OT: Getting into UofM

Can you kick field goals?

luck! 

Besides the obvious grades & ACT scores, it's the extra stuff that shows you're a leader that will make the difference.  I was our class co-president and did a ton of volunteer work in high school, that's what made the difference for me.  Good luck!!

Apply as early as you can. Get a good gpa, do well on you ACT/SAT and have extra curriculars. I would say anything less than a 3.8 in high school is not good.

apply the very first day you can. and get a good ACT score. that should do it. sports are a plus, and show competence in your essays. 

Apply RIGHT NOW!  I know a kid who waited until January, and had basically the exact same application (GPA, ACT, and extra curriculurs) who didn't even get a sniff of interest.  Do it now, while you can, even though they say "it doesn't matter when you apply".  No reason to risk it.

I don't know how much this will help, but to give you an idea of myself as a candidate, I got in with a 3.7GPA and a 30 ACT score in 2005.  I think what really helped, though, was the fact that I spent a lot of my time volunteering, I had a job during high school, played sports, and was involved in class leadership (treasurer and then president).  I think that many schools, Michigan included, are looking for well rounded individuals that can provide different experiences and backgrounds to the university.  With how competitive the process is, grades are ultimately just one of the factors (albeit a large one).  Get involved, volunteer in the community, and meet some great people that can write you recommendations as a testament to your personality and work ethic.  Best of luck to you.

EDIT: Write your essay on something you're truly passionate about, not what you think they want to hear.  It will be evident in your writing.  Also, as mentioned above, apply ASAP.

I'm sending in my application next weekend. Hopefully my awesome test score can make up for my mediocre (by U of M standards) GPA. No, I cannot kick field goals.

I got into engineering with a 3.7 in highschool and not even top quarter in my high school class so I dont have a clue how they judge people. I do know for ACT/SAT for engineering they don't look at writing scores.

AP classes pull a lot of weight in the application process. Don't be afraid to list things that seem irrelevant to you on your extra-curricular section. Avoid talking about relationships in your essays. I got in with relatively little volunteer/extracurricular experience, mostly because I smoked my APs and wrote a good essay, and played some one-time volunteer sessions up a little on the application. Most of the time your application gets a cursory look before the first cut-down, this is when it's much more valuable to have 5 3-hour activities than 1 15-hour activity.

Good luck and Go Blue!

Be smart.

The university will look at multiple things. Obviously your GPA & ACT/SAT scores. If you take AP classes those will help you as well, because they re-weight those into your GPA if your high school did not. My high school didn't count that in our GPAs and it increased mine by .4 Also, being involved with athletics or any other extra curricular activities. Volunteering in your community will help as well. Find your high school advisor(s) and they will really help you also with what you are going to need. Write yourself a letter of recommendation of what you think will be your strong points, have your advisor look it over. This will also give you a template for you to give your teachers that you ask for letters. If you have any other questions just ask!

As everyone else has said, highish GPA, strong ACT score (if not in one area, show some clear balance), and reach out to some extracurriculars.  Join up with something today so you can put it on your application tomorrow.

I think I got into UofM because I took advanced math classes in high school (Differential Equations, Calculus III). My gpa was a shade under 3.5 and my SAT was a 1200 something. Well below average for the College of Engineering but few kids take Differential Equations in high school.

I don't mean to brag I was blessed with great teachers and the opportunity to take those classes. It was nice though because retaking them at Michigan made my first year easier.

Definately take the hardest classes your school has to offer.

I used to work for undergrad admissions until I graduated recently (not as a counselor, though). Without knowing your situation, here are two bits of advice (not exhaustive):

1) APPLY EARLY.  UM has rolling admissions, so the earlier you can get your application, the better your chances.  In fact, I would talk to potential teachers who could write rec letters for you at the end of this year, so they can start thinking.  You want to be that first student into the counselor's office to have your application ready to go ASAP.

2)  Challenge yourself.  UM will see how well you challenge yourself in the context of the opportunities offered at your high school.  A common question that comes up is, "Should I take the honors/AP class and get the B, or a regular class and get the A?"  Go for the challenge.

Also, if you have specific questions about the application process that cannot be answered by the general call center, write them out.  If you are able to come to Ann Arbor and visit the admissions office, you can ask the person at hte front desk for some help.  If your questions are really specific and cannot be answered by an assistant, the office has walk-in advising with an admissions counselor most of the time during the week.  You can call in ahead of time to check.

Hope this helps!

I got into Michigan twice (HS and transfer), but I didn't have any extracurriculars in high school. My essay was "KinesiologyNerd breaks leg, KinesiologyNerd learns lesson about setbacks/adversity" so nothing exceptional there. So, for me I'm guessing it was my HS GPA and ACT score. Good luck.

Oh yeah I'm also out of state.

I mean, you have to do well. But if you're at or above a 3.5 (unweighted) and took a ton of AP classes then you won't get booted for your GPA (I didn't).

But with that GPA you have to kill the SAT (or ACT) -- have a well rounded resume (clubs, sports, science fairs, etc) -- great references -- great essay -- and  apply early.

Most important advice: apply as early as possible.  

If you're in-state, GPA and ACT are basically all that matters if you apply early (by early, I mean breaking down the door to your counselor's office September 6th, 2011).  Obviously, don't write a terrible essays, but mediocre essays can get you in if you apply early.  Your essays and your extra-curriculars become increasingly important the later you apply.

If you're out-of-state, everything matters. Make sure you are concise, yet powerful with your essays. Try not to go over the word limit by too much. And have at least one strong leadership post in high school if possible (pres/vp of a club or a team captain).

Also, UofM moved to the Common App this year. I don't know how that will influence the admissions department, so I would keep up with any people that you know who are applying this year to gauge the change due the Common App.

Good luck man. I wish I would have been more driven in high school to get into Michigan as people like yourself are. Do everything you can and wether you get in or not, you will not have any regrets because you did your best.

Surprised at all this GPA talk, I got in with a 3.4 on a weighted scale in 2004 (two week response late in selection and no alumni in family).

I had a great GPA, but my SAT score wasn't as strong. I just graduated from UM in 09. Definitely get involved in as many things as possible, volunteer,  sports, student government, jobs.  Numbers are important, but they look at the whole package.  The essay can really set you apart, as well.  I had fun with my essay.  I dont know if it's still the same prompts, but I wrote about a difficult time I overcame. I wrote it in the style of the excitement of a football game: 1st quarter, 2nd quarter etc.  I was hoping they hadn't seen that from many girls applying. 

Good Luck and Go Blue!!!

I had a 28 ACT score and a 3.7 high school gpa (Admitted for Fall 2007). I took AP classes that were unweighted in my hs GPA so that probably helped out. The essays are key for the application. Show everything you have done outside of school. Volunteer work is good in general, but it also looks good to the U. Overall, just show you bring more than a good GPA. Everyone who applies (mostly) is intelligent. Its the things outside the classroom which put people over the top (unless you are so smart its ridiculous).

Also, get the app in early. You will have a much better chance if you get it in early. There are so many apps, you need to take any advantage you can to have your app stand out.

A lot of times people cite specific reasons why they got in with what they perceive to be lower than what they would expect numbers.  I think residency has a lot to do with this, as I am under the belief that admission to U of M is a bit easier if you have residency in state.

-Definitely apply early.  As mentioned, we have rolling admissions.

-Make sure to take challenging courses in high school.  Getting a B in an AP course may be better than getting an A in a blowoff class.  Take foreign language classes - those are big.

-Study hard for the ACT and take it multiple times if needed (colleges are not informed about how many times you've taken it, whereas they are in the case of the SAT).

-Mention in your essay that you're a legacy (it may sound lame, but this helps)

-Try to do extracurricular stuff where you can.  This can include things like volunteer work.  Think about what might separate you from another applicant.

-Do not slack off academically as a senior.  Your grades as a senior can be used to evaluate you - and it's even possible for an admitted student to have his/her spot revoked if the second-semester grades fall off a cliff.  I can assure you that college is 100 times more fun than high school, so it's worth it.

Good luck!

Echoing sentiments... A quick rundown of my "stats" I applied in October, got in in January (2005 grad)

4.67 weighted GPA (3.2 unweighted, but all honors/APs) and I got a 34 on the ACT. I did decently on my SAT IIs, but did not take the standard SAT. Involved in a few clubs and played sports all 4 years, was a captain a few times. Didn't write particularly well but got a LOT of help from English teachers/others on my essays. 

Good Luck!

and test scores, NHS, sports, Boy Scouts etc., I think I really nailed my essay and my advisor would always talk to me about that. I honestly can't remember (this was 1996) if you could choose any topic at all or if they give you a broad list of them to choose from but do your best to not pick the road most traveled.

Essays essays essays.  The University is huge on its diversity, and will have essays on the topic when you apply.  Make sure you spend a lot of time on these and have several people revise them for you before submitting the app.

It's interesting getting all these profiles on MGoUsers. I would never have been able to get into Michigan for undergrad. Hell, I was barely let into the regional branch of my state's school.

Thank god for grad school.

There are a variety of factors that go into your acceptance:



1. Your gpa. Now a 3.5 at Monroe high school is not the same as a 3.5 at Ann Arbor pioneer. If you go to a very good school and your gpa is okay that's better than going to a bad school and having an okay school.



2. Act/sat score. This matters not as much as the gpa. It's like in recruiting the main thing is looking at film and camps just help you get exposure but it's just one day to show off your aptitude compared to everyone else.



3. Your essays are important but the things that you need to keep in mind for those are that admissions counselors are reading thousands of these so



A. Make sure that spelling and grammar are perfect

B. Make it interesting. Make it different. Everyone writes about the same experiences. Write out things that aren't in your transcript.



4. It depends on what you're applying into but of you're applying to the school of nursing or are looking at going into service fields volunteer Work

Is highly encouraged.



5. Take hard classes you senior year. Take AP classes. Dual enroll at college. A lot of people blow off their senior year but it's important not to because in a year you're going to be at Michigan so you'd better try to get as well prepared as possible and not slack off.



6. The last thing I can think of right now is one of the most important. Get your application in early. 2 identical people will apply one early and one later. The earlier one gets in the later doesn't (like in recruiting the class fills up and you wanna hold out for those 5* academic prospects getting rejected by harvard)



When I applied way back in 2003 I went to a shitty high school. Took 3-4 college classes at community, took pretty much every AP class at my high school (around 5-6). I had a 4.0 gpa unweighted and was #1 in my class along with 28 other students (so dumb everyone above a 4.0 is number one). I also applied to engineering with an overall act of 29 with better math and science scores.



Supposedly admissions has gotten harder so competitively you should be at least 3.5 with at least a 25 on the act (wait did they change it so the top score changed hell I forget).



Good luck.

In addition to what other posters have listed, I'd suggest taking a close look at people from your high school who applied successfully in recent years.  That will give you the best clue of what will "make the grade."

UMich had (and maybe still has) some sort of "degree of difficulty" factor that they use to do some rough GPA leveling.  In plain terms, a B+ at a top-end school might be worth more than an A- at a semi-rural high school where the competition isn't as good.

Echoing what others have said, definitely smoke the SAT/ACT/both.  Big ROI in that area ... if you get 1600 on the SAT no one will care whether you volunteered at the hospital (although that may be useful when applying to med school).

Applied and admitted back in 1999, so I'm sure the standards have changed.  The most important suggestion is to have a clear idea of your major (even if it changes) when you apply.  I wanted to be an ME when I applied, so my application, my schooling, my work experience, etc. were all tailored with that goal in mind.  The fact that I changed to EECS once I arrived is irrelevant - make it clear you have a goal, and you are able sell yourself more effectively.

Make it clear in your essays why you are applying to UM and why you are a great fit - don't try to reuse applications for other schools or stick to generalities.  College admissions officers have to read thousands of applications, so something that sounds generic will be treated as a throw-away application.

Raw numbers mean something, but from what I've gathered they are not the be-all end-all.  I forget my GPA (decently high, top-10 of my admittedly small HS class of 160 or so), and I think my ACT scores were pretty solid (29) before I retook them (32) - I do believe that I was admitted with the 29 before the 32 scores were received by UM, but I'm not sure.  Taking a challenging workload as a junior and senior definitely helped, because honors, AP, and IB classes are definitely viewed favorably because they simulate (to an extent) the college workload.  Beyond that, be a member of clubs, volunteer, play sports if you can (I was a captain for the Track and CC teams, and that definitely helped), and in general by a civic-minded, well-rounded individual.  Of course, if you are excellent in some field that will definitely help, but for most applicants just show that you are a good candidate and by yourself.

Finally, don't freak out during the waiting process, and don't internalize whether you are admitted or not.  If you are admitted, it just means you overcame the first hurdle in the millions college will throw at you.  If you are not admitted, it doesn't mean you are not a smart, successful person, just not the right fit for UM at that time.  Keep your head up, keep working hard wherever you ultimately attend, and keep rooting for the Wolverines on Saturday.  Good luck!

I applied to the College of Engineering late summer / early fall of '99.

I had a 34 on my ACT, and a 3.8 - 3.9 GPA.  I had been involved in extra curriculars (drum major of high school mmb), and won a citizenship award from my city.

I ended up waitlisted, while most of my friends (most with worse grades / scores) got accepted.

It was probably a combination of the college, luck, and my essay.

But I finally got accepted in late spring.  The one friend who didn't went to a different school, applied as a transfer student, and got in the following fall.

If it's what you want don't let the first no, or wait list discourage you.  Consider it a challenge and keep working.

How's your pad level?  That matters...

Good luck, I'm applying to business schools, and it's cutthroat.  I've been out too long to give you specific pointers about undergrad, but the below certainly holds true for graduate admissions and will likely benefit an undergrad as well (I've tried to edit this for undergrads, forgive me if I'm too out of touch).

Spend the time and effort prepping for the SAT and continue to get strong grades in school.  Get a prep book and spend the time at a minimum.  Your competitors are spending the time.  You can't change what you have or have not done to this point, but you can work hard to mitigate any weaknesses and make yourself stand out.  If you've got some grade issues, think about taking classes this summer at community college.  If you decide to do that, get As.  Ensure you've got solid activities and community service in there as well. 

I think Michigan switches to the Common Application this year.  Go to https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/DownloadForms.aspx and study the application.  The application itself is pretty basic, but you need to have answers to potential majors, academic interests, something called "Decision Plan," your academic record, test scores, and extracurriculars.  There's about ten spaces in extracurriculars, so have something to fill up a large portion of them.

The essays are a great area to make yourself stand out.  Remember, a school like Michigan gets thousands of undergrad applications each year.  Assuming an applicant meets their minimum GPA/test score criteria, someone has to read each essay and grade them.  These are HR people at heart.  They like good stories and would prefer to be engaged by an essay.  Imagine reading 1000 essays about global warming that don't have a personal slant, for example.

With that in mind, the short essay asks you to elaborate on an activity.  What have you done that demonstrates leadership potential or is really interesting?  If you are an average high school football player, writing about liking football isn't too interesting--a lot of people will say that.  If you're a captain of the team and can talk about how much you've grown as a result of that experience, it becomes a much better read.

There are six general essays on this year's common application.  They aren't going to change too much, because there are only so many good essay topics.  Again, think about how you are interesting and look at it from the perspective of an admissions officer when deciding which to pick.  Stay away from politics--far, far away.   You never know what the reader's perspective will be.  If you're very conservative and they're very liberal, they may not look favorably on you, regardless of the quality of your essay.  This is a big deal for me because I'm in the military.  Walking the line discussing my experiences overseas is difficult. 

The first topic this year seems like a great way to stand out.  It basically asks you to describe a particular experience that had a profound impact on your life and why.  This allows you to talk about why you're special and why you should be admitted.  You have an experience in the last year or so that really matters to you that will make you sound awesome--everyone does.  Find that experience and write about it.  Focus only on the positive.  Don't talk about how stupid your teacher, coach, friend, etc is--focus on you and positive teamwork.  Negatives don't work.  You're joining a community, and admissions people want to know you'll fit in and contribute.  Again, don't spend the whole essay talking about the experience, talk about the experience relatively quickly and then get into its effect and why you are special.  The essay has a 250 word minimum, but no maximum.  Don't take that as an invitation to write 25000 words.  Don't write about hobbies that make you seem anti-social.  Playing Warcraft all night, every night is fine, but don't talk about it--again, community.

Finally, have someone smart proofread the essays and your application.  Typos make you seem lazy and/or not intelligent.

4.0 the next two years, idk what your GPA is now but it's probably the biggest factor they take into consideration, unless you have exemplary test scores (Talking 32+ composite on ACT).

I was shocked when I got in (got in 2004). I literally had just put the stamp on my application to little brother's house after going 2 months without hearing anything from U of M (my dream school as well). My GPA was median at the time (3.75) and my ACT was median as well (27). Being white and middle class and a devout Christian (which all of my charity work was under such an influence) kind of made me expect the worst.

And looking back at it, there was nothing to make me stand out except I busted my butt on the essay. Revised unnecessary sentences. Made it exciting. Part of it was acknowledging my lack of exposure to diversity ( I am assuming we have similar essay requests) so I think that kind of self-deprecation helped. But Primarily my goal in my essay was not to be boring and use humor. I didn't care if it they ended up laughing at my essay and rejecting it. I knew that making my essay uniform and ordinary would get me rejected as it was. So i had to go on a limb and be risky with my essay and allow my personality to come out. Maybe I am overestimating my essay's value in getting me in, but from what I can tell there were many others i came across who got higher GPA's and slightly higher ACT scores and didn't get in. The only thing i can think is my essay won out.

1. Apply as early as possible

2. Have a good GPA

3. Have ok to great test scores

4. Don't mess up anything else in the application: essays, recommendations, etc.

It's pretty formulaic and straightforward. Your best plan of action is to work as hard as possible on your grades before it's time to apply.

I got in this past year with a 3.6 unweighted (4.2 w) and a 31 on my act. Extra factors that helped me out was attending a fairly prestigous private school (40 kids accepted to U of M out of a class of 160), taking the hardest possible courseload I could (including the IB diploma program) and possibly my position as track captain.

In addition to everything said here, it also wouldn't hurt if you could play DB.

I'm a freshman in CoE at the moment. I applied around September last year, and got accepted the week before the PSU game, so getting in your application early most certainly does help. My metrics (at the time of application, senioritis got me on the gpa my senior year) 4.0 GPA, 32 ACT, NHS Treasurer, 4 years in marching band, failed attempts at athletics, 2 AP's junior year and 3 senior year.

But yeah, strive for the most rigourous coursework you can handle while still maintaining a high gpa, rock the ACT, and apply as early as possible would be my suggestions.

I got into UM with a 4.0 GPA (unweighted) and a 33 ACT.  If I had to do it again I would have taken an ACT prep course, because taking those exams (ACT and SAT) with no preparation was foolish in hindsight.  The high school extracurriculars were fun, but I doubt they made much of a difference.

Going to Michigan was the best decision I ever made because it rounded me out as a person and was the starting point for several relationships that have shaped my life in a positive manner.

If you have a 3.8+ and a 30+ ACT, you'll be fine.

Is an excellent excuse for alumni and current students to post their academic bona fides while pretending they're not bragging.  You have done a great service for the egos of the MGoCommunity, OP.  This can only be good karma for the admissions process.

I think I applied right around this time as well. Over Winter Break (in Feb) I called the acceptance hotline thingy and got:

Woman's voice: "You have applied for ...[pause]...LSA"

....[pause, I take deepest breath of my life]....

Woman's voice: "You have been accepted to ...[pause]...LSA"

I then proceeded to run into my parents' room and do the whole push-button thing all over again with the thing on speakerphone...

Woman's voice: "You have applied for ...[pause]...LSA"

Dad: "Is that it?"

Mom: "Shhhhh - I ca...."

Woman's voice: "You have been accepted to ...[pause]...L..."

At this point my dad and brother (now a Sparty who hates when I remind him he spent 2/3rds of his life a huge Michigan fan) are jumping on the bed and singing "HAIL TO THE VICTORS" while my mother waves her hand at us going "Quiet, I can't hear what it's saying!"

I hope you see this. In my case, my grades weren't great (~3.6 GPA, shitty grades early on, better later), and I basically had no extracurriculars (some sports), but I did a couple things that I think really helped.

First, I took a class at a nearby community college - it wasn't hard at all, but it showed the U I was serious about my education. I also took two APs, I think, and did well in them, so I'm sure that helped.

Second, I had killer ACT scores. I'm not going to say what to be pretentious, but as far as tests go, they don't mean everything, but it seems like they're the edge-case factor. Meh everything else but killer test scores and you've got a good shot; vice-versa, probably a good shot. I'd say anything from a 26-30 is nothing the U would blink at, but once you get above that, the test scores start getting impressive.

I got deferred but got accepted like 3 weeks (just after the new year) after getting my deferral notice. I'm pretty sure this is because they received my new test scores after choosing to defer me, seeing as no one else that got deferred really got in until the spring.

My best advice is to take the ACT a ton of times (or take a ton of practice tests). I took like 10 practice tests (and not just did them, I took them in a test setting, with all the constraints of the real test), and by the 10th time, you kind of just figure the test out. There's the same type of problems in each sections, so there's a strong pattern to the test.

Hope this was helpful. Good luck.

I didn't get into to Uofm out of high school, and I'm looking at transferring. I'm a freshmen at central, with 18 credits my first semester (five classes plus 3 ap from high school). Any advice on applying to uofm? maybe if they prefer you taking certain classes? I checked the uofm website and all but one of my classes transfer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to be the person giving you the other set of advice. Try getting in. You may not make it. Then take classes somewhere that you know transfer to U of M, a lot of community colleges have agreements with Michigan on courses that are accepted.

I assume you are male. Apply to the school of nursing as a transfer student. They run like 6% male so they accept about any male transfer applicant who has As in community college algebra and chemistry.

Do a semester in the school of nursing taking more basic courses, then internal transfer to LS&A or engineering.