Are most people asked to write the LOCI or is it half and half? Sorry if this has been asked already - I have resorted to “secretly” getting on this forum because my son shakes his head every time he sees me on it. Maybe he thinks I need a CC recovery program!
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sounds like the HAIL scholarship? My son was offered that also, but as of now is deferred so hoping he gets in so he can use that for full tuition.
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welcome to the club! lol. i think most of us are approaching “secret CC nerd status.” no shame in that game.
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Yep, this is my thoughts as well. My son had 6 semesters of consistent grades. I am sure they knew by asking for only his 7th semester, it wouldn’t reveal much at all, other than more consistency. So, he has to do the essay. Michigan tends to do this with kids from our school, defer the highest stats kids and let in ones with lower ones. Only 1 kid with higher stats than him was accepted, while about 15-20 kids total from our school altogether were. So while UM is not his top choice, that also doesn’t mean he isn’t interested at all, so he will let them know he is interested, and if he weren’t then he wouldn’t spend the time writing the essay, sending his most recent accomplishment and would just move on.
He also sent his transcript right away on Friday after he was deferred, and they downloaded it the same night, so right there that should also go in the category of a kid not just blowing them off or needing time to think about it.
He may still not get in, but at least this wasn’t December with the wait being months, not it will just be weeks.
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People are asked to write Loci as one way to gauge interest. If sending in grades also Michigan takes it seriously that the kids are still learning. You might need to be remote in the fall so…
So many were sending them in, in previous years when they didn’t want them, so maybe they caved.
I honestly wouldn’t read anything into their requests. Just do as they ask.
I have had kids send in LOI… Letter of Interest prior to the EA release and they were all accepted… But they were all top students… But they showed they wanted to be here… FYI for future applicants.
Good advice - thank you! I have another child applying for next year. I may actually know what I’m doing by then!
I’m sure I’m being overly simplistic and the algorithm has layers of nuances, geography, demographics, etc. I think the “better options” may go in either direction.
My D18 was offered a 1,000-word essay option from a T20 school and she basically said “screw you,” I’m going to Michigan. If you believe the rankings, then Michigan was the “lesser” option.
The other possibility is that the essays one wrote weren’t very good and Michigan is looking for another writing sample. 
the HAIL scholarship only covers tuition so would think you would still pay a deposit and then that would just apply to your housing bill?
Do we have to accept the admission offer in order to receive a unique id and to apply for honors?
hi guys, i was wondering if anyone could give some advice on the LOCI. im not really sure how to start it off. got deferred from LSA.
So, this is what I already said to someone earlier:
In your LOCI you can add to your “Why UMich essay”. Make a new research, find other reasons why UMich is a great fit for you and write about that. (just make sure that you are not repeating what you have said in your application earlier). Also, you can write about new hobbies/passions/accomplishments, but for sure connect everything back to “why UMich is your top choice/best school”. Focus on why this schools and their values appeal to you. With this essay the are trying to find out couple of things:
- Who you will be as a student (what are your passions, what is important to you, etc)
- Is Umich your top choice
- Did you do the research on the school.
So, make everything to prove them that you are the right fit for the school.
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thanks, I appreciate the help!
I received an email with a merit scholarship last night! Did anyone else in-state get the regents scholarship?
What do you mean? Doesn’t every deferred applicant get the form to verify continued interest?
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No. Not everyone
Just to add. I tell people to let Michigan know why you should be accepted and how you will be an active part of the school’s community. How will you contribute to make Michigan better?
@Knowsstuff and @sushiritto I wanted to just follow up as you both tried to help answer my questions switching from CoE to LS&A at the 11th hour. As you also pointed out, someone searching later may still wonder about the answer to the question as well.
I’ve left two message now with the CoE Admissions office to ask about addressing the SAT question. I did speak with someone in the regular admissions office on Monday afternoon. They did say my D could change her application to LS&A but it probably should be accompanied with a new essay explaining why she was now interested in that school. My D and I agreed that would be disingenuous and decided to stay the course. She has already submitted her fall transcript and is writing her knockout LOCI as I type this. If she’s not accepted at UM, I’m sure she will do just as well somewhere else.
Thanks again for the helpful info provided here.
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We went to a presentation for Duke and was told something similar and we repeated it over and over to my daughter during the application process. The person who spoke also said they could easily fill their freshman class with kids with perfect GPA’s and test scores, but that’s not what they want. They look at it like building a football team. You don’t wall all quarterbacks on your team, you need people to play all the positions. So, if you’re a quarterback, even an amazing one, if they already have enough quarterbacks, you might get denied and a kicker will be admitted instead.
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That is a very smart course of action. Good Luck.
BTW - I would still try to get in touch with the engineering person I sent. Hint : email… Don’t call…