<p>My daughter will be applying to U of Mich Ann Arbor this fall. We are reasonably familiar with the school and it seems like a very good fit for her, although (primarily because of the size of the school) it is not her top choice at this point. </p>
<p>Ideally she would like to visit the campus, attend classes, and do an on-campus interview. But we live quite far away and I am not sure if she will be able to visit before she sends in her application in the fall. She wants to get her application in early, preferably in September. She is planning to use the essays to explain why she is attracted to Michigan (top academics, excellent music programs and top policy debate teams).</p>
<p>But my main question is: Does Michigan care about 'demonstrated interest'? Will they give her brownie points for having taken the trouble (and gone through the expense) to visit the campus?</p>
<p>I don’t believe that visiting campus will increase chances of admittance. I say this because Michigan understands that there are students that would love to visit campus but can’t (either financially or just some situation). However, showing a great amount of interest through your essays for michigan while writing a great essay will definitely show your motivation to attend university of michigan which will help gain the interest of an admissions person.</p>
<p>I agree. I asked this same question on the website and received a response saying whether or not I was able to visit campus would not affect the admissions decision. My parents were not able to get me there for a visit but I was still admitted and will be going to Umich in the Fall.</p>
<p>vicariousparent, visiting campus will not help directly, but if through your visit, your daughter gets a better feel for the University of Michigan, it could help her with her essays as she communicates her intended major and reasons for wanting to attend the University. It is also always good to visit a university to make sure it meeds your expectations.</p>
<p>I dont think so. Someone from my high school class with really high stats for Michigan (3.5 gpa, way above average SATs) was told to apply to Michigan as safety. And a bunch of kids decided to carry out an experiment. For his essays, he did "This is my story and then a bunch of completely random character like “asdf erjoj qewrb daiufheqr daf” and ended it with “This is why I want to go to Michigan”.
He got in.</p>