<p>I don't want to go on here and post all of my information and ask readers to chance me. Instead, I'd like to assemble some general knowledge about peoples' experiences into transferring into UofM and even people who have thought about it or current students. </p>
<p>Here is a pretty large list of questions I have. Please feel free to post answers from what you know and also please post any questions you have yourself. I've been doing much research on the whole transferring thing, so I can add my $.02</p>
<ul>
<li>Is transferring from a 4-year public university increase your chances over someone who goes to community college?</li>
<li>Is it possible to transfer into the Spring/Winter semester rather than the Fall. If so, could it be beneficial in increasing chances?</li>
<li>The average transfer GPA is 3.5 (the number they told me) so why is it lower than the average 3.8 for incoming freshman?</li>
<li>Does your ACT score matter? Would taking the ACT again and adding 2 or 3 points help you at all?</li>
<li>Do they look at progress trough out semesters? Lets say your gpa goes up in the following way: 2.8, 3.1, 3.3, 3.6 etc...</li>
<li>Do the types of classes you took make a big impact? Would having a 3.4 gpa but taking upper level math and science classes make up for the smaller gpa?</li>
</ul>
<p>If anyone has any insight it'd be greatly appreciated! Please post other questions and I can try to help as much as possible!</p>
<p>You don’t have to start during the fall as a transfer. I transferred and started with the Summer term. I can’t really speak to any of your other questions though.</p>
<p>When you applied for the Summer term, were you rolled into the Fall term? I’ve seen some people say that UofM doesn’t accept people in the Summer term if they expect to go there for the Fall as well.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No, it’s actually the opposite. People coming in from a community college have a small advantage in transfer admissions because they HAVE to transfer to continue their degree. Most colleges (especially public ones) give them a slight preference for this reason. </p></li>
<li><p>Yes, but I don’t think it will help in admissions. If it does, the difference is probably negligible. </p></li>
<li><p>That’s not true according to U-M admissions own data. I’m 100% certain that the actual average admitted transfer GPA for 2012 was a 3.65, but I can’t for the life of me find the source (I’ll keep looking). It’s possible that the admissions counselor was quoting old data. Anyways, to actually answer your question about the discrepancy (3.65 vs 3.85[li](<a href=“http://www.admissions.umich.edu/drupal/about-our-applicants]*[/url]”>http://www.admissions.umich.edu/drupal/about-our-applicants)</a>), the primary reason is that college courses are simply harder than high school courses. A good GPA in college is always going to be lower than a good GPA in high school due to this fact alone. Don’t let the lower GPA fool you into thinking that transfer students aren’t put up to the same standards as freshman applicants. In fact, if you actually look at the numbers, the transfer acceptance rate last year was significantly lower than the freshman acceptance rate (33% vs 37%) [[source](<a href=“http://www.admissions.umich.edu/viewbook/]source[/url]”>Viewbook | University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions)</a>]. </p></li>[/li]<li><p>Your ACT score is required in U-M transfer admissions and it will be taken into consideration. That said, it really won’t hold much weight and it will make very little difference either way. I wouldn’t recommend taking it again after you are already in college. I’m not even sure if that’s allowed, and even if it is, it won’t be looked at the same way.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes. This is called grade trend, and it is quite important to Michigan.</p></li>
<li><p>Not quite sure. I would assume so since admissions to Michigan are holistic, but I can’t say for sure.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yes. This past summer term was my first at UMich and I registered for Fall classes a few days after summer classes started. The only crappy thing was that I couldn’t register for classes as a transfer until I had met with my adviser, which was during transfer orientation a day before classes started. I was still able to get the classes I wanted though, but I did need(and got) an override for Calc I.</p>
<p>Edited to add that I never took the ACT but I still had to send in my SAT scores that were almost a decade old(and I thought they were no longer good after 7 years?). My scores were quite low so I doubt they had very much to do with my acceptance.</p>
<p>I am an incoming transfer student for Fall 2013 and I can only speak to my own experience. While you are certainly able to transfer for spring or summer terms, I was told by admissions at UMich that transfer students often had an easier time transitioning and making friends when they began in the Fall. So, I opted for this because I don’t know anyone there and would not consider myself to be a social butterfly. I am not sure that Michigan would see community college as any different from a 4 year public university or not, but I transferred from Auburn University and felt that it better prepared me for the course work I’ll see at Michigan than my local community college would have. As a sophomore transfer applicant, I knew I would have to work harder because preference is given to junior applicants as it is their last chance and their grade trend is well established. I applied with one semester of college under my belt with a 4.0 and they asked to see my second semester midterm grades to make their decision (understandably so, as my high school gpa was not impressive and I really hit my stride in university). I got a B second semester, dropping my GPA to a 3.8, but was accepted anyway. I hear grade trend does matter. What ever you do, I would suggest doing meaningful extra cirriculars that you enjoy and try making the most of your experience at your current school while you’re there. If you are having fun and thriving within the college atmosphere, it will come out in your application. Best of luck!!</p>
<p>FatSquirrel - thanks for the info! I might try to apply for Summer seeing as I don’t think I have a reason to delay. If I don’t get accepted, I can try again for the Fall semester! (I think)</p>
<p>KronOmega - thanks for the all the detail! I find the community college vs. university information very interesting. I definitely agree now that I see that side of the story. I wasn’t actually planning to retake the ACT/SAT but I wanted to see what other people thought.</p>
<p>avita01- thanks for sharing! Congrats on the acceptance and thanks for the tips! I do enjoy MSU and the atmosphere, but for CS the program is much better at UofM versus MSU and I’d like to get an upper hand there. Many of my friends are already there or planning on transferring as well, so hopefully this will make the social transition better!</p>
<p>1.I definitely think 4 year college students have an advantage in getting over CC students even though it’s true most CC students have to transfer UMich is considered a top school and many students from CC decide not apply because of the intimidation factor. If you look at CollegeBoard stats only 31% applied from CC & from my transfer session i was in out of i say like 50-60 students in our section i think like 6 total came from CC and almost everyone i met came from a 4 year granted there are transfer sections that are designed specifically for CC students there is def advantage in coming from a University since the workload is more similar and usually you need a higher CC GPA to transfer.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I honestly think Fall maybe the easiest since it’s when most open spots are available but it really comes down to the applicant pool.</p></li>
<li><p>College Courses are more demanding than H.S.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t take the ACT if you are out of H.S. it is irrelevant if your JR. transfer, So. may matter but i still would advise against taking it again and i don’t think they would recommend a college student taking a H.S test at this point. </p></li>
<li><p>Upward trend always looks good…</p></li>
<li><p>Course rigor is taken into account i would also advise you to check out the U of M transfer guides but i don’t think you should use it as an excuse i took 5 Math courses before i transferred but still did fairly well so if your taking demanding classes but not doing well that won’t look good.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>UOFMTRANSFER I definitely see where you are coming from. I visited UofM for the transfer tour almost 2 weeks ago and I went with two buddies of mine who are attending MSU as well. Out tour group had about 15/20 people and everybody else came from CC (except for one who did one year of CC then took a year off). </p>
<p>I’m assuming this was the case because many people coming from 4-year public universities aren’t traveling to UofM for the tour. Only people coming from nearby CCs are, and thats why the statistics were like that.</p>
<p>With that being said, I really like UofM’s campus. MSU seems more isolated and has much more scenery and open space. UofM seemed to be mixed in with city life and less isolated. I probably only enjoyed the campus because I like change and need a fresh restart every now and then. It will be a definite adjustment.</p>
<p>ALSO… Anyone know how essays play a role? Every time I ask someone there is a different answer. Some have said it is the next most important thing behind GPA and others have said it really doesn’t matter as long as it is “good”</p>
<p>I want to start writing my essay now and use MSU’s writing resources to perfect it. Will putting in all the extra time to make it “that much better” be worth it?</p>
<p>Yes, that could be true you have to remember U of M is an world respected University and there is a good amount of transfer applicants that apply from out of state/Internationally as well. Many people i have met from transfer events came from places like NY,Cali,Florida,China,Africa,Taiwan etc. and were not coming here for a tour unless they were accepted, The school is very diverse for a state school in my opinion. Furthermore, You have to remember anyone can take those tours as i see them going on basically everyday and there not really a representation of the applicant pool. </p>
<p>To your question i think GPA is most important then Essays/EC’s. Putting as much time make sure you have no flaws in your essay will be worth it if you want to be accepted as a transfer. The transfer rate has consistently went down each year it was 34% for Fall which is bit lower than the freshmen acceptance rate so you want be able stand out because many applicants will have similar GPA range as you. So work on your essays and EC’s now so when you submit your common app you will have a nice big blue envelope in your mailbox !</p>
<p>Another thing that might help is getting a letter of recommendation from a professor at your current school. If I recall correctly, they don’t say anything about letters of recommendation on the transfer application, so taking the time to get one could make you stand out. I got a letter from an English professor of mine who went to Michigan for undergrad, and I feel like it really helped strengthen my application.</p>