<p>Caucasian female
out of state: Nebraska
challenging private school: highest grad requirements in the state
school doesn’t rank: 36 kids in my class
regular weighted gpa is 3.5
michigan gpa however is much lower around 3.2
Legacy: my mom, uncle, and cousin attended
ACT: still working on raising my scores…right now 26
great extra curriculars
work experience
volunteer hours
APs: European history, American history, Composition and writing, Literature, Bio, Statistics
i’ve taken the most challenging schedule possible</p>
<p>i’m hoping the fact my mom went there will help?
ahh i want to get in so badly, its my number one school. </p>
<p>do i have any chance?
also…
any advice to improve my chances?</p>
<p>I don’t know how heavily UMich weighs legacy, so I will judge using your stats. You need a high ACT to offset your low GPA - I would suggest studying for the next few weeks and retaking it in the fall. Even then it will be a reach with a 3.2. I don’t think it matters much if you come from a challenging school; at least, it didn’t much for my school (top public school in NY). People with low GPAs were almost all rejected, and some of them had fairly decent SATs (2100-2200, etc). My suggestion: using your essays, draw the focus away from your GPA and onto your great activities, etc. Overall, though, it is a reach (in my opinion).</p>
<p>supposedly Michigan puts more weight on GPA than test scores, in which case that would hurt you. You really need to raise your GPA. Also, I don’t think a challenging school in Nebraska will really help, bc the state is not nearly as populous as, say, CA, NY, or TX. So what is challenging there may not be as challenging in another state. But nevermind, I don’t think they look at that too much anyway.</p>
<p>right now chances are very slim…but you still have time to study for the act and knock it out of the park. build yourself up well in the app, and good luck.</p>
<p>Michigan likes geographic diversity and Nebraska qualifies. Your GPA and ACT are low though, so Michigan is definitely a reach. Try to raise your GPA and ACT as much as possible.</p>
<p>Being from Nebraska and coming from a small school is a big hook. Michigan really appreciates diversity and writing about this in your essays will help immensely. I think you have a shot, just remember that they will accept 0% of applicants who don’t apply.</p>
<p>I just wanted to comment that Nebraska has the fourth-highest ACT average in the U.S., and that we have one of the better public school systems in the U.S.</p>
<p>Oh I wasn’t trying to slam NE at all, I was simply saying that Admis. officers know how competitive schools really are given their region. Geographic diversity is a hook, don’t get me wrong, but you still have to be qualified, especially with the banning of affirmative action. Also, walt, I totally believe that NE is a well-educated state, but keep in mind that 1) there are a lot less people to draw an average from than many other states, so therefore if that small amount of people does well, the avg will be higher, 2) the ACT is not nearly as common on the west coast, for example, than most of the rest of the country, due in a large part because the SAT was for a long time the test of preference in the UC system, and 3) several other states have to “deal with” issues that factor into test scores (i.e. low income, immigration, etc.) much more than Nebraska. Again, nothing against Nebraska, I’m sure it’s an excellent state, but testing-rankings are all relative to outside factors. School profile will truly determine a school’s value (it may raise or lower it depending on several things such as grad. rate, avg. SAT/ACT, etc). It is in a large part exclusive of whichever state it is in.</p>
<p>Oh, one more thing: I’m not convinced about the whole “coming from a small school is a hook” thing. There is a school in San Diego with 3500 students that sent 30 kids to Michigan alone last year. That doesn’t even include the amt. that were accepted but decided not to attend. Again, I think it really depends on the applicant, they won’t deny a great candidate because they are from a big school, and won’t accept a weak one because they are from a smaller institution. Just my opinion, for what it’s worth. :)</p>
<p>“I just wanted to comment that Nebraska has the fourth-highest ACT average in the U.S., and that we have one of the better public school systems in the U.S.”</p>
<p>that’s becoz kids in the northeast concentrate on the SATs… almost everyone takes the SATs out of the middle chunk of america</p>
<p>“Even then it will be a reach with a 3.2. I don’t think it matters much if you come from a challenging school; at least, it didn’t much for my school (top public school in NY).”</p>
<p>yes it does, if you are from a good enough school, they accept everyone down to a 3.0, and a couple below from the 2.5 to 3.0 range. at least that happens at my school.</p>
<p>“yes it does, if you are from a good enough school, they accept everyone down to a 3.0, and a couple below from the 2.5 to 3.0 range. at least that happens at my school.”
^don’t take this the wrong way, but are you from an economically disadvantaged region or something? I mean, as stated above, I know schools where a large majority of the applicants get in, but at least they’re qualified! A 2.5 or 3.0 seems really low unless there are severe circumstances.</p>
<p>No vc08, they will in fact take students with those GPA’s from areas that are not economically disadvantaged. I’ve seen some kids on here with GPA’s nearing that at some of the top college prep private schools and/or boarding schools in the country get accepted. It’s about the quality of education that came with the 3.0 when compared with a 4.0 at a public school, and not about economic hardship.</p>
<p>wow, ok, then i’m probably screwed if having a 3.96 uw at a mediocre-lower tiered public school isn’t going to compare with a 2.5 at a private one. knew i shouldda transfered!</p>