Michigan EA Class of 2020 Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
61

Decision: Deferred

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): sent 2, both were 33C (30M, 32E, 33CR, 36S) (30M, 35E, 33CR, 34S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): Bio (4), US Gov (4), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Calculus (AB), AP Euro, AP Spanish, 1 dual enrollment English class, 1 honors class, 3 other regular classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, AP Scholar, 1st Team All Conference (Field Hockey)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Field Hockey (4 years, 3 on varsity), technical theater (4 years, 14 shows total), Asian Club (4 years), Model UN (2 years), NHS (2 years), Softball (1 year)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: some, about 100 hours
Summer Activities: more technical theater
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 8ish? idk I hate grading myself
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: no clue
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: no clue
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Most likely will, but not expecting anything
State (if domestic applicant): WI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private, Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: generally well-rounded
Weaknesses: slightly downward trending gpa (had 4.0 through 9-10, dropped to 3.94)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The college gods weren’t on my side that day
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to Northeastern, Minnesota- Twin Cities, Indiana- Bloomington, Wisconsin- Madison. Waiting on Marquette
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I HAD A SUPER AWFUL TYPO IN ONE OF MY ESSAYS AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF lol, it was the super short one but I’m still bitter about it

62

Decision: Accepted

College: Kinesiology

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2010 (690CR, 670M, 660W)
ACT (breakdown): 31 (E- 35, M-30, R-33, S-29)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.75 W)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/53
AP (place score in parentheses): 4: AP World
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Several college courses as well as 3 honors classes because I’m in a dual enrollment program.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS, Student Council, Younglife
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard, babysitting
Volunteer/Community Service: 200+ hours at a hospital, 75+ hours in a kindergarten class
Summer Activities: Summer Camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9/10, Why Michigan: 8/10, Community role essay: 9/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): English teacher, Math teacher, Microbiology professor: They all said they wrote me great letters so I’d say a 9/10-10/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Pretty standard, I’d say 10/10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 (Kindergarten Teacher I volunteer for)
Interview: N/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): OOS
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public HS (Dual Enrollment Program)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Grandfather and father both attended.

Reflection
Strengths: ACT score, Common App Essay, Extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Lack of AP classes (hope the real college classes made up for it)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I tried to show I was very interested, my common app essay was very strong, my recommendations were great, I’m a double legacy, I have lots of community service, and I’m at the top of my class in one of the best schools in the state.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: USC, UC Berkeley, UCSB, University of Washington, Columbia
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I thought I was 100% getting rejected. This is so surreal to me! Congrats to everyone!!

63

Frustrating thing is that UM no longer practices Affirmative Action. Can’t blame that any longer…

64

Although affirmative act is banned in Michigan, they still do give some advantage to URM for diversity reason. You may still see a difference in reported admission stat.

65

Decision: Accepted

College: Engineering

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 35 (E- 33, M-36, R-36, S-36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800) Chemistry (780) Bio M (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (4.73 W)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): 4: AP World, Bio, US History 5: Calc BC, Chemistry
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: taking 7 AP classes + Chamber orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): A lot of research experience, math competitions
Job/Work Experience: Worked at Berkeley and Caltech
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+ hours at a science museum, 200+ at Boy Scouts
Summer Activities: Summer Camps and internships at Taiwan
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9/10, Why Michigan: 10/10, Community role essay: 9/10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): English teacher, Chem teacher
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Pretty standard, I’d say 7/10
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8/10
Interview: pretty good

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): OOS
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Extremely Competitive Public HS
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths: Work + Research experience
Weaknesses: No major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Scores + Work/Research experience
Where else you are applying or have already applied: oh god a lot
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Take college classes…it’s probably my biggest regret not taking Multivariable calculus and Linear Algebra yet.

66

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): Engineering

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Did Not Take
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35/33/34/36/10E) 35M Superscore
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800M2, Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): Physics B, Physics C Mech+EM, Calculus BC, Language, Macroeconomics, Computer Science (All 5) US History (3)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Microeconomics, AP Literature and Composition, AP Spanish Language, AP Psychology, AP US Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major, but PSAT NM Commended and AP Scholar w/Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Swim Team (4 year varsity, co-captain), NHS, Band, Freshman Leaders
Job/Work Experience: Tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: With NHS and at my Chinese school
Summer Activities: Research at Northwestern
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Thought they were pretty good.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Rights waived, good I think
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: good but generic, rights waived
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:
For some reason was offered in Dearborn MI which was 5 hours away from where I live. Did not take it.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Negative Hooks

Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores, GPA, Depth of Activities
Weaknesses: Scope of activities, no major awards/hooks, Asian male in STEM
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Good stats and writing wasn’t bad
Where else you are applying or have already applied: CRWU (Accepted) UChicago(Deferred) Columbia, Cornell, Northwestern RD, waiting on UIUC
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Opened Chicago’s deferral after this, but I was so happy that I didn’t care about Chicago anymore. GOBLUE!!!

67

[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 36 C 35 E 36 M 35 W 36 S ( 1 sitting)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Math II, 780 Physics, 750 Biology, 710 Spanish
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): 4(Chemistry, US History), 5(Biology, Physics B, Physics C mechanics, English Language, English Literature, US Government and Politics, World History, Calc BC) (10 total)
IB (place score in parentheses): 6(Biology SL, English HL, Math HL, Physics HL, History HL) 7(Spanish SL)
Senior Year Course Load: College English, College History, IB further math, AP computer science, metal shop, internship
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP scholar (not major)

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
• Founded a nonprofit jewelry business where I design and make jewelry and have trained 8 volunteers to make it, I run a website, pay taxes, organize promotional events, etc. some poor business choices led us to raise only about $2000
• President/founder of socialist club (political discussion and activism)
• Work on campaigns for state senate, city council, congress etc
• DECA–state finalist, internationals qualifier in entrepreneurship
• Internship in economic research for resource conservation management department of city hall
• Research internships with local university economics professors in topics such as Chinese reshoring, minimum wage, education spending policy, british economic trends, malnutrition in india
• Played piano for 8 years, local festival awards
• Work as a ski instructor, one of the youngest people in the state to get PSIA level 1 certified

Job/Work Experience: Ski instructing
Volunteer/Community Service: Campaigns, nonprofit business
Summer Activities: Campaigns, business, research, CTY summer courses
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 7/10, well written but not memorable
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Did not read but supposedly glowing
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Did not read
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview:

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: South asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Too high for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Test scores, challenging classes, grades, somewhat unusual extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Not extraordinary essays
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays? Idk I thought my stats were good enough to get me accepted so this is the only thing I can think of
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Columbia (rejected) MIT, UChicago (deferred)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Best of luck to all of you!

68

Decision:Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 28
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/220
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH(2) but i didnt send the score
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Dual Enrollment English 101
AP Calculus AB
AP Psychology
AP Studio Art
H STEM Research
Spanish 1 for Hertitage Speakers
Forensic Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Posse Semi-Finalist
Salute to Academic Achievement

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Taekwondo (Assistant Instructor), Colege Ambassadors Program (Research Director) Science Olympiad (JV Captain) NHS and couple others
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: Teach children’s Taekwondo classes
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: common app-7 extracurricular-7 community-8 college-8.5
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: to be honest idk a 7.5 maybe
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details)::n/a
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::n/a
Interview:n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid: yes
State (if domestic applicant): il
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:public
Ethnicity:Hispanic
Gender:Female
Income Bracket:~45,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM and first gen

Reflection
Strengths:essays
Weaknesses: numbers
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Community essay about my ethnicity
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UIC, Depaul, Loyola, Purdue, UIUC
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Easier to get in if you’re a URM or first gen student

69

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 composite (800 writing, 770 math, 770 reading)
ACT (breakdown): 36 composite (36 reading, 36 math, 36 writing, 36 science)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (780), Literature (770), U.S. History (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no ranks/percentiles at my school (class of 935 students)
AP (place score in parentheses): European History (5), US History (5), Calculus AB (5), English Lang. & Comp. (5), Spanish Lang. (4), planning on taking 6 more AP tests this spring
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit. and Comp., AP Calculus BC, AP Government & Politics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, Genetics, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): (at national level) National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 3-year Varsity volleyball (no captains at my school), club volleyball, Model UN, Student Athlete Leadership Team
Job/Work Experience: tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer youth volleyball coach, Interact community service club
Summer Activities: volleyball coaching, camps, & league, club volleyball national championships
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9-10, have a good Common App essay and my supplements are good in my opinion
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): hard to say because I could never read them but I would assume 7-8; the teachers I had write recs really liked me
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): I hate my counselor (she’s pretty incompetent) but she thinks I love her and she likes me (lol) but maybe a 6
Interview: n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes - did CSS but nothing else
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Most likely too high for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none really haha

Reflection
Strengths: academic record and writing ability, balance with elite sports and music
Weaknesses: counselor rec
Why you think you were accepted: I have a balanced record and have great essays; from what UM says the essays are incredibly important so I feel that that helped a lot
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Harvard (deferred), UW-Madison (not heard back yet), Boston University (not heard back yet), Yale (not yet applied), Princeton (not yet applied), Stanford (not yet applied), UChicago (not yet applied), Brown (not yet applied), UPenn (not yet applied), Georgetown (not yet applied), Northwestern (not yet applied), Tufts (not yet applied), Boston College (not yet applied)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Spend the most time on the essays! It’s worth it and I think that the academic record is just a supplement to your writing

70

Choose one:

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (800 math, 760 CR, 780 writing)
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Math II, 750 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Biology (4), Statistics (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Calculus AB, Intro to C++/Discrete Mathematics, Leadership, Gov/Econ, Expos. Reading and Writing
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2nd place internationally in DECA event, 7th place internationally in DECA event

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): DECA (served as chapter officer, currently President of largest chapter in my state, served on regional board that planned conferences), Student Government
Job/Work Experience: Interned at tech-startup this past summer
Volunteer/Community Service: Leo Club
Summer Activities: Mostly student government stuff, internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App was alright in my opinion, put a lot of time in the Why Mich one
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Didn’t read, but my teachers liked me/knew me well
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: She doesn’t know me, probably generic
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Showed dedication to my activities, put a lot of time into the Why Michigan essay to show interest
Weaknesses: Low GPA compared to others accepted at my school
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: CMU, Duke, Penn, Stanford, UC Berkeley
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I honestly thought I was not gonna get in, but anything can happen. Just show interest, be genuine and things will turn out fine :slight_smile:

71

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Did not take
ACT (breakdown): 33 (33 All Sections)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 AP Calc AB, 3 AP Gov and Bio
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: (These are Canadian courses) AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Macroeconomic, Band, Spanish, Newspaper, Computers
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, several academic awards at the school level

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Soccer, Symphonic Band, Marching Band, Key Club, NHS Officer, Methodist Youth Group, Chess Club Captain/Co-Founder, Newspaper Writer
Job/Work Experience: Soccer Referee, Intern at Anti Drug Coalition
Volunteer/Community Service: 3 Mission Trips to Inner Cities, Mission Trip to Dominican Republic, Helped with Community Garden, Over 200 hours of Community Service through church and school
Summer Activities: Research Program at UMich, Computer Camp at UMich
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Pretty Good, nothing truly special
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Good, written by math teacher which I was a year higher in math than others in my school, also by band teacher who has taught me since 5th grade.

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Fine
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Written by my boss during work with anti drug coalition
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): In State
Country (if international applicant): USA of Baby
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): 4th Generation Legacy, Sister currently enrolled at UMich

Reflection
Strengths: Lots of affiliation with school, GPA and test scores were in range
Weaknesses: Lack of Leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: adequate scores and gpa and lots of affiliation
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Yale (rejected), Purdue Engineering (accepted, Indiana Business (accepted), Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: EA decision are all over the place, if you believe you are qualified you will get accepted, Good Luck!

72

Well, I’m a little late, but…

Decision: Accepted
College: LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 29 (35 English, 26 Math, 28 Reading, 28 Science)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98; school doesn’t weight GPA
Rank: Unsure; most likely top 10% (class size approx. 145)
AP (score in parentheses): AP Statistics (3); AP Calculus I (taking this May); AP Literature (taking both Language and Literature this may)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A, school doesn’t offer
Senior Year Course Load: Dual Enrolling for both semesters (Body Systems & Diseases; Public Speaking), two AP courses above (Calc and Lit), Spanish IV, Criminology (online class), Anatomy & Phys, Psychology…
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National Honors Society, Friends of Rachel (FOR) Club, Key Club, Spanish Club, Junior Varsity soccer, playing the piano
Job/Work Experience: Baby-sitting, waitressing a cultural dinner for Spanish Club, selling/advertising home-made eggrolls to people in the community/teachers at school, working at local grocery store (have worked in many departments around the store)
Volunteer/Community Service: Blood Drives, elementary tutoring, helped stage a firefighter accident/training exercise, hosting a restaurant for the Rotary organization at county fair, bell-ringing for Salvation Army,
Summer Activities: Summer of 2014 one of two students in school invited to a three-day Leadership Camp, working full-time during the summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: How generous of rating scale is this? Haha, in seriousness, I did my research and specified what academic pathways in LSA interested me, how I value not giving up, hard work, etc.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Two recommendations from an English and Science teacher; didn’t read either letter, but both teachers I’ve known for a little over two years and am on good terms with.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: Also on very good terms with counselor, though never shown letter
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: N/A
Interview: I asked a lot of questions about the campus from social life to academics, which they seemed to appreciate

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? - Planning to
State (if domestic applicant): In-State
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: rural, public
Ethnicity: Asian; White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >$50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college student

Reflection
Strengths: Taking into account the school I attend (non-competitive), I’ve utilized a lot of the academic resources and was able to take upperclassmen courses my freshmen/sophomore years and have tested out of others.
Weaknesses: ACT and AP test scores (sigh…)
Why you think you were accepted: Been asking myself that question for the past 24 hours, haha. Want to say my saving grace was my essays, perhaps they saw a gist of my personality which helped influence their look at my overall application?.. I don’t know, really.
Where else are you applying/have already applied: Michigan State (accepted) and Grand Valley (accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Was mentally bracing myself for a deferral/then rejection. Just glad I did EA for all my colleges, just gets everything out of the way. Tips: If you’ve got low test scores/not the best GPA, compensate for that with quality essays; if your GPA/test scores are strong, don’t get too cocky and think you’re in the clear because what you say in your essays can really be the deal-breaker for evaluators in the admissions office. Congrats to everyone who got accepted, and best of luck to everyone else!

73

Decision: Accepted

College: LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2100 (superscore; took it twice. highest sittings were: CR: 670, M: 720, W: 710
ACT (breakdown): 30 (E: 33; W: 32, essay: 10; M: 31; R: 31; S: 26)

SAT II: didn’t take any
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.75
Rank: 2/50
AP: World History- 4
**I took that class sophomore year (only AP offered then), and junior year I switched to a college prep high school & I started taking actual college classes instead of AP. I’ll have 40 college credits when I start at Michigan. That’s why I only have one AP. I take half high school and half college classes, and the high school only offers honors classes.
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: English 12 H (HS class), Govt H (HS class), Student Council (HS class); ENG 231- World Literature (College class), MATH 126- Precalculus 1 (College class), BIOL 101- Bio for non majors (college class)
Major Awards: N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Student council, NHS, Younglife
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguarding and babysitting
Volunteer/Community Service: Kindergarten classroom, hospital, Younglife (350+ total)
Summer Activities: summer camp
Essays: common app essay: 10/10; the others I’d give an 8 or 9.

Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 for all. I had one of my college professors with a PHD write one, and he talked about how well I can handle myself & keep up in a college setting, so I think that was my strongest.
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec: 9/10, written by the teacher who’s class I volunteer in; I’ve known her since I was 3 years old.
Interview: N/A

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State: Nevada
Country: USA
School Type: Dual enrollment program; one of the only 5 star schools in Nevada
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks: N/A

Reflection:
Strengths: Common app essay, my high school, GPA
Weaknesses: ACT; no SAT IIs, lack leadership roles
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea why I was accepted and others weren’t. There is no pattern to these admissions based on what I’ve seen, so my guess is as good as your guys’ as to what on my application appealed to them over others’.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Penn State, George Washington, Northeastern, Dartmouth
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

74

Decision: Deferred

College: LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800), Chem (800), Bio E (800), World History (770), Latin (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Bio, World History, US History, Comp Sci A, Chem, Calc BC, Physics C Mech, US Gov, Lang (all 5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C: E & M, AP Lit & Comp, AP Euro, Multivariable Calc, Latin 6, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Gym (lol)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing huge; stuff like National Merit Semifinalist, National Latin Exam, school awards, district and region orchestra

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Pit orchestra, marching band (section leader), Junior Classical League (co-pres), Academic Competition, Tri-M (VP), local prestigious youth orchestra
Job/Work Experience: Minimal
Volunteer/Community Service: On-and-off, tbh; volunteered at a summer camp, play at nursing homes/benefit concerts
Summer Activities: A couple of selective summer programs
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Ranged from 6/10 to 9/10; I thought my Common App was decent and my Why Michigan/LSA was good
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): No idea but my English teacher’s was probably good and my physics teacher’s was probably okay
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): No idea
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Heard Michigan doesn’t give much to OOS students, so I didn’t
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Prefer not to say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My mom used to work there?

Reflection
Strengths: Grades, test scores, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Essays, community service, doing too many things?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays were decent but not great; Michigan seems to take interest into account and I never visited
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Yale (deferred), Pitt (accepted, honors), PSU (accepted), UMD-CP (results not out), many others
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: :frowning: Having gotten deferred from Yale earlier this week, I was pretty disheartened when I was deferred from Michigan too. I decided to apply to two weeks before the deadline, and I guess it showed in my essays.

75

Decision: Deferred

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): Engineering

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800M/750CR/770W)
ACT (breakdown):N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 M2, 790 Phys, 750 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 3% of 140
AP (place score in parentheses):-
IB (place score in parentheses): Predicted 44/45: 7 in HL Math, Physics, Economics and SL Chemistry, Spanish Ab Initio, and 6 in SL English. Predicted 3 bonus for EE and TOK.
Senior Year Course Load: Same classes as above
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Varsity Tennis (Captain for 2 years)
Varsity Badminton (Captain for 3 years)
Academic Bowl
Math and Physics tutor
Art (auctions and minor exhibits)
QuizDubai question writer

Job/Work Experience: None

Volunteer/Community Service: Have hours, but nothing noteworthy

Summer Activities: UCLA summer program, made a board game.

Essays (rating 1-10, details)::
CommonApp: 7-8/10
Community: 9/10
Why UMich?: 8.5/10

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)::
Math Teacher: 10/10 - has reputation of writing good recommendations.
Econ: 6/10 - I’m not so sure about this one.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 6/10, has to deal with 50 other students, so it was probably generic.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10, got it from my art teacher/tennis coach who really knows me. I even got to read the letter.

Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): UAE
School Type: International Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, extracurriculars, essays
Weaknesses: Why UMich was a little weak, recommendations, and lack of awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Asian male in engineering makes it more competitive, passion for UMich probably wasn’t too strong in the essays.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: MIT EA (Deferred), GATech EA, UIUC, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, UPenn, Columbia, Purdue, Berkeley, UCLA, Imperial College London
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I really thought I had a good chance of being accepted. I was lucky to even be in the early action pool after all the confusion with SAT scores. I am hoping for the best in April.

76

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.):

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (800 CR, 780 Math, 770 Writing)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800), Physics (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): US History (4), Physics 1 (5), Stats (5), Psych (5), Seminar (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Physics C, AP CompSci, AP Econ, AP Research, IB Math HL, World Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ISEF Finalist, couple of awards at regional science fair (best of fair, 2nd place team), a couple others at regional or school level

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Independent research, Track & Field/Cross Country (Captain), Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout), Math Honor Society, Science National Honor Society (PR), Ultimate Frisbee Club (PR)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: N/A
Summer Activities: CTY for 2 years
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Thought they were really good.

Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t see them, but both are known for writing good recs and I know both pretty well.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Probably really good, she knew me really well.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): China (International School)
School Type: Private International School
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Top
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Scores, Extracurriculars and Essays
Weaknesses: No hook
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think that showing that UMich was one of my top choices is what got me in, in the sense that my essays showed that I knew a lot about the school and that it would have really fit me.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Caltech (Accepted), the UCs, University of Washington
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

77

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): Engineering

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (790M, 790W, 750R)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (790), Chem (760), Lit (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t have one
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (4), Physics I (5), Lang (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Bio, AP Calc BC, English elective, AP Chinese
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): lol i wish

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): V Tennis, V Volleyball, Yearbook (Editor in Chief), Piano,
Job/Work Experience: tennis camp, volleyball camp
Volunteer/Community Service: Red Cross… a bunch of community service clubs, piano performances at senior homes
Summer Activities: coding program, internship at tech company
Essays (rating 1-10, details): My personal statement is probably an 8… not incredibly original. Supplements were a 7… could be more creative.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: ??? honestly no idea
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: no idea
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: none
Interview: none

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? no
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): a girl in STEM? not sure if that’s still a hook

Reflection
Strengths: SAT score, transcripts, committed to ECs
Weaknesses: SAT II scores; go to school with a lot of really smart, motivated kids (both a blessing and a curse)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really emphasized my strengths in my essays and tried to convey my personality and my story, however stereotypical they might be
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Columbia (deferred), Northeastern (accepted), U Chicago (deferred), Case Western (accepted), Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Harvey Mudd, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, UCLA, U Washington, Brown, UPenn, NYU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I honestly think you should be genuine in your applications. It might not get you into every single school you apply too, but at least you won’t end up at a school that expects you to be someone you’re really not.

78

Decision: Accepted

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Physics (800), Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Euro (5), APUSH (5), AP French (4), AP Calc BC (5), AP Lang & Comp (5), AP Comp Sci (5), AP Physics 1 (5), AP Physics 2 (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Macro, AP Gov, Multivariable Calculus, AP French, AP Physics C, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP National Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): French Club, Math Team, Science Bowl, Java programming
Job/Work Experience: Chipotle, 25hrs/wk, senior year only
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+ hours at local hospital
Summer Activities: Astrophysics research through Duke the summer before junior year
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10, happy with all of them, but wish I didn’t wait until the last minute
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, math teacher I had for three years, we got along really well
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 7/10, talked to her a lot but she does have at least 40 other kids

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
School Type: Competitive Public School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Have family members who are professors there

Reflection
Strengths: Showed a lot of interest in the school.
Weaknesses: EC’s weren’t amazing
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong scores, showed a lot of interest in my essays.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Harvard, MIT, BU, UMass (accepted), UMinn (accepted), OSU, Dartmouth, Princeton, Duke, Yale, Northwestern
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t wait until the last minute to write your essays! I wrote my Common App essay on 11/01 and two out of three of my supplements on 10/31. It was not a fun Halloween weekend.

79

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): Did not take
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): AP US and AP English Language and Composition Junior Year and AP Macro, Micro, Calc BC, Spanish, and US Gov senior year
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Macro, Micro, Calc BC, Spanish, and US Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some FBLA Local awards

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FBLA Officer 11-12 National and Spanish Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: 200 hour real estate internship
Volunteer/Community Service: Over 500 hours at local children’s museum
Summer Activities: Above
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: 9, except my Why Michigan essay was a 10
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8 I guess
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: All teacher recs were great I’m pretty sure
Interview: None

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, highly respected among Michigan
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: GPA, work experience, ACT was fair
Weaknesses: Lack of APs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am still surprised because of the lack of APs, but I am very happy
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: Indiana Kelley and Penn State Smeal
Waiting on Duke and Ross at Michigan
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Just do what you want honestly just find a passion and do it well. GO BLUE!!

80

Decision: Accepted!

College (LSA, engineering, etc.): LSA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (Math: 800 Writing: 740 Reading: 760)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (780) Literature (690 I know, not the greatest)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus AB (5), Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Language and Composition (all 4), Statistics, USH (pending)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Biology, APUSH, Mixed Media, Research and Presentation, Gym, English 12 (this is the most rigorous schedule I could have at my small school)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student Council (Secretary in junior year, 12th grade rep right now), Robotics, Tutoring, MUN (founder), Orchestra Club(co-founder), Art Club, Newspaper (Editor in chief)
Job/Work Experience: Internship for translation at a tech company
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutoring, a lot of school events (Because of the move to Korea, I was unable to do a lot of volunteer work due to my sucky Korean)
Summer Activities: Internship, volunteer work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Eh I reckon they were okay but tbh I do think it wasn’t my best work. I talked about MUN and my experiences playing flute and piccolo in marching band/concert band/orchestra. I think my personal statement was the best, where I talked about my experience going from an introvert to a total extravert because of moving countries.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 9/10 and 10/10 my teachers are awesome.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: didn’t read but 10/10 I love my counselor
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details)::
Interview: Wasn’t offered one

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): South Korea
School Type: Private International School
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None, I actually have a lot of disadvantages because I’m Korean lol but one hook might be that I’m a TCK (lived in America for 16 years, moved back to Korea last year for the first time since birth)

Reflection
Strengths: SAT, grades
Weaknesses: I’m Korean so it’s a little more difficult…also SAT II and AP scores?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Deffered UChicago, applying to some more reach schools now
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I actually got the acceptance letter on the 18th but this account starting having issues so I couldn’t post till now haha. Congrats to everyone who got in! To those who didn’t/were deferred, trust that you’ll end up wherever you are meant to be - and probably love it. The American college system is flawed yo and remember that a rejection letter doesn’t in any way define who you are.