The University of Texas at Austin is one of the most well-respected public research universities in the country. This is especially true for students interested in a STEM field, as UT Austin has impressive programs in computer science, engineering, and scientific research. They also have an iconic college culture. Austin is an exciting college town, and the university has a beloved cultured centered around hard work, athletics, and live music. The in-state is about 38%. The out-of-state acceptance rate is only 10%. And the international student acceptance rate is slightly higher at 13%.
Please take note of the vast difference between the in-state and out-of-state acceptance rates. This is normal for a public university, as they prioritize in-state applicants in the admissions process. It does mean, however, that getting into UT Austin for out-of-state students is like getting into a top-tier private university. Keep this in mind as you prepare your application, and remember to review what UT Austin requires of applicants. They are very strict on and course distributions.
Remember, too, that a score on the SAT or ACT for your application to be reviewed. The score needs to be sent as an official score report, not self-reported in the Common app or ApplyTexas application.
In this post, we’ll be focusing on the unquantifiable part of your application: the writing. Whether you are applying from within Texas, or from out-of-state or international, how you tell your story plays a large role in whether you get offered a spot in the first-year class. We’ll break it all down.
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The UT Austin supplement includes a few short answer prompts. They aren’t long, but they also aren’t short. We like this, because you have room to express yourself without getting lost in a mountain of words. Now let’s get into it.
PROMPT 1
Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major? (250-300 words)
First, you need to decide on a major. Yes, we know that this is sometimes very clear for certain students, but other times students are all set on undecided. However, undecided is never a good option for a college application. Look at where you have focused your time in the past four years, and what feels closest to a passion. Look through UT Austin offers undergraduates, and pick what fits closest with your experience. Then, do some research. Find two courses within the major that you are excited about, and a professor or two that you would love to study under. Maybe there is a research opportunity that links directly to what you are most curious about, or a study away program that would allow you to compliment your Austen-based studies to location-specific opportunities.
Once you have all this research, you need to put them together into a supplement knitted together by story. Start your supplemental essay with a story that introduces the reader to why you are so interested in the area of study you are specifying. This could be something like a project that ignited your interest, a competition that challenged you, or a teacher who opened your eyes to an opportunity. Then, you need to transition into how the experience led you to an interest in the major at UT Austin specifically. Share the research you found, conveying your enthusiasm for the UT Austin program.
End the supplement by imagining yourself at UT Austin. What student group would you join to supplement your studies? What place on campus would become your spot? Help them imagine you there.
PROMPT 2
Think of all the activities — both in and outside of school — that you have been involved with during high school. Which one are you most proud of and why? (Guidance for students: This can include an extracurricular activity, a club/organization, volunteer activity, work or a family responsibility.) (250-300 words)
We love this supplement prompt, because it invites you to share what you are most proud of and excited by. The activities section in the Common App is important, yet lame. You have so little space to share about what you commit time to, and it’s impossible to fully convey the importance of what you love most.
Before you try to answer this prompt with a ‘group’ of things — like everything you do related to service or everything you do linked to politics — though, don’t. Don’t do that. You truly need to pick one thing and build an essay around it. This not only actually answers the question, “Which one are you most proud of and why?”, but also allows you to use the full space to tell a truly compelling story.
So, don’t explain why you love the activity you are most proud of. Make them feel it, viscerally. Focus in on an experience within the activity that spotlights why you love it, and tell that story. Use imagery, dialog, and detail. Paint the picture vividly, and invite the reader into it with you.
PROMPT 3
Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance.
If your response to this question is similar to one of the Common App Personal Essays, feel free to simply copy and paste the important parts of your essay here.
This prompt is last, but it’s crucial to actually approach it first. While UT Austin says that you can use your Common App here, we do not recommend that approach. We are firmly against the idea of repeating yourself in your applications. It’s a bad move because it closes doors. You have this space to write something new — why wouldn’t you use it?
Also, the idea of being able to pull “important parts” out of your essay is a little upsetting. It should all be important, or it isn’t a great essay!
With that clear, let’s look at what you should be putting in this space.
We recommend that students not read this prompt negatively. They say “impacted,” not “hurt.” They aren’t actually asking that you explain a physics class you didn’t do all that great in. If there is something that needs an explanation, you can do that, but there are also opportunities to share a triumph in here.
For example, maybe you really struggled with a foreign language freshman year, but have been on an upwards trajectory ever since. Perhaps a big part of that growth — and the results of it — has been because of an immersive language experience. It’s eating at the Spanish table at lunch, or hiring your childhood babysitter as a French tutor, or turning your house into a center for Chinese language.
Basically, there are ways to use this prompt to celebrate strengths, not only to explain somewhere that you have faltered.
Building a strong application for UT Austin is all about celebrating your strengths. They want to see you for you, especially as a student and academic. So, show them.
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