France for engineering. He took a few class’s there “barely” … He took a sustainability class sophomore year then this study abroad had the second class he needed then took the rest when he got back. It was a ball. These kids went to Amsterdam and Brussels on their own and through out France. Michigan hosted a fantastic dinner with wine etc served. Very classy… Lol… The kids had let’s say… Tons of free time! . They had great pics of like 30 of them on top of some mountain at sunrise with the Michigan Flag stuck in the ground like a moon landing.
He also did an engineering internship in Israel. He flew direct from France. We didn’t see him all summer.
Study abroad at Michigan is very extensive. So lucky it was pre pandemic. But one of his United States internships was canceled in the major first wave. He did his Six Sigma greenbelt certification instead which helped land his job. So it all works out. His company was looking for an industrial engineering student that had abroad exposure and business /entrepreneurship and sustainability since that’s is what the company is all about. It spoke to their mission statement like these essays are supposed to (see what I did there).
There are many different types of study abroad. Some engineering focused. Some general. Some abroad internships /jobs. Some just fun and exploring. Engineers can do the general ones also. It doesn’t have to be engineering but my son wanted to get some easy credits out of the way.
People should bookmark this post. Engagement and activity always creates distance between candidates. Lots of people have shiny degrees and GPA (especially those on this thread), but paired with focus and engagement it becomes multiplied. Also, Ross is not the end-all for professional post-graduate jobs. UM has an amazing array of interesting paths that position students as well (and often better, depending on the discipline) as the Ross BBA.
I say this as a parent whose D is laser-focused on Ross or nothing right now, and having spent some time on the “what is LSA comes through as expected but Ross doesn’t” options. They’re very rich. Great, great post.
OK Mods do your thing . As I have said many times. A LSA degree with some minors will make you more interesting to companies. Ross is fantastic don’t get me wrong but it’s a very narrow path. But also many Ross students don’t get into the “special” Ross cool clubs etc and are left out. It’s competitive no doubt.
My son interviewed for his company this year on campus and he was extremely active on campus. He was surprised at how many students just took classes and didn’t do much on campus. This turned him off and other companies. Sure, lots of kids get great jobs just taking classes but some also don’t. Just talked to someone that kept telling me their friends kids didn’t get job offers. I asked one simple question. How active were they on campus? These kids were not.
Anyway for all the LSA acceptances, also do a deep dive at what Michigan has to offer. It’s extensive and many times you can “make” the major you want.
Can I ask you about the high school preparation your son did who’s currently majoring (or graduated) in industrial engineering? I have a sophomore who’s clueless about what he wants to study. He’s in the engineering track at school but not really into computer engineering or electrical. Was thinking maybe Industrial would be a good fit. Anyways, any info you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t think this will pertain to many here but if you PM me (select name then message), I am more then happy to help. Industrial is a great open field. My son didn’t want to build stuff or do coding but has learned like 6 CS languages at Michigan since that’s the big push right now in All engineering fields.
The secret sauce is that there is no secret sauce. We have a fundamental problem with grade inflation, students applying to far too many schools, and entitlement. If a high school senior has a check in all the right boxes, then they should get into every school they apply to. Colleges have to fill classes diversely and predict who will come, not who will do well. Ironic how a high school senior with a 4.0 who smacked the ACT suddenly might get a C in a college class. Can’t predict future performance based on past results. That’s why I love when the underdog students graduate at the top.
IEOR is the hidden gem in my book. It’s the perfect combo of engineering + decision analysis that’s like a magnet to employers. Most IE programs also have a path for folks to specialize in AI, ML et al. My S22 applied for IEOR over EECS at UCB. It’s sad as a CA parent that none of the other UCs offer IE although CalPoly does even if its program doesn’t have a strong CS component. UMich and GA Tech are the other options but I suspect the GA Tech program is more focused on manufacturing and old-school industrial engg.
@Knowsstuff how does the UMich program look with respect to ability to specialize in the modern applications of IE which is essentially in Data Science?
So the IOE program at Michigan is top notch. I loved hearing that my sons professors were the people that invented this or that. When doing research for a paper his professors were the leaders in their fields. That’s kinda cool.
They have like 6 sub categories you can go into but think you can make your own also. My son did a entrepreneurship minor and a sustainablility either minor or certificate with operations research For the entrepreneurship one his classes were in Ross, taught by Ceos of companies and one of his projects was building a specific database that the actual company paid for. Real life experiences. Since he started a Augmented reality org on campus one of his other projects was building a Augmented Reality program for another company. Remember, he hates coding but came away knowing 6 languages and probably 3 very well.
As far as the data analytics sub program with IOE just call up and ask them questions. They are willing to help guide your student. You can get exposed to anything you want as a student as well. Everything is world class. All the labs are latest technology and major companies are on campus. Have a special interest you want to explore. Just talk to a professor or advisor and make it happen. I know I am rah, rah but it’s for a reason.
My friends daughter was going into engineering at Michigan but she really wants data science. I introduced her to The School of Information. She loves their courses there on paper (still a freshman) but loves the vibe there and people there. I met a lot of their graduate students and they also love this program. So many different ways to do similar things.
Historically yes but there have been a few other dates and I think a Saturday like 4 years ago. @sushiritto is the stat man for a reason but he’s probably relaxing on a beach somewhere in California…
Secret sauce… Well maybe/maybe not but… I think you can definitely improve your odds by having a well structured and thought out application and essay.
Yep. The ones I read from the students I know there, they were well thought out and different. You got to know a lot about the student that wrote it and they were not cliché. Saying this. Sure there are students there that spend 10 minutes and knocked out the essay. They must be really good writers.
I went to a very competitive engineering school 30 years ago. Most of us had the equivalent of today’s 4.0 average in HS and in an environment where the median college GPA was 3.0, of course many of us had Cs in college at least once. But many of the “underdogs” failed - typically the top students in engineering school were top students at large competitive schools or top students from gifted programs/tracks.
Is this not still true today? Do “underdogs” thrive at college?
This is all academics of course, and the top students in college are not the most successful today.
I think if you are a 3.8 student with 1500 SAT, you might be the underdog by today’s standards at the top COEs. Won’t be surprised if a great % of these “underdogs” have successful careers.
… He took a sustainability class sophomore year then this study abroad had the second class he needed then took the rest when he got back. It was a ball. These kids went to Amsterdam and Brussels on their own and through out France. Michigan hosted a fantastic dinner with wine etc served. Very classy… Lol… The kids had let’s say… Tons of free time! 
. They had great pics of like 30 of them on top of some mountain at sunrise with the Michigan Flag stuck in the ground like a moon landing.
