Info:
rising senior, female, Asian (Pakistani), from Michigan, biology or biochemistry major
Stats:
SAT - 1470 the first time (740 RW, 730 M)
1450 the second time (700 RW, 750 M)
(1490 superscored).
taking it again in August, hopefully 1500+
PSAT/NMSQT: 1450 (219). my score is borderline cutoff in MI
ACT - 35 (34 math, 35 all others, 7 in writing)
GPA: 4.21 W, 4.00 UW
school doesn’t rank, class size ~500
APs:
Chem - 5
Bio - 4
Stats - 5
Lang - 3
Calc AB - 5 projected
Psych - 5 projected
Lit - 4 projected
ECs:
–Muslim Student Association 3 yrs, I’ll be the VP next year. MIST (annual 2-day regional competitions, all the high schools in the area come. top 3 for each competition go to nationals. they have a wide range of comps like art, math, debate, improv…) I participated for 3 years never won anything hopefully will win quiz bowl next year.
–National French Contest (Grand Concours) for 4 years, placed in top 10 every year
–Volunteering at local hospital giftshop, I’ll have 100 hours by fall
– I’ll graduate as a member of NHS (will join next year)
I know my EC’s are weak and its too late to improve them, but I’m considering writing one of my essays about how the reason behind that is that I moved here freshman year and I used to be very shy and I didn’t know anyone at all, so I was hesitant to join anything. But even though I don’t have many ec’s throughout hs I became a more confident person and now I’m not afraid to voice my opinion or to talk about things I didn’t like talking about before, which is personally my biggest HS achievement…idk it’s kinda cliche so I might not.
Your chances are great! A 35 on the ACT is awesome, I really don’t think you need to take the SAT again nor submit it if UofM is your top choice. I agree with @Kadel1023, apply EA and you should be in. Good luck!
Michigan wants to see rigor in your senior year and if not accepted in EA then will want to see grades through midterm. Don’t let your guard down. Write a great essay. Chances are great but keep in mind a lot of kids were wait listed. Michigan wants to know you want to go there so email your international regional rep to Michigan and ask a question and give them the feeling you want to be there. Sign into the website and make an account.
ECs are not application box-checkers. They say a lot about who the applicant is, what they are motivated by, what their goals are, etc. By lacking ECs, you aren’t giving the admissions counselors enough evidence to conclusively say that you align with the ideal university student they are searching for.
Make sure to secure great letters of rec that speak to your personality, motivations, charisma and goals to fill the holes left by your ECs.
With your fantastic stats, you have a great chance if you can adequately fill these holes. But remember that Michigan rejects thousands of crazy high stat students that don’t sell themselves well enough by demonstrating immense passion for the university.
Thanks everyone I feel a little less nervous now
definitely will apply EA. thanks @Knowsstuff for the advice about showing interest, which I will do. hopefully my essays and letters of rec will compensate for my ECs!!
If possible have your letters of rec address how you have improved in self-confidence over the years, especially if the persons writing them have seen that first-hand. If you want to make that a basis for your common app essay, make sure you include specific examples of situations, how you felt before and after, showing emotion and also about what you feel passionate enough to voice your opinion on now (i.e. what specifically motivated you to improve in this way).
I would submit your ACT but not your SAT. Don’t bother taking it again unless you need to for another school (unlikely nowadays). And just remember if you are deferred from early action, it’s not a bad sign, in recent years they’ve just gotten so many applications they haven’t been able to get through them by December.
