Asking for my sister, she will be a junior this fall if having an older brother/sister would help her chances to get in Michigan? She will likely be better than me on SAT’s (already has a 1410 first time) and she is a great writer so Essays will be great except her GPA may be a bit lower 3.60-3.70 as she is crazy involved in her schools plays/theater and dance so EC are strong. All very time consuming activities (more than competitive sports) and thus she isn’t always as focused as she should be on academics. She takes the hardest classes at her school (honors and AP/IB) and may still be in the top 10% based on her weighted average of 4.90. Another difference is this is in Public school and I was at a private high school ranked top in our state and only 3 kids got into Michigan this year from her high school out of over 30 that applied!
What does naviance say from her school? I think the theory is legacy helps if on the fence from Michigan’s view. It is never a negative since there are studies showing something like 80% of legacy do commit to their legacy school so that again is a positive. But since admissions is getting crazier each year, as you know… Doing better with grades and sat /act and a amazing personal passionate essay are key. Also early interest is key. Contacting regional counselor would be helpful and set her apart, with logical questions. Visiting if possible would be beneficial. We are out of state but when my son visited. He did only part of the tour since like all the physics buildings look the same on each campus… Lol… But he made appointments and talked to the leads in the departments he was interested in. He then was able to use this in his essays. This is an extra step then just doing the tour but also shows maturity and leadership… And more importantly… That he really wanted to be there.
@Knowsstuff Naviance shows a broad based admittance from 3.5 - 4.1 and SAT of 1350+ and equal denies in the same range. I think it comes down to differentiating yourself from the others thus good advice on meeting with professors on campus and since she is into theater/dance she probably should reach out to them as well if she has an interest in participating in those activities to some degree.
My understanding is that having a sibling attend DOES help for Michigan. It is not as powerful as a parent/donor relationship, however.