Deferred Question

<p>I sent a letter to my admissions counselor telling her of some things she should be aware of as they continue to review my application, and she noted that I have a foreign language deficiency on my transcript in her email back. </p>

<p>She promised to keep what I had stated in mind, but I was wondering how much the deficiency will hurt me...</p>

<p>I only took one year of a language, but I DID provide an explanation on my application regarding why I did not complete my requirement.</p>

<p>So what do you guys think? How much trouble am I in?</p>

<p>Whats your stats otherwise?</p>

<p>4.26W / 3.91UW / 3.85UMich GPA
31 ACT
Rank: 3/475 (Top 1%)
In-State
Limited EC's and AP's</p>

<p>Applied December 20 and everything was received January 4.</p>

<p>ALI9869 - the UMich website says that 4 years of a foreign language are encouraged, but only 2 years are "required".</p>

<p>Ya, I was aware of that, but it's to my understanding that they will make exceptions sometimes when that requirement has not been fulfilled.
Also, as I wasn't rejected outright it seems like this may be true. I might be wrong though...</p>

<p>Why wouldnt you take 2 years of foreign language when basically every top tier school requires it?</p>

<p>Quite honestly i think will you be fine, so long as your excuse is legit..Let them know you believe you can place out of the first or second year of the language requirement via placement test as well. (even if you cant who cares this will make you seem confident in their eyes) Good Luck!</p>

<p>"I sent a letter to my admissions counselor "</p>

<p>How did you get your admission counselor's e-mail address?</p>

<p>ryan2288: I honestly wasn't aware that I was required to have two years of foreign language...I know that sounds pretty ignorant but it's the truth, even though I was pretty much up to par on everything else required.</p>

<p>premieraw: So you think I should email her again? I don't know but it seems like she's getting pretty annoyed (I already called her about three times and emailed her once). Also, her response email wasn't very open-ended, meaning that she is probably not expecting a reply. In fact, this is what the end of her response said:</p>

<p>"I will take into consideration your situation, when reviewing your application for a final decision, but this does not still guarantee admission into the University. Thank you for your response."</p>

<p>hopeful4cornell: I called the admissions office and asked for the information. They gave me her name, direct phone number, and email address.</p>

<p>ah well id say cool it then i mean even though your emailing her relevenat material to your app its probably not worth annoying her over thats for sure.But at the same time if you dont email her now its not like you can email her about the issue a week from know because the topic at the point would be closed...Tough choice id say do what you thinks best but if you email her keep it short, simple, and say thank you about a million times--good luck</p>

<p>I agree you should cool it.</p>

<p>Perhaps they will take your circumstances into admission, but keep in mind that along with you there are dozens, probably more like hundreds, of students who are doing everything they can to get additional consideration. That means that counselors are having to deal with a lot of inquiries and requests. Realistically, it also means that there are other deferred students who may be stronger than you.</p>

<p>I am curious about the guidance department at your school. If you were a college-bound student, your guidance counselor should have called the foreign language problem to your attention! That's why you HAVE a guidance department--to be a well-informed source and a safety net when things like this escape your own notice. </p>

<p>This is kind of a sore spot with me, because I have heard people in admissions want to weep with frustration when poor counseling has torpedoed a good student's chances through lack of attention.</p>

<p>I didn't want to complain about it because it may have seemed as if I was just making excuses, but honestly, the counseling department at my high school is horrible. I was ranked first in my class until the end of my junior year (sad, isnt't it?) and I would bet that if I stepped into the counseling office my own counselor wouldn't even know who I was. However, I can only imagine how nerve wracking it must be when you and 7 other counselors have to deal with close to 2,000 students...</p>

<p>Anyway, thanks for your responses. I guess I'll just wait it out and hope for the best. If anyone has any other suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>ALI - did you get accepted anywhere else? I'm wondering, since having 2 years of foreign language, as some have pointed out already, is a typical requirement for schools in the top 50. </p>

<p>If this is a big problem, I'm wondering if studying and taking the SATII's in the language might help you. Since you're already a senior, I don't know what else to say.</p>

<p>I only applied to 3 schools. I got accepted to Wayne State University and the University of Michigan - Dearborn and I am still waiting on my decision from UM - Ann Arbor. Those other two schools are probably nowhere near the top 50 but I'll be forced to go to one of them if I don't get into AA.</p>

<p>What do you think the SAT II's will do for me? Did you mean that I should take them for that language and then notify the university and admissions office of my scores, because I'm pretty certain that by the time I register, complete, and send my scores, it will be too late and a final decision would have already been made.</p>

<p>It's way too late to take the SAT IIs. Sounds like you have done everything possible at this stage of the game. I have a feeling that Michigan received a record # of applications and it will be quite competitive to gain acceptance.</p>

<p>Michigan has a language requirement for admission to and graduation from LSA. Guess they take their policy seriously since you have good stats otherwise.</p>

<p>Too bad you didn't apply to other strong schools.</p>

<p>Ya, I guess you're right. I should have been smarter earlier on in high school but now it seems as if the general consensus is to wait and see what happens. </p>

<p>Does anyone know roughly how many deferred applicants get accepted, or the percentage that have been accepted during previous years?</p>

<p>Your counseling department is probably just as bad as mine. They really dont give a **** about individual students, they just try to do what is "the easiest" all of the time. None of the counselors seem to really understand college admissions either(even though our school is a top 10 school in the state).</p>

<p>There are many, many deferred students, and not all of them are going to get a nod. Many of those deferred students met Michigan's minimum requirements, which you did not. I don't think it's realistic for you to hope that you're going to be in that top tier of deferred students.</p>

<p>If you don't get in, but UM-AA continues to be a strong draw from you, you should plan on having a solid year at Wayne or UM-D (taking language) and then transfer.</p>

<p>DS was deferred and went through to Spanish 4 (by his junior year). This is pretty typical - taking only one year of language is not really considered a college prep program</p>

<p>Does anyone know how tough Umich treats transfers?</p>