I am a junior very interested in U of M. I have already visited/went on official school tour. My mother/grandparents went there so I am legacy as well, which I would think shows interest in Michigan.
What are some other ways that I can show demonstrated interest and would that set me apart from other OOS applicants? I will have the general stats (GPA, test scores, etc) that meets the profile for an admitted student.
Wondering what else I can do to show that Michigan is my first choice.
Go to any college expo in your area where a U of M admissions representative is present. Speak with them in person.
The main Michigan essay must show passion for learning, and for Michigan. You need to tie your academic interests with what Michigan has to offer very specifically.
^This.
The supplemental essay would be the most critical place to demonstrate your interest. Some people go to campus tour without bringing home any information of the school in their mind, and that would be reflected in the essay.
i’ve posted this multiple times
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A big mistake people make when visiting their college of choice is that they only go to the generic planned campus tours.
In my essay, I made it very clear that I talked to a professor from the academic program i was interested in which further fueled my interest in the school. I specifically name-dropped him in the essay, but I highly doubt admission would actually call and check about me and our conversation. I also mentioned I could picture myself using their facilities such as the CAEN Labs to contribute to the MRacing Formula SAE by helping re-designing their vehicle chassis in the Wilson Center. Briefly mention your conversation with their student team members. I would even drop campus lingo such as Chez Betty or the UGLI/Dude( but don’t go too overboard though since admission might not know and get confused). Try to find the right balance between having good details and good essay flow, too many trivial details might distrupt your sentence fluency.
Basically, try to reveal to the admissions team that you know more than the average applicant who simply browses the basic info on umich.edu. Try to show you actually know them inside out.
Apply early action. As a legacy, you should be able to get in EA as long as your stats are in the range. If you are deferred from EA, have your guidance counselor call and tell the rep that you will definitely attend if accepted (if that’s true).
Interest is considered, but will definitely not carry enough weight to make up for uncompetitive grades and ACT/SAT scores. You don’t have to visit campus in order to demonstrate interest, however you must be able to write a good essay answering the question “Why Michigan, why you?”.