This is the problem. Have you been to any ? This is about finding the right fit. Not what’s popular.
You know how many kids go to their dream school and transfer out after a year?
Your comments make me think you are not finding the right school for you and that’s a worry.
It’s not about impressing your classmates, most of which you likely won’t be in touch with after hs.
Just a quick google and… Hmm, this “50 Best College Towns” just published October 2021:
Ann Arbor is #2.
Madison is #3.
Ann Arbor is #6.
Madison is #30.
We’ll call this one even. Both are great college towns. Personally, I didn’t like Madison, because it’s the capital and quite dense. It felt to crowded to me.
Agree happiness is important. I could be happy at Wisconsin, SMU or definitely Michigan - have friends at all three and have visited. I do not see myself at UConn as I do not have friends there and as I said, nobody that I can think of from my school has gone there. I don’t see it as keeping up with the Joneses, but I do have expectations for myself and I know my parents do, after a significant 12 year investment in a private education. If I wanted to go to UConn, I should have just gone to the local public high school, tbh. I think I should stretch to go to the “best” college I can, however one defines that, and it’s different for everyone - and no, I don’t go by USNWR rankings. I’ve visited Michigan and see myself there, am confident I can do the work and be happy. Admissions office might not agree! Hopefully they look at the upward trajectory of grades since freshman year, since the GPA is the weak flank.
Respectfully totally disagree. Small boys school and friendships made generally survive longer than college friendships. Not trying to impress classmates - many of which are headed to Ivies, Duke, UVA, Georgetown, you name it.
I have not yet visited Wisconsin. If deferred at UM, then I will visit Madison. Not sure why you think I’m not finding the right school - I feel like I’ve been very targeted and specific, and have known for 2 years that Michigan is exactly where I want to be. Maybe that’s the problem - I don’t have a strong second dream school (doesn’t mean I did not apply to other schools), but I’ll cross that bridge when and if it becomes relevant.
Did you respond to the right poster? I don’t think I said what you say I said. 
ugh, you’re right. I did not. Not sure how to fix that but will try.
I replied to wrong person - I was trying to reply to you when I said I am perplexed by why you think I am not finding the right fit. Popularity hasn’t entered into my equation, at all. I feel that Michigan is exactly the right school for me, based on visits and very close friends who attend currently. It ticks all my boxes: great academics, great social life, football, cold weather, fantastic college town, like the big size, like the location.
@GraciousViper It looks like you will be a very good candidate for UM. You have decent stats, great EC’s, the financial means. You like the university, and have a GC who has written to the AO on your behalf. Given all that, I, and maybe others, are unsure what information you are seeking from us.
Oh shute, I wrote about sports. However, it wasn’t too cliche like recovering from an injury or scoring a big goal. It was more of a mindset perspective and personality growth from sports (badminton). It’s a strong essay in terms of writing style. Am I in the clear?
As an aside - it depends also on the college. On one hand, my wife attended a specialized math and science boarding school in the USSR, and, >35 years later, she’s still close with many of them, while she has only a couple of friends from university (large public in Israel). On the other hand, a good friend who attended U Chicago has many close friend from there, though it’s been even longer, and has no friends from high school.
I attended a small boys school, and, while I have a couple of people with whom I am still in touch from there, none of them are more than casual friends. My longest term friendships are from the army, undergraduate, and grad school.
So you never know.
However, I don’t think that you are trying to impress your friends, but I do think that their preferences may be affecting your choices.
Do try and find at least one safety which does excite you. I understand about UConn, it’s an East Coast thing - kids at “elite” or otherwise competitive East Coast high schools do not like their state school. Kids from New Jersey hate Rutgers too.
Since you are interested in majoring in English, you may want to look at Iowa. Its English program is one of the top in the country.
Thanks - my original question was looking for people to chance me. I know I’ve got weaknesses and it’s January so it’s Fear Month…was wondering if I should be cautiously optimistic or panicking. Obviously, it’s a bit of a crap shoot because there are more than a few reports of 1600/4.2 kids getting rejected and then there are kids from my school with pretty much my stats who have been admitted, though not EA, I will say. Grasping at straws!
Just an FYI, but this forum in prior years has had many, many rejected 4.0/1,600 type applicants and lots of rejected legacies too.
I remember a couple such applicants. One had a 4.0/1,600, deferred, then rejected, but ultimately went to his “fall back” admittance of Cal Tech. 
Another had multiple family members (mom, dad, grandparents, etc.), plus a sibling, who went to Michigan, and was rejected with great stats.
I’m not sure what they’re looking for, but they obviously also do accept lots of high stat applicants too. Personally, I think you should be feeling somewhere in between “cautiously optimistic” and “panicking.”
Yeah, that’s pretty much where I am - boomeranging between those two poles.
Since you’re not going for Ross or engineering, I think you’ll get in. You are from a target school with the GC support letter. Our naviance average for U-M is a 1455 SAT and 4.23 WGPA (roughly top 10%). UVA and Vandy are basically tied (1485/4.36) and UNC has slightly higher stats (1465/4.3). USC is just under U-M.
Yep, Wisconsin is likely the second coolest college in the Big 10. I exclude Northwestern because it’s basically an Ivy. I thought that but Choate (also in CT) hasn’t had anyone attend UW in the last five years but had 15 go to UConn. The leader? Yale with 53. I assume it’s close enough to have faculty/staff kids attend. 7 to SMU but 50 to NYU which is another school that loves wealthy kids. I’m not saying you go to Choate but was just checking the destinations of another top school in CT, a state chock full of fabulous prep schools.
I’m not shocked that top house frats and sororities at SMU like to heavily party. They lean wealthy and sometimes with famous offspring. Houses are great. I was surprised that the actual houses at UW weren’t that great but it’s not the house that makes the experience. I’m guessing that your peers at SMU are able to get significant merit, have lots of fun and are able to keep it all together and keep up the grades. My daughter is a sophomore at SMU but is not in a top house sorority and is fine with that.
Florida is an intriguing fall back match with UW. It seems to be closer to a match with UT-Austin because both have 90%ish students from in-state but are top notch. UW is cool in that it draws from all major metro areas and especially from the tri-state area and Long Island and of course Chicago (same with U-M).
I think you have at least a 50% chance at Michigan and wouldn’t want you to come to SMU if you don’t really want to be there. Hail to the Victors!
You make some really interesting points; thank you for your post. I hope you’re right about my chances at Michigan, but if I get deferred then I am definitely giving SMU a closer look and Wisconsin as well. I readily admit that everyone I know who is at SMU totally loves it, and the “friends of friends” who are there are also really happy - so it may well be that I’m getting the wrong impression and need to get down there and formulate my own opinion. It would sure make my mom happy (who is a Texan). UT is overwhelmingly Texan whereas SMU is more “diverse” geographically, so I really did not consider UT - also UT is required to accept so many Texans that it makes OOS super difficult. (It is also way too hot for me - although the food in Austin is fantastic!). I do really like Texas, so I’ll be giving SMU a closer look if I’m deferred from Michigan which I think is likely. I like to party but am not into drugs, and I’d like a college with some racial and economic diversity.
Had no idea Choate sent so many kids to UConn - interesting data point. They’ve always been a big feeder to Yale.
Again, I appreciate your post. Who knows - I may Pony Up in the end!
@GraciousViper: My data is out of date now but the trend continues, so I’ll post. Our son went to Choate and Michigan was on his list (top of ours actually as we’re alums). Michigan has become increasingly competitive and fiercely protects its yield. Choate is well known to U-M and presents quality candidates but, too often, those applicants are using Michigan as a backstop for other schools and Michigan won’t play that game. Naviance for 2008-2014 looked like this:
Class Apply Admit Enroll
2014 40 16 3
2013 29 4 0
2012 17 4 1
2011 25 5 0
2010 26 14 3
2009 17 8 3
2008 21 11 0
There have been too many zero/low-enrollment years. In 2014, Michigan was generous with admits, but got burned on enrollments; this history made it tough for our son’s class of 2015. His GC told him that there is no love lost between U-M and Choate and that if he really wanted to attend, he’d have to commit to the First Choice list (Mich doesn’t do ED) and write a burning letter of desire to the U-M reader for his school indicating that if he were accepted, he would definitely attend. If he could convince his GC that Michigan really was his first choice, she would go to bat for him; otherwise, he shouldn’t even apply.
Just thought I’d share that anecdote. Carry on.
Thank you for this information and it does support what my GC said, to send the letter saying it’s my absolute first choice and if you admit me I am coming. Hopefully I will know in a week but likely won’t know until the RD round, they defer so many kids.
@GraciousViper did you get into Michigan?
Deferred - as was everyone else I know! and my friends who are there now were all deferred in EA. One guy said virtually his entire pledge class was deferred in EA. So we shall see. I’m in to Wisconsin and am taking a much closer and more positive look at SMU while I wait to see what happens with UM.