So, kid, you wanna apply to the University of Texas at Austin? Alright, alright, alright. (Note: although this blog is not a car commercial, we’d still like you to imagine the iconic rumble of a Matthew McConaughey voiceover here). As the #1 public university in the lone-star state, and among the top ten U.S. public universities overall, UT-Austin has academic rigor and top-tier undergraduate research opportunities while offering all the excitement of Division 1 athletics, state school spirit, and a booming student population. UT-Austin may have over 40k undergraduates, but they’re still selective, especially when it comes to out-of-state applicants. The overall admit rate is 32%, which means the percentage of students living outside of Texas who get in is even lower.
Here’s where we get to the part that we, in the scientific community, call a “bummer.” UT-Austin has one of the longest supplementary applications out there, so you can’t leave it till the last minute.
The Basics
UT-Austin is now test optional. Choosing whether or not to submit your scores is a longer conversation, but do know that taking the SAT or ACT is not strictly required. Generally speaking, we suggest you submit scores if 1) you have them 2) they match or exceed the quality of your grades 3) they land on the average or higher end of a school’s admitted student score range. (Basically, do what makes you look best. Usually, the more information you have the better, but don’t offer up scores that will hurt you.)
Secondly, even though UT-Austin does accept applications through the Common App, they will not read your Common App essay. Literally. They won’t look at it. Eyes wide-shut mode. That means that UT-Austin’s supplemental questions aren’t really supplemental — they’re the main event. And there are 4 of them. We’ll give you a second to say “RIP me,” and then we’ll break down how you should plan to answer…
The Biggie
…aaaand let’s bring our moment of silence to a close. The required essay question essentially takes the place of the Common App essay with a general topic and a word limit of 500-700 words. Here’s that prompt:
Tell us your story. What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout your high school career that have shaped who you are today?
Depending on the topic you chose, your Common App essay might work here, but definitely don’t force it if it doesn’t. It’s pretty obvious when someone has made a few quick edits to something that was written in response to a different question, and that’s almost immediately disqualifying.
If you have to start from square 1, you could even get a bit cheeky and kill two birds with one stone — maybe in hindsight you can see how an obstacle became an opportunity, or maybe something you wanted challenged you in ways that helped you gain insight into yourself. You may have been devastated when you tore your ACL, but having to sit out soccer your sophomore winter might have been the very thing that led you to take a robotics elective and discover your interest in engineering, for example.
Your essay can be anything, but it has to satisfy these two crucial criteria:
it has to tell a full story, something that has an arc with a beginning, middle, and end
it must tell readers who you are. How did the experience you’re writing about change you? What did it change you into?
Be as creative as you want with form and timing — you can start in media res with a freeze frame, you can throw in dialogue for flair, but you cannot lose track of your ultimate goal.
The Smalls
Next up, you’ve got four short answer questions (three required and one optional), each with a limit of 250-300 words. At half the length of an essay, these questions may not be full-length, but you do have a good amount of room to play with.
1. Why are you interested in the major you indicated as your first-choice major?
When applying to UT-Austin, you apply to a specific program within the university. This is your space to explain why you chose the major you selected as your first choice, and you should get personal. Explain how a niche interest that snagged your attention became a total obsession. Once you’ve talked about your investment in or connection to the field, share details about how you’ve developed it: books you’ve read, extracurriculars you did, research you spearheaded, anything that illuminates your commitment to the subject and the deserving scholar you’d be.
2. Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community, or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT.
Your answer here should aim to get two things across: who you are beyond your stats, and why you are seeking the opportunities at UT-Austin specifically. This is a modified version of the “why this college” essay that pops up in most applications, and you’ll need to do a bit of research to ground your response in Longhorn territory. Connect your past experiences to your future promise by showing how you would develop your passion through UT-Austin’s unique offerings. Make sure to highlight at least one academic opportunity and one activity that’s more social or community-oriented, both of which should build on the singular talents and background information you’ve already listed.
3. The core purpose of The University of Texas at Austin is, To Transform Lives for the Benefit of Society. Please share how you believe your experience at UT-Austin will prepare you to Change the World after you graduate.
UT-Austin takes the calling of higher education seriously, and it’s very conscious of its national impact as a well-ranked and large public university located in a vibrant, urban state capital. Its slogan is “what starts here changes the world.” From Austin City Limits to South by Southwest, Austin — and the UT alumni network of “Texas Exes” — are situated at the cultural nexus of music, film, technology, and social thought.
This question gives you the opportunity to show your alignment with UT’s mission. Like your last answer, this response should draw support from your pre-existing track record and relate to UT’s specific offerings, but you can take it a step further and illustrate your dreams beyond college — what do you want to do in the world? What impact would you make if you could do anything?
4. Please share background on events or special circumstances that you feel may have impacted your high school academic performance, including the possible effects of COVID-19.
This last one is optional, and if you’re confused about whether this applies to you, definitely read more about the additional information and COVID-19 sections of the Common App recently covered on the blog.
If you wrote about those topics for other schools, you can use that essay (or a shortened version of it) here. If you didn’t fill out those sections on the Common App or in other applications, don’t do so for UT-Austin. The principle is the same: this is not a free space to help you bingo your way into a good college (no shade to the beautiful game of bingo or the lit retirement communities that keep the competition cutthroat). It’s reserved for contextualizing extraordinary circumstances, giving crucial information, or explaining gaps or abnormalities in your transcript that aren’t addressed elsewhere.
With that, you’ve reached the finish line. The UT-Austin application may definitively fall in the category of this-is-a-marathon-not-a-sprint, but (if we’re going to beat this metaphor to death (and we are!)) these guidelines should help you run the best race you can.
Need more input on your UT-Austin essays? Reach out to us — that’s what we’re here for.