<p>Oops, posted after CCRunner's post. Thanks guys.</p>
<p>lol i love these posts</p>
<p>They're pretty entertaining if you don't consider all the angry angry people behind them.</p>
<p>Yeah, they really are. They should have applied to other good schools. Thats what they get for assuming that they're a shoe in. I love how life works out.</p>
<p>So chibears, the folks didn't go to college...so what? Why aren't they supporting YOUR university then? What's stopping them from selflessly supporting the U beyond just paying your bills? You don't get it...we've been supporting the university from the time we graduated. Long before we were married, had kids, and had little money to spare. And now you ignorantly proclaim that we were doing all of that to "bribe" the U, actually expecting something in return? No, we couldn't possibly have been selfless all these years...it was done strictly with the intention of buying my kid a spot when the time came. You know nothing. Sorry, but there's virtually an infinite number of places where people can choose to donate their money. U-M has received PLENTY of ours already. Let them try squeezing pennies out of YOU in three years. Bet you'll be "selflessly" giving back the minute you grab onto that diploma of yours..NOT!!</p>
<p>Yup, yup, yup, U of M is due for a fall from grace for the State of Michigan pretty soon. It is, after-all, a state school - do I not pay tax dollars and vote for regents? And I am speaking as a person whose entire family (except for me) went there... multi-generational .. and my AP earning, hard-working, decent scoring SAT/ACT son has been discouraged by the GC from applying. Not a good situation. My son is probably going out of state, but it might be time to lower the U of M flag from our flag pole. (Really.) I'm happy for our friends whose kids got in but there are limits.</p>
<p>GoBlueAlumMom, I understand your disappointment in your son's rejection from Michigan this year. This year's admissions has been the most selective in the history of college admissions. Many colleges including Michigan received record amounts of applicants. Consequently, many qualified students are sadly rejected. There are numerous students with solid scores that got rejected this year. I, myself have been rejected at UPENN Wharton and Columbia, and hold no grudges against those universities. I was glad when I received my admission letter from Michigan, and believe it is a fine university. Don't hold a grudge just because your son got rejected. Chances are there were too many applicants more qualified than your son. My friends mother was the president of the Midwestern alumni at Northwestern University and devoted much time and energy for the school. Her twin sons were mediocre students and were consequently deferred when they applied there. However, she still supports the school that supported her when she was an undergrad and holds no grudges. Michigan gave you a quality education and opportunity, so it isn't wise to just drop support because your son was rejected.</p>
<p>it's not definite that your son is rejected. Check WA, perhaps they are just releasing decisions early.</p>
<p>education is so overrated....why can't we live in the middle ages...I think I would be a knight. Knights are cool. They have swords...that are sharp and require actual skill</p>
<p>.....yea I know this is random, hahaha....</p>
<p>The thing is though, I don't think there are applicants that were better than most of the ones that were waitlisted. GBA's S was varsity captain for 2 sport teams, had the average accepted ACT, impressive ECs, average GPA, and then factors such as in-state, alumni working for him. It's ridiculous the applicants getting waitlisted this year. Look at this year's waitlist, compare it to last year's admissions stats. They are about the same. I don't know how they are evaluating these applications. I just hate seeing the "admissions is more competitive this year", because I don't buy it. I don't see what's wrong with these applications, and what's right with the applications of the students I know who are accepted. It's not right how a student with alumni connections, paying the tax dollars, being in-state, having ECs that only 1 kid in the school has, qualifying ACT and grades, can just be waitlisted.</p>
<p>It's also not right that there are ppl starving in this world, homeless children, people without healthcare, etc...</p>
<p>Sergio--This isn't about grudges, it's about moving on. H. and I have been loyal alums and have provided financial support to the university for almost 25 years. We've more than given back and have no regrets. Believe me, that's more than many, many alums can say for themselves. We now are interested in directing our support to the colleges where our kids will be attending. We're passing the torch. It's time for all of you current students (and recent alums) to put your money where your mouth is and step up to the plate. YOUR university is counting on it so open up your wallets.</p>
<p>Under these circumstances, however, the university asking us for yet another hand-out at this particular time was not only wholly inappropriate, but downright idiotic. The place has always been a bureaucratic nightmare, but this really pushed us over the edge. We actually had been fairly philosophical up until this point, but the gloves came off when they came begging for more money. Enough is enough.</p>
<p>Sergio, many parents, including GoBlueAlumMom, are disapointed because their children were qualified and yet, turned down in favor of weaker candidates who had to association to the University. That's a hard pill to swallow. It happens at every university and the reasons are never quite known. It isn't fair, but it happens.</p>
<p>Momofthreeboys, I want Michigan to serve the state, but I also expect Michigan to become much more selective. It is the University's obligation to be as selective and tough as possible. I think Michigan's objective is to give its students the best possible degree to open any door they may wish to walk through. That cannot be done unless the university is selective. If Michigan weren't selective, it would not be so highly regarded. I still think the university accepts way too many marginal students. The prolem isn't that Michigan, like many other top universities, turns down perfectly qualified students. That's perfectly normal for a top university. What makes it almost unacceptable is that Michigan, unlike most elite universities, also accepts many marginal cases. Those marginal cases should be turned down in favor of the many qualified and eserving students who should have been admitted. </p>
<p>Personally, given the pathetically tiny amount the state gives the University, I think Michigan should tell the state to take their money and...well, you know.</p>
<p>GoBlueAlumMom - your complaints are valid. My wife and I went to a top 10 USNWR ranked school (back when dummies could get in - Alexandre knows the school because we made the ever so smart move of relying on his advice), and while the school is astronomically difficult to get in, they do generally give legacy kids a thumb on the scale. And if a legacy kid just doesn't have the kind of stuff to get in, there is a call letting the parents know the now incredibly steep lay of the land. Irrespective of the result with your kid, I intuit that was the kind of thing you were expecting - and I can see why. (My daughter did get in our alma mater, but is going to Michigan. I am a huge fan of Michigan). And while I can see how it is harder to give a personal touch with the size of their class, I see your point, and doing the right thing always makes sense. Alums are the lifeblood of a school - a bit of emotional investment and time pays off, even with results that are not what is wanted. And to the broader audience here - GoBlue Mom's got a real point - Michigan's endowment is one of the biggest in the country - but its a big school with lots of physical plant needs - that money won't rain from the sky and inculcating loyalty by reaching out to alums irrespective of the final admit result simply makes sense. People give money when they are treated well - its why I give to both my schools (not enough, I might add). </p>
<p>And please, to the guy who started this thread, please get over it. Penn State is a fine school - get over it - work hard there and have fun. The guy in front of me in grad school (yes, i was second) at a very prestigious grad school (please, this is not for my ego but for the young people here) garnered all sorts of awards in addition to being valedictorian. He was a Penn State grad rejected by Michigan - not only for admittance to the school but also as a walk-on to the swim team - so he blew through Penn State and was an All Conference swimmer to boot (no looking back for this guy). He was as smart and competent as anyone I have met - and a nice guy too. I would tell you more but he is fairly well known in his field and want to protect his privacy! Different people mature at different times and often find their groove or interest as they move on - Michigan is a great place, but so is Penn State - and if you are in an honors program, embrace that challenge at Penn State. Do well wherever you are, and perform if you can with a state of grace. And, since you are 18 - 22 -- please make sure you have fun. Us old guys can't be envious if you don't.</p>
<p>Michigan would have to change their name and their location if they were to go private, and that's not happening ever.</p>
<p>chibears - you are a valuable contributor but go easy on GoBlue. NO university is a pure meritocracy in terms of admissions - and while I admire the selectivity of UM, and this year in particular is very selective, in the admissions game there is always exceptions. And it is not irrational for alum parents who have given $$ over the years to expect to be treated well - giving of course is a selfless act but at the same time what alums really want in return is not all sorts of favors granted here and there but a real and fair relationship with the school - and that is what I think (intuit) is GoBlue's point. Walk a mile in her shoes. And my alma mater treats alum parents well - and believe me, they reject a lot of their kids.</p>
<p>A2Wolves, I would hate for Michigan to go private. But the state of Michigan does not give enough to the University to have the right to expect much in return. If Michigan were gracious enough to have a 30%-40% undergraduate in-state population (instrad of 65%) attending at discounted rate, I think the University would have fullfilled its obligation to the state.</p>
<p>mam, i totally agree with you're saying. I think if the University treated Goblue or her son in an unfair way, it deserves to have her money taken away for years to come. However, I can't accept as fact that he or any other rejected student was evaluated unfairly. "Qualified" people get rejected and "mediocre" people get in....according to you guys, but I'm not so sure. I think the adcoms get to decide what is qualified and what is only mediocre. I think we like to criticize admissions as being a bunch of blubbering knuckleheads so we can convince ourselves that we're still right when we don't see something we agree with (we do the same with politicians). There were schools I got waitlisted to and I think I was a "qualified" applicant in many ways, but I realize that I could have been a better applicant if I had tried harder in school, and that there were many people (some of whom were rejected, I'm sure) who were far more qualified than I. And alexandre, I think you're trying to have your cake and eat it too when you say that "qualified" students who should get in get rejected, yet you still think the university should be more selective. Certainly if the university got even more selective, these students wouldn't get in. I'm surprised hoedown hasn't been on to defend her people, but since she hasn't, I will now. I don't know for fact that the admissions staff is a group of qualified, trained, careful individuals, but I give them the benefit of the doubt because they were hired by a prestigious university for a very important job that decides its future, and if hoedown's description of the admissions process is accurate (the multiple readings of every app, etc) then I refuse to believe that any people you know were treated unfairly. We don't have the same information that the adcoms did on the rest of the applicant pool, and chances are there are a thousand more people like you guys who think THEIR friend or son or whoever should have gotten in, but since we just don't know what all the apps looked like, we're in no place to judge.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"Qualified" people get rejected and "mediocre" people get in....according to you guys, but I'm not so sure.
[/quote]
Okay, this is just flat-out naive. Let's start with the D1 athletic recruits since the number of mediocre admits across the board for all of U-M's varsity teams is significant. As the mom of a multiple sport varsity captain, this observation is not that "hate the jock" venom I see splattered all over these forums. It's simply reality and a fact of life at the Big U.</p>
<p>How could you possibly call a D1 athletic recruit "mediocre"????!!!!! Many of these individuals are world-class athletes who have the potential to compete at the professional level. Mediocrity cannot be defined purely academically, we need a more holistic view here. And when you're talking about an athlete who's one of the top 10 at his/her position in the COUNTRY, I hardly call that mediocre. If any student is top 10 in the country in any area (be it academic, athletic, musical, etc.), they're going to get in to Michigan.</p>