AboutKat Expertise I can help with anything from freshman/transfer admissions to financial aid, from coursework to campus life. I'm extremely familiar with the College of Liberal Arts, but I know a fair share about other colleges as well.
Experience I'm a senior with a double major in English and Government, and I'm also completing the Liberal Arts Honors program.
Expert: Kat Date: 7/29/2008 Subject: UT admissions GPA as an external transfer?
Question First of all I am a Texas resident and I want to attend UT and major in Business. Also I am Asian. I currently attend a community college and after my first year i have 25 hours with a GPA of 3.3. Now this year i am going to take 12 hours my first semester. In the second semester I am going to repeat 2 courses that i made a B on to get an A. Also I won't be a full time student my second semester. So by the end of this year i will have total of 40 hours with a GPA of 3.5 hopefully. Can I get into LIberal Arts with a 3.5 GPA? Is not being a full time student and repeating courses look bad on my transcript when UT will look at it? I know i can't get into McCombs with a 3.5 GPA but Can I get into Liberal Arts as an Economics Major and then try to transfer into McCombs interanlly? I can graduate one year late if i have to. and also do i have to explain to UT why i only have 40 hours by the end of my sophomore year when i apply?
Answer Hi John,
Well, these are some pretty specific questions but I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities. I'm not an admission counselor, so most of what I know is hear-say and personal experience.
I would say that you definitely have it in your favor that you are a Texas resident and considering Liberal Arts. (To be honest, I don't think your race will affect anything. UT has a pretty even racial breakdown, and is way more concerned about residency and "Top Ten Percent" rules.)
Your GPA is probably acceptable. I've heard that the "cut-off" GPA for transfers is a 3.2, so the higher you can put yourself above that mark the better. I'm not very sure what UT would think about the amount of hours you've accumulated so far. I would definitely explain to them why you are only going to school part-time in the Spring, because they want to know that you're going to work hard and be a full-time student once you transfer into UT. I would also explain to them why you took the courses that you are re-taking again, because they don't really look favorably on "excess" hours. (UT tries to get students to graduate on time and with the fewest amount of credit hours possible, so as to not "waste" government resources. In fact, they give you a $1000 check when you graduate if you do it on time and without any extra hours beyond your degree requirement!) UT mainly wants to know that students they accept are not going to slack-off, drop in grades, or quit school once they're at UT. They want candidates who will work really hard, get good grades, and contribute to the university through student organizations or academic research.
As for internal transfers, I'm not very sure about the whole process. I know that just because you're already in Liberal Arts, it does NOT necessarily make a transfer into the Business school any easier. They have some of the most competitive admissions standards at the university, right up there with the College of Engineering. You would definitely have to continue to prove yourself once you're at the university.
I hope this helps you out a little bit! Let me know if you have any other questions,
