For the, “what community are you a part of prompt”, are they looking for uniqueness or rather would you fit in their community? If I participate in something that does not exist at the university and consider that my “community”, would that be detrimental to my admission?
For the “why UMich” prompts, should I be citing specific research projects or classes offered at only UMich? Is it a bad idea to state stuff like it has a good computer engineering program, fun extracurriculars and teams, as well as enjoying my visit to Ann Arbor?
For the first “what community” just answer the question. It is a broad question on purpose. If your community doesn’t exist on campus then more the better. My son’s community didn’t either so he started his own student organization.
“why Michigan”… Well if you were talking to a friend and they asked “why Michigan” what would you tell them? Mentioned things your researched about the programs you like or specific classes in their program guides shows you took the extra time /commitment to find out about the school. If you toured Michigan then yes Mention it but what about your visit did you enjoy? To me that means hot fudge chocolate chips shakes at Pizza Bob’s (I will be in town next weekend for the Penn State game… Guess where I am going after.? … Ha…)
Keep in mind that they are “building” a class. They want a personal, unique and interesting people. Do that.
The community essay serves 2 purposes. One is as a back door into diversity issues since Michigan law prohibits taking race into consideration. If that’s not something that’s going to help you than write about something that shows what you can add to the campus, which is also a purpose of the essay. My kid wrote about being one of those kids behind the folding tables at activities fairs, the ones who are starting, leading and recruiting other to joint groups.
Research U of M and look at where they are spending their money .Determine how their 5-year plan matches your own and write about it - if it fits.
For example, a few years back they began to focus more on sustainable studies and the environment. Or - They announced a new biological building. Or- they are growing their STEM student body and/or residential colleges. Or - attention to gender studies & diversity. The list goes on…Look for areas they need to “grow” and have made a commitment. I’ve been hearing a lot about autonomous transportation and drones lately as well. Do some research and you will find the “one”.
I had a somewhat off-beat community supplemental. I wrote about being a self-taught makeup artist. I’d say try to go off the beaten path if you can, especially if you can show them individuality. For the why UofM essay, I cited a specific study abroad program, the crazy school spirit and how I am well-suited for that culture, and football games to name a few!
They want it to be broader. I wrote about being part of the art community throughout my childhood and how it affected my perception of everything (in college, all I’ve taken is science/math courses, so it was NOT relevant to my degree at all). First, I’d suggest mentioning the community and describing its aspects, then telling them why it’s important to you and how it has shaped you as a person.