[AnchorAlum]

As for Ms. Fisher, if she really wanted to get into UT-Austin as a top 10% student, she should have "gamed the system" by transferring to a "lower performing" school for her senior year of high school. It is not unheard of......[/QUOTE]

BINGO. Several students at strong high schools did just that - my kids graduated from JJ Pearce in the Richardson ISD back in the day and were not in the top 10% - but had several AP classes and scored in the 1250 range under the old SAT. High ACT scores as well and were admitted to EVERY other school they applied to. My Son graduated magna cum laude in finance and economics, has two Masters and is the CFO of a company here in Florida.

They couldn't get better than wait listed at UT which was fine since they were never interested in UT. But the State came up with the top 10% rule to solve the affirmative action predicament. What I am saying is that high schools in the Dallas ISD had kids in the top 10% who barely made 1000 on their SAT and who spent their freshman year in all remedials at UT yet just scraped by.

Kids from Plano and Richardson had high scores, grades, etc. and had to do summer school to get into UT. Many chose not to and went to places like Indiana U., a very good academic school, and were able to graduate just fine. Some kids in our neighborhood transferred to Hillcrest High School so they could get better class rankings, using their grandparents' address to get into the DISD.

UT has freshman retention problems because of the 10% admission rule. Nonetheless, Ms. Fisher has graduated from LSU law and I am sure she's doing very well.