<p>I have an UW 3.52 GPA and a 2380 SAT score. Surprisingly enough, with my report card back, my class rank has increased to around 20% which is still subpar but better than the 40% I expected. Statistically I'm not really up to par, and I get the feel that UM is a real numbers game. How is this viewed at the admissions office? I've taken 13 APs and my subject test scores are similarly high (Math 2: 800, US: 770, Physics: 760)</p>
<p>Their first impression might be that you are smart but didn’t really apply yourself in school. On the other hand, 3.5 is certainly not fatal-- I know people who got into UM in the last couple years with 3.5 and 2200+ SAT. It depends on your school and why/when your gpa got hurt. Since you are top 20%, you must be in a competitive school. With your stats personally I think you have a good chance, good luck and don’t worry too much, it’s all a crapshoot even for people with perfect 4.0’s.</p>
<p>At UM, GPA outweighs SAT score by probably 2:1 or 3:1. Try and get your class rank up to to 15%. AP scores could play a factor… depending on how many 4s and 5s you scored. Course rigor is a big part of admissions. You really needed those As in the APs. It is very unlikely that you’ll get in with an UW of 3.52. The middle 50th percentile is from 3.7-3.9. Not sure on exactly the breakdown of your SAT scores but the middle 50th percentile is 600-700 for the verbal/critical reading and 650-750 for your math. Your 2380 SAT composite is equivalent to about a 36 on the ACT. It’s hard to tell whether you’ll get an admit/defer because of your low GPA and your high SAT. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Unless your high school has significant grade deflation and U-M is aware of the grade deflation, a 3.5 UW GPA makes U-M is a significant reach even with near perfect test scores. UW GPA is the most important factor. Course rigor next (so the 13 AP’s will help) and then SAT/ACT. Subject tests won’t make much of a difference.</p>
<p>To get a better understanding of how this is factored, it is interesting to see the point chart that was used before its use was ruled unconstitutional. A perfect score on the ACT was given 2 more points than a score of 22. The difference between a 3.5 and 4.0 was 10 points.</p>
<p>Your high school guidance counselor may have a better idea as to how much of an obstacle the 3.5 presents. In any event, I would consider applying because you never know how much the 2380 will interest someone and it is always difficult to evaluate chances of a high test score/low GPA or low test score/high GPA candidate. Your chances, however, may be better at schools that care about their USNWR rating and average test scores.</p>
<p>I don’t think my high school has insane grade deflation (i.e. a 3.5 puts you at the top 5%, which I’ve proved it doesn’t.) Class rank in our high school is based on grades out of 100 points, the numeric average. However, we are an incredibly competitive high school. For whatever it means, we matriculate 20-ish people to Ivies yearly even with grade deflation. A lot of the people we matriculate to Michigan, however, are athletes - which makes it a little hard for me to determine whether I fall within the mean because those students have athletic recruitment on their side.</p>
<p>Rockbiter mentions AP exam scores, which runs counter to what I’ve been told about AP exam scores: that they are self-reported and don’t matter at all for admissions.</p>
<p>So with that, I have two questions:
- Other than show an upward trend, what can I make better about my application? I get the impression that the admissions process is a real numbers game. Can the essay make up for it?
- res ipsa - you mention schools that care about their USNWR ranking. I don’t know of a lot of schools that value SAT scores on par with GPA. Could you elucidate or mention any specific schools?</p>
<p>Are you one of the in-state uber-competitive high schools? Or out of state?
Having your HS on UMich’s radar will help your app – in the old days, school rep for my son’s alma mater carried 8 points (almost as much as the GPA differential Res ispa mentioned.)</p>
<p>Do you have other distinguishing features as an applicant – eg. regional level accomplishment or a unique social justice perspective or a demonstrated area of passion that would make your app stand out?</p>
<p>Your guidance counselor should be able to give you your “odds” based on your school’s naviance data. Eg. if the prior accepted students to UMich were all within the top 10 percent of the class…then you’re an outlier and will have to rely on other distinctions to accommodate a weaker GPA/rank (because rank is factored in as well.)</p>
<p>That said, outliers sometimes win the Michigan admissions bowl 
There seems to be a magic combo of what comes through in your app, your reccs, your accomplishments that can compensate for sub-tippy-top GPA - happened in my son’s case ;)</p>
<p>Hey Kr9ted, I got into UM with similar stats as you, with around a 3.5-3.6 UW GPA and a 2310 SAT score with good SAT 2 scores (790 Math 2, 740 Lit) and I also got into the honors program! The thing is, I had a pretty significant upward GPA trend from freshman to senior year and I explained some of the reasons my GPA was so low in my application. Honestly, I think that as long as you write a good essay and good supplemental essays, you will be fine for LSA</p>
<p>In general a low GPA and high test scores lead one to believe you are smart but lazy. This may not be the case with you since you are taking a lot of AP classes. I had a straight 4.0 out of 4.0 without really having to work too hard and had a bunch of AP classes in the mix. I came out of freshman year at UM with a 3.8, but was surprised at how hard I had to work (even though my Dad warned me!). I probably could have done better, but the 3.6 1st semester was really a wake up call. Good luck and GO BLUE!</p>
<p>Class rank is no always an indicator grade deflation. If 30%-50% of the students at your school are bound for major universities (Ivies, Cal, Chicago, Duke, Georgetown, JHU, Michigan, MIT, Northwestern, Rice, Stanford and the top LACs) and a 3.5 GPA places you in the top 25% of your class, Michigan becomes a realstic match. </p>
<p>What you need to check is how do students with your credentials do when they apply to Michigan? Check naviance. I am sure it will give you a better idea of your chances.</p>
<p>^^ Yes a 3.5 unweighted GPA is not horrible and how it will be “viewed” is in the context to the rest of the kids in your high school. Where do you fall? There are schools that give out As like candy and there are schools that are stingy with As. What kind of school are you at? Another factor is what your transcript looks like…If it’s mostly As (in core classes) and a few Bs that bring you to 3.5 that’s different than someone who has a couple Cs, some As in the less strenuous classes and a whole ton of Bs…no one here can tell you our chances. Take a hard look at yourself relative to the rest of your graduating class…that will be more meaningful to you. If kids have gone to Michigan in classes before you ask your GC how you fit academically, they might have insight. </p>
<p>Michigan doesn’t require SAT subject tests but you can report them and they will review them as part of your application review process.</p>