The University of Michigan is on a short list of extremely popular public universities. We love public universities but when students are looking at elite schools there are only a couple of names we hear over and over. UMich is high on that list. If you are from out of state and you are applying RD, you need a strategy when applying to UMich.
But why is that? Let’s talk about some numbers. Michigan’s undergraduate population is about 50% in-state students and 50% out-of-state/international students. In 2020, 47.5% of the 10,606 in-state students who applied were offered admission. However, they had a 21.9% acceptance rate for the 54,415 out-of-state domestic and international students. Meaning, it is much harder to get into Michigan as an out-of-state student. Michigan does not have Early Decision, but they do have Early Action and choose some of their class in this step as well. This makes Regular Decision as an out-of-state student the most difficult time to apply to UMich.
UMich has extremely high standards for its applicants. The average GPA amongst acceptance students is 3.9 and the average ACT is 32–35 while the average SAT is 1400–1540. To get in you have to have more than just good grades and test scores. UMich is extremely competitive and students need to catch admission officers’ eyes by doing more than just being a good student. To get into UMich, you need an outstanding and well-strategized application. It’s something we do with our students every day.
We work with our students to craft a well-thought-out Common App. This includes an engaging and creative Common App essay, a well-executed activities section, and a strategy for test scores and additional information. For students applying to schools like Michigan however, this is only the first step, they also need an eye-catching supplement to help them stand out in a competitive field.
We already have a blog about how to approach the Michigan supplement, but we encourage students applying from out-of-state and RD to push themselves even future. The UMich supplement only has two questions and they are ones we see again and again. These are questions we see many colleges use, many students feel as if they can phone it in here. They often try to use essays they have already written for another school. This sometimes leaves their applications with stale and unspecific essays.
We push our students to approach these essays creatively and dynamically. These essays are an opportunity to show yourself off as not only a great student but as an interesting and unique person. We push students to do this not only by telling good stories in their essays but also telling those stories in engaging and creative ways. Many high schools do not think of themselves as writers and it’s true most 17-year-olds haven’t written the type of dynamic personal essays that get students into top colleges. Great writing takes practice, ingenuity, and often some help.
If you or your student is nervous about their writing skills, we would love to be able to help. Great grades only go so far in a competitive pool. This can be a really stressful truth to think about for both parents and applicants. Let us help take some of that stress away. We work with students looking to apply to the most selective colleges in America every day. If you are nervous about applying to UMich, we want to help.
Reach out to us here!