i’m going to be a senior in the fall, and i’m thinking about applying to u of m’s LSA on regular decision (i’ll explain why in a second), but i’m concerned that it’s too much of a reach for me because of my gpa.
my sophomore year i had severe problems at home, so my grades tanked in the first semester (i got two c’s and a d). second semester i managed to have all a’s and b’s. junior year i managed to get straight a’s, and i’m going for straight a’s first semester senior year (which i know i am capable of now), and using u of m’s gpa calculation i would have around a 3.6 unweighted (somewhere around a 4.3-4.4 weighted). for reference, i got mostly a’s with some b’s my freshman year.
on to other parts of the application:
-i had a 1500 on the new sat
-i had a 34 on the act
-i have a 5 on my AP biology test (our school really only has 2 classes that juniors can take for the AP test, and the rest are during senior year, so it kinda sucks)
-writing has always been my strong suit, and i’ve been doing tutoring for college essays, so i feel pretty solid i can nail the required essays. i also feel like i can explain my situation at home during sophomore year and use it in one of my essays.
-my gpa has somewhat of an upward trend
-i’ve started asking around for letters of recommendation, and the staff members i’ve asked i’m pretty close to and i’ve achieved in their classes
-i have around 600 volunteer hours, a large chunk of which are with the hospital and the center for disabled individuals. in our school’s key club i was named member of the year due to my amount of community service
-i’ve played violin since the 5th grade, i’ve done private lessons and gone to shops and done well at competitions, and this year i’m going to be concertmaster of the school’s symphony orchestra
-i’ve been a staff member for the newspaper for 2 years, which i’ve won some awards for, and i’m going to be an editor this year
-i’m the head of sound for the school’s drama club, which i’ve been with for almost all of my time in high school
-nhs member
-i’m in state, and my high school is very competitive, which i’m somewhat concerned about because i don’t know if that helps me or puts me in a bad spot
-if it’s anything, and it sounds incredibly stingy, but my parents make a lot of money.
i’m pretty concerned that my gpa is gonna make everything fall through with those grades from sophomore year, though, since u of m’s average is a 3.85(?) unweighted. i’m wondering if anybody can chance me with this stuff in mind.
Your test scores are excellent as well as your EC’s. I think you have a great chance at Michigan, because there is a section on the common app to explain the type of thing that happened sophomore year. Don’t stress too hard about your GPA! Chance me back for Villanova?
I think you’re doing great and have a very solid chance of getting in. You have a highly upward trend in your grades; do not worry about your GPA whatsoever. Good luck!
UMich views GPA as most important, however, it depends on your school. How is your class rank? Your upward trend in GPA is good which helps, but you are still fighting an uphill battle. If you are from OOS, your chance would be around the admission average of ~20% or slightly below.
Demonstrated interest (with solid essay) could tip the scale in your favor if GPA is on the cusp. How many tours and registered visits have you made to date? Are you in communication with your region’s admissions counselor currently? Have you met them in person at college fairs - either at your school or in your area? If not, reach out in August to develop a relationship.
Also, pay attention what happens when you google your name. An online presence (news headlines, school newsletter mention, social media) serves as a reference from the public. Make sure it works in your favor as a visual support to your application, accomplishments, and enthusiasm.
I still highly recommend applying early action. If you get deferred, you can then send in your first semester senior year grades when they become available. Although they said it is not easier if you apply early action, in an indirect way, it kind of is. Basically, Umich first reviews early action applicants, and then does rolling admission. By applying early action, you are only competing with other early action applicants for roughly 6,000 open seats. If you wait until later to apply, then what rolling admissions means is they will be making decisions as they come in, and you will be competing for whatever seats are left. After early action, a reasonable assumption is that roughly 2,500 seats will be taken. As you wait, more and more seats get taken, thus competing for fewer seats means it will be more competitive to get admission if you apply too late.
^ Note that they are not counting the seats of freshmen class but the admission goal. They admit ~15000 students each year and the current yield rate is ~45% to fill the 6500-7000 seats at the end. The ratio of EA admission has dropped in the last couple years, however, it still does not hurt to apply EA as they rarely reject but mostly defer applicants not accepted in the EA round.
Incredible test scores do not make up for a sub-standard gpa. UMich has grown too competitive. Unless a parent or sibling died, or you were homeless, “trouble at home” will probably not be seen as a good enough excuse. Particularly if you were still functioning in your extra curriculars at the time. I am not feeling as optimistic as others on this thread, but I do wish you good luck.
There are only advantages to applying EA. The vast majority of EA applicants, with the exception of extremely well qualified in-state applicants, athletes, and legacies are deferred. In most cases they will ask for your first semester grades.