I am interested in applying to UM although I am in need of direction, I graduated High School in 2004 and have worked in retail sales for a few years and now made my way up to head Footwear Buyer of our Men’s Lifestyle division. I am very successful in my field of work, although I regret the choice to not attend UM at a younger age, as I am now 29 years old. Could you advise as to what route I should take to gain admission as a full time student? Obviously I would be putting my career on hold but I feel it would be a great investment.
A concern of mine would be my high school GPA, as well as obtaining a letter of recommendation from a teacher as I have not had contact with any high school classmates. I have an outstanding professional career that I feel counters the decisions I made while in high school… I really need guidance and clarity as to how I am able to quantify everything.
Male
Mexican
29 years old
Born and raised in SW Michigan, currently residing out of state
Have never taken the act or sat
Real life business experience, again successful in my field. I am eager to get in and eventually apply for UMs business program so that I can get well rounded, right now I am an expert on footwear trends and our customer base.
Should I attend a community college first? Would this increase my acceptance chances? If so, how many credits should I aim to obtain? It is going to be though to work full time and squeeze community college classes in.
Your best route would be to move to Michigan and attend a CC, then transfer. You are no longer a Michigan resident, so the best route would be to get a job (or transfer) in the Ann Arbor area, attend WCC, then transfer to Michigan. You should establish your Michigan residency first or you will be paying OOS tuition - check into this very carefully. The business school holds evening classes as well and some people work and go to school part time even at UM. You could also go to schools like UM-Flint or EMU which is more setup for commuters, then transfer.
Alternately, follow a similar path in your current state.