College Application Events for Seniors

Eager to launch the college application process for members of the Class of 2027, the College Counseling team will host three workshops during the first two weeks of August. Students should bring a fully charged laptop to each event.

Mission: Application I will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, in Room 101 of the Moncrief Library. This hands-on workshop will help students begin their college applications with guidance from the College Counseling team.

The STARS Workshop will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, in the central area of the Moncrief Library. During this session, students will create and complete their STARS profile for colleges that accept or require the Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System. (See the What’s the STARS? article in this issue of The College Connection.)

The Texas A&M and UT Austin Supplemental Essays Workshop is scheduled from 1-2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 14, in the Schwartz Room of the Bass Upper School. During this workshop, seniors will receive targeted guidance for responding to the school-specific supplemental essay and short-answer prompts required by Texas A&M and UT Austin.

For the 2026-27 application cycle, Texas A&M University has replaced its former “Person of Influence” short-answer prompt with four responses of no more than 100 words each. The new prompts ask applicants to discuss their life goals, intended academic major, educational plans, and why they wish to attend Texas A&M. Applicants may continue to apply with or without standardized test scores. FWCD encourages all students considering Texas A&M to submit their applications by October 15. Admission decisions for applicants outside the Top 10% of FWCD’s Class of 2027 are expected in mid-to-late March.

The University of Texas at Austin has made no changes to its application or writing requirements for the 2026-27 admission cycle. Students who submit their applications by the October 15 Early Action deadline will receive an admission decision on January 15.

While most FWCD applicants will apply to UT Austin by the October 15 Early Action deadline, some students may choose to retake a standardized test (a required component of the application) and submit by the December 1 Regular Decision deadline. Those applicants will receive an admission decision on February 15, while Honors program decisions are expected to be released on March 1.