@abschmidt6 a letter telling UMICH you are really interested in going; Basically if you got deferred cause of high stats, it shows them that they aren’t just a back up school .
@GoPack87 I read early January on last year’s Rd forum
@typoichik I read they are too busy right now and have a lot of handle. So I would suggest waiting until first week after new years so you’re not lost in all that they have going on right now.
@RugbyDude6 So is that an actual letter or an email? Is it too late to send to other EA Schools that I haven’t heard back from yet. Like one of my safety schools gets back to me in late January, so would it be too late to send them a letter of intent now?
Yeah, I mean if I’m being honest, I’ve had mine written for about two weeks now, so I could send it right now if I wanted to. I just don’t want it getting lost in the rush like @RugbyDude6 said. I’ll probably go for the second week of January.
I’m asking a couple of people that got deferred last year whether it was an actual email or a letter. I’ll get back to you when I find out.
As for sending to other schools, from my understanding, it’s sent after you get deferred so that they understand you want to go there. It wouldn’t make sense to send to your EA schools right now. I don’t know of many other colleges that defer high stat applicants to maintain a yield rate.
@RugbyDude6 @abschmidt6 It’s normally just a letter sent to your regional admissions counselor, but I’ve heard of some people sending an actual paper letter as well. The college counselor at my school who used to work in a college admissions office told me that an email was the best way to go.
@RugbyDude6 Great thanks! Is it worth sending to a reach or target school after you get deferred?
I was planning on waiting to send a letter of interest after my semester grades are in but is that too late? And in my letter I was planning on basically just telling them that I really want to go to Michigan, is it weird sending an email just telling them I want to attend?
One more question! Is it possible to add another recommendation to my application?
I talked to a current UMich student who got deferred last year but was accepted later on. What I got from him:
-an email is what you should send
-wait a while so you don’t get lost with how overwhelmed admissions is right now
I have heard the same thing from current students experiencing the same situation as us! Mid January or the end of the week we return from break is ideal for a letter a counselor will get to read.
True! ^
Plus, they all would be prepping for their Christmas breaks.
We could send in the email after the end of the first week of January.
I sent mine out on Friday night…since I haven’t gotten a response, should I resend it after Christmas break if I don’t get a response by then?
Moving over from the other EA deferral thread. S will send letter of intend in January. He already emailed his HS counselor regarding sending in mid year grades/report. It will be sent after mid January.
So…I don’t do anything now to my umich application right? Don’t need to resend or anything, just send them a letter of intent to boost my chances and send them my 1st semester report at the end of January?
@barcodeIlIl I believe so! Hope we all hear great news soon!!
(1)
Dear ____,
Thank you for your application to the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts for Fall 2016. We are pleased that you have applied and are impressed with your achievements. However, our high application volume, coupled with the very strong credentials of our applicants in recent years, has contributed to an increasingly competitive admissions process. As a result, we are writing to inform you that your application is currently being deferred for further review.
While we recognize this is not the answer that you were hoping to hear, perhaps particularly so because of your family ties with the University, your application remains under consideration. All final admissions decisions of admit, deny, or waitlist will be made no later than early April, 2016.
Strong fall semester or trimester grades may improve your status in the deferred pool of applicants. Therefore, please ask your high school counselor to forward them when they become available. Beyond that, we are confident that the information you have given us is more than sufficient for a final decision. The most successful candidates send us only what we require. Please refer to the website https://umich.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2080 for FAQ’s about the admission process and what to do next.
We hope your interest in Michigan continues. You have our best wishes for an enjoyable and successful end of your senior year.
Sincerely,
Erica L. Sanders
(2)
Dear ____:
Thank you for your freshman application to the University of Michigan. After an initial individualized and comprehensive review of your application, we have determined that we will need additional information in order to make a final decision. We will not re-evaluate your application file until after our regular decision deadline of February 1, 2016. We need this additional information and time to ensure that we give your application the best possible review. We will notify you of a final decision on your application by early April.
The quality of grades earned in academic courses is one of several critical factors taken into consideration in evaluating a student’s competitive admissibility. To give your application a final evaluation, we will need your fall semester or first trimester grades. Because it is important that we receive these grades as soon as possible, please request to have a PDF of your grades sent from the issuing institution to our office via an e-transcript vendor or to ecredentials@umich.edu. If your counselor sent the initial School Report for your application through The Common Application online portal, they will need to complete the 2015-2016 MidYear Report using the same method. Otherwise, please ask your high school counselor to fax a report of these grades to our office at 734-936-0740.
Be sure your U-M ID ******** is on all materials submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
We appreciate your interest in the University of Michigan and look forward to receiving the information requested. If you have specific follow-up questions, please visit https://umich.custhelp.com or phone 734-764-7433. We look forward to reviewing your completed application and appreciate your interest in the University of Michigan.
Go Blue!
University of Michigan
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Hard to say if one is “better” than the other, but I would say the second letter feels somewhat better as it specifically mentions they need the fall semester transcript - as soon as possible - in order to make a “final evaluation”. They also insert the applicant’s personal UM ID and remind them to include it with all communications. In contrast, the first letter says strong grades might help and send them “when they become available” and then basically says “don’t send anything else”.
Odd that there are even two forms of the letter, and that one is sent by a named rep from admissions (Ms. Sanders) and the other is not.
Thoughts?
I will post this on the deferral thread as well. Best of luck to everyone!
GO BLUE!
S got one similar to #1
I got deferred in state, 31 ACT, 3.8 UWGPA, very strong ECs, amazing letter of rec from an alum, tremendous interest in my essays. Really unsure of why I was deferred.
I sent a letter of interest the morning after I was deferred. I got a response this morning. Did anyone else send one and get a reply?
@WolverineGrad I’ve heard about one for legacies too. Previous years say there isn’t much of a connection between the letters and later acceptances - at the end of the day you should be sending your second semester grades and a letter of interest, and any other materials you feel necessary.
@gabidecost I don’t have any more exams until March, so I won’t be able to send in any grades :’)
@McKilla99 does your school work in trimesters??