University of Michigan

University of Michigan

University of Michigan is a great place to be, not only because I'm here (Okay maybe mainly because I'm here), but also because we have an immensely diverse student population (Unless you're in the advanced math classes that aren't requirements, in which case it feels China and India spilled over). However, most importantly, we also have a video game library with every single game that has ever been on the US market.

Tips for essays:

1. Write about a unique experience that is especially yours (unique as in unique to you, so no "I tried to learn surfing and almost drowned and I learned the value of life", but if you can make that into an engaging essay, then you can probably get away with anything):

- I spoke to the engineering professor who reviewed applicant essays for UM College of Engineering and he told me the only thing he was looking for was something that stood out. He complained about this generic essay that a majority of the applicants had, which was something like, "I liked building stuff as a kid... I wanna do engineering..." (Which ironically was what I had written about).

Here is what happened...

Me: (Jokingly) So do you happen to remember my essay?

Prof: Yea, you were talking about how you were a kid and you had played with this toy...

Me: *WIDE EYED*

Prof: ... I'm just kidding, I have no idea, there were so many essays...

Me: Oh, you almost had me there, I did write about playing with Lego as a kid and taking apart toys

Prof: Haha, yea, a lot of people wrote about something like that...

Me: *:(*

2. Don't try to tie University of Michigan into the essay unless it works (nothing like: "I've wanted to go to University of Michigan ever since... (I looked it up on the internet and it looks like a good school)"

- seriously, unless you can say something along the lines of, "I made an Iphone App that... (calculates how much memory each App is using)... and I want to develop it more in EECS 280 (jk, i dont remember the actual ID of the class) and learn to market and sell it as a product..." (Bad example, but you get the point) Please don't do it.

The same professor as above was telling me about how ridiculous some of the essays trying to allude to UM in their essays were. There were stuff like, "I had a maize and blue blanket when I was just a baby..."

3. Important: There is an abyss of difference between "Allows..." and "Allows for..." Look it up. I don't know why, but all of the engineering professors here are OBSESSIVELY anal about the difference.

4. Ms. Brown's Calculus III/Linear Algebra students (TPHS) beware: YOU CAN NOT GET THE MATH CREDITS FROM SDSU TO HERE, but you can fulfill the remaining 12 credits (Assuming you did good on the AP Calc AB test or 8 credits if you did well on the BC test) with insane level math or retaking the classes for an easy A you took in TP.

You do have to take Diff. Eq. and if you can, get Robert Jenkins for your professor, he is hilarious. He's like [chill/hilarious teacher from TPHS] but correct and finishes on time.