Too late to catch up now....But 2010 is comin' fast!

sorry followers....I let the blog down. Admissions got the better of me this spring. I was just way too busy to add something new. But we had a wonderfully successful, if crazy admissions season. And, most important, we have a terrific entering freshman class of just the right size to show for it.

But, I'm turning over a new leaf and getting back on the blog-wagon for the fall 2010 applicants.

Here we go:

We are looking at some changes in the Plan II admission world for the fall 2010 applicants:

1) A new, much earlier deadline: December 15, 2009;

2) A priority application deadline of November 1, 2009. (We have discontinued the Early Consideration application option.)

3) The required electronic teacher recommendation is discontinued. Plan II will not require a recommendation letter. Recommendation letters will not be a primary component of the Plan II review process.

Applicants may have teacher submit letters to the UT Admissions office (via US mail), but letters will not be required to complete a UT or a Plan II application. It's important to note here that as soon as the required documents are complete, Plan II will move the file into the review process.

The on-line application APPLYTEXAS is expected to be live on August 1, 2009.

I encourage interested seniors to register for a Plan II information session and visit us. The reservation links and details about the sessions, visiting, dates, parking, etc. are all at VISIT PLAN II

Application Deadline Extended

Well, you may have heard already, but just in case....UT Austin has extended the deadline for submission of admission documents through January 21, 2009. So, if you are missing the expanded resume, a teacher recommendation or (heaven forbid!) the on-line honors application, you have a chance to get everything in to complete your application to Plan II Honors.

Be sure to check your status using the website: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/admissions/status_check.WBX, logging on with your UT EID and password. Once there, but sure to follow the VIEW DETAILS link next to the PLAN II HONORS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS to be sure your additional Plan II documents have been received.

Several folks have called me who are having trouble logging in with their UT EID. If you've been admitted to the University (to another college or to CoLA in another major), the system may have blocked your EID, since all admitted students need a higher assurance EID. If you have EID problems call the UT Office of Admissions Customer Service: 512-475-7387. BE PATIENT. They are swamped.

This time of the year guarantees a long wait on the phone and perhaps some trouble getting through in the first place, but I promise a HELPFUL human will help you once it’s your turn. It is much easier to get through early in the morning, between 8:00 and 9:00 am, although I understand you will probably already be at school and it may be a difficult time to call. (The applicant must call personally if it's an EID/password issue. Mom can't do it for you.) But, usually, the waits are much shorter earlier in the day.

I urge everyone who needs to submit the expanded resume to do so electronically, ASAP. If you have delayed on-line resume submission due to a worry about the format, forget the format and just cut & paste the sucker. Don't worry about columns and stuff. Make it a text document. The information is important. The format is not. We don’t care about the format as long as the information is there and is legible.

You are welcome to call or email me with questions or concerns. Please remember though, not only are we closed on weekends, the University of Texas at Austin is closed Monday, January 19 in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We will be open again at 8:00 am on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, the first day of the UT Austin spring 2009 semester.

The application deadline is looming!

The final application deadline for UT Austin and for Plan II Honors is January 15, 2009. Waiting until the last minute to complete your application is the fastest way to lower your chances of getting admitted to Plan II or to UT Austin.

If you received an email from UT Admissions this week reminding you that your Honors Application is incomplete, please pay very close attention to the instructions.

Critical note: there is a 48-72 hour lag from the time you submit ApplyTexas to the time you can access the on-line honors application and the teacher recommendation system. So, if you don't submit ApplyTexas until the last minute, you just may find that you're ineligible for Plan II....because you procrastinated. Don't do that!

DO NOT FAX OR MAIL ANYTHING TO PLAN II HONORS. That will add another day or two to the time. We cannot receive your application documents here. We must send them to UT Admissions.

Note too that, due to the number of documents submitting to UT Austin every day, UT Admissions processing is currently taking 7-10 working days to process paper application materials (transcripts, paper resumes, etc.). If you send something by mail, you need to assume 2-3 days for delivery (perhaps more with the holiday season), PLUS 7-10 working days for your documents to be assigned a unique ID number, logged and digitized.Check your Application Status page for updates. Do not call me or UT Admissions to see if a document is here. If you send it late, you wait until they get to it. It will show up on the status check when it has been processed.

Smart applicants will have all documents submitted before January 2, 2009. That's the group you want to be part of.......

December Early Consideration Notification

All the early consideration notifications have been mailed as of December 11, 2008. Remember, the University's mail system often adds one to two days to the usual time that US mail delivery takes, so most folks won't receive their mailing from Plan II until Tuesday, December 16 or Wednesday, December 17.

If you haven't received something from Plan II by Friday, December 19, and you know your application was complete by November 1, email me. Although I am officially on vacation the week of December 15--19, and the University and Plan II Honors are closed from December 22 through January 5, I will check email regularly. If your notification was lost in the mail, I will make a trip by the office to resend your notification.

We saw an increase of about 15% in the number of early applicants this year. Although we had originally planned to hold the number of admits to only 50, we admitted a few more than that due the higher percentage of applicants. We also deferred more early applicants than we had originally planned.

If you are deferred there is, unfortunately, no guaranteed date by which you will hear on your final Plan II admission status other than the final April 1, 2009 deadline. I know it's very hard to wait to hear. I also know it makes your tough choices and decisions harder when you don't have all your admission information. Hang in there...but continue to explore other options! There are no promises with the deferral. I sincerely hope you won't give up on Plan II, but I certainly don't want anyone to turn down good opportunities for the Plan II "maybe."

If it makes anyone feel any better, we're having a hard time too. Believe me, we can really relate to the problem of having tough choices to make. As is the case every year, Plan II is receiving very strong applications from so many exciting and interesting students it makes my head spin. We get really bummed out when we must deny and defer so many super neat, smart and talented applicants.

Remember: Plan II notification is strictly in writing from Plan II Honors via US Mail. Plan II admission decisions will NOT be reflected on the Status Check website. Most, if not all other admission decisions are available on the BeALonghorn Status Check website. Log on with your UT EID and password.

I've enjoyed getting to know you all through your emails and your applications. I've laughed often, learned a few things and even shed a tear here and there while reading your essays. I hope everyone has a very safe and a very happy holiday season. I know it will be happier for those who receive good news from Plan II, frustrating for those receiving a deferral and a little less festive for those who find a denial letter in the mailbox. But you all have my very best wishes for all things good, jennifer

Early Consideration Notification Coming Soon

The Plan II early consideration admission notifications will be mailed on or before December 15, 2008. Remember, the primary advantage of the early consideration process is the December notification. However, Plan II will restrict admission offers to the early consideration applicant pool to 50. The remaining early consideration applicants will receive a deferral of decision or a denial of admission.

Deferred early consideration applicants will remain in the applicant pool and will be considered in successive rolling admissions cycles. Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed notification date after December 15, only the final date by which notification to all applicants will have been mailed, April 1, 2009.

Plan II Honors early consideration offers of admission do NOT require a binding commitment from the applicant to attend the University of Texas at Austin and/or Plan II Honors. All applicants have until May 1 to make a final decision about attending the University of Texas and Plan II Honors. What's important to keep in mind is that the applicant's response date determines when UT Housing issues a contract. The earlier the response (when the applicant commits to UT and pays the enrollment fee), the better the chance of the top dorm choice.

An early consideration applicant who is denied admission may still be admissible to the University (to any other major in the College of Liberal Arts or to majors in the College of Natural Science) and to other competitive admission majors/colleges such as Engineering or the College of Communication. The decision processes are independent from each other. The applicant does not need to take any steps for the application to remain in consideration for other majors in the College of Liberal Arts or for other ApplyTexas major/college choice.

Remember too: Plan II notification is strictly in writing from Plan II Honors via US Mail. Plan II admission decisions will NOT be reflected on the Status Check website.

Most, if not all other admission decisions are available on the BeALonghorn Status Check website if the applicant logs on using the UT EID and password Status Check.

If you have not received notification from Plan II Honors by December 19, email Jennifer Scalora (scalora@mail.utexas.edu). Be sure to include your FULL name and UT EID.

Stay on Track with your Application Submission: Don't delay.

Forgive my slow posts. The early consideration deadline absorbed a lot of my attention these last couple of weeks.

Now that it has passed however, I want to encourage prospective applicants to complete and submit the required application documents as soon as it is feasible.

I VERY strongly recommend completing the application process LONG before the January 15 deadline. Because Plan II does rolling admissions, the competition increases as the application cycle moves forward: fewer spots are available, therefore the competition is stiffer for each available offer of admission. We put applications into the review process in the order the applications are completed. So if you are waiting to submit essays or other required documents, your delay might your chances of admission.

Furthermore, the closer we get to the deadline, the harder it is to track your application documents. So many UT applications arrive each day during the last two weeks prior to the deadline the whole system slows dramatically. ApplyTexas applications load into the system slower: the 24-hour lag becomes a 48 to 72-hour lag before you can access the honors application.

If you submit documents by mail, the documents are digitized and loaded slower due to the sheer numbers arriving every day. Your teacher is pressured to submit a recommendation faster. Everything gets harder. Meanwhile applicants’ (and their parents') anxiety levels are rising. Don't delay! Smart applicants will have their applications complete and submitted by the last day of classes before their schools' winter break.

Remember too: Plan II notification is strictly in writing from Plan II Honors via US Mail. Plan II admission decisions will NOT be reflected on the Status Check website. Most, if not all other admission decisions are available on the BeALonghorn Status Check website if the applicant logs on using the UT EID and password (https://utdirect.utexas.edu/admissions/status_check.WBX).

Teacher Recommendation Tips

With the November 1 Plan II Honors Early Consideration Deadline fast approaching, I've received several emails this week with questions concerning the on-line teacher recommendation system.

Here are a few tips and an outline of the process:

First, please note that an applicant may not begin the honors program application until the applicant submits ApplyTexas. Once your ApplyTexas is loaded (into the UT computer systems after processing), you’ll be able to access the honors program application and online recommendation system. It may take up to three working days (about two weeks for paper applications) for UT to receive and load your admission application into the UT system once you have submitted ApplyTexas. Early in the cycle (before December 15) it's likely to take only 24 hours. Later in the cycle, after December 15, it will take 48-72 hours for an electronic submission of ApplyTexas to load.

Secondly, the applicant may choose any teacher. The class/subject is not critical, however applicants should first consider choosing a teacher who can address the student's writing and critical and analytical thinking skills.

Plan II only wants one teacher recommendation.

A written letter may not be substituted for the on-line recommendation system. The applicant's file will not be complete, and therefore will not be reviewed, without a completed electronic teacher recommendation.

The applicant will submit the teacher’s name and email contact information. Then, the UT system will electronically contact the teacher and supply the link the teacher accesses to complete and submit the on-line honors recommendation form.

The teacher will receive an electronic confirmation after submitting the electronic recommendation.

The Honors Recommendation Process:

Online Recommendation System Step by Step (from BeALonghorn)

1. Log in to the honors recommendation system.

Log in to the recommendation system using your UT EID and password. If you don’t know or forgot your UT EID or password, visit the UT EID help site. (You will be able to access the recommendation system after you have submitted—and we have received—your ApplyTexas Application for Admission.)

2. Select honors program(s) and enter contact information.

Select the honors program(s) to which you’re applying and enter the name and e-mail address of the individual who you would like to submit a recommendation. (You’ll be able to enter only one individual’s information. If you want to send a recommendation request to another individual, you’ll need to start over at step one of the online recommendation process and submit another recommendation request.)

3. The individual will receive an e-mail from UT Austin.

The applicant will be able to see that the recommendation has been submitted by using the on-line status check site.