WISE co-sponsors 2nd annual math and science concentration event

Last month, the WISE program worked with the University of Michigan Admissions office to provide interested parents with a UM admissions information session. The session, which was attended by over 200 parents and pre-college students from southeast Michigan, was presented by Admissions Counselors Alissa Lurie from UM's central admissions office and Katrina Williams from UM's College of Engineering.

Participants received an overview of the admissions selection process, which includes grade point average (GPA), class choices, extracurricular activities and leadership, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) and essays. (For a look at 2009 application essay questions, average GPA and test scores for 2008 freshman and more, visit http://www.admissions.umich.edu/about/)

Parents learned how UM recalculates GPA to compare grades across students and schools. For instance, A-, A and A+ grades are all counted as a 4.0, and only academic classes taken during sophomore and junior years are included in the GPA recalculation.

Counselors also described the "curriculum choices" criteria. "We want to see that these students are challenging themselves academically," explained Williams. "We will look at the student in the context of the school. If the school offers 4 AP classes and they take 1 that's great. If the school offers 16 AP classes and they take 1, that's a problem."

Students in the audience were urged to get to know their school counselor. A letter of recommendation written by a counselor who can talk personally about a student is going to carry more weight than one that simply reports what the counselor can learn from academic records.

Extracurricular experience can include work, religious activities, sports, or band - anything that shows a commitment to something outside of school. Admissions counselors are looking for the students to be moving into leadership positions in these activities.

Because UM has a rolling admissions process, meaning they make admissions decisions as applications come in, it is in the student's favor to apply early when the competition for the limited spaces available is not as steep as it is later when there are fewer and fewer positions.

After the general overview, the admissions counselors fielded questions from the audience. There were many questions about how students enter a pre-med program. In fact, there is no pre-med program at the University of Michigan - you can be an art history major, a chemistry major or a mechanical engineering major. Med schools do require that applicants take certain classes before they can apply, but they like to see students who are very academically successful and who set themselves apart. Incidentally, UM's medical school receives about 6,000 applications every year and a little over 100 of these applicants are accepted.

Admissions officers concur that the most important step in applying to the University of Michigan and any university is finding a good fit. Students should research schools-visit campuses, and talk to students to find a university that fits their goals and personality.

April 2009 eNews

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