<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>I really wanted to refrain from posting and asking about this but unfortunately I've been losing a lot of sleep over it lately.</p>
<p>I am currently a rising junior.</p>
<p>The problem that I have is that I have a very low GPA while having high SAT/ACT scores.
I sincerely hope that my test scores will make up for my bad gpa but I'm really worried now because half the people say it will while the other half I asked says gpa is much more important.</p>
<p>I predict my gpa will increase to around a 3.6 average by next year since I will be getting my act together and getting that 4.0
Also, if this helps, my course load has been the most challenging you can have.
Michigan has always been my dream school and I really want to get in. I will be absolutely devastated if I don't make it.</p>
<p>Stats:
In-State
Current gpa: 3.4 UW (3.5-3.6 avg by next year)</p>
<p>SAT:2320
PSAT:224
ACT:35</p>
<p>Moderate ECs</p>
<p>Disclaimer: this thread isn't intended to show off or boast I just want legitimate opinions because I'm know my gpa is low. I admit I am insecure and knowing whether I need more to guarantee admission puts me at ease. Thanks for all your input! :)</p>
<p>I had a 3.9, 2200 SAT, 34 ACT, wrote solid essays and played sports, but not too much else extracurricular-wise, and I not only got in, but I was accepted into the honors program as well after writing a very good essay for that.</p>
<p>Even at a 3.4, I think you should be pretty comfortable with what you have. You’ll probably get a letter asking you to apply for honors as long as you have a solid application, especially if you get your GPA up to that 3.6.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t worry too much. Just don’t slack. What matters more than your overall GPA in high school is how you do as a junior and for the first semester of your senior year (unless you apply early action). Admissions will see your improvement and base the decision more on that, and your test scores really are half the battle and you aced that.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>“I had a 3.9, 2200 SAT, 34 ACT, wrote solid essays and played sports, but not too much else extracurricular-wise, and I not only got in, but I was accepted into the honors program as well after writing a very good essay for that.”</p>
<p>…and this was a surprise? With those stats, you were a shoe in…</p>
<p>3.6 unweighted, 32 overall ACT (34’s in Math, English and Reading) and really great EC’s (tons of volunteer hours and leadership). OOS and accepted into the Honors Program.</p>
<p>My essays were great (which is the main form of application to Honors as well) which is why I think I was accepted even though I had a low GPA. Assuming that you are taking the hardest classes and your essays are strong, you should have a good chance of getting in. </p>
<p>Remember, college admissions isn’t all about one part of your application. Whatever department you lack in, you can always try to balance it out by excelling in another.</p>
<p>Only 7% of the incoming class of 2011 had a GPA below 3.5. Admissions for the class of 2014 is expected to be significantly more competitive than it was in 2011. Your chances so far are not that good, but thankfully you have another year to boost your stats.</p>
<p>To maximize your chances, you need to do a lot better your junior year while keeping your challenging course load (which seems to be your plan). It will also be advantageous to join more EC’s or get a leadership position in your current EC’s,if you think you are able.</p>
<p>Do better next year and apply, not worth losing sleep over. </p>
<p>Being in state will help too. </p>
<p>Also, maybe Michigan knows your high school has grade deflation or something and your 3.4 is better than you think</p>
<p>"…and this was a surprise? With those stats, you were a shoe in…"</p>
<p>Not a surprise, I was just saying that overall I think our resumes are pretty similar… Though I have a higher GPA, OP has higher test scores and more ECs, and especially if OP gets the GPA up to that 3.6, he/she should be a shoe-in as well.</p>
<p>AnotherUM,
Try not to stress and just do the best you can. My son who just graduated and is also in state, was excepted with almost your exact stats. He also had a 3.6 gpa (his school doesn’t weight) and a 34 ACT. He had a similar PSAT and slightly lower SAT. He was excepted into the school of LSA.
Good Luck!</p>
<p>With those test scores, if you get a 4.0 junior year I don’t think you have will anything to worry about. A strong upward trend often makes up for a low GPA.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your high test scores. You can spend your junior and senior years not having to think about taking the ACT or SAT. They are very strong considering that you took them as a sophomore.</p>
<p>That being said, your high test scores will not be enough in of themselves to get you admitted to U-M, the scores will not make up for a low GPA and your GPA should be of concern to you although I would not lose sleep over it. The unweighted GPA is the number one factor that U-M uses to evaluate applicants and the likelihood of admission to U-M with a 3.4 is traditionally quite low even with your high scores. My personal opinion is that U-M looks at the test scores more to evaluate the quality of a high school than they do to evaluate an individual applicant and the test scores are used only to fine tune a picture and do not matter that much as long as they are within an acceptable range.</p>
<p>The good news is that you have two years of high school left to improve your GPA. I would focus on taking classes that you can get A’s in. You could be hurting yourself by stretching yourself too thin with difficult classes. The best approach is to take the most rigorous course load that you can do well in. U-M likes to see AP classes on the transcript but not every class needs to be AP.</p>
<p>Also you should visit your high school guidance counselor. If you are in-state the chances are good that U-M has a good relationship with the counseling office and the guidance counselor will be able to give you data on the school’s track record for admission to U-M and where your GPA falls into the mix. In my daughter’s high school, there is little variation from year to year in the number of applications, the acceptance rate and the yield rate.</p>
<p>Other things to consider are finding teachers to give you recommendations. You will want to find teachers in core classes who think you are smart and that you work hard. You do not need a ton of EC’s, but there should be at least one where you have a serious involvement and perhaps a leadership role. Spend some time on the essay. These things are on the fringe of your application but can make a difference if your application is on the fence.</p>
<p>It is very difficult to chance a high score/low GPA or a low score/high GPA applicant because you do not fit in the typical mold. With U-M I would be more likely to place my bets on the low score/high GPA applicant than the high score/low GPA one.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck and hope you have a good year.</p>
<p>@res ipsa, what gpa do you think one should have minimum to be considered competitive in engineering?
I have a 35 act math section (33 comp) and 3.73 with a strong upward trend (3.2, 3.79, 3.9)… from a pretty strong public high school too. </p>
<p>I’m extremely nervous 
so many people have told me my gpa isn’t good enough. my school doesn’t weight grades and I paid the price for taking 8 AP’s…</p>
<p>MichiganMan7, I wouldn’t panic. Things very from school to school and student to student, but I would consider A- or better a match for U-M. A 3.85 unweighted 10th and 11th grade is pretty strong - you obviously figured out something after freshman year. Keep in mind that until recently they gave only secondary consideration to freshman grades. Be confident, apply and hope for the best. Being nervous is normal but unless you are really good at sports you are going to have to wait until December like everyone else.</p>
<p>Michigan really likes to see improvement. I know a friend who bombed his first year because he believed that UofM didn’t look at freshman year. He did mediocre sophomore year and then did really well his junior year and senior year. He still got in to UofM</p>
<p>Yeah you are going to need very strong grades to get that GPA up. Michigan has plenty of people with strong test scores applying, they don’t need the ones with mediocre GPAs. Get it to the 3.7 or higher range and you will improve your chances of getting in after being deferred. Either way you aren’t getting in right away, but you also won’t get denied. Being in state there is a little more leniency.</p>
<p>Lucky for you, another thing they look at is the trend in grades. If you show a strong upward trend there will be more forgiveness for lower graders earlier on.</p>
<p>Your gpa and test scores are almost identical to mine. My gpa was actually a little lower but my my test scores were slightly higher. I also took all of the hardest classes at my school but didn’t try very hard but I still got in without a problem. LSA college is easier to get into than engineering so you can apply to LSA then transfer over if you want to be an engineer</p>
<p>Admissions people will tell you they look for “mostly As”…never heard one say “all As” with a straight face. And frankly, if you are challenging yourself in high school having mostly As is a good thing. Keep your eye on the ball next year OP and you should be in good shape for your senior year!</p>