OT: Transferring from CC to UofM

Submitted by Skiptoomylou22 on

hey guys, i kinda shit the bed my first year and half of highschool which kinda screwed my chances of getting into UM out of HS despite two years of 3.5+. despite acceptance into CMU, WMU, EMU, ASU, OU AND UNC (Ed: Defferred) , i choose to go to Oakland Community College instead to save money and stock up on credits to transfer. so my question is this, has anybody done this (transfer from cc-to UM) and if so, what would you reccommend i do to better my chances of acceptance into UofM. i got a 3.4 on a bunch of big credit Pre-Recs and the councelors here are kinda booboo. any tips are appreciated, thanks guys, GO BLUE!!

Monocle Smile

January 24th, 2011 at 1:57 PM ^

But there are a few important questions.

-To which school at Michigan are you applying?

-What classes have you taken so far? There's a place on the umich.edu website that contains the full list of transferrable credits from most local colleges, including OCC.

The first thing I would recommend at this point, sadly, is to work on your spelling in preparation for the essays you'll need to write.

ND Sux

January 24th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^

"work on your spelling..."

I wouldn't use the word "booboo" either.  Kidding aside, OCC worked well for me, but I wasn't transferring to Michigan (Walsh College).  Best of luck to you. 

Edit: Anyone know how to turn off the block quote so it doesn't use the full row and push the entire post below the pic?  Thx in advance. 

K2

January 24th, 2011 at 1:58 PM ^

If the 2+3 program still exists at UM that would be something to inquire about as it gaurentees that you will be accepted to Michigan after your two years of CC. Otherwise get the best grades possible in pre-rec courses for your intended major and have numerous other activities that you can list on your transfer aplication.

Desmondo

January 24th, 2011 at 1:59 PM ^

You didn't get accepted to UNC out of state while getting rejected from Michigan in-state.  Didn't happen.

Also, 3.4 at a community college is not getting you accepted to Michigan.

da shiz

January 24th, 2011 at 3:16 PM ^

You can do exactly what my friend did to get into Michigan. He goofed off in high school and graduated with a 2.5 GPA and went to OCC aswell. You need to work your butt off this semester and tranfer to UM- Dearborn or UM- Flint. If you finish your first two years above a 3.5, you have a great chance to get in. Most Michigan tranfers come from those two schools.

My friend is now enjoying his junior year in Ann Arbor and I was accepted to UM- Ann Arbor last week.

If i can do it, anyone can. You just gotta work hard. Good luck.

Dess

January 24th, 2011 at 2:16 PM ^

Why are you speaking demotivational lies? My high school GPA was like 1.8. My CC GPA was 3.2 and U-M accepted my transfer. Georgetown accepted my transfer. Above a 3.0 in any college makes it really damn easy to transfer anywhere. 3.4? My best friend and U-M Mechanical Engineering grad transferred from a CC with a 3.3 into the ME program.

coldnjl

January 24th, 2011 at 1:59 PM ^

I had a 2.7 at high school with a 26 on my ACT. I went to CC and got a 3.87 with extra curricular activities and a part time job. I applied to Michigan and got in about 8 years ago. I am still here earning my PhD. THe climate will be more difficult now due to the large amount of applicants, but you gotta show that your different and stand out. I tutored and was a group tutor for biology when I went to CC. Things like that show leadership and more importantly, desire. In total, there is no answer besides hard work and making yourself appealing as a candidate.

jbr12

January 24th, 2011 at 3:45 PM ^

I too went from Adrian College to Michigan... although I went straight into the Architecture program. I made sure to track the program's pre-rec classes as close as I could at Adrian and transfered in Fall of my Junior year

HartAttack20

January 24th, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^

I am looking to transfer now, and that is actually my plan if I can't get in for the fall semester next year. Just keep applying, and hopefully they'll let me in eventually. I also heard it is easier to get in if you apply for the winter or summer semester. Another thing to consider is what county you are from; It may be easier to get in from a smaller county.

Baldbill

January 24th, 2011 at 2:01 PM ^

I took all my calc and physics classes at a CC and they were all accredited with Michigan, I ended up not going to Michigan but a small engineering school instead but they would have transferred. I had a strange path to college, I went to UofM right out of HS, did really awful, joined the Marines, then got out and went back to school. Going to a CC saves you a ton of money.

CT Wolverine

January 24th, 2011 at 2:02 PM ^

and I've met 4 or 5 people who have transferred from CC. What these people have in common is passion for their career track and for U of M, and if you can convey that that you really care, it truly goes a long way.

wolverine04

January 24th, 2011 at 2:02 PM ^

Back when i went there, the easiest way (if you are a dude) was to apply through the nursing school, then transfer out the following semester.  Though, i've heard it's a lot tougher to get into mich nowadays so it might not hold true anymore.  Worth looking into.

methylene blue

January 24th, 2011 at 2:13 PM ^

Probably not true anymore since nursing schools in general, and UM in particular, have waiting lists miles long.  Unless your CC pre-rec classes are nursing pre-recs and you have hospital experience, you're better off applying to another school.  The nursing school has plenty of applicants that are looking for nursing careers.

bryemye

January 24th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^

My girlfriend founded and heads a student group for transfer students. She had depression issues in high school that caused her to have to stay home until they got straightened out. She went to OCC in the meantime.

It's definitely doable, though you kind of have to absolutely kill the classes in CC. I don't know what kind of number you need re: GPA but I have to imagine your chances are much better if you push over 3.5. In her case she had a 3.95 or something and that was good enough for a scholarship so not everyone is getting 4.0s. Demonstrating a strong interest for a particular field is also a big plus. I think the test scores you have from HS are also included in an admission's decision.

My advice is to boost your gpa as much as possible more than what pre-req classes you take. Frankly UM is kind of prickish about transfer credits anyway so many of them probably won't count or at least won't count fully (count as elective credits but not actually help you other than that). Good luck, and if you do get in the Transfer Student Select Committee actually does some good stuff to help transfer students acclimate.

Skiptoomylou22

January 24th, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^

I applied to UNC, got defferred, and they never got back to me after that but i never chose to follow up, never really took that seriously. ive taken two Econ classes (micro/macro), Psych, Computer Sciences, standard college math, english and plan on taking year round courses possibly getting into business. i hope to do Journalism or something in the writing field, despite my online spelling im actually a very good writer.  right now im in liberal arts trying to just get this college thing down. would a CC-UM Dearborn- UM give me better chance? once again i appreciate the help guys.

Monocle Smile

January 24th, 2011 at 2:21 PM ^

Some of those classes will transfer, but college math probably won't and Computer Sciences is a maybe.

UM does not have a Journalism program, just so you know. We do have an excellent newspaper called the Michigan Daily, however. There will no doubt be some grumbling about this paper, but it has a very professional style and layout.

I would talk to one of the people listed by the others. I have no transfer experience (besides taking a summer class at another school once), so all I can do is give you information on Michigan and classes.

aiglick

January 24th, 2011 at 5:03 PM ^

It was a really funny paper. I got a kick reading some of those articles especially when I needed a study break during mid terms or finals. The Daily's sports section was a must read especially in my freshman and sophomore years.

I commend the OP for working hard to try to get into UM through OCC. 

snackyx

January 24th, 2011 at 2:35 PM ^

These are actual numbers from UM admissions for 2009:

 

Approx. 800 (I think the number was 804) applicants from Michigan Community Colleges applied to UM for transfer status, junior year.  Of those, 395 were admitted, with the range of average college GPA being 3.5-3.8 for those admitted.  Your ACT/SAT scores play a lesser role in the decision when presenting 2-3 completed semester of college work. HS GPA is still a factor, but admissions are far more interested in seeing how you have done at the college level.  This GPA must be calculated from classes that transfer to the UM school you are applying to--there are transfer guides available on the UM website.  If you HS grades were so-so but your college GPA is much better, offer an explanation in one of the essays.

da shiz

January 24th, 2011 at 4:52 PM ^

Yes, the satellite campuses Dearborn and Flint increase your chances significantly. When my friend went to his transfer orientation, 15 of the 18 students came from Dearborn. As I said before, 3.5 gpa is a magic number. Also make sure all of the classes transfer over and take your time writing the application essays.

mgoblue52

January 24th, 2011 at 2:09 PM ^

Used to work at Undergrad Admissions while I was a student.  Call them up, because they have literature specifically geared at potential CC transfers.  Good luck!

readyourguard

January 24th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^

My wife transferred to Michigan from Michigan State, of all places (which is just a big community college when you get right down to it).  Persistence was the key to her success.

BlueVoix

January 24th, 2011 at 2:26 PM ^

I know people that did it, quite a few after their first year in fact.  I can't say what their stats were (it was four years ago anyway), but standard stuff applies.  Bust your ass, get involved with student activities, and prove you are a leader.  Colleges love leaders.