Chances please..(Partially international

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I'm an American citizen but I'm living in Pakistan currently. Therefore, I'm not sure if I'm a freshman or an international student. In any case, here are my stats. (Btw, we follow the british system i.e. o and alevels.)</p>

<p>Board exams:</p>

<p>Olevel grades: 9 A's (in Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, English Language, English Literature, Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat, Business Studis) and 2 B's (Urdu and Additional Maths)</p>

<p>'Advanced Subsidiary Level grades'- 4 A's (Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Economics)</p>

<p>Senior Year Course: 5 Alevel subjects (Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, and English General.</p>

<p>My school grades were decently good in 9th-10thand then I kinda jumped up in my sophmore and junior year. Unfortunately, my school does not rank nor does it employ a GPA system. The school grades will be sent along with the olevel and As level ones in the transcript but writing them out here would be futile.</p>

<p>SAT 1- Planning to give in Oct. I've been getting high 1900s and low 2000s in practice tests.
I'm also giving SAT II Physics and Chemistry in Nov. I know it's not required for LSA but I'll prob send them in later on.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/leadership:
- Senior Youth Soccer Coach at Karachi United. (250 hours)- This is the service I'm most dedicated to as I've coached kids aged 6-16 twice a week for around 13 months.
- Youth Player at Karachi United (2004-08). After I graduated from the academy, I became a coach.
- Council member/writer of school world affairs society- Mostly to do with writing articles regarding well, world affairs! Also, I helped organise the GRAMUN (Grammar Model United Nations)
- Internship (work experience) at Dubai Islamic Bank Corporate Department- 70 hours in July 09-
- Independent writing for dawn newspaper, young world, blogs etc. It's a sort of quiet passion.
- Member of school (varsity) soccer team (9th, 10th)
- House captain/school prefect- Grade 9.</p>

<p>Volunteer work:
- Volunteer teacher at the Garage School (50 hours)- I did this independently in the summer of 2005. This was a school run by a non-profit individual for underpriveleged children.
- Volunteer internee at the Aga Khan University Hospital (100 hours)- This was in the summer of 2006, in the emergency room of the hospital.
- Member of school's helpers society that travels weekly to Dar-ul-Sukun- Institute for the mentally and physically handicapped. I would rather not put an hour count on this one because that would degrade the act to a desperate bolstering of my resume.
- Blood donar at the school donation camp- 2009.</p>

<p>Awards:
- Winner and leader of annual sports day March past- Grade 9.
- Winner of 5 althetics medals over the years including in the 3000 m and 800 m races/
- Member of school varsity team that came runners-up in the FSC interschool tournament.
- Member of Karachi United youth team that won the Karachi Flamers tournament- 2006.
- Nominated Coach of the Year by supervisors. 2008-09
- Cree Award for 'A' grade in O level Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
- Kensett Award for 'A' grade in Olevel English Language and Literature.</p>

<p>Essays: Should be good. I managed to visit the campus in the summer so that'll help me somewhere.
Recommendations: Teacher ones should be great. Counsellor one, decent.</p>

<h2>Applying to LSA for economics.</h2>

<p>Although I would appreciate any sort of replying, it would be great if apart from a mere yes or no, you guys can tell me how can I improve my application etc. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>WOW!! where to start… I think its amazing that you are living in Pakistan by the way. I wonder how it is over there…</p>

<p>Back on subject: You have excellent extracurricular activities. I can’t tell per say what your GPA is, but from the grades that you have stated, I think your GPA should be around 3.7. You have gotten mostly A’s and very few B’s. </p>

<p>Now Michigan is very selective when it comes to international students. Usually Michigan is a reach for most internationals that apply, but since you are an American citizen, I’m not sure how the application process will work for you. I honestly think it would work in your favor. Is Pakistan your permanent residence? If not then you will probably be judged as an American citizen. Unless they judge based on the school you are currently attending. So I think it would be wise to contact the University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions to get that sorted out. I can’t tell you because I’m not an expert.</p>

<p>Now to Standardized Testing: If you scores are over a 2000 you will fall within the middle 50% of accepted students.</p>

<p>I honestly think you are a Match! However the decision can go either way. You have amazing experiences to contribute to Michigan. You also have won numerous awards that will also work in your favor. Apply early(Before November 1, preferably in September) and I think your chances will be good. The later you apply the harder it is to get accepted. Let us know what scores you get exactly. That would give us a more accurate understanding of where you stand.</p>

<p>Good Luck and GO BLUE!</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply, Entertainer. My GPA is probably a bit lower than 3.7 (maybe 3.6) but it depends if they weight the o and alevels in which case, it would be higher. (Our whole system and curriculum revolves around preparing us for these exams)</p>

<p>Pakistan is my permanent residence (my parents are from here) but I’ve moved around quite a bit between American and Pakistan.</p>

<p>I plan to apply in Oct. I see you’ve been accepted already. Congrats! It would be great if you could offer some advice on the essays because that along with the SAT are the only two things I can work on now in order to better my application.</p>

4

<p>Well I chose essay B for the pick your essay option: I talked about my friends experience with drugs and how it affected my dance group and how people can change for better or for worse. That was the overall message of my essay. I wrote it kind of poetically and stuff.</p>

<p>The diversity essay: I wrote about the MLKA club that I’m in and how I’m captain of the boys dance section of the club. I wrote about how the club has affected my school and lessons and value it has added to my school. I also wrote about how diversity is important in my school. </p>

<p>I’m not sure if there was one more essay that I can’t remember right now. What I would say about the essay is think of something unique to you that you can write about. Think about something creative that you can state in your essays. Don’t write about something that other applicants will write about. Michigan receives approx. 30,000 essays so try to stand out. Since you are an American citizen that lives in Pakistan, I’m probably sure you have experiences that you can write about.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

5

<p>Hey Imate, I’m an international student who applied for Michigan last December and was accepted. If you are an American citizen, you will not be considered as an international, as you do not require an F-1 visa to study in the US. However, if you are accepted, you will have to attend the International Orientation instead of a regular one.</p>

<p>With that being said, I think Michigan is a match for you. Your grades are great, and your ECs are fantastic. Try to work on raising your SAT scores to solidify your chances of getting in.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>Thank you for the reply and valuable information.</p>

<p>Just to provide some insight, my brother applied to UMichigan 2 years ago and was waitlisted. He had 9 A’s in olevels (like me), 1 A 3 B’s in As Level, and a 1960 SAT I score. I think my school grades, ECs and recommendations are/will be slightly better than his. Also his application got lost on the way and he only realized until january so given all this and the fact that he was waitlisted, do you guys think I have a good chance of getting accepted with some sort of aid?</p>

7

<p>Huh? You are an American citizen, therefore not international. You will be treated as out-of-state.</p>