What did you guys write in the letter of interest? Is a paragraph (5-6) sentences sufficient?
If you are a high stat OOS student, don’t treat a UM deferral like an HYP soft rejection deferral. UM knows they are a back up plan for a huge chunk of the SCEA kids as well as a lot of ED kids. Deferring and asking for an updated transcript is an easy way to save themselves the trouble of spending a lot of time on an applicant that isn’t really interested. If UM really is your first choice, get in touch with your regional ad com and tell them that. Be specific. And send an updated transcript.
UM has had some real challenges managing yield over the last couple years. Deferring kids is their current strategy for dealing with that problem. Maybe they’ll try ED at some point instead. Or they could just eliminate EA altogether.
I got a deferral email many hours ago, but my portal has still not been updated. I thought that the portal was updated first? a little confused here
My portal is updated but i havent recieved an email from them. My december SAT score came today. A slight improvement from 1290 to 1310. Deferred international from Pakistan for CoE. Although a guy got in with a 1100 here. How much would my improved SAT score help?
same here for my son. no email. portal is updated
33 ACT, 34 superscored, 3.9 weighted and 3.86 unweighted, in state, deferred from CoE
My daughter is currently a sophomore in LSA. She was initially deferred. Make sure you write a letter of interest. Be brief and include your semester grades. Follow up with any awards, athletic or academic. The most important thing is to make sure this goes in your file. Follow up with your regional conselor to make sure
@GoBlueMom when did she hear back? Was she in state?
Got a deferral email this morning. I have a 34 ACT, 3.8 ish unweighted GPA (I had a B+ in biology freshman year and in APUSH junior year, both with notoriously rigorous teachers) and am from Ohio. It’s kind of disheartening, as I know someone from my school who got in EA that hasn’t taken a curriculum nearly as rigorous as mine that ended up with several Bs and a few Cs with a 28 ACT and has no actual intent of going to Michigan, but does have a brother that graduates from UMich in 2017. This year I’m taking the most APs I ever have, but one is an art class and I’m taking the least amount of core classes (two semester art classes + year-long AP3D + year-long band, which I’ve taken for all of high school). Do you think this could’ve affected my chances of getting in? And what are you including in your letter of intent?
If your stats are high you shouldn’t get discouraged. With so many apps they have to defer a lot of you because of time limitations. In all honesty most of your apps haven’t even been looked at yet. So relax and enjoy your Christmas vacation!.
@nasoth. No, we are out of state. She heard back I believe the very last wave. She sent letters of interest but I read somewhere that you had to make sure they were put in your file. She called the admission office and asked, they were not in her file. She called back a few days later and her file was up to date and complete, got in two days later. Moral of the story - make sure your file is updated with your grades, letter of interests, awards… If you do not write the letter, you will not get accepted. I had three friends last year whose children applied to Michigan. All were deferred (high stat kids), the one who got in wrote the letter. The other two thought it wasn’t necessary. In the end they were sorry. Remember, it is better for you to make the choice than have the choice made for you.
I got the email this morning, but my portal was up at 3:30 yesterday
Does anyone know if switching from CoE to LSA would make it easier to get in…if that’s even possible? UM is my top choice and I really want to get in. Biomed engineering is my first choice major but I could probably go to LSA and try to transfer to engineering sophomore year if it means I could get in. Thoughts? Not trying to offend anyone but its a little bit discouraging seeing people with lower scores, GPA, and ECs than me get into LSA and I’m deferred 
Not true that you will only get in if you write another letter of interest. I am not sure why people post things as fact when they really have no clue. I know many kids who apply, get deferred and later are accepted without writing admissions another letter of interest.
@riverbirch I’m not sure why you are so dismissive. It costs nothing to send an email of interest. As a matter of fact, my daughter’s year the admission tumblr stated “send us your letter of burning desire”. I do not know one child that got in after a deferral without a letter. We are out of state. Maybe in state it isn’t necessary. Also Michigan weights legacy heavily. Especially if you have a sibling in the school currently. My daughter’s year, I did not hear of one legacy not getting in early.
Michigan also does not weigh legacy heavily unless of course they donate a lot of $$$. Where did you hear this?
My D currently works with a couple of former admission admins from the U and she is wondering where everyone gets their info that they state as facts. You are basing your limited info on very small stats.
@riverbirch You are correct, prob small stats, taken from three private high schools and three top selective enrollment high schools in the city of Chicago. It certainly seemed to be the case my daughters year. There was a lot of discussion about it I this site. Maybe it isnt true anymore. That said, last year a boy at my sons highschool got in early with an act of 27 and a 3.7 gpa. His brother was a sophomore at Michigan. My three friends, who kids had 32 and 33s ACTS and gpas 3.9 to 4.2 got deferred. Maybe it’s an out of state, private school thing. In the end, it doesn’t matter, just frustrating to the high stat kids who get deferred. I do believe it all works out and everyone is happy in the end. Believe in yourself and control what you can.
@FriendzonedByCollege That would be great. A lot of the kids from my school that get into UMich also get into Notre Dame. I hope they all choose ND over UMich.
They do consider legacy. Their alumni are super important to UMs future success, monetarily and by spreading out around the work to network, spread the “brand” and help other alumni.
If you have very high stats and were deferred, one of two things:
1). What was said before about UM waiting it the ED process to avoid offers to those already committed, and to those who will obviously ultimately be accepted by one or more top 10 schools. They get nothing out of accepting such kids, so they wait to see who “drops out”. If it is your “first” choice, and you will go, say so and I bet you are accepted within weeks.
If you can only say it is “a top choice”, then they will be looking at other things to gauge your interest. Your essays, your visits, how many kids from your school end up coming to UM after acceptance, and your letter itself.
Many schools are done being “the backup plan”, bc it brings down their yield. Even tho UM has “too much” yield, that is from inaccurate algo guessing. They want to say yes to kids who want to come to Michigan. Not the kids who have to choice bc HYP said no. And somehow, the guess we’ll who those kids are.
2). So if you really want to go to Michigan, tell them you will go. (If you are not sure, just tell them you are still very interested. That way they know you did not get an ED admission and they are wasting their “yes” on you.)
Don’t assume there is anything “wrong” or you app could be “better”. Sometimes all you need to do is ask to be admitted;). (Ok, not that simple, but you know what I mean!)
@kat1130 Yes I know a few students who did this. It would make it easier for you to get accepted if you switch from COE to LSA, because COE has a more stringent admissions than LSA (not to say that LSA is easy to get admitted to by any stretch, but definitely higher likelihood than With COE). But --and this is very important—you need to call and followup with a letter to the University of Michigan regional admissions counselor who is assigned to the territory of where your high school is located. (You can get this info on the website). Tell him or her of your desire to switch and also that Michigan is your first choice and you will attend if admitted. BUT only say this if you are serious (and if money is not an issue for your attendance), because if you say you will attend and then get accepted and dont, it is not only unfair to others who can and would attend, but will not bode well for others from your school who try the same thing --and who really would attend.