<p>I have passed out from high school in 2005 and have aplied to UMich for the Fall 2006 term...I had to take a gap year due to some reasons....2 days back I recieved an email from the DOA Umich saying:-</p>
<p>**
We welcome your application for admission and are happy to inform you
regarding the application process. Please submit a written statement at this time explaining what you have been doing since completing high school and also explain what you plan to be doing until the time you might begin your studies at the University of Michigan. Please email this response to me as soon as possible, or fax it to my attention.</p>
<p>We look forward to the completion of your application and expect to
reach a decision when we have received the items mentioned above.
Please be sure that all required materials reach us as soon as possible.
**</p>
<p>Is this procedure of requesting the write-up common to gap-years? Although I have sent the write-up I wanted to know whether it is some kind of a sign of borderline decision?</p>
<p>well i didnt apply to michigan so i cant answer specifically, but a lot of my applications did ask that question on their applications. so yes, i would say that it is fairly common. they want to know that you havent just been lying around and not doing anything.</p>
<p>yeah i know like stanford does in its application...but the thing that got me thinking was why are they asking me right now when i am expecting a decision....</p>
<p>You shouldn't be expecting a decision because until they receive that written statement from you, you won't get a decision, which is why they said that they look forward to the COMPLETION of your application. I don't know when you applied but it kind of sucks that it took this long for them to inform you that your application wasn't complete because they want to know what you have been doing for this past year, but again it isn't surprising because they want legitimate reasons for the gap in your studies.</p>
<p>You always fall in love with your first one! hehe Michigan was my first acceptance too. It was followed by 9 other acceptances to top 20 universities, but ultimately, I chose Michigan. In my book, it is the best university in the nation, bar none.</p>
<p>In the US, I also got into Brown, Cal, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Northwestern and Penn. Ironically, the only US school that turned me down was UNC...the lowest ranked university I applied to! hehe</p>
<p>Unlike what some on this forum will try to tell you, many Michigan students pick Michigan over other top universities. Last year alone, I was involved with 16 high school students in the UAE who ended up at Michigan. Three of them were Valedictorian of their class in their respective high schools. One turned down Cornell and Northwestern, another turned down Columbia and another turned down Penn. Other students turned down Cal, Johns Hopkins, Duke and Carnegie Mellon. On this very forum, you will see students who turned down the likes of the University of Chicago or Northwestern or Brown to attend Michigan.</p>
<p>Alexandre what did you major in? And if you don't mind kindly tell me the reason you joined Michigan. It will certainly help me to make mine!! Thanks!!</p>
<p>My primary major was Economics, although I also majored in Physics and took enough classes in Math and History to quadruple major! LOL</p>
<p>All the schools I was considering were pretty much equal academically and reputationally. Goergetown was a little weaker, but still good enough. I therefore focused on quality of life and in that domain, Michigan is unbeatable. I visited all the campuses I was admitted into and came to the conclusion that Michigan was my favorite. My mom (a Columbia alum) and my dad (a Georgetown alum) both wanted me to pick Michigan too.</p>