<p>Yeah I’ve gotten into honors at UT Austin, but the thing is - being top 10%, I automatically got in and to me it feels like I didn’t have to try. I know it’s ridiculous, but I don’t feel like my efforts in high school were worth it if I automatically get into a school.
I just feel like I won’t be happy in college if it’s not somewhere I really had to work to get into</p>
<p>^I feel ya, but saving over 80k+attending a good school like austin is a smarter move. I’m sure you’ll do well there too.</p>
<p>I am one of those kids who would rather pay $50k at Mich than $20k at Austin because the overall atmosphere seems better at Mich to me. Michigan has an extensive alumni network as well, and it really helps in job recruiting. I personally am an OOS student, 33 ACT and top 10%, and I will say that getting into Mich OOS is semi-difficult.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not true whatsoever. The University of Chicago does not put that much emphasis on test scores and the average GPA of incoming freshmen is 3.9 while at Michigan I believe it is 3.75. As well, the University of Chicago has a completely different admissions process than the University of Michigan - one that is not as statistically-centered and more focused on the subjective factors of the application (essays + recs) and still has comparable SAT score ranges (they are now higher after the recent EA processa and will most likely be even higher after the surge of applications) and a higher average HS GPA.</p>
<p>In addition, it is not wholly viable to compare the intellectual caliber of the two student bodies in a purely quantitative manner since though they may be relatively equivalent in terms of quantitative data, the students at the University of Chicago are generally more intellectual curious (and more intellectual) than those at the University of Michigan. This can not only be deduced through empirical observations of the nature of the students at both institutions but also through the application process of both schools. A student with high statistics and a lack of any intellectual spark and creativity would easily be accepted to the University of Michigan yet would most likely be rejected by the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>Also, in terms of selectivity, for what it is worth, I got admitted into LSA and LSA Honors at UMich, yet was deferred EA by the University of Chicago. Of course this doesn’t mean much, but you have to keep in mind that admittance into one selective institution does not necessarily one will be admitted to any other selective institution (I’m pretty sure I’m going to be rejected at every other school I applied to because of that deferral by UChicago =/).</p>
<p>Motion, I have known several students who were admitted into Chicago and denied admission into Michigan. Just because your particular experience has shown you that Chicago is harder to get into than Michigan does not make it so.</p>
<p>This said, I agree that on average, Chicago is harder to get into than Michigan. I did not say they were identical in selectivity, I said they were roughly equal. Michigan has a freshman class of 6,000 vs Chicago’s freshman class of 1,000. The fact that the two are comparable is amazing.</p>
<p>And I am not sure who told you that Chicago’s average high school GPA is 3.9 or that Chicago does not place much weight on standardized tests. Chicago, in its own admissions website, says that it does not keep track of or publish GPA data because it does not recalculate GPAs and it is clear that it takes standardized test scores far more seriously than Michigan. Michigan will accept many 4.0 students with 1250/1600 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT, but they will virtually never accept an applicant with a 3.4 student with a 1450/1600 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT. In its old admissions formula, Michigan used to award more points to a 3.9 student with a 1200 on the SAT than to a 3.8 student with a perfect 1600 on the SAT. The formula is no longer used, but Michigan never placed too much trust or importance on the SAT.</p>
<p>I definitely agree that Chicago goes for an entirely intellectual student body whereas Michigan likes to mix things up and will want some techies and jocks mixed in with those intellectuals. Also, the essays are VERY imporant to Chicago and not that important to Michigan.</p>