For most schools across the United States, the easiest way to apply is using the Common Application, but for some schools, students will need to apply through other specific applications that have their own requirements. If you’re hoping to attend one of the many schools in Texas that employ the ApplyTexas application, then this post will help you navigate your college admissions process.
Previously, many Texan schools did not participate in the Common Application program but instead required students to use the ApplyTexas portal to apply. In this post, we’ll explain more about what ApplyTexas is and what the process for this online system is like.
What is ApplyTexas?
As we mentioned, many schools in Texas (including all the schools in the University of Texas system, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Southern Methodist University, and many others) have an application process that is different from that used by most U.S. colleges. To send out your college admissions app to Texas schools, you have to use the ApplyTexas online application system. This online platform is similar to the Common Application and the Coalition Application, but it only applies to select Texan colleges and universities.
ApplyTexas was created as a collaboration between several public and private Texan colleges, alongside the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. By registering with this online portal, you will gain access to fifty-three top Texan schools (as of 2019). Texas residents especially tend to favor this online application portal, but other students wanting to apply to Texas schools can also use ApplyTexas.
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When Does About ApplyTexas Start?
The ApplyTexas application process begins July 1st. Deadlines vary widely by school so be sure to look at each school’s deadlines before submitting your college application with all the needed information.
Which Schools Use ApplyTexas?
Before signing up, you should check a list of all participating ApplyTexas schools to make sure your school participates in the system.
What Do You Need For Your ApplyTexas Application?
Much as with the Common App, students using the ApplyTexas application should gather all necessary documents ahead of time. Those documents include:
- Your high school transcript
- Your SAT or ACT scores
- A list of your extracurricular activities
- Your parent’s employment information
- Letters of recommendation
- Your personal statement
- Contact information for your school counselor and guardians
Keep in mind that the requirements for each Texas school might be a little different, so you may not need all the materials listed above.
How is The Application on ApplyTexas Structured?
Like other college applications, ApplyTexas has a range of sections to fill out.
Admissions officers read your application to better understand you and your educational background. Other than your personal statement, the questions you answer on the application will be the most important source of information admissions readers have for understanding you as a person. We’ll go over each section of the application here to give you a better idea of what to expect.
Biographical Information
The first seven pages of the application will ask you biographical questions. You will need to enter your full name, social security number, birthday, race, gender, address, contact information, and other relevant personal information.
Educational Information
The next section of the application will allow you to describe your educational background. Enter the name of your high school to start. Then, you can add in any college credits you’ve earned during high school. If you’ve previously attended college, you will also need to fill in that information. Finally, if you plan to enroll in a pre-professional program, indicate so here.
Resident Section
If you are a resident of Texas, you will need to answer a few questions to help determine tuition rates and whether you are eligible for automatic admission at any of your schools.
Select Specific School Applications
After filling out the app’s general background questions, you select a specific school application or applications. Each application will have slightly different questions and requirements. Your personal information will be copied over to all your individual applications, but fill out any information that has not been copied over.
Extracurriculars, Volunteering, Community Service, and Honors
In this section, list any activities you’ve participated in during high school. Include a short description of each activity. You can also include any awards you’ve received while pursuing these endeavors.
Employment
If you’ve held or hold a job or internship, fill out information about these activities here. You should include the hours you worked and when you started and ended the job or internship.
Custom Questions
ApplyTexas includes supplemental essay questions in this portion of the application. These custom questions help admissions officers understand your personal and academic goals. The questions change each year and depend on which schools you apply to. Answer each question fully and carefully: unlike the personal statement, where precisely addressing the prompt is less important than effectively capturing your character, here you want to carefully answer every question asked.
Essay
The actual essay portion of the application follows the custom questions. Some Texas schools won’t require this section, but if you need to complete a personal statement, follow the prompt that is required for your school. In many—but not all—cases, the prompts are written so that students can simply use their Common App personal statement, but be sure that that is the case. If you haven’t written your Common App personal statement yet, be sure to select a topic that will work equally well for the Common App and ApplyTexas.
Scholarship Section
In the ApplyTexas app’s final section, you can fill out any information needed for scholarships and grants. Some schools have a separate form on their websites for scholarships. Research this before submitting your completed application.
How Can You Improve Your Application?
Students applying through the ApplyTexas application should follow these tips to improve their application and ensure that they get into the school of their choice.
Though the ApplyTexas application allows students to apply to many Texas colleges in Texas, individual ApplyTexas schools do have their own unique requirements and deadlines. So, we recommend looking up the specific application requirements for each school you want to attend. Fill out any information thoroughly and with care. And of course, you can always reach out to HelloCollege, where our experienced counselors are here to offer expert assistance.
At HelloCollege, we know how difficult it can be to prepare for college and aim to make the process as simple and easy as possible. We want to help you get accepted into the university of your dreams!
