<p>If you are interested in Michigan, you should definitely apply EA. The best way of improving your chances is to keep doing what you are doing. Most important is to keep your GPA up and to take a solid college prep curriculum in high school. ACT of 32 is good enough. A higher score will not do much to improve your chances but could improve your chances of merit aid. If you have not gone on a campus visit, that would be helpful. You may also want to visit a class in Ann Arbor - this would give you an experience that you could use for your essay. You will want to think about your essays -you will want to write an essay that gives the reader a feel for who you are as an individual. The readers only have a minute or two to read an essay and most will be forgotten. The essays change from year to year but not by much. There are essay writing workshops that can help give you direction. Think about teachers to ask for recommendations. You will want to find teachers who think of you as a student who has distinguished himself from other students. It doesn’t have to be the most popular teachers or the best teachers but should be someone who you have connected with. If your parents have gone to parent teacher conferences, they may be able to tell you which teachers had the best things to say about you. The summer program will not help you get in - go on the program only if you are interested in going.</p>
<p>I never said that you shouldn’t apply to a safety school but you shouldn’t worry about it too much. Your chances at U-M are pretty good. If you apply to MSU and IU, you will get into both of those. After those three (or other safeties, if you have no interest in MSU and IU), I would consider schools that are your dream schools (if you have any) or schools that can give you substantial merit aid (if finding a school less expensive than U-M with IS tuition is important to your family).</p>