CK Senior U of M Update

The University of Michigan started sending out admissions decisions Friday, December 14. Whether or not you’ve received your decision, the College Counseling Office wanted to offer the following reminders:

• Admissions decisions are being sent out over the next two weeks, from now until December 24
• Decisions are being sent out in a random manner—just because you haven’t heard yet doesn’t mean you won’t be admitted
• U-M is reporting a record number of early applications—some 23,000 students applied early
• While this is an extraordinarily competitive year for admission at U-M, Cranbrook seniors were admitted in numbers equal to our early application numbers for years past
• Given this increase in applicants, it is expected U-M will issue more deferral decisions than ever before. If you are deferred, you will receive a letter from U-M explaining the additional information they would like you to submit so they can review your application a second time. In most cases, U-M will ask that Cranbrook submit your grades from this current semester; please notify College Counseling immediately if you were deferred and we will automatically send your grades.

A previous e-mail outlined the steps seniors should take if they receive a deferral. That e-mail is repeated here; students who may need assistance reviewing their college list should contact their college counselor immediately to set up an appointment to discuss college options.

As always, please contact us if we can be of any assistance.

Sincerely,

The College Counseling Team

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Many of the colleges you’ve applied to through early application programs—including U-M—will be sending out admissions decisions in the next couple of weeks. Because there’s an increase in the number of students applying through these early programs, some colleges will defer a final decision on a student, asking for the latest grades in their current classes, additional essays, or more information about the student's interest in the college.

Seniors and their families should view a deferral as an opportunity to tell the college more about themselves and their college plans. If a college tells you they need more information, follow these steps:

Read the admissions decision carefully. Many colleges will ask you to email them or return an enclosed postcard to indicate you're still interested in the college; make sure to do that right away. Other colleges will specifically ask for first semester grades; if that's the case, tell your college counselor.

Bring the college up to date. Unless the letter tells you not to send anything else (and a few colleges say that), the time to contact the college is now. Send them a short note—a very short note—or email that:

• Expresses your disappointment in not being admitted
• Outlines the achievements, events, and activities you've been involved in since you've applied
• Communicates your strong interest in attending the college

This shouldn’t be more than a paragraph or two at the most.

Review your college list. Now is the time to double-check your college list, and make sure you're applying to at least two or three other colleges where your grades and test scores are at or higher than the college's averages.

Stop by and see your counselor. If you have any questions about the decisions you hear, or if you just want to talk, please come by the College Counseling Office. If you hear from a college over break, drop your counselor an e-mail, and come by the first week school re-opens; colleges are closed over break, too, so this gives us plenty of time to talk about what’s next.

Finally, remember other students will be hearing their college decisions, too—and those decisions may be different from yours. It’s best to view your college decisions in private, and let others do the same—you can read more about this at http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/college-decision-beckoning-to-be-unveiled-please-let-it-wait-until-you-get-home/