Out of the 84,289 applicants in 2023, only 14,883 were accepted. The University of Michigan is infamous for its extremely high expectations in students, yet they are not alone in these jarring standards, as there are various other top tier schools that have admission rates below 20%, including Harvard, Yale, Duke, and Stanford. These prestigious schools look for many specific qualities in all their stud
ents: grades, community service, and extra curriculars. It raises the question: what factors do colleges consider the most?
The factors being considered may slightly vary from school to school, but ones that require a writing portion heavily assess students through this sample. If offered, “students should always write an essay,” Milford High School counselor Julie Ouellette suggested that individuals should “highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly” in their writing. Top colleges pay attention to the challenges the students have faced and want to see how they have grown through their struggles. The essays with personal details can determine who is accepted; this is why essays are an essential piece of what schools examine. Senior Kerrigan Kennedy at the International Academy explained how colleges “look for commitment, dedication, passion” in applicants’ writing and that “essays are so important because that’s your character—that’s who you are.” This is one of the most important portions individuals need to include, making sure to express themselves, but with this there are some other good points to take into consideration.
There are many things that students should do in order to highlight their essay. To catch the reader’s attention, students need a strong hook that exemplifies the originality in not only their story, but in their writing style. It is important to stay true to their voice throughout while showing to the examiner that they’re different in some way from the usual, according to the Harvard Division of Continuing Education.
Though, there are many colleges that don’t have a writing portion in their applications, so what do they consider the most crucial? In this case, they strongly consider students’ contributions or involvement in their community. This could be anywhere from time spent on extracurricular activities to volunteering. Top schools don’t look for specific amounts of time, but “they want to know you’re active in your community,” Kennedy commented.
An equally important factor is grades, as it is a widely accepted measure of an individual’s intellect, but it isn’t just the number. Thomas Kennedy, a student at the University of Michigan and a sibling of Kerrigan Kennedy, noted that “(colleges) look for a high GPA,” but he also mentioned that the students at UofM “took a lot of AP classes.” The rigor of the classes a student takes has a significant impact, expressing to the evaluator whether or not they are striving for a challenge. When comparing a 4.0 student who took light classes to a student with a 3.9 in difficult classes, they favor the individual who took the more rigorous classes.
Top schools look at a diverse amount of achievements in their applicants, but above all else, they search for individuality. Colleges want someone different from the norm, who exceeds the expectations of a high-achieving student.