how important is the essay?

Colleges & Universities University of Michigan
1

<p>let’s say i sent in an essay that clashes directly with the political beliefs of the school and maybe most of michigan. how much would influence would this have over my admission, despite the fact that i have stats good enough to be admitted? the essay has to do with government regulation versus parental supervision. thanks.</p>

2

<p>Your topic shouldn’t really be a big deal (if you are pusing for parental supervision over regulation). If you are pushing for regulation over supervision, please slap yourself in the face and find a new topic…</p>

3

<p>dsmo, hahahaha. woooo!</p>

4

<p>nope, i’m with you dsmo; i’m for supervision. yet the state of michigan wishes to regulate the video game industry. there’s even a little blurb on a related topic on umich.edu: <a href=“http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2005/Dec05/r120505[/url]”>http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2005/Dec05/r120505&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>They like the controversy, the character, and the risk-taking, as long as you back your ish up I’d bet.</p>

<p>I wrote about Iraq, and I figured a well thought out political essay would help me out, and I guess I was right, because I got in.</p>

<p>Or at least they liked my stats so much that they don’t care that I’m a crazy liberal ;)</p>

6

<p>I tried to avoid a political essay because I assume they get a TON of liberal anti-war, anti-bush essays from my region (Boston). I went with the ethical dilemma/setback = having moved 6 times I had a good amount to write about.</p>

7

<p>I wrote about the state of education in Michigan and how funding drops need to be stopped, we need to follow the recommendations of the Cherry Commission, etc. I didn’t just write about this because I thought that’s what they wanted to hear, but because it is a serious problem that puts the state’s economic future in jeopardy. I hope I got all of my facts right though. I’m sure the people at U of M know everything better than I do!</p>

8

<p>the essay is slightly off topic, am i flat-out?</p>

9

<p>My essay was about teenage pregnancy, and how to stop it. It was pretty political (dealt with contraceptives and abortion), but meh. I found that easier and more relevant to me than if I tried to avoid politics.</p>

10

<p>I guess as long as you write about something you’re pasionate about than thats the best way to go.</p>