It’s no secret that every year Michigan becomes harder to get into and every year the amount of applicants seems to increase and become more competitive. So, the debate over the years has been whether or not early action gives you a better chance of getting in, as in, admissions offers give you preference if even if you aren’t as qualified as the next person. A lot of people say this just seems to be the case because of how many strong applicants there are and the amount of them that get there act together and apply early. The Michigan admissions office’s stance is that they don’t give preference, but it seems like at every college fair I go to, and every time I talk to my county counselor from Michigan, they push early action. On the Michigan website they claim the sole benefit of EA is you hear back earlier, but if really that’s the only benefit, why would they push it so much? Any thoughts on this?
I would say that it’s a better way for them to gauge your interest in the school. While they say that EA applicants are treated the same as RD applicants, they will keep in mind that you applied months before the actual deadline in February. This can show them that you’ve thought seriously about their school, and they like that sort of thing.