<p>Hey! I’m an admitted transfer student coming in as a junior for Fall 2011 and I have some info/experience that I think might REALLY help you.</p>
<p>-When’s the best time to apply to UMich as a transfer?
You should apply to transfer as a JUNIOR. UMich specifically states that they give preference to transfers coming in at the junior level (55+ transferable credit). The app becomes available via the Common App sometime in August like the post above me said, but they are probably going to wait to give you a decision until they have your fall grades for your sophomore year. My advice would be to spend fall semester writing great essays for your app and getting really good grades; then on, say, January 1, send in your app and your most recent transcript. A word of caution: it is probably a waste of your money and time to apply as anything other than a junior transfer. Transferring as a first- or second-semester sophomore is not unheard of, but transfers are MUCH more often accepted for the junior level.</p>
<p>-What stats should I have in college?
Anything above a 3.5 or 3.6 should be acceptable; I had a 3.86 GPA when I was admitted. However, number of credits is almost as important as GPA; I got rejected for sophomore transfer with a 3.84 and accepted as a junior transfer with a 3.86! Only difference: # of credits.</p>
<p>-What stats should I have had in HS?
It depends. It seems like most transfer admits had fairly mediocre stats but not awful ones; I myself had about a 3.4 HS GPA and zero HS extracurriculars; the more credits/grades you have in college, the less heavily they weigh your HS stats as indicators of success at UMich, and thus they matter less.</p>
<p>-Does SAT and/or ACT scores count a lot once in college and applying as a transfer?
I’m not sure about this one; all I know is that I had a 28 ACT and a 1900 SAT, neither of which are stellar scores (for example, I had a 490/800 as a Math SAT score - yikes), so I just submitted my ACT even though it’s on the low end of UMich ACT averages, and I got in.</p>
<p>-What classes should I take at QC in order to get credited for at UMich? (I want to get into elementary education)
You should check out the UMich transfer equivalencies AND the general academic requirements for your college (I’m guessing your LSA). There are lots of distribution requirements - language, English comp, natural science, humanities, etc. - that you can take pretty easily at your current college and have them transferred over. However, don’t ignore classes that focus on your area of study - try to take some courses that are specific to Elementary Ed if you can, but make sure you include basic ones too. If you are accepted, you won’t want to be doing your freshman writing requirement as a junior!</p>
<p>-Does a transfer student get as much financial aid as a freshman student would?
I’m not sure about this one. You might want to call Financial Aid at UMich and ask them for some more info.</p>
<p>-Is UMich worth the hassle of transferring?
Yes, I think so - not only is a Michigan degree very prestigious, it sounds like you really want to be a part of the Michigan community and that it would be a good fit for you. Having a great time in college, networking at a university you love, joining clubs with cool people, and generally opening up opportunities for yourself - those are just as important as the prestige of the name on your degree, and all those things will come to you if you are at a university you love. Sounds like UMich is the place for you 
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<p>-Should I just graduate from QC and apply to UMich for grad school?
That’s your call. If you get in as a transfer and are able/want to attend, you can always stick around and do your grad work at UMich too. Also, a UMich degree with a great GPA might help you gain admission to higher-ranked grad schools, although that is sometimes a toss-up. If you don’t get in as a transfer, you can always keep UMich in mind for grad school!</p>
<p>Overall, you sound motivated and capable. Michigan is really open to transfer students - if you do well, stack up lots of credit hours, write good essays/have good recs & extracurriculars, and overall show lots of love and enthusiasm for Michigan, there is a great chance they’ll take you. After all, they took me - I got waitlisted in high school, rejected for sophomore transfer, and then finally accepted for fall, after 2 rejections. Persevere, work hard, have fun, and go blue!</p>
<p>Oh, and if you have any more questions, PM me, I would be happy to answer them. I know the transfer process can be a little tricky and confusing, and College Confidential is a great place to get a little info and advice :)</p>