And the overwhelming number of apps does not help the “no test” crew. Because with “no test” they have to do a more “holistic” (I love that word) review, but now they don’t have time for that “holistic” review…
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So far this year has been brutal with a lot more deferrals and denials compared to previous years at our high school . I though last year was awful but this year is far worse. Test optional makes matters more challenging. My kids last year submitted tests, this year my current senior did not: so far results are comparable but we are wafting this year for more results from highly selective places. On the other hand , my kid did report their AP scores on the common app : 7 APs so far , AP scholar with distinction and so that probably helped mitigate being test optional .
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Correct to a point. Many very intelligent kids are just bad Act /Sat scorers. Those kids deserve to be here also, so the holistic reviews help those kids. It’s the full package their looking for not just one segment
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I do not get the sense that they delivered 3,600 offers.
My hunch, and I have good hunches, is that the data is telling them that the kids who get “postponed” actually end up liking the school more and matriculate at a higher rate than some of the other cohorts. Like the boyfriend who dumps you and then you go chasing after.
I can assure you that at my house, Michigan went from a probable top choice to the one and only school our kid now wants to attend as soon as she got the postponement.
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And the damn untimed tests!!
I have started asking that question of the families I know and the number of top 5% kids with untimed test status is absolutely staggering. I can not believe that the colleges are not made aware of this status.
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I will not continue this conversation with you since you won’t like the answer and this is all going way off and topic at this point.
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Again, just in the spirit of an open honest discussion where we are all on the same team, I find the phrases AP Scholar with 7 APs and scores that were high enough to submit totally inconsistent with a non-test taker.
So yes, that package would defray the non-test-taking status.
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Understood, you are the boss. But I like intelligent comments even if I do not agree with them.
And the topic is the admissions process at an elite college.
I think that is what helped my kid: they did well on AP tests that test subject matter but have never done well on standardized test PSAT, etc …so We elected to roll the dice with " test optional’ knowing there was other data that would back up the solid GPA/grades. Plus some test optional kids have to get in : even if they are accepted at a lower rate than kids with tests so in that respect being test optional probably helped them.
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Sounds like you nailed it. I have posted this before but I am familiar with the test optional stats from two “elite” schools. These stats are hard to get - but in both cases 30% of the class last year did not submit tests. (This stat is not hard to get). But the key stat is that the test optional applications were 7-8x what test applications were and as a result the admission rate was massively lower in that stack.
The interesting question for scientific review is - at what score are you better off being in stack 1 as compared to stack 2. I can assure you that score is lower than you think.
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Thanks. Appreciate the info.
Well if you are coming in for home football games or on weekends, it’s dog eat dog in A2. Summer is also an easy time to grab at a room at the League, but yes it is not a full-scale hotel.
We have stayed at Arbnbs around Ann Arbor and found Chelsea a great location. Things to do. Something different to explore and close enough to get to a parking garage in Ann Arbor and much cheaper also. Like 15 minutes away. My family also lives in suburbs of Detroit but that’s like 40 minutes away. Dexter is also like 9 minutes away and less congestive and cheaper… Good family breakfasts before the game…
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So just to provide a little anecdote: I do some college counseling work and live in Michigan. A staggering amount of kids from one of the suburban high schools I work with (a competitive feeder school) got in EA last Friday. Many provided stellar test scores. But in the event they didn’t submit an SAT or ACT score, they at least provided 5’s (or an occasional 4) on AP tests.
In summary: The handful who were postponed provided no test score of any kind. Those that did got in.
Again, just anecdotally, it appears being in-state and providing a test score was a distinct advantage for EA at Michigan.
Ironically, many of these same students who got into UM got deferred EA at other OOS colleges. Early trends suggest being in-state is also an early priority for universities around the country this year.
Of course these applications also required excellent essays, activity lists etc., but it sure appears that UM sought evidence of standardized test performance in the EA round (esp since most every region in the country offered testing sessions this year compared to the c/o ‘21 last year.)
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Seems like essays/ECs must have been pretty weak to be deferred in state with those stats. Also, being in-state, you should know that COE is a harder admit than LSA.
I’d have to disagree. Some of these kids just really want to know authentically what their chances are.
OK. Thanks for the feedback. She’s already feeling pretty terrible about not applying LSA, but it can’t be changed. Engineering is what she wanted and that’s where she applied - I’m sure, if she could, she would go back and apply as a math major or something. Without getting into detail, I really don’t think EC’s were an issue. Maybe her essays were horrible and negated everything positive about her profile. IDK. Or it could have just been COE.
If you look up thread and you will see other in state kids postponed from COE with similar profiles … 1490, 1510, 5’s in AP science classes. Plenty of EC’s, etc.
On the other hand, there are those who will view the school more negatively after getting deferred, especially with really high stats and super strong “holistic” packages, and will start focusing on/falling in love with their other schools, since UMich didn’t seem to value what they had to offer enough to admit them in the early round… granted maybe UMich doesn’t care about that since they have so many apps… but the psychology of all of this is really interesting.
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Sorry, I agree with you. The substance is the 235 words about classes and other strengths. Totally agree.
My only point is the integrity of the other 15 words to get to your limit. I am afraid to say that I am very confident that a lot of kids say these 15 words to 20 schools and I think that is sad.