Ranking of Metro Area school Districts?! (Dallas, Austin: student loans, best school, university)

[racehorse]

While the rule may be gone, I find it hard to believe that college admissions offices would completely disregard where a student is applying from, their racial background, etc. Do the better Texas campuses conduct face to face interviews and ask for written essays in the admissions process? I would think they'd want a diverse student body, and my son might have an advantage there. Maybe not as a deciding factor, but a "nice to have."

[bookworm2768]

GG we just recently moved to the area and went through what you are now. Our decision on where to live in town was decided primarily by gifted programs for profoundly gifted kids so that narrowed things down for us a LOT. Besides that we wanted a short commute time so that further narrowed our choices.
I agree with the other posters . . .don't go purely by the ratings. There is a lot to the TAKS scores and they do not give an accurate picture of the school and its teachers. I would highly recommend visiting the area and meeting with the principals of the schools you are interested in (once you narrow down your choices). Tour the schools and see what you think. I'm very happy with our current district (Carrollton- Farmer's Branch) but some of the schools in the district perform nowhere as well as others.
The general impression is that schools in the north west suburbs of Dallas are good but that is very much a generalization. Good luck with your search.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by racehorse

While the rule may be gone, I find it hard to believe that college admissions offices would completely disregard where a student is applying from, their racial background, etc. Do the better Texas campuses conduct face to face interviews and ask for written essays in the admissions process? I would think they'd want a diverse student body, and my son might have an advantage there. Maybe not as a deciding factor, but a "nice to have."

When I applied to UT-Austin in 1993 all they cared about was my SAT score and my class rank...and my race. They had different requirements for different races back in the AA days. In general UT-Austin didn't have time to agonize over a student's socioeconomic background since they process tens of thousands of applications every year.

[racehorse]

I'd be interested in what an admissions officer would have to say about it.

My son is biracial (black/Caucasian) and my general impression is while there isn't likely to be blatant affirmative action, being black might be a "nice to have" in considering his application. That said, that one factor alone is not something he would count on for getting into the school of his choice.

BTW, my husband is an Aggie, so it's debatable whether UT Austin is a school that will be of interest when the time comes.

[Lakewooder]

The top ten percent rule has been good for my school, but I hate seeing so many going to UT and A&M!

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by racehorse

I'd be interested in what an admissions officer would have to say about it.

My son is biracial (black/Caucasian) and my general impression is while there isn't likely to be blatant affirmative action, being black might be a "nice to have" in considering his application. That said, that one factor alone is not something he would count on for getting into the school of his choice.

Public schools in Texas are not supposed to consider race as a factor for admissions, so I'd tell him to study hard. The top public universities in Texas are very competitive.

BTW, my husband is an Aggie, so it's debatable whether UT Austin is a school that will be of interest when the time comes.

That kind of narrow thinking is irritating; I went to UT-Austin but would not have any trouble sending a kid of mine to A&M. They're both very good schools. You may be kidding, but a lot of people aren't.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

The top ten percent rule has been good for my school, but I hate seeing so many going to UT and A&M!

They're the top public unis in Texas; where else should they go? They were the top destinations for kids from my high school too, though I think more of them ended up at Richland than anywhere else.

[racehorse]

I'm originally from Chicago, and went to Northwestern (north of Chicago). The rivalries are lost on me.

I want my son to go to whatever university offers great academic programs, and great money.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by nativeDallasite

They're the top public unis in Texas; where else should they go? They were the top destinations for kids from my high school too, though I think more of them ended up at Richland than anywhere else.

Well you know I am an SMU pony -- our top two Woodrow grads went to Yale and Princeton this year so that only leaves a couple of dozen places left in the top ten percent.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Well you know I am an SMU pony -- our top two Woodrow grads went to Yale and Princeton this year so that only leaves a couple of dozen places left in the top ten percent.

We sent kids to the Ivy League every year at HHS too.

When I was in high school, SMU was mainly for the rich kids who couldn't get into UT or A&M, though they did offer some generous scholarships to disadvantaged kids who COULD get into those schools to tempt them away.