<p>I want to know how you made it in and if you have any tips/suggestions/warnings about admissions as well as high school curriculum leading up to applying :) Thanks!</p>
<ol>
<li>Maintain the highest possible GPA, preferrably over 3.8 unweighed.</li>
<li>Take very tough classes. Michigan expects students to take mainly AP classes during Junior and Senior year.</li>
<li>Good essay on diversity and “why Michigan”</li>
<li>Apply early</li>
<li>Solid SAT/ACT. Michigan deemphasizes standardized testing far more than any of its peers. Even then, they expect at least a 1900 (preferrably over 2100) on the SAT and 28(preferrably over 31) on the ACT.</li>
</ol>
<p>^Ditto to what the person above me said, plus also leadership. If you are a leader (team captain, first chair for your instrument, president of a club…) it looks great.</p>
<p>Oh, and on the “Why Michigan” essay: if you have a good idea of what you want to study, talk about that there. It’s fine if you don’t, but I think that if you’ve found something you’re interested in and you’re already doing something with it (for me it was doing basic neuroscience research) that looks really good too. And talk about why you like that specific program at Michigan and it’s strengths (UM has an awesome Neuroscience program, so excited!).</p>
<p>I am gonna say 3 is not very important for engineering.</p>
<p>No one cares about what makes you special or how adversity has shaped you or some BS like that. Just be smart and have good math scores.</p>
<p>MLD, the “why Michigan” essay is important, even to the CoE. Articulating why you wish to study Engineering at Michigan can enhance/hurt one’s chances.</p>
<p>I just rehashed the “Why OSU” or the “Why Illinois” or the “Why Purdue” essay I wrote.</p>
<p>I don’t think they really care and I don’t think they should.</p>
<p>I think the “Why UM” essay has its merits. Honestly, if you can’t articulate why you want to go to Michigan, then why should you get the spot over someone who can? </p>
<p>MLDWoody, I agree on the diversity essay though. While it’s not the worst topic in the world, I think they could have asked a better question.</p>
<p>Especially coming from a white suburb where most if my school was white except for some indians, some asians and a handful of black people.</p>
<p>I didn’t exactly have much to write about.</p>
<p>^You could have written about being really tall. </p>
<p>The diversity essay was a good opportunity for me to write about my involvement in the disabled community and how having a presence of the disabled community on campus is an asset rather than a problem like it might appear on the surface. I could be wrong, but I think that was a critically important part of my application. It was my chance to say, “yeah I hit some major snags in my academic career” (as they could see on my transcripts without me needing to say anything) “BUT this is why they don’t mean anything and why I would make an awesome wolverine.”</p>
<p>“I just rehashed the “Why OSU” or the “Why Illinois” or the “Why Purdue” essay I wrote.”</p>
<p>Let us see now, all of those universities are large, midwestern, located in college towns, participate in Big 10 sports and are excellent in Engineering. Rehashing the same essay for those schools is pergfectly possible. You could even use the same “why Michigan” essay that you would use for Cornell, Columbia or Northwestern. You would just need to add specific detail about each school, but the format could easily and as effectively be the same.</p>
<p>The essays are primarily an opportunity for the admissions people to see how well the applicant is able to compose his/her thoughts and to find out if there is anything unique about the applicant. The “Why Michigan” essay is an essay more about what makes the applicant tick than what is wonderful about Michigan. I’d say the same thing for the diversity/community essay. It is helpful if you add something to the “Why OSU” essay that is unique about your connection with U-M.</p>