<p>Hello, thanks for looking at my post. As you probably expect, I am just another anxious high school senior nervous about colleges</p>
<p>I really want to get into UofM (dream school) and here are my stats</p>
<p>GPA Unweighted: 3.74 (16%)
GPA Weighted: 4.05 (8%)
ACT: 29 (taking it again this saturday)
School District: I come from a one of the top 4 high schools in Michigan
Counselor Rec: Should be good I suppose, I never really talk to her but she's very nice and said she will write me a good one
Ethnicity: Asian
Extracurriculars:
Model UN (2 years)
German Club (3 years + officer position)
Link Crew (2years +officer position)
Volunteered at UofM Research Lab as a research assistant during my sophomore and junior summers. Probably a few hundred hours.
Strive (2years)
State: Instate
AP Classes: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, AP Government, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science
Hook: Both my parents work at the UofM. One of them is a professor and tenured.
My essays: Should be good</p>
<p>MY Unweighted GPA is low because during my sophomore year I was facing depression for a reason I'm not talking about. My freshman and junior GPA's are over 3.9</p>
<p>All looks good and you should get in. The only thing you need to check on is the unweighted gpa. Can’t remember how that works since I think they changed it in the last couple of years. I don’t think you should write that your parents work for U of M in your essays if that is what you are implying. They will figure that out from questions you answer in your application. Make sure you keep your gpa high senior year.</p>
<p>Having parents who work at the school is not considered a hook. You are already probably aware that UM has been inundated with applications the last 2 years and has seen a drop in its acceptance rate. That being said, it sounds like you are doing all th right things to prove your chances. Are you applying EA (I only ask this because you are notified by mid December, whereas the wait for RD seems pretty painful)?</p>
<p>I didn’t mention my parents in my essays, riverbirch. I talked about my volunteering as one of my essay topics.</p>
<p>According to my parents, PsychoDad10, they said that their employment should help me get in. They may be wrong I guess but that’s what my parents told me. Yup, I’m applying EA (title of the post) to get my decision out of the way sooner.</p>
<p>“Having parents who work at the school is not considered a hook.” LOL you have no clue what you’re talking about. his parent isn’t a janitor, one of them is a tenured professor. FYI your parents know they can get you in but want you to stay on track, stay upward–prob prefer you to do it on your own merit but if they have to make a call or have a conversation they will get you in. no tenured professor is letting their kid go to state that’s for sure</p>
<p>My friend is a professor at UMich for over 10 years and his son has better credential then OP, and yet got deferred in EA and finally accepted in RD with very late notice. I know several other faculties that their children did not seem to have a much better chance than average applicants. So, it is not clear, at least not so significant, the advantage of this. I would not consider this as a hook. There is a question on the supplement that asks if your parent(s) is/was employed at UMich and position though.
On the other hand, OP’s GPA and ACT score are both at the 25%. UMich should be a high match for him.</p>
<p>^alopez I guess billcshos post supports my point. And for the record I know a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School who is an alum of Harvard. His son had pretty stellar stats and went to one of the top HS in Boston- he got rejected (but accepted to 3 other Ivy League schools). So yes I certainly know what I’m talking about.</p>
<p>“My friend is a professor at UMich for over 10 years and his son has better credential then OP, and yet got deferred in EA and finally accepted in RD with very late notice.” ummm so the one professor’s son you know GOT ACCEPTED. tenured professors have pull, period. his parents are playing coy and don’t want him slacking off and relying on their juice on campus</p>
<p>Not sure if a tenured professor will help much, but it’ll all come down to the admission committee’s final decision. Having legacy should give you an extra push, but it won’t automatically get you in to a top school like Michigan. Your stats are in the mid-50 so you definitely do have a chance. But I would apply to other schools just in case.</p>
<p>@Blacksweater, yea I’m applying to MSU as safety, I feel like they would 100% accept me.</p>
<p>Also, hopefully I can get my ACT to a glorious 30 or higher this Saturday.</p>
<p>Nobody really commented on my volunteer thing. What do ya’ll think of that? I think that’s one of the key parts of my application that will make me stand out. I’m sure there aren’t too many students who have volunteered at the school itself in a laboratory concerning that students interest (I plan on majoring in chem) for 2 summers already.</p>
<p>The advantage being a child of faculty varies with schools. I have heard Stanford values this a lot, but I don’t think it plays a big role in UMich. The same for legacy although it is considered.
Research and volunteer activities are always good, but you do need to have good scores and GPA to go with them. Is that work related to your intended major, or at least your passion?</p>
<p>If you google faculty kids cc the first thing that comes up is Stanford. I too, know how to gewgle. I rather we stop talking about this because no one in this thread knows anything besides people in the admissions council. Anyways, yes the volunteering was in a biochemistry lab and that’s my intended major</p>
<p>If Mom or Dad doesn’t say anything to anybody, sure, it will come down to an admission’s committee that will simply give him a good nod for being a tenured professors son. If Mom or Dad make a phone call, and lean on someone to make sure he gets in, he’s in PERIOD. No question.</p>
<p>OP,
Your volunteering in a biochemistry lab would definitely help. I am just curious who is the PI? Perhaps I know him. If you can bring up your ACT a point or two, it would be a match for you. You may also want to work hard to bring up your first semester GPA in case you got deferred.</p>
<p>I feel like it would be inappropriate of me to mention the PI’s identity on an online forum to a stranger I don’t know. I just took the ACT last Saturday, and I’m not too sure if I did better or worse. I’ll just wait and see</p>
<p>@ wolverine,
You can PM me the PI’s name. Anyway, you don’t need to worry too much. You do have a chance to be accepted EA or after deferral. If you do get deferred, then you will have time to further improve your GPA and score.</p>