Today is the first day of school! It's so exciting to see the campus wake up again after a long (very) hot summer. It's still very hot--we can't seem to escape the record breaking days. So it's a good thing we have so much great stuff to look forward to this semester.

I'm also very excited and pleased to have received so many nice comments on our new website. I know it makes it easier for our prospective and current students to find the information they need. I still plan to add more information and lots of images, but the focus was getting the information on admissions and advising up and complete for our prospective and current students.

I'm also looking forward to the start of this semester's information sessions. Plan II information sessions will begin again on Friday, September 11. In addition to a LOT of information, applicants (and parents/family members) have a chance to ask questions. Best of all, the applicants get to attend a Plan II class and meet some Plan II students and at least one professor. Sign up as soon as you can for a session. See Visit Plan II.

Applications have already begun to trickle in electronically. Although Plan II will not receive applications for review from UT Admissions for a couple of weeks, I can see them electronically. There's no panic to submit an application this early. But it's really important to keep an eye on that priority deadline of November 1. If you am to have you application complete within a week or two of that deadline, you're in good shape. Remember, procrastination can hurt your chances of admission if you're applying to Plan II Honors.

Whew....been a little crazy here getting the new website up and rockin'. I hope it's an improvement and makes it easy for prospective applicants to find good information. I also hope folks will be patient: while the site is up and running, I'm afraid we'll be cleaning dead links and transferring information for weeks to come.

Bigger news is the Plan II information sessions will begin again on Friday, September 11. In addition to a LOT of information, applicants (and parents/family members) have a chance to ask questions. Best of all, the applicants get to attend a Plan II class and meet some Plan II students and at least one professor. Sign up as soon as you can for a session. See Visiting Plan II.

But the biggest news is that ApplyTexas opened on August 1 and Plan II applications have already begun to trickle in. While we certainly don't expect a flood of applications in the next few weeks, we are strongly encouraging early application. Applying late in the application cycle (after November 15, certainly after December 1) is quite likely to adversely affect an applicant’s likelihood of admission. Plan II reviews application in the order the applications are completed and conducts “rolling” admissions. We will begin offering admission for the fall 2010 as early as late October, 2009. There are fewer spots available as we move closer to the deadline. Competition will be stiffer as fewer spots are available.