<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>I am a graduate of UM and my little brother is a die-hard UM fan. He is currently applying to schools but his GPA is not great (at 3.38ish unweighted) and his ACT is average (28). His SAT is 1930 and the subscores are pretty much right in line with UM's 25th percentiles. He will be applying out of state.</p>
<p>In terms of ECs, he does have quite a bit but I can't recall all of them. Here are a few however:</p>
<p>-involved with multiple school sports teams for years and is captain of two of them
-3 year president of his school club (asian american club)
-played cello since he was 9 and is currently attending Manhattan School of Music
-various community service hours
-mentors freshman/sophomore about drugs/sex/alcohol use as part of a formal school program </p>
<p>Another problem he has is that he is currently considered an international applicant (even though he has lived in the U.S since age 1). His permanent residency will be established however in early-mid December. He was originally planning on applying Early Action but I told him that if this does not boost his chances of getting an acceptance to UM, he should just aim for the regular deadline (especially as he will be able to apply as a permanent resident then).</p>
<p>How does he look for admissions to LSA? I have heard that legacy helps with admissions at UM. Is this true?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for any input guys!</p>
<p>Legacy will have minimal impact on admission.</p>
<p>I would recommend calling the university and explaining the situation about applying as an international applicant over an out-of-state applicant as it truly does make a difference in how easy it is to get in. They may give you an override and allow him to apply as out of state for EA since he will be getting residency anyway.</p>
<p>He’s in target (30-50%) range for the school I think. ECs are impressive but grades and tests are subpar. I would highly recommend that he try retaking both the SAT and ACT and try to get into the 2000/30 range as it would boost his chances pretty significantly.</p>
<p>State (aka cow u) has no shot of getting into Michigan.</p>
<p>His chances are not very good at all. International (or OOS) + 3.4 unweighted + below average test scores = extremely low chances. Sorry.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.admissions.umich.edu/drupal/about-our-applicants[/url]”>http://www.admissions.umich.edu/drupal/about-our-applicants</a></p>
<p>GPA is too low - major reach for LSA. Is he accomplished enough of a cellist to get admitted to music school?</p>
<p>Your little brother might have to go to little brother</p>
<p>Legacy has no effect on admissions unless the applicant is highly qualified. If a student has a 3.8+ GPA with a solid ACT/SAT (30+/2000+), legacy can play a small role.</p>
<p>I have to agree that your brother has virtually no chance of admission. The mid 50%ile GPA for admitted students is 3.7-4.0. An unhooked applicant (neither recruited athlete, nor highly unusual circumstances) with a sub 3.5 GPA will generally not be admitted.</p>
<p>Okay, but wait a minute. What does he want to study?
If he’s good enough to be at Manhattan, he’d have a decent shot at the School of Music…in which case his less than stellar GPA could be trumped by talent.</p>
<p>But does he want a music degree, or a regular BA?</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your input guys. I do realize that he is fighting an uphill battle…but I still think it is worth a shot to apply. I would really like him to attend UofM because I know he will get an amazing education here…and I want to be right by him to give him advice/guide him through his college years.</p>
<p>In terms of getting into music school, I think he would prefer a regular B.A. I guess he could try to enter through the school of music but I am not too sure if it is easy to change to LSA once you get an acceptance.</p>
<p>I would agree with the other posts that his numbers would probably make it difficult for him to get in.</p>
<p>Something else to consider: it is one thing to get accepted it is another thing to compete academically at Michigan even if he was to get in. It may be more realistic to go for a school that academically is more in line with his gpa and test scores.</p>
<p>^this is true. However, if little brother’s school happens to be a supremely rigorous one known to Umich, and if his weighted average is much stronger, there’s always a chance there could be something about him that might captivate admissions. So big brother, help your little brother understand it might take a miracle, but also have him explain that umich is hs first choice and to seek outstanding letters of recommendation etc. To make his application stand out – because if h doesn’t at least try, he may always wonder.</p>
<p>If his talent on cello is exceptional, include a letter of reference fRom manhattan school as well even if he’s only applying to lsa, and maybe even send a sample of his playing. If someone is exceptional in an area, it helps explain perhaps why less time might have been spent on academics and can occasionally make the case that they have the drive/aptitude t succeed despite a less than stellar gpa.</p>