What are my son's chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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<p>My husband and I are both Michigan MBAs and needless to say had a wonderful experience at the school. We would love for our son to go there if he can make it in. Can anyone look at his stats and tell me what they think? (Also, with a state school, does anything besides the numbers really count?) He is a junior this year.</p>

<p>--GPA: 3.4 (weighted) (Accelerated courses, i.e. Honors Bio in 9th grade, Honors Chem in 10th...Honors Algebra II in 9th grade but regular Pre-Calc in 10th. Honors English in 9th grade. However, no honors courses taken at all in Junior year.) Very competitive school. No rankings. Very bright but definitely underachieved for awhile...pulling things up now but has moved off of the honors track...may get back on it for senior year.</p>

<p>--SATs: On sample tests so far, 700 in math, 640 reading, 580 writing (without essay)...hope to bring this up with a bit of tutoring but who knows of course.</p>

<p>--Varsity football team, four years
JV indoor track (discus), Junior year (just decided to try it) and maybe next year too</p>

<p>--Treasurer of his grade (elected), Freshman, Sophmore, Junior years...will probably get it next year too. Coach of the Junior/Senior girls football game, won citizenship award last year...generally viewed as a leader in the school.</p>

<p>--Works a part-time job at a local grocery store...worked full time during the summer and now does about 5-10 hours per week but less during football season (Sundays only, as that is the only day he has free during football.)</p>

<p>--Concert Band (Drums)</p>

<p>--Served about 50 hours of community service during high school so far.</p>

<p>--Citizenship award</p>

<p>--Very outgoing, charming, funny...any college that does interviews would only help him. Good public speaker. (No debate team at our school.) (Can one request an interview at Michigan?)</p>

<p>We are out of state (Connecticut). Two alum parents (for what it's worth) and several other alumni in the family.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help!</p>

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<p>As it stands, your son is a reach. However, he still has plenty of time to get his SAT up (try the ACT too, as I found it a lot easier). As for the GPA, Michigan only looks at Sophomore and Junior grades unless he gets deferred after he applies (if that happens, they'll ask for his first semester senior grades - I think). Since he's out of state, it's difficult to say what an appropriate GPA is. I've seen plenty of OOS applicants on CC who are borderline with 3.7/3.8s.</p>

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<p>I think the double legacy will get him in.</p>

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<p>Thank you both.</p>

<p>Does legacy count the same if the parents went to grad school there? And...does legacy count that much?</p>

<p>Well his GPA will be higher if we drop Freshman year...I'll do the calculations and check into that. I imagine, though, that we are talking about a 3.6 or 3.7 instead of a 3.4, so not any great increase. He was also planning on trying the ACTs...although I thought, for some reason, that they were better for kids who have more difficulty on the math section....</p>

<p>Thank you again!</p>

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<p>Keep in mind than Michigan only looks at unweighed GPA for 10 and 11 grades...and only for "academic" subjects, like Math, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Languages etc...</p>

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<p>He should definitely try the ACT. </p>

<p>Using the info in your post, I doubt he'll get in even with the legacy.</p>

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<p>By unweighted:</p>

<p>A+/A/A- = 4.0
B+/B/B- = 3.0
C+/C/C- = 2.0</p>

<p>I'm not sure what the mean OOS test score is for freshmen, but I'd guess and say it's somewhere around a 2100 SAT and a 32 ACT. It might even be a little higher than that because OOS competition is quite tough. If your son is failing to consistently reach 2100 on the SAT, then he should strongly consider the ACT. It's not difficult at all to get a 32, while getting 2100 on the SAT is pretty challenging.</p>

<p>Don't underestimate the increase from a 3.4 to a 3.6+ in GPA. As Alexandre said in a previous thread, the difference in 0.2 GPA is much more significant than a difference between, say, a 30 and 32 ACT, or a 2000 and 2150 SAT.</p>

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<p>Also, his GPA is weighted at a 3.4. That would mean that his unweighted GPA is even lower.</p>

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<p>^
agreed. unless he can pull a 4.0 this next semester, chances are pretty slim for admissions.</p>

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<p>I would not lose hope, double legacy gives him a real boost.</p>

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<p>RTR: My son was just awarded admission AND a generous scholarship with what on these boards would be viewed to be "subpar" Michigan stats but outstanding recommendations, a top ranked public school, and a definite trend line UP from a 3.4 in gr. 10 (to 3.94 in junior year). His SATs were 650/650/670. His ACT was composite 30.(First sitting on each.)
However, his ACT Eng was 34 and he writes exceptionally well, which quite possibly contributed greatly to his admissibility via the essays.
I just wanted you to know that in my opinion, Michigan does take a very holistic view of the candidates, and, I suspect, places significant weight on the caliber of school attended. So if you're son is improving and the school is well respected, it is entirely possible he could be admitted. Good luck!</p>

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<p>On the topic of GPAs, an unweighted GPA isn't always lower than it is when weighted. I have a 3.79W but a 3.85UW.</p>

<p>kmccrindle:</p>

<p>Are you in-state or out of state? If you are in-state, then I'm not the least bit surprised that your son was admitted, as the jump in his GPA was very steep. However, don't think that one component of the ACT helped out any more than the others - only the composite score matters. If you are OOS, then your son's essays must have been truly exceptional. That, and/or his extracurriculars were very good as well.</p>

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<p>Thank you again for all of the input. It is very much appreciated! </p>

<p>Can you all recommend other state schools that you think would be on the caliber of Michigan?</p>

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<p>It is somewhat dependent on the course of study, but in general terms I would say (in no particular order) Cal Berkley, Virginia, North Carolina, UCLA, Wisconsin, Illinois.</p>

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<p>I would also add UT-Austin and College of William and Mary.</p>

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<p>It's difficult to judge or evaluate your son because his standardized test scores are not finalized yet, but I would agree with most of the above on this thread that your son should try the ACT, or get that SAT score up, and then work on his gpa/essays and he should have a chance to get in.</p>

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<p>of the above, if UM is iffy, he has better luck only at Wisc and Ill</p>