essays by e-mail, they will be discarded.
Essay Length
The suggested length of your essays is one page, single spaced. However, rather than letting the suggested length dictate the content of your essays, you should make it your goal to compose essays that offer well developed responses to the prompts.