What is wrong with UMich?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
61

<p>^ as a remark, I disagree with baseballa as well.</p>

<p>First of all, I don’t think not being accepted by Michigan has to do with “not working hard in high school.” For instance, how could someone get very high gpa (3.9+) and sat scores without working hard? Oh, maybe if he’s a genius, he might. But a genius would never apply to Michigan, right? He would more likely apply to more prestigious schools.
And your opinion about test scores and gpa is partially true, but quite misleading. Generally, (about 80~90% of the time) people w/ high gpa and sat scores also have decent or excellent ECs. I haven’t seen many students with low grades and test scores and yet motivated to do lots of ECs.
And yes, maybe I wasn’t “good enough” to get into Michigan early, but in fact, I consider Michigan “not good enough” for myself as well. I applied there considering it as a safety school and the only time it dragged my attention was after they deferred me on EA. But, I got into more well reputed and selective colleges and won’t go to Michigan even if they accept me later. It’s that

</p>

62

<p>I’m more or less just disappointed in the lack of encouragement on this thread. All of you are basically saying that because I wasn’t accepted EA, I failed the past four years of my life by Michigan’s standards and should totally give up going there. Well I refuse, screw what you say, I know I worked hard and deserve to go to Michigan, I don’t see myself anywhere else and I’m not going to let you tell me that I won’t be there. That’s the admissions office’s job, not yours.Now, I’m pretty sure I speak for most EA applicants here, but I won’t put that label over this post.</p>

63

<p>Guess what? I have a 3.9/crazy vigorous and 4.4 weighted. 2170 sats /EC out the wazoo/leadership/sports/art awards/state/county awards athletics. Great essays (IMHO) and great recs. …DEFERRED. Crappy public school oos with less than avg sats. 9 APS and 17 honor classes. Never thought of it as a safety but don’t blame less than stellar applicants or could have worked harder. Granted SAT is not genius level. Sometimes it really is a dart being thrown. Some people got hit with the dart and some didn’t. Sure some people are a no brainer for admissions but others just got unlucky. Convince yourself that you earned it and are better than others; you’ll do real well in life. Cuz there is good luck and bad luck and karma can be a real b<em>&</em>h. And yes, I am waiting and hoping that I still get in. But not gonna think its MY FAULT or the end of the world or that you are better than me. You got lucky this time. I’ll get lucky next time and maybe it will be something that really matters.</p>

64

<p>@dazednconfused- I hope you weren’t talking to me cause we’re on the same side there.</p>

65

<p>hhhahahahhaha Nope, agreeing with you. I’m still hopeful and don’t want to hear from any more pretentious jerks. :)</p>

66

<p>Dazednconfused- amen, (:</p>

67

<p>Few comments. First of all, some if you really need to get over yourselves. “Michigan isn’t good enough for me” Who the **** do you think you are? Especially after you didn’t get in. It makes you sound really pathetic. Like you were in the gifted program in elementary school and since then you’ve thought you were better than everyone else. </p>

<p>To use “luck” as the reason you didn’t get in is also kinda pathetic. They’ll admit who’s good enough and reject/defer the rest. The reason you weren’t accepted yet has nothing to do with luck.</p>

<p>Finally, to the one that said they refuse to not see themselves going to Michigan. Determination is great, but you need to be realistic and prepare for yje worst. Better than you building it up and then come tumbling down.</p>

<p>Also, id like to state I am happy I was born a tear before you guys and was able to apply before the common app. Getting defered EA must suck and I may or may not have been. But I am happy I didn’t have to go through it.</p>

68

<p>*I refuse to see myself not going there until admissions tells me not to. I, of course, have safety schools I’d be happy with, but it’s not the dream.</p>

69

<p>xenosidesaga,
first of all, you’re an international. You can’t really call any school safeties, let alone Michigan. Your SAT is OK but in no way phenomenal, especially relative to other intl applicants. And now you’re saying you’re too good for Michigan. Wow. I’m sure your cockiness/lack of interest in this “safety” school was apparent your app.
Best luck elsewhere, you’ll need it.</p>

70

<p>Lol @ the people saying Mich isn’t a safety. Ummm yes it is.</p>

71

<p>“I applied there considering it as a safety school and the only time it dragged my attention was after they deferred me on EA. But, I got into more well reputed and selective colleges and won’t go to Michigan even if they accept me later.”</p>

<p>Xeno, I assume you were admitted into either Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford or Yale because few other universities can make a legitimate claim to being “more well reputed” than Michigan. Of course, we are each entitled to our opinion. It is certainly possible than in your social millieu, Michigan is not that well “reputed”. In some circles, Michigan is held in very high esteem while in others, it is not as well known. The same can be said of all US universities not named Harvard. One of the things that gives Michigan a reputational boost is its well-roundedness. Without exaggerating, Michigan is one of the most well rounded university in the US. It is hard to argue against that claim. You may find universities that are better in some ways, but you will not find a university that is more well rounded. That gives Michigan an appeal that crosses </p>

<p>For example:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Michigan’s Medical school was ranked #6 in the latest ranking. As such, most people in the medical profession, as well as people interested in studying medicine, will know and respect Michigan a great deal, regardless of where they completed their undergraduate or graduate studies. One third of Michigan Medical school students completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan.</p></li>
<li><p>Michigan’s Law school was considered formed what was known as the “Holy Trinity” of law schools along with Harvard and Yale through the 60s, 70s and 80s. Today, it is still considered among the top 6 or 7 Law schools in the US. As such, people in the the legal profession or students interested in pursuing studies in Law will know Michigan and respect it a great deal, regardless of where they completed their undergraduate or graduate studies. Again, one third of Michigan Law school students completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan.</p></li>
<li><p>Michigan’s Business school is considered among the top 5 (second only to Wharton) at the undergraduate level and among the top 10 at the graduate level. Michigan BBAs are, on average, the third highest paid coming out of college and Michigan MBAs are, on average, the fifth highest paid coming out of the MBA program. As such, in the corporate world, Michigan’s brand name is exceptionally strong. Major companies such as West Coast techs (Google, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, etc…), Wall Street giants (such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, McKinsey, Bain, BCG etc…) and heavy industry (such as Lockhead Martin, Boeing, GE, GM, Ford etc…) all consider Ross (Michigan’s business school) as one of their “strategic” campuses for both undergraduate and graduate recruitment.</p></li>
<li><p>Michigan’s school of Engineering is generally ranked among the top 10 in the nation. It was ranked #7 at the undergraduate level and #8 at the graduate level in most recent ranking. In the Engineering/Tech domain and industry, only MIT, Stanford, Cal and Caltech are considered better than Michigan. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Michigan is one of just two universities that is ranked among the top 10 in the four principle professional fields, the other one being Stanford.</p>

<p>In the traditional disciplines, Michigan is equally as well rounded:</p>

<p>Social Sciences:
Anthropology: top 5 nationally
Economics: #12
Political Science: #4
Psychology: #3
Sociology: #3</p>

<p>Humanities:
Classics: top 10 nationally
English: #12
History: #7
Philosophy: top 5 nationally</p>

<p>Sciences:
Biology: #20
Chemistry: #16
Computer Science: #13
Mathematics: #8
Physics: #11</p>

<p>Other top ranked programs:
Architecture: top 10
Dentistry: #5
Education: #12
Music: Top 10
Nursing: #4
Pharmacy: #5
Public Health: #5
Social Work: #2</p>

<p>In short, most experts in virtually every field of study and/or profession will respect Michigan because it is a leader in her/his chosen field.</p>

<p>Other distinguishing features:
Wealth:</p>

<p>Endowment: $6.6 billion (6th largest single campus endowment in the US). When you take into consideration state appropriations, Michigan is one of the 15 wealthiest universities on a per/student basis.</p>

<p>Michigan’s library contains over 9 million titles, making it one of the 10 largest university libraries in the world.</p>

<p>The University of Michigan hospital is one of the top 15 Hospitals in the United States</p>

<p>Athletics:
American Football: Although in the midst of a three-year draught, Michigan football is arguably the most storied program in college athletics. The program has:

  • won more games than any other program
  • the highest historic winning precentage of any program
  • a winning record against most other top 10 programs including Notre Dame, Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State
  • the largest stadium in the nation, seating over 110,000 spectators per game
  • the most recognized fight song and uniforms in all of US college sports</p>

<p>Hockey: Michigan has won more national championships (9) than any other college program and has made it to more Frozen Fours than any other program.</p>

<p>Basketball: Although not a powerhouse in basketball, Michigan has one a national championship back in 1989. </p>

<p>Michigan is also a powerhouse in sports such as Gymnastics (men and women), Swimming, Wrestling, Softball etc…</p>

<p>Thanks to its rich athletics tradition, Michigan also appeals to the masses who follow sports.</p>

72

<p>FATALITY</p>

<p>Alexandre Wins!</p>

<p>Engineering + Football = perfect</p>

73

<p>Hahaha, I can already see the minor success of a UMich acceptance getting to some students’ heads. You are not better than those deferred SIMPLY because you were accepted - there is definitely some luck involved in the college admissions process (just because of the sheer numbers of applications). Just look at dazdnconfused’s general stats - they’re already better than that of a lot of students I’ve seen accepted (and anyone can write a good essay if one spends time on it).</p>

<p>To be honest, though, I must admit that I applied to and was accepted by Michigan 4 years ago thinking it was my safety (and it somewhat was, based on the other colleges I applied to + my HS’s reputation - pretty risky on my part), but even so - so what? You seriously cannot deny the distinction a Michigan education (at least for engineering) has in the workplace - unless you’re 18 years old, which is what many of the detractors in this thread seem to be.</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone who was deferred.</p>

74

<p>^FWIW, I’m not letting anyone presumptuous or arrogant off the hook here, but I do know very highly talented students who did not get into UMich when my own son not only got in but won two scholarships. Objectively, while my son is awesome, his one particular friend who was rejected seemed to me the better overall student in many ways (statistically as well). But my son had a particular and dramatic strength in his area of study for which he’d received awards/reccs etc. and I think in retrospect was a little better at marketing himself via the application and supplements.</p>

<p>So in fairness, being deferred, or even rejected, in many cases does not NECESSARILY reflect the overall quality of a student’s high school performance and standardized tests. What it reflects is that there wasn’t an obvious hook/strength/role/distinction that was easily clear in the application to the admission committee. It is entirely possible that uncontrollable variables, such as the coherence of a recommendation letter or the perceived caliber of one’s school result in a lower admit score than others with equivalent stats. </p>

<p>Example - son’s friend ended up with a full ride to a top tier private. That private, we suspect, was looking for something slightly different than the program at UMich had. </p>

<p>SO, don’t make it mean more than it means, and don’t let it define you.</p>

<p>PS - Great post, Alexander. You should pin that one ;)</p>

75

<p>The common application is really doing a number on high school students this year. I feel sorry for all those well qualified applicants who still haven’t heard their final decision yet. :-(</p>

76

<p>irose:</p>

<p>i respect that you really want to get in (compared to these other sore losers like xeno). however, dont disagree with me without reason.</p>

<p>xeno:</p>

<p>i don’t see the point in your argument regarding 3.9 GPA. the only way i see students obtaining 3.9+ GPA in high school is through hard work. yes, there is an exception to a very few students who don’t work hard and obtain such high grades, but even still, since usually they are LAZY they do not have the types of ECs that will be looked at by admissions. they will most likely only have just high GPAs and high test scores… which is very mediocre at best. those are students i see failing here at the engineering school. they may apply to more pretigious schools, thinking that they are much smarter than their peers, but they won’t get in. so my argument still stands, that if you were deferred in the EA round, you simply did NOT work hard enough during high school. it doesn’t directly relate to just grades. you could have worked harder in obtaining ECs, awards, etc… to make you a better applicant.</p>

<p>and actually, i have seen a lot of those. there were mid 20 ACT students who had spectacular ECs, such as studying abroad or being a senate page. grades don’t necessarily correlate to the rest of their resume, but work ethic does.</p>

<p>daz:</p>

<p>yes, maybe you were unlucky, but quit acting like you were such a stellar applicant. it’s comical for everyone here to hear how much you LOVE yourself (you, xeno, etc.). so many people here at michigan (at least engineering) have had stellar grades, stellar ECs, awards, etc. admissions is all about, well, like a curve. if you’re not better than your peers who are applying, then you didnt make the cut. plain and simple. how do you top your peers? well, you COULD have worked harder. that’s a very valid point that no one has yet refuted. who ever stated that i was so convinced that i deserved geting in? i totally agree that i was lucky in that i applied before the common app, but i worked my a$$ off in high school, as did most people that got in. and hey, we’re all talking about the EA round here, you still have a high chance of getting in ED. you have to quit whining, we’re all making fun of people like you because the whole point of it was that all of you cant wait til april and are complaining like little babies on here. again, i never stated that any one of us were better than you. all i said was work harder next time. </p>

<p>if anything, maybe all of us here just want people to accept that its much harder to get into UofM and that maybe it’s starting to not become a safety school anymore instead of stating how good you are, or THINK you are. that attitude kills most students here at michigan.</p>

77

<p>xeno-sorry Michigan isn’t “good enough for you” even though you got deferred. Since you are an international, I thought you might want to take a look at the most widely used workd university rankings on the planet. These are more accurate than USNWR since they place less emphasis on “peer evaluation” (aka, a school is good because it is supposed to be good) and more on the actual strength of the institution. These are also the most widely used rankings worldwide.
[QS</a> World University Rankings - Topuniversities](<a href=“http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010]QS”>http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010)
University of Michigan, 15th on the planet. Hope you’re happy wherever you end up.</p>

78

<p>FWIW, to the arrogant dumbass who says they’re going to a ‘way more prestigious school’ than the ‘safety school’ known as Michigan.</p>

<p>I got into Harvard (waitlisted then acccepted) and chose Michigan over that for precisely the reason that I didn’t want to hang out with entitlistic ****s who think they’re way better than everyone else, like you. Once you get to college, especially any of the ones ranked in the top 50, you’ll realize you’re average at best, or god forbidding, BELOW AVERAGE compared to your peers.</p>

<p>Some of the high schoolers in this thread are absolutely delusional. I hope I never come off this way to someone irl.</p>

79

<p>Oh and also, it’s ridiculously easy to get a 3.9+ in high school. It’s a complete joke. Especially given the fact that a significant amount of students cheat on a lot of things (don’t try to deny this - I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read about this sort of ****), and the fact that a lot of high school teachers are pushovers, it’s ridiculously easy to pull this off. Senior year I pulled a 4.6 while being hungover for class 2 out of 5 days basically every week (no this doesn’t make me cool - in fact it makes me look like a dumbass), while working a job 15 hours during the week. It’s not hard. get over yourselves.</p>

80

<p>i agree with almost everything you said except for the fact that you probably went to an easy high school because i know students at International Academy and some of the harder schools that don’t give out easy 4.0s. yes, i believe that at my school, it was pretty easy getting a 4.0 (pushover teachers, cheaters), but not all schools are like that.</p>

<p>however, this fact helps my argument even more. GRADES and TEST SCORES are definetly not 100% indicators for success. one could have easily obtained 3.9+ GPAs, and one could have obtained high test scores with countless hours and $1000+ of tutoring, which IMHO, isn’t exactly impressive. if anything they’re just numbers. cool, you got a 3.9+ GPA, but if the rest of your class got that as well, it doesn’t matter. admissions is you against all your peers. most students at this school obtained such “numbers” and “stats”. so thank you for that in order for the whiners and sore losers to shut up.</p>