The Abuse by the University of Michigan

<p>I dont know about you, but i think that the admissions process of Umich is emotionally abusive towards the applicants, especially those deferred. I do not understand michigan's rolling admissions process and i definately think its preposterous, due to the fact that it ISNT really rolling (they defer most students) Not only that, but most of us have to wait until MID APRIL to find out when we are going to get in... while many of us WOULD LIKE TO MOVE ON with our lives... This is a complete emotional harassment! I'd rather apply to a school without rolling admissions than rolling :-(</p>

<p>OH YEAH! AND THEY DONT GIVE FINANCIAL AID!!! so those who get in end up not going because they didnt get $$</p>

<p>Cut UMich some slack, you try handling some 30,000 applications.</p>

<p>I'm sure its just as frustrating, if not more, when they have to defer students they want to have.</p>

<p>same here. i'm emotionally disturbed.</p>

<p>i'm taking out my anger on my family :(</p>

<p>Yeah, me too. I think I'll go start practicing my gallows knot now.</p>

<p>...but seriously. As CCRunner points out, the university gets thousands of applications. The rolling admissions process is set up to favor those who show interest - in other words, those who apply early. If you do so the admissions process and the sequence of events after admission go a lot smoother. That's just how the game is played. There's really no way to keep admissions at such a large instution from being rather impersonal. It's going to be impersonal, it has to be if the university is to read all the applications and deliver a result in the time alotted. Personal warmth and caring must be sacrificed to provide a fair and impartial admissions decision to every applicant. Almost every other large institution - be it corporate, educational, government, whatever - operates in the same manner.</p>

<p>I applied in early october. I got deferred in january. I even sent them a letter telling them that michigan is my first choice university and still i haven't heard from them!!!!</p>

<p>By applying to the school, you are essentially willingly signing into a contract saying you're fully accepting the U of M admissions process. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but if it's so emotionally draining, why did you apply?</p>

<p>obviously to get in!!! <doh></doh></p>

<p>what's the use of applying early (october) when you know that they're not gonna give you a verdict until mid April?</p>

<p>Yeah, suck it up, you'll get your decision sooner or later.</p>

<p>Frankly, if I was UMich and I saw you badmouthing the university like that, I wouldn't want you.</p>

<p>Well, if you <em>know</em> they're not going to give you a verdict until April, then you probably don't have much of a shot at getting in in the first place. Being sure of a deferral means you probably had a weak app.</p>

<p>I'm not badmouthing the university at all. I love UMich :)....that's why i applied.</p>

<p>I didn't have a great application, but i think a 2000 SAT and a 3.9 w GPA isn't too bad for LSA.</p>

<p>calm down u people....ur a freakin senior in high school...you will be in college next year...ENJOY UR SENIOR YEAR AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR UR DECISION</p>

<p>No one's badmouthing Michigan. They're just showing their distaste for the admissions process. It's cruel, and it shows a lack of appreciation for their "average applicants". Michigan should not be a rolling admissions process, rather one with multiple different ways to apply, so that they can manage the 30,000+ applications, as well as identify who really wants to be there, and who's applying as a safety.</p>

<p>There will be many applicants who have been deferred to be admitted on this site. However, it's that "what if" scenario which Michigan is toying with everyone's emotion. It's making people wait on purchasing plane tickets to visit other colleges, meaning prices are going up. It's giving them a distaste for the university, because they are being forced to wait for the superior applicant to open up a spot for them.</p>

<p>They want to fill their school with the most ivy-league rejects they can. They defer the normal applicants, the ones that truly want to be there, in hope that someone they admitted in November applying as a safety will commit after they hear they were rejected April 1st from their Ivy dream school.</p>

<p>This is their senior year. They see all sorts of kids around them talking about "I'm going to Cornell!", and their first choice college is making them wait longer than any other college in the country. That's not an enjoyable experience, and it's hard going through your senior year waiting. It's a cruel thing to do, but obviously they're going to do whatever is most beneficial to them, disregarding the feelings of these deferred applicants.</p>

<p>michigan has always gone with the rolling admissions process. in past years, it hasn't been this bad. this year, there has just been such an increase in applicants that some adjustments had to be made. i understand it's stressful and i'm sorry. at least it's not northwestern. they never give exact dates and on the phone they claimed decisions would be online at 6-7 pm central time tonight and yet it's 8:43 central time and there aren't any decisions yet.</p>

<p>DUDE!!! how can i enjoy my senior year when none of the other colleges I applied to are my first choice? Penn State, UMD and Rutgers are hardly awesome schools and if I get into UMich, I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of chosing between Penn State, UMD and Rutgers (well, PSU and UMD actually).</p>

<p>
[quote]
at least it's not northwestern. they never give exact dates and on the phone they claimed decisions would be online at 6-7 pm central time tonight and yet it's 8:43 central time and there aren't any decisions yet.

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<p>Michigan hasn't given deferred applicante exact dates.</p>

<p>In my deferral letter, it said "As a delayed candidate, we hope to be able to review your application and notify you in writing of a final decision by early April".</p>

<p>And online, here's what Michigan says about admissions decisions:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.umich.edu/fastfacts.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.umich.edu/fastfacts.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>"We will make final decisions on all complete files by the first week of April."</p>

<p>So if that first week of April passes by without a decision, it will be very stressful for all deferred applicants.</p>

<p>A2Wolve, thanks, you summed it up perfectly :)</p>

<p>And to chibear, obviously we all applied in the hopes of an acceptance! I would rather want a rejection than a deferral, a deferral is just another way to make you suffer...</p>

<p>this is so scary!!!</p>

<p>aight so i feel your pain on the no date deal. i never said michigan gave those dates; i was just saying how northwestern goes back on what they say haha</p>

<p>penn state is still a solid school, bro. their business program is still well respected and they have a great honors program there for it (i applied and was accepted to the business school and honors in october). my brother went there and now makes over half a million a year being an oil trader, so a penn state degree can take you places.</p>

<p>Maybe it's not "trashing" Michigan, but this isn't exactly flattering:</p>

<p>
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...emotionally abusive ...its preposterous ... complete emotional harassment

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</p>

<p>For the record, I disagree that Michigan is "filling its class with Ivy League rejects." </p>

<p>But hyperbole aside, I think it's important to realize that just about every competitive college out there strives to recruit their best applicants. It's an interesting idea, filling the class with applicants who fall more to the middle of the app spectrum and who would do anything to go to Michigan. But it's odd to hear that suggested on College Confidential, where there is so much emphasis (sensible or not) on quality, quality, quality, as measured by the stats of the entering class and the kinds of students who attend. I wonder if all those students would be so eager to attend the school if it weren't seen as competitive. </p>

<p>Michigan has some big problems this year caused by high app volume, a still-fairly-new evaluation process, a closed residence hall, and difficult-to-balance admissions priorities. Everyone hopes next year will be better. I realize that's no comfort to people who feel kicked around by the process this year.</p>

<p>Sigh, called today and asked when I could expect a decision - Mid April</p>