OT- Question to M Students
Hello fellow Michigan fans. I am a High School senior and I was recently denied by the UM, but they did offer me a chance to apply for their extended wait list, which I did. I know I have do not have anyone to blame but myself, and maybe a couple of my teachers ( joking) because my GPA just wasn't good enough to compare with my ACT.
My question - to those of you who have transferred into U of M or know of someone who did, do you know how hard it was or what the process was like? What kind of GPA did they carry at their previous University before transferring to Michigan?
Thanks in advance to any help you may offer, Go Blue!
April 30th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
into UM my junior year. I had a 3.0 GPA in high school with a 34 ACT, and was accepted pending final semester grades, which were atrocious. I went to a smaller school and brought my GPA up to a 3.8 and they accepted me after that. Keep in mind that only 60 credits can transfer, so don't transfer too far down the line or you will lose some of the work you put in.
I have also had friends with much lower GPA and test scores get in. Transferring in is way easier than applying right out of high school, especially if you apply to a nontraditional starting semester (aka not fall)
Good Luck!!
April 30th, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
but that's a rather lopsided GPA/ACT balance.
April 30th, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
Are you implying that your 3.8 GPA from undergrad was easier to obtain than your 3.0 GPA from HS? Otherwise, how was it easier to transfer as opposed to right out of HS?
was based on me skipping class... a lot. The 3.8 came when I actually cared what my grades were.
The reason it is easier to get in as a transfer during winter, spring or summer sessions, is because they have a smaller applicant pool for those semesters. My admissions counselor highly recommended applying to a non-traditional semester.
I'm a good test taker, but i hate homework, hence the drastic difference between GPA and ACT. I used my "extra" section on my application to explain my high school GPA and coinciding teen angst/rebellion.
April 30th, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
I applied for transfer to U of M last year into the Sport Management program after my freshman year in college. I had a 3.71 high school GPA, a 28 on the ACT, and carried a 4.0 GPA at my college. I was accepted by the university with those credentials. I'm sure it varies a bit from program to program, but I hope this can shed a little light for you. Good luck!
April 30th, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^
You may want to first think about which college within U of M you want to be study in. LS&A?
More than 1200 transfer students enter the University of Michigan each year. With over 3000 transfer applications, admission is competitive.
Also:
Successful candidates usually will present a distinguished record of college study, earning a cumulative grade-point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better. In those schools/colleges where the number of applications exceed available spaces (e.g., College of Literature, Science, and the Arts), admission is competitive.
One key thing to remember is to think about how to contribute outside of the classroom at the university you will be attending. If you're active (e.g. volunteerism, social event planning etc.) If you serve in leadership positions like these, you will stand out as an applicant. Good luck, Go Blue!
Oh and the website:
April 30th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
Also, you need to be sure that you are able to transfer into the school you want. I know the Ford School doesn't accept external transfers, so if you're a Public Policy guy (girl) you'll need to transfer into M after your freshman year in order to graduate in four.
I never applied to UofM out of high school. Had a 3.29 gpa and 21 act. I went to a community college for 3 years. Applied to the architecture program there with a 3.6 gpa and was accepted. They had a supplementary application that asked for specific grades in certain classes: calc, physics, etc. Luckily my lowest grade out of the 10 or so classes was an A-.
After two years in the architecture program i graduated with a 3.3 gpa. Dont worry if you dont get in the first time around. If you know what you want and have a vision for it youll get it. That definitely makes up for any lack in grades one might have.
Most of the Nursing credits do not transfer as anything but general, so they will still have to satisfy most of their distribution over 3 years + summer classes if they want to graduate in 4 years. My gf started in Nursing (she wanted to do it her freshman year), and only Psych 111 and 250 have helped her graduation requirements besides general credits (even though she took a hybrid Biochem class as a freshman). She had to take a few summers' worth of classes to graduate (hopefully) through the School of Education in 5 years.
That being said, I still don't agree with what your friends did especially since there are a lot of people waiting to get into the program.
I can speak from experience. You need to do 2 things in order to transfer to UofM: 1) Let's start with the obvious, obtain a high GPA. And 2) the less obvious.. Form a relationship with the people that will be evaluating your application. This is especially helpful if you want to transfer after your freshmen year rather than sophomore year.
If you have a good relationship with these people AND show that you are working hard to transfer (i.e. getting awesome grades, extracurriculars, etc.), they will want you to get into UofM. Also, it sounds like your grades were good enough to get into a Big Ten caliber school and if so, I'd go to one of these for you freshmen year since it really helps to transfer after one year if you're at a respectable school.
And I agree with the above posters, don't worry about not being accepted right now. You still have many avenues of getting into UofM depending on what you want to study and how quickly you want to get onto campus.
I don't have direct experience with this, but I've heard lots of stories.
At Michigan and (it seems) just about every other school, the transfer bar is generally easier to clear than the front-door (i.e., admission straight from high school) bar. It's my understanding that colleges don't have to include data (GPA and ACT/SAT) in their statistics. This keeps them in good shape with US News & World Report rankings.
Transfers with good numbers (especially, perhaps, if they're former wait-listers) are viewed favorably because, in a way, they've provided evidence that they won't flake out when they encounter a college environment.
Don't become concerned with what everyone else got and what anyone else needed to get in. Simply put forth the effort, do the best you possibly can do.
Who fucked around to much in high school originally, but then shaped up in college of even some CCs. I would look into WCC or GRCC as both get a bunch of kids in here or try um-flint or summthing
Transfering into the Engineering School they had specific GPA cutoffs to get in. I am not sure if that is the case with other schools/majors.
I had a 3.81 composite GPA when I applied, along with a 31 on the ACT and National Honors Society. Fairly active in throughout the school. I got accepted into UW-Madison, MSU, Loyola Chicago, Fordham University, and Miami University.
I will most likely be attending Miami University as they gave me a scholarship and therefore they are cheaper than UW-Madison.
And my brother is a graduate of U of M and Ross Business School and he has been quite successful out of college. He is constantly reminding me of the importance of setting yourself apart during college and the importance of College GPA.
I had a 3.81 composite GPA when I applied, along with a 31 on the ACT and National Honors Society. Fairly active in throughout the school. I got accepted into UW-Madison, MSU, Loyola Chicago, Fordham University, and Miami University.
I will most likely be attending Miami University as they gave me a scholarship and therefore they are cheaper than UW-Madison.
And my brother is a graduate of U of M and Ross Business School and he has been quite successful out of college. He is constantly reminding me of the importance of setting yourself apart during college and the importance of College GPA.
I do not know if it is to late to apply for the Bridge program but that could be an option. I know people who would not have gotten in otherwise but were because they applied for this. You start in the summer semester instead of the fall but after this first semester everything is the same as other studetns. Something to consider
I'd talk to admissions and find out what they look for in terms of the school you'd be transferring from. Grand Rapids Community College was at least once well thought of in terms of credit transfer and grade equity. You can get a lot of the basic required courses out of the way and establish a GPA that takes away their reservations.
He had difficulty transferring a lot of his credits for something other than general credits, so if you know what you want to do, talk to that program and try to make most of your credits transferable. Other than that, stay involved and have as high of a GPA (he had a 3.9) as possible.
Other option is to apply to the bridge program if you still can. I have a friend who was waitlisted and did that to get in without transferring. Ann Arbor is awesome in the summer as well.
April 30th, 2011 at 11:02 PM ^
Accept a spot on the waitlist. You never know, you could still hear yes. Lots of uncertainty this year with the switch to the common app.
I accepted a spot on the waitlist though I don't think it will make any difference, my senior year grades have been lower than ever before. And yes the whole switch to the common app thing totally killed my chances this year, so many more people could and did apply than before.
"Hello fellow Michigan fans. I am a High School senior and I was recently denied by the UM, but they did offer me a chance to apply for their extended wait list, which I did. I know I have do not have anyone to blame but myself, and maybe a couple of my teachers because my GPA just wasn't good enough to compare with my ACT."
I would start by not blaming your own shortcomings on others. Seriously. As a former transfer into UM and a (now) two time graduate of Michigan, this is not the attitude of someone the UM wants.
Get a 3.4ish or higher at MU and you'll be accepted - MU is a very good school and a high GPA from there will get you in.... as long as your essays are a little more mature than your original post.
I realize it isn't their fault really. I didn't put anything like that in my essays. I just said that because at my school there are multiple teachers for each subject and there are some subjects that the teachers are completely different and one may be way easier than the other, or be a lot more generous on the grading. In reality, I know its on my shoulders because I could have done better if I dedicated myself more.
for answering a question I was going to ask before i asked it (GPA at MU).Also, believe me, I am more mature about academics and work ethic than blaming it all on my teachers.
To whoever down-voted me, sorry for asking for help and advice I guess...Go Blue?