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Okay so i was talking to some people about admissions and shit to college. So far i know people who have gotten into michigan state with a 3.4 and 23 gpa/act, 3.3/23, and 3.3/21. I have a 3.3/30 and i got fucking waitlisted? For those of you unfamiliar with ACT, its kind of like the SAT but out of 36. A 30 is > 95 percentile. GPA is an unweighted 4.0. I had some extracurriculars with a bunch of sports and then church group. my essay was decent at worst. idk why the hell i got waitlisted.
   
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yeah that sounds like bullshit, but there is nothing you can really do about it. were you applying to a particularly competitive school within the uni or something?
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Might be the best thing that could have happened to you. College is overrated, man!
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On December 21 2007 14:11 nA.Inky wrote: College is overrated, man! no, it isn't. that kind of attitude will only hurt you.
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On December 21 2007 14:11 nA.Inky wrote: Might be the best thing that could have happened to you. College is overrated, man!
Wtf, it's not overrated at all.
And yea, it's sucks. Just wait patiently, I'm sure you'll get it ^^
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College tends be overrated by certain people who think having a college degree means they are talented. College is totally worth it though, for most people.
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they dont look at your grades only (my opinion) i think they look at your growth rate, the ranges between grades, how much have you improved? how much have you gotten worse?
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Depends on the department too.
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On December 21 2007 14:26 Folca wrote: they dont look at your grades only (my opinion) i think they look at your growth rate, the ranges between grades, how much have you improved? how much have you gotten worse?
eh, i would imagine that the application process for a large state school would be much more straightforward than that, which is why the op is probably surprised, as am i.
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its one of the biggest schools in the country, they take tons of people. It's not particularly competative, i think its ranked ~70 nationally overall. My grades have gone up mostly since freshmen year (sadly, started at like 3.0 and now 3.3ish). I figured my test scores would've knocked it home (several teachers confirmed this). i applied mid october, probably 6 weeks or so after they started taking applications.
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Live2Win
United States6657 Posts
Factors that could effect your admission: (that you didn't mention)
Race/Ethnicity College/Department In-state/out-of-state Time of app. submitted Financial aid Connections to the school (ie, family alumni)
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United States22883 Posts
Not to be rude, but I'm actually glad they're not accepting based on GPA/ACT alone. I know that sounds really awful for you, but those aren't very good measures for intelligence (I had a 3.6/30 ACT.)
It might just be an issue of rolling admissions and an overload in applications for them this year. There's plenty of fantastic schools in Michigan though.
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Cayman Islands24199 Posts
college is like, the last remnants of civilization.
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Braavos36372 Posts
people who think college is overrated either
a) didn't go to college; or b) didn't go to a good college
there's no way you go to a good school and think the experience is "overrated"
if anything, as you get older you realize just how important it was
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United States22883 Posts
On December 21 2007 17:25 Hot_Bid wrote: people who think college is overrated either
a) didn't go to college; or b) didn't go to a good college
there's no way you go to a good school and think the experience is "overrated"
if anything, as you get older you realize just how important it was I think it's worth noting that "good college" really means a good school AND a good fit. I spent 2 years at a top notch public university, but being one of 45,000 students didn't work for me. For a lot of people it does, though.
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The only top notch public univ i know of is Berkeley which is a good school AND a good fit.
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Are your friends black? I got waiting listed on Rutgers way back when, and my black friend got in. She had an 82 and 1000 on the old SATS. I was 89 and 1200, plus sports and clubs, etc. Race makes up a whole lot.
Also, they might have extracirricular activities that you don't.
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On December 21 2007 18:15 kdog3683 wrote: The only top notch public univ i know of is Berkeley which is a good school AND a good fit.
uhhhh University of Michigan?
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United States24612 Posts
Any reason why you all weren't taking SAT? Or didn't submit those? I had the same question has Hawk (are your friends all black?) haha. It also depends on what high school you come from. If your high school is weaker, that 3.3 is less impressive than if the high school is strong. My high school was ridiculously competitive (so much so that the board of education denied the use of class rank in the district). As a result, my gpa which was decent coming from an average high school was strong when colleges looked at my high school.
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Well, I've nearly completed my degree (I am 3 courses short) and I feel college is a joke.
Everyone keeps saying it is worth it. How so? In terms of earnings gained over a lifetime?
Well, from my perspective, that doesn't mean much, as I don't intend to earn more than 10k a year anyway.
I also can't tell you all how many college grads I know who are waiting tables.
I should also say that as a sociology major, one thing I have studied is education. Turns out the point of the entire education system is to act as a giant hazing ritual and sorting mechanism. It is a magic ritual through which people get assigned to various professions and status levels. The point is not to "educate" you.
Having studied hazing rituals a little bit, one thing I know about THOSE is that people who go through them tend to think the process was good and worthwhile. It's called "the need to justify one's actions."
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On December 21 2007 15:16 Live2Win wrote: Factors that could effect your admission: (that you didn't mention)
Race/Ethnicity College/Department In-state/out-of-state Time of app. submitted Financial aid Connections to the school (ie, family alumni) race: i applied as hispanic, i'm 25% peruvian :p going into pre-law/psychology i said the time financial aid wasnt even part of the app no connections
On December 22 2007 00:43 micronesia wrote: Any reason why you all weren't taking SAT? Or didn't submit those? I had the same question has Hawk (are your friends all black?) haha. It also depends on what high school you come from. If your high school is weaker, that 3.3 is less impressive than if the high school is strong. My high school was ridiculously competitive (so much so that the board of education denied the use of class rank in the district). As a result, my gpa which was decent coming from an average high school was strong when colleges looked at my high school.
my high school is like top 3 public schools in michigan and in the top 1000 in the country.
On December 21 2007 16:46 Jibba wrote: It might just be an issue of rolling admissions and an overload in applications for them this year. There's plenty of fantastic schools in Michigan though. where else? It really drops off after UM, MSU, and Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo is really expensive compared to the other two (it's private). I already got into UM dearborn, but i dont want to commute to college for 1-2 years before switching to ann arbor campus. I'm gonna apply to grand valley state i suppose, thats where pretty much everyone in my shcool goes there that doesnt get into state, or goes there over sate if they dont like state. but it's a d-2 school . But they own at d-2 Dry campus though I also got into central michigan, dont really wanna go there though. it's not a great school and they just jacked up their prices (higher than msu now T_T)
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my friend just told me he got in with a 3.3 and a 25
i'm starting to think i should've just fucked up the ACT royally so they would think that i was a really really hard worker.
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Cayman Islands24199 Posts
On December 22 2007 00:49 nA.Inky wrote: Well, I've nearly completed my degree (I am 3 courses short) and I feel college is a joke.
Everyone keeps saying it is worth it. How so? In terms of earnings gained over a lifetime?
Well, from my perspective, that doesn't mean much, as I don't intend to earn more than 10k a year anyway.
I also can't tell you all how many college grads I know who are waiting tables.
I should also say that as a sociology major, one thing I have studied is education. Turns out the point of the entire education system is to act as a giant hazing ritual and sorting mechanism. It is a magic ritual through which people get assigned to various professions and status levels. The point is not to "educate" you.
Having studied hazing rituals a little bit, one thing I know about THOSE is that people who go through them tend to think the process was good and worthwhile. It's called "the need to justify one's actions." it can either be a huge waste or everything. take your pick.
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Cayman Islands24199 Posts
On December 22 2007 10:14 decafchicken wrote: my friend just told me he got in with a 3.3 and a 25
i'm starting to think i should've just fucked up the ACT royally so they would think that i was a really really hard worker. haha yea goddamn grinders. if they are grinding in high school, college is kinda a challenge. although i'd sell my soul for a grinder's
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United States22883 Posts
On December 22 2007 01:22 decafchicken wrote:where else? It really drops off after UM, MSU, and Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo is really expensive compared to the other two (it's private). I already got into UM dearborn, but i dont want to commute to college for 1-2 years before switching to ann arbor campus. I'm gonna apply to grand valley state i suppose, thats where pretty much everyone in my shcool goes there that doesnt get into state, or goes there over sate if they dont like state. but it's a d-2 school  . But they own at d-2  Dry campus though  I also got into central michigan, dont really wanna go there though. it's not a great school and they just jacked up their prices (higher than msu now T_T) Depends what you're trying to major in. Albion, Wayne State, UDM, Kalamazoo (I think they're friendly with scholarships), etc.
It is definitely odd that you failed to get into UM/MSU with those scores. How'd your essays go?
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Stats don't always guarantee you into college.
You have to also consider activities, etc.
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United States22883 Posts
On December 22 2007 13:03 clazziquai wrote:
You have to also consider activities, etc. Unfortunately that's not a very good measure either. I'd guess the majority of Key Club/NHS members are actively involved specifically to benefit their college resume, not because they have outstanding character.
Interviews are probably the best way to get into a school. Even if they're not mandatory, it's a good idea to arrange a meeting with an admissions official and keep in touch with them afterwards when you send in your app.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't psychology/pre-law kind of competitive?
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http://teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=60496 Thats the closest i could find to a final draft of my essay. I edited a bit more after that but saved over it when i changed it for diff college. Me and my friends still cant figure out why i got waitlisted T_T is there a way i can contact the school and find out?
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He prolly didnt take the SAT because Michigan colleges use the ACT instead of the SAT if he took the SAT it would be for out of state colleges. The application process is really weird and not predictable at all. It really depends on the particular people that look at your stuff. If you don't have the lights out combo of gpa/test scores then they really look at everything else as a measure of how you could possibly do. Essays are VERY important as well as other factors already mentioned. I also would not be surprised if you got into UoM even tho you got wait listed at MSU just because the process is so erratic. I mean there are prolly people with better stats then the people you know who didn't get in. Its all about what the admissions people see in you and if they see the potential to succeed.
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It also is prolly due to the fact that they took your friends who have similar/lower scores then you because they only take so many from whatever range of scores. So many people apply so sometimes its probably an arbitrary process for them in choosing just because of the huge numbers of apps pouring in.
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