Umich?

Currently a second semester junior, will apply to LSA or Engineering this fall

Indian, female
Dad got his MBA at Ross while working a couple years back, night-school

Cumulative GPA: 3.86
(I got 3 Bs last semester! They were AP comp sci, AP calc, and AP physics.How bad will that look?)
Courseload: freshman- honors classes and AP world
sophomore- honors/advanced and APUSH
junior- AP Physics C, AP Calculus AB, AP Comp Sci, AP US Govt, AP Bio, honors spanish & english

Test scores
ACT 35 (freshman year, will retake this year)
SAT 2370
PSAT 235 (hopefully will get natl merit)
AP World - 5
APUSH - 5
AP Psych (self-study) - 5

ECs
DECA- made it to internationals last year (soph) but not this year, board member this year but probably not next year
NHS
Students without borders
Destination Imagination- made it to Global Finals last year, not doing it this year
played piano and violin but stopped

Took MMPC (state-wide math test), qualified for part 2 (top 1000 students) and placed in top 400 (I didn’t study this year, hopefully will place higher when I take it next year)

I know my GPA is not very good and my ECs suck but what are my chances and how can I improve them? I’m applying to a couple summer programs and will get a job once I turn 16 (in May).

Thank you!!!

i don’t think they’ll reject you with these scores

as you can see here : http://collegeapps.about.com/od/GPA-SAT-ACT-Graphs/ss/university-of-michigan-admission-gpa-sat-act.htm

You’re the textbook one sided academic applicant. Nothing besides test scores and grades make you different. If you apply to a school that is trying to raise their average test scores I think you’ll get in. Otherwise, I think your chances are just okay. Overall, it looks like you’re trying to “humble brag” even though you’re not far passed anyone else, and I really don’t think your chances are any higher than someone with reasonable SAT scores that does things outside of school.

Think about this for a second, if you were deciding who to admit, would you want someone with a high GPA and 2400 that has done nothing but prep classes and studying for his entire high school career or someone with a 2200 and 3.8 that has been active in his community, proved leadership through playing sports, started and participated in clubs, and shown a passion for their major? I really don’t know which of those you’d chose, but if you chose the 2400, do you really think test scores show that a student can lead and innovate in the same way sports and passion does?

Anyways, I’d say you’re doing okay. Maybe a mid reach?

P.S. Taking the ACT in the June after a year isn’t part of that school year, it is part of the next year. When you took it in June 2013 that’s normally considered sophomore year.

@MandarinSin‌ I’m definitely not bragging (and just to be clear, I realize that I’ve been incredibly lazy; I don’t take prep classes though, just good at test-taking, but everyone knows the tests are complete BS anyways)! Actually, if I don’t get into UM (I’m in-state) I don’t even know what my parents will do–in their minds that’s my “safety” school : ’ ). I mean, they moved out here to give me better opportunities, so I know I’ll feel like a piece of shit…Looking back on the choices I made, I feel really guilty now for giving up on everything. However, the past is in the past, what would you recommend I do here on out to improve my chances? I could join a spring sport, but I’m extremely unathletic and I honestly don’t know what my major will be at all…I was thinking maybe a merit-based summer program? Or would working be better? I’m scared sick that I won’t get in because my parents are expecting so much from me…

@MandarinSin mid reach ? i’ll have to disagree totally. And by the way i don’t see how “sports show a student can lead and innovate”. Being good at running after a ball doesn’t say much about academic capability.
It’s hard for a 17 year old to have a strong passion when she has yet to discover what life really is. How can you show passion for your major when you have yet to discover what it really is about ? 70 % of graduating students have changed their major once, that speaks for itself.

There is so much hypocrisy in this system, you think all these kids do volunteering and tons of internships and competitions for “passion” ? No they do it so that it would look nice on their résumé for the ivy league admission office.

You know what test scores tell me ? The kid is smart and has good academic potential, which is what they want. Do they want well rounded students ? No, they want well rounded Classes, and that makes the whole difference. They want young people who have the potential to succeed in their carreer and bring back money to the university. Rounded people is bullshit. Being average at everything is not going to serve you in life. Be an expert in one field and yes, you will succeed.

Mid reach ? What on earth are you talking about, UMich, 30 % admission rate, average SAT 2050, and believe me, most of these kids didn’t cure Ebola on the week-ends.

Good luck to you @itsmyusername

@meriks‌ your theory is great, but it isn’t backed up by facts(where they are available anyway). Why on earth isn’t every ivy accepting even 50% of 2400s? They’re accepting around 20% or less. No top school wants a kid whose talent is test taking. Not to say it won’t help or doesn’t show some skill but its obviously not getting people to the top schools. The reason the acceptance rates are high(er) for 2400 students generally isn’t just because they got a 2400, it is because the type of students that get those scores generally have other stellar things. Look at this for a good explaination of it http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/the-difficulty-with-data

Some of the facts show that scores alone aren’t getting people in. Maybe a second look but without anything else they aren’t setting people at top universities. Heck, look at Brown(http://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/explore/admission-facts) a noticibly more selective institution(about a third of the acceptance rate but about the same SAT average. I picked it because it is one of the few that releases a “just perfect scores” number). Less than one of every 4 perfect ACT students is accepted. Say you raise that to 45-55 or even 65 since UMich isn’t quiet a Brown caliber school… that’s still a reach, and he isnt exactly a “standout” top scorer in my opinion.

Why on earth do they bother having you list all your ECs if all they really want is a broad ramge of classes…? ECs and passions outside of school help tons of kids to get in o college. A story about your goals? Good essay. Showing commitment and working towards the goals? Even better.

If you’re too ignorant to realize that being a captain on team or starting a club DOES build leadership skills that are useful in just about everything, I don’t know how you convince you otherwise. Sorry for being condescending but being the captain of a team or starting clubs is a pretty obvious and good way to show team buiding and skills working with people as well as commitment.

A passion doesn’t mean curing Ebola or even something related to college. If your passion is animals… working at a vet. if it is computers writing software and releasing it. There are tons of ways to how what youre interested in/care about without making some ungodly discovery. Look at the current posts, there is a guy who does tons for veganism. Its his passion and even if you argue it isn’t a passion at least he is doing SOMETHING. A generic EC list is better than the current state of almost nothing at all.

Do you really think that the test scores prove how smart someone is…? Someone with a 2300 is undoubtedly smarter than a 2000? That is what… 10 questions? Why is he getting B’s when he is “clearly” one of the best students around? Heck, look at the highest IQs in the world… quite a few are either farmers or security guys. Being able to study and do well on the SAT doesn’t make you any smarter than studying and doing well on something like an algebra exam… the big difference is that one helps with college.
Heck, I spent about two weeks studying for it in 7th grade and ended up with quite a few points over the national average. Does that make me some sort of genius? Not at all. It makes me someone willing to put time in. Obviously it comes easier to some but the real difference between a 2000 and a 2300 is just the level of effort put in. That is why places like MENSA don’t accept it anymore because it doesn’t measure raw intelligent. It measures a few very narrow fields and if you’re good at those you’ll do good. There isn’t a better way but you’re wrong if you think that those tests directly correlate with intelligence.

Depending on what you consider a match, I guess you could say he has a 60% chance or so. (I always heard 50 or so is a reach, 75 is a match and 95+ is a safety).

Just re read it and I sound bit condescending… Sorry about that.I hope you don’t think I’m too in to it. I guess I just think there is more to an app than scores even at a non top 10 school.

P.S. I do hope you get in and think you have a good shot. I just don’t think it is an 80%+ shot.

P.S. P.S. On a phone so my spelling and grammar might be bad, sorry.

@MandarinSin I don’t think having a low score means you’re less intelligent (because what is the definition of intelligence anyway) but having a near perfect is being “smart” in a way that colleges want you to be, academic “smart”.

But i agree if you say reach is 50%, i thought reach was below 20 % or so