Questions about Rolling Admissions

<p>On a thread in another forum, a member asked this question:</p>

<p>Do you know if there's any advantage of submitting your application to the UCs early? My friend speculates that the applications are reviewed chronologically, so people who've already submitted their UC apps by now have already been reviewed, so I guess that gives them an advantage because the spots fill up, etc.</p>

<p>To which someone replied:</p>

<p>unless admissions is rolling, i don't think when you submit your app should make a difference....</p>

<p>This is what confuses me. When a Umich representative came to our school, he said "U of M is on a 'modified' rolling admissions policy. This means that, in theory, an application completed in september has the same chances for admissions as the identical one sent in january"</p>

<p>He went on to say that the only problem to this would be a rare spike in the applicant pool. This is how i thought admissions worked, but it seems like the normal feeling on cc is that submitting early to a school on rolling admissions actually increases your chances quite a bit. I've even heard one person say that to submit to a school after mid-december decreases your chances Exponentially.</p>

<p>Any insight?</p>

<p>From the Michigan website....</p>

<p>Application Process
Three convenient methods of applying- apply directly on-line, print out a pdf application, or request a hard-copy from your high school counselor Deadline for fall freshmen is February 1- a complete list of all freshman deadlines is also available
The University of Michigan uses a modified rolling admissions process. We will communicate admissions decisions on a periodic basis beginning in late fall through early spring. We will make final decisions on all complete files by mid-April.
Early fall application is STRONGLY recommended</p>

<p>Also...</p>

<p>Consideration to all University of Michigan Schools/Colleges is made on a space available basis. Freshman applicants are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible in the fall term of their senior year. Depending upon the size and quality of the applicant pool each year, applicants who apply later may be at a competitive disadvantage.</p>

<p>Right i understand that view of things.</p>

<p>My questions really is how often does something like that happen?</p>

<p>I'm just questioning the popular view on the forum that applying early is very important to a rolling school. Do your chances really decrease that much though?</p>

<p>Nobody knows.</p>

<p>i think what their website says is that if you apply really late, there might not be enough space left in certain schools. But i don't know whether it hurts when there ARE still spots...</p>

<p><strong><em>bump</em></strong></p>

<p>I do know. It does decrease your chances a bit. But if you're like a friend of mine who applied in January but is very brilliant and got really great test scores and very good essays you can get in. She go her acceptance letter just a week later.</p>

<p>Me on the other hand I applied in november and everyone said that I was applying late in that kind of disapproving voice but I still got in. Of course I didn't get a letter until mid-january. Actually I was surprised it took only two months. I was thinking I wouldn't hear back until march.</p>

<p>Note that the policy includes <em>quality of applicant pool</em> meaning that even if they have very few spaces and lots of early applicants, if you're better than the early applicants you'll get one of those spots. That's why my friend got in. They probably dind't have much room left but she was better than all the other applicants before her so she got in.</p>

<p>I forgot to mention that I am from Ann Arbor and I go to U of M as does my friend I mentioned. I got to talk to admissions counselors as well as my high school counselors while I was applying. Because we live in ann arbor and my high school is literally a 3 minute walk from campus, my teachers were all U of M alumni and my counselors were in close contact with those at U of M. I was told that earlier is better, especially for those who think of Michigan as more of a <em>reach</em> school. For those who have very good grades and so on, it's less important. Does that make sense?</p>