Hi I’m going to be applying for Umich (LSA) for the class of 2023 and I was hoping to get some honest feedback. My plan is to study either economics or political science and hopefully attend law school.
My weighted GPA is a 5.0 and my uw is a 3.75 (hopefully will be up to a 3.78 senior year)
I scored a 1450 on my SAT (750 R 700 M)
I’ve taken 4 ap classes (ap chem, apush, ap world history (4) , ap language and composition) up through my junior year and have 5 planned for senior year (macro/micro econ, government, statistics, literature, and biology)
I’m an OOS applicant (from PA) and won’t need financial aid
My ECs have been marching band (captain), track and field (long distance runner), academic games (competed 4 times at national level), literacy club, NHS and Science Honors Society, teaching assistant at my synoguage (jewish), and saxophone and guitar lessons which has led to me attending honors band multiple times
My essays will hopefully be unique and strong and I know that I can count on my spanish teacher to write me a good letter of rec along with one of my band directors.
My strengths are my ECs and a relatively high test score but my weakness is my UW GPA which is why I’m so apprehensive on wether or not I have a chance.
Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated
You’re GPA is good but their average is about a 3.8 so I’m not sure how your gpa will play out in admissions. As a Michigan resident, the majority of kids that get in from my school have above a 3.8 but I know A LOT of kids that have gotten in with a 3.6 because their SAT score was good. Some kids have a 4.0 and a bad SAT and they get rejected but some have a 3.6 and a good SAT sans they get in. You’re extracurriculars are really good but really make sure to do amazing on those essays becasue they play a huge role. Overall I think you have a good chance of getting in just make sure your essays are good. Also, apply early! Good luck and please reply back to me if you get in!
I agree. Don’t worry so much on the GPA. It’s only one factor. It will not decide your entile admissions fate. Your SAT makes up for it and it isn’t bad at all. You are very close with a great background of EC’s. Lookin from your point of view trying to apply would be increased by applying early. Good luck!
Check naviance for your school and see what students got into Michigan with what scores. Even though your 1450 is a nice score anything from 1490 and higher puts you in the 33/34 ACT range equivalent. Also being out of state is much harder especially this past year and this will only continue in this trend. Have back up schools you are happy with.
While your SAT score is competitive for UM, I would recommend spending time over the summer studying to improve your score as it can only help your application. As mentioned before, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get into UM out of state, but it is definitely feasible for you to do so given your qualifications. Furthermore, a 5.0 GPA is extremely impressive and colleges definitely consider the difficulty of your courses in the admissions process.
I was recently admitted OOS off the waitlist. My stats were 1440 SAT, 3.87 UW GPA and decent ECs with one very strong one. I had good recommendations and I thought all my supplements were really good. Anyway, we had similar stats and I didn’t even get in during the regular admission cycle. Basically, you should work hard to improve what you have right now. However, I believe that it is very possible that you have a good chance.
Michigan just posted the stats for the 2018 entering class:
https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/freshmen-applicants/student-profile
Average GPA: 3.88 UW
SAT Mid 50%; 1,380-1,540
As an OOS’er for any public university, a student should aim for the high(er) end of the value range.
@sushiritto I just started following these stats last year. Doesn’t the amount of Latino and blacks seem very low?
@Knowsstuff
Yes, it is low - and that has been a pain point for Michigan for some time now.
The same pain can be felt at another public school here in CA. At Cal Poly SLO, the population of Hispanics, Asian Americans and African Americans are considered relatively low too.
My DS was admitted regular decision to LSA in Feb from OHio. His UW GPA was 3.93 with 7 AP and 7 honors classes. ACT was 35 and SAT was 1490. No sports at all but diverse ECs including Eagle Scout and educational trips to Korea and France. Leadership and Volunteer work was mediocre and mostly through Scouts. I did not read all his essays but the ones I did read were good but not outstanding. I suspect if he applied to Ross or Engineering he might not have been accepted. His ACT probably helped a lot.
Are you going to take the ACT? It tends to be more popular in the Midwest. And how can you have a weighted GPA of 5.0 if you don’t have an unweighted of 4.0? Besides, UM does not consider weighted GPAs. They recalculate everyone’s numbers as explained here:
https://umich.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2259/~/recalculating-the-gpa-for-freshmen-applicants