GPA: 3.85/4.00
AP’s: 2
Honors: 11
Senior Year: 4 AP’s. I exhausted all the Honors.
EC’s: None. I grew up in a household of alcoholics and drug addicts. They didn’t even let me start going outside until I was like 13. There’s no reasoning with them.
First Generation College Student.
State: Michigan (Metro Detroit area)
-My high school is one of the top 5 feeders to UofM and top 10 for MSU.
Prospective Major: Biomedical Science (not premed, I’d go to grad school and eventually work in pharma research and development.) or Mechanical Engineering (if this is what I do, then I would go to Grad school for Biomedical Engineering.)
SAT- 1060. I have really awful test anxiety. I was able to manage it a lot better last year because my tests were shorter and usually writing based/real world (practically no MC’s), but I am still not past it. I can’t get accommodations due to my alcoholic parents. I have had several teachers notice the anxiety over the years. I am going to take the September ACT and maybe another in November. It’s so frustrating that I can score like a 27 while I am relaxed, but the moment you turn that timer on I get a 22 or 23. Done venting, sorry.
Cost: $28,000 and under. I am still trying to get everybody to understand the costs.
I like it here in Michigan so I would prefer to stay here. I have not brought up the idea of leaving the state and I don’t think anyone who will help pay tuition is going to take to it well.
-I wanna be a little ways from home.
-Prefer cities/suburbs
-Size does not matter
-No religious affiliation
My list:
Central Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Ferris State University
Lake Superior State University
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University
Northern Michigan University
Western Michigan University
I was able to knock out Wayne State, Oakland, UM-Dearborn, UM-Flint, Saginaw Valley State, Grand Valley, and UM-Ann Arbor. How can I narrow this down to eventually pick one? I really like MSU, but I am not sure if they will accept me.
You put a lot of info about your grades and GPA, but I know nothing about the kind of person you are. Even though you didn’t do extracurriculars, what would you have liked to have done? What kind of experience are you looking for?
Since I don’t know that much, If you want to start narrowing it down you can look at population size. Do you want to go to a big or small school?
Lake Superior University has only over 2,000 students, so you’ll definitely be around a lot of familiar faces most of the time.
Next in size is Michigan Technological University with about 7,000 students, so it’s a midsized university.
Then Northern Michigan University has about 9,000 so there wouldn’t be too much of a different with MTU in regards to population size.
Ferris State University is on the border of a large university with 15,000.
Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and Western Michigan University are large and all have about 20,000 students attending.
And Michigan State University is huge with 50,000 students.
As for MSU, your test scores fall above the 25th percentile for MSU accepted applicants (which is 1050) and your GPA is above average, so that chance is still there. I think you should tour all the schools and see which feels like a better fit for you.
Michigan Tech and MSU are both excellent, and you have a shot at both.
Your own guidance counselor should be able to tell you which of those in-state institutions are likely to admit you. Check the websites carefully to find out if you classify for automatic admission to any of them based on your grades and test scores so far. If you do, then use that one as your safety, and only send additional application to others that you like better, Don’t waste time trouble and money applying anywhere that yo don’t like better than your safety.
@romanigypsyeyes is one of our Michigan experts. She may have more ideas for you.
Wishing you all the best!
I could have sworn Lake Superior State had more people, well if that is the case then I can knock it out. I could make it in a student population of only 2000, but that seems way too close to the number of people in my high school for me.
I don’t have any issues with the population sizes at Michigan Tech, CMU, EMU, WMU, NMU, Ferris State, or MSU. The issue is trying to find someone who is willing to take me to Tech and NMU for a tour. Michigan Tech, for example, is 8 1/2 hours from my house. It was hard enough to get my grandma to take me to Grand Valley, not to mention, she was also pretty upset to hear me say I couldn’t see myself there…
What would I join? I am not 100% sure, but I would love to try some club sports like archery or sailing. I also had a lot of fun in grade school doing orchestra class. (I stopped because I didn’t like the close-nit intimacy of it. I wanted to play in big groups.)
I’d rather not turn to my school’s GC’s. They are so out of the loop, they will tell you that a 21 on the ACT is a good score.
Thank you all for responding. This has been helpful.