@riverbirch It’s not so much that Michigan gives preference to legacy as much as it is that the legacy applicants are the ones who best express their interest and knowledge of the University. Michigan wants students who really want to be there and if a legacy (who shows demonstrated interest) has stats in the ballpark of the mid 50 percent range (of admitted students), or even slightly lower, and an otherwise strong overall application, that legacy will get in. That is why you see so many legacies getting accepted. That plus the fact that Michigan knows that legacies will be the most likely segment of applicants who will definitely attend, thus increasing that much coveted high yield that is so important in college rankings!
Hey can anyone help me understand why I would get deferred and what I should do to improve my chances of getting in 
Stats: oos student, perfect grades, top 5% at competitive school, extremely rigorous classwork (took as many APs as possible), 34 ACT, strong essays that showed research and interest, pretty good ecs (internship/ethnicity hooks/more hooks) really nice recs, and a solid hail.
I really really want to go to umichigan but I would need a bit of merit aid. Will this deferral ruin my chances? It was literally the perfect school for me.
@girl66639373 UM is the perfect school for a lot of people
@as1799 I realize which is probably why so many people were deferred.
I was morely concerned about merit aid opportunities. Are our chances for any merit aid basically finished even if we do get accepted?
@kat1130 The dates are all predictions based on last year’s release dates. I’m just assuming that deferral decisions will arrive around the same dates since the EA decision was around the same date as last year so hopefully the deferral decisions will be around the same dates as well.
I have some average stats for CoE but got deferred and I want to change my application to LSA so I have a better chance of getting accepted. The problem is, I based my “Why UofM?” essay off of the academics and research opportunities at UofM engineering. Would this pose a problem if I switch to LSA?
The deferral letter says the most successful candidates send only what is required, but does this exclude the letter of interest? I don’t want to refrain from sending one if it would help me but I don’t want to send one if I would’ve been better off without sending one.
Does anyone know if Michigan looks at all 3 sections of the old SAT or just the two? Just wondering as my son’s CR and M together equate to a 34 ACT while his 3 scores equate to a 32 (low writing score, CoE, - writing not his strong point). This is a huge difference in a highly selective school like Michigan. It was one setting, and he did not take the new SAT. He had an 800 Math 2 and a 790 Spanish. Also, is it worth sending a continued interest letter if he cannot say he will definitely go if he gets in? He can’t honestly say this as he hasn’t visited. We are OOS and can’t visit unless we know he’s already accepted. We are also not in a financial situation to be able to say that. From all that he’s read and seen, it seems like a great fit.
My deferral letter also says the same thing… so wht u r planning to do…
Of the 2 letters it is obvious that the first one is better since it states that michigan doesnt require additional info apart from midyear grades. The second one specifically states the requirement of additional information so indicating a weaker application. ( No offense guys)
@AlaBingo1234 I completely agree. The second sounds like you barely made getting deferred, and your app is really on the edge of being rejected
Oh, I sent my letter of interest last night. It can’t hurt. I’ve had previous contact with my counselor so I think it was a good thing for me to send it. I got the auto-reply that said he was out of the office until the third of January. I think I will send another in mid-January when my new grades come out, just to check in.
@AlaBingo1234 - We thought that at first, but now, after a second look, we’re unfortunately viewing it another way. That the first, more impersonal letter, means you have very little chance and the second letter, in which a first name is actually used, means one is truly bordering on acceptance and they hope your grades push you over the top. We received the first deferral letter, so we’re hoping we’re wrong. 
I emailed my regional counselor yesterday and he replied with this
"Hi _______
Thank you for your e-mail and for expressing your continued interest! I’m happy to hear that your interest is so strong, and I will certainly make a note of it. As for your last question, you should send your grades as soon as you are able to. Please let me know if you have any further questions!
All the best"
Now hoping for the best!
@liveForWat when did you send it? I sent mine at like 10 pm, which means he didn’t see it.And, by and chance, are your counselor’s initials KS?
Mine replied and said:
"On behalf of our Director Erica Sanders and myself I thank you for your continued interest in the University of Michigan please be assured that it will be noted in my evaluation of your application. The University received a record breaking 32,500 early action applications this year, so admission was very competitive. Unfortunately, your recalculated GPA of a 3.7, with Bs and Cs in some of your 10th and 11th grade academic work made you a less competitive applicant–last year’s average for our admitted class was a 3.87 GPA and a 32 ACT score.
Before we can make a final decision on your application we need to further evaluate the strength of the regular decision applicants, as well as the yield rate of our admitted students to determine if we have space for you in the freshman class. Please submit your 1st semester senior year grades so they can be considered as we continue to assess your application, but other than that there is nothing further we need from you at this time. As stated in your deferral letter, we will have a final admissions decision for you in early April.
Again, admission to the University of Michigan is the most competitive it has ever been this year, so although I encourage all deferred students to keep the University of Michigan as an option, I would also encourage you to explore the other opportunities available to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions or concerns."
Pretty blunt.
could it be that one letter means that they have actually reviewed your application and the other means that they have not had a chance to see it yet.
@bsangs I’m very confident that the first one is the better one
@as1799 i sent it last nite, and my counselors initials are ES, he might not see your email until after the holidays, but who knows. @textbook1999 you could be rite, but i think each regional counselor would have his/her own way of replying to a letter of continued interest.
@liveForWat dang. I was hoping we had the same counselor and that he will see mine today.Oh well. I might send one after break as a friendly reminder that I still love UM