<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I am deciding between Duke and U of M and I am interested in the U of M honors program. My junior year gpa was a 4.4 and I am taking 3 APs my senior year. Cumulative GPA is 3.9-4.0 My ACT composite is a 33 and my high scores in math and English are both 34s. Also, both of my parents are U of M alumni and my father is a presidents club member. With these numbers, what are my chances of getting into michigan honors?</p>
<p>Thanks,
McLovin</p>
<p>Your chances seem good. Some students are “invited” to join honors and your credentials may be good enough for that. But anyone can apply by writing an essay (after you are admitted to the school itself). I have seen it written on CC that everyone who is invited gets in. I encourage invited students to still spend time on their essays. I know someone who with fabulous credentials who did not get in, despite ultimately going to Harvard. He may not have spent much time on his essay since he got in early action at Harvard, but it can serve as a warning.</p>
<p>You seem like you have a pretty good chance. However, Honors has become incredibly competitive over the last couple years, as they only take about 400-500 kids each year from a pool of about 2000-3000. What they care most about is your essay. If you make your essay creative and well written, you should have a pretty good shot.</p>
<p>Both of my parents are michigan alumni and they are both presidents club members? Will that help my chances?</p>
<p>I don’t know that legacy matters for honors. I could I just don’t know. It does matter for being accepted into the university.</p>
<p>I’m in honors, and I’m pretty sure that getting invited to join is based only on gpa (as in, they invite the top 10% of incoming freshman to join). But, like others have said, you can still apply and have a great chance of getting in without getting invited. </p>
<p>While it’s a great program, I will say that you maybe shouldn’t give it too much weight in deciding to go to Umich over Duke. Honestly, the only things my being in the program really change are that I get to take a couple honors classes each semester, I get to live in honors housing, and I get to write a senior thesis. Really, most people do it just to say that they graduated from the honors program. I guess my point here is that your experience at Michigan will still be similar/will still be great regardless of whether or not you’re in honors. Even if you are not in honors, Umich is a great school with excellent resources for undergrads! So, in considering Michigan versus Duke, try to focus primarily on what you like about each school as a whole. Good luck!</p>