New Michigan leadership essay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is handing kids a the biggest softball question to allow them to talk about their leadership roles in school so far and their character. This one won’t be hard for kids who have the leadership roles. Harder for kids that don’t already have the roles in HS, but those may be the kids that knock the essay out of the park by talking about who they are and who they want to be at and for Michigan.

I agree 💯. Writing about a leadership role makes for a pretty predictable essay. It is right there in your activities list. The readers know what student body president does. It is a bit more interesting to read about leadership and citizenship from the kid that is the team player. I have both types of kids and they both exhibit leadership in very different ways.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Michigan loves that long 550 word essay. There’s a reason why it is so long. It’s not a coincidence.

They expect you have to have a lot to say if there is an alignment with the ethos that is Michigan. Agree that that Michigan essay generally would not be used anywhere else.

How would you describe the Michigan “ethos”?

"Leaders and best" - they mean it! So much confidence, volume and energy at that school. My DD calls me every day as she walks to class and she's saying hello to everyone, so excited about her day, what she's learning, the game that weekend, meeting her friend at a new coffee shop on State Street, what her career advisor suggested for next summer, what her sorority is planning next week, etc. There's just a lot of life, a lot of smart, energized people, a lot going on. And a lot of kids of alumnae to keep it going for generations.

Thank you for being so specific! This sounds awesome - and completely consistent with what we picked up on our visit.

That said, I get that the energy at Michigan is A LOT - and not the right fit for every kid. Interestingly, it was the first school we toured, and it completely lit up our DD, who was surprised to love such a big school. The experience ended up changing the entire direction of her college search.

On that note, now that you see how happy your DD is at Michigan, where else do you think she'd have thrived? Wisconsin is already on our DD's list. Any other suggestions?

Thanks again!

My DC that loves Michigan is applying to Wisconsin, Cornell, BC, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, & UCLA.

Also, USC (Univ. of Southern California).

My kid is also at Michigan. They wanted a school in the Mid-West, Northeast or California and either applied to our considered several Big Ten schools including USC, UCLA, Michigan State, UMD, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. The big contender that wasn’t a Big Ten school was Syracuse.

[Anonymous]

Most schools want kids with leadership potential.

Your kid can take it any way that resonates with him/her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Cornell kid was choosing btw Michigan, Cornell and UCLA.

Interesting to see Cornell come up on the list for so many kids who loved Michigan.

DD just visited Cornell and was surprised by how much she liked it. She's a big school spirit/rah rah kid, especially re sports, so her concern going in was that Cornell might not have enough of that for her. But she was pleasantly surprised when she was there. (Of course, it was a beautiful fall day. Not at all indicative of the weather from November-March . . . . )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Cornell kid was choosing btw Michigan, Cornell and UCLA.

Interesting to see Cornell come up on the list for so many kids who loved Michigan.

DD just visited Cornell and was surprised by how much she liked it. She's a big school spirit/rah rah kid, especially re sports, so her concern going in was that Cornell might not have enough of that for her. But she was pleasantly surprised when she was there. (Of course, it was a beautiful fall day. Not at all indicative of the weather from November-March . . . . )

I decided between them for business school. My sibling attended both.

They definitely interact for Engineering due to rankings.

The schools have an intertwined history (key administrators and profs) and similar values.

The weather has commonalities.

Both are not snobby.

Cornell is viewed as "large" because it admits a large class compared to the other Ivies.

School spirit is often linked exclusively to football and basketball, but in practice, that energy can get attached to other sports teams, events, and clubs. Cornell has plenty of everything.

[Anonymous]

Cornell hockey is crazy!!!