I’m a sophomore and I’ve been reading a lot of ED discussion threads about kids who got into the College of Engineering at Umich-Ann Arbor. The applications of accepted applicants were all very different. Should I focus my application and high school career on engineering? Such as joining more engineering clubs and becoming more active in the field? If anyone got into the CoE at Umich please share any advice or stats!
There is no ED but EA at UMich. My D did not join any engineering related club or activity but got in a few years ago with scholarship. You should join a club that you have interest in it anyway, not for admission purpose. The most important things are your GPA and course rigor. For CoE, you also need to have good test scores, particularly in the Math section. Aim at 3.9+ in GPA and 33+ in ACT (34+ in Math). These are the admission average.
The 3.9+ GPA is unweighed, and most successful engineering applicants take AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C (the the equivalent courses in other systems, like A Level Mathematics and Physics in the British system or HL Mathematics and HL Physics in the IB.
Would you be applying as an in-state or OOS applicant? That could have an important bearing on how your application is considered.
Also, the U of M Common Data Set, here, http://obp.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/pubdata/cds/cds_2016-2017_umaa.pdf, states in Part C7 what factors are relevant in admissions decisions: for example, “character/personal qualities” is considered an “important” nonacademic factor, whereas “extracurricular activities” and “talent/ability” are “considered” as nonacademic factors in the admissions determination. Don’t try to game the system by having “drive-by” ECs, as admissions officers can tell what is an activity that you are truly interested in and what is merely resume fodder. Rather, your ECs should be something that you enjoy doing; don’t forget to have some fun in high school along the way.
Since you are applying to more schools then Michigan, showing activities that show consistently and commitment is big for college admissions. So joining an activity for more then one year. My son was part of varisity chess team, track team for 4 years and did math peer to peer helping for 3 years, etc etc . If interested in engineering check out the Ace mentor program in your area. You work directly with known worldwide companies and work in teams with engineers. It is a fun program that gives great insight and yes… Looks great on a resume.
Thank you so much, I will look into that!
I am in state, and thank you I will check that out!
I enjoy engineering a lot and I love mathematics. I’m also in other clubs such as art club and debate club. I’m probably going to join robotics club because I enjoy building/ assembling machines. Thank you all for your advice!
http://www.acementor.org/affiliates/michigan/
They also give some scholarships for college and paid summer internships. In Chicago my son had mentors from Georgia Tech, Berkeley, University of Illinois, Northwestern etc etc engineering. There were many from smaller schools also. All offered anything to help the students in the programs.
I just found one in my area! Thank you so much for sharing this!