Information on U-M Admissions Lawsuits

Highlights of the U-M Entering Class of Fall 2011

Ted Spencer, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions
September 1, 2011

Good evening, I’m Ted Spencer, Director of Admissions—remember the letter you received that said, “Congratulations, you’re in!”—I’m that guy. It’s a pleasure to be here and share the excitement as you begin your journey as a University of Michigan freshman!

We set another record for applications this year—nearly 40,000—for some 6,000 freshmen spaces; over 23,000 of those applications were from out-of-state. For example,

3,263 applications were from New York; 3,209 from California; 3,161 from Illinois; 1,860 from New Jersey and the fifth largest number came from our neighbor to the south—Ohio—with 1,327!
Our largest number of international applications again came from China, India, Singapore, Korea and Canada.
And in the State of Michigan, the largest numbers of applications were from Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.

Again, it was a very competitive process, but your exceptional achievements in both academic and extracurricular endeavors convinced us that you will be successful at Michigan and contribute to the vitality of our campus community. Consequently, I can assure the faculty and the administration that the Class of 2015 meets or exceeds all the measures we use for admission, and that your overall academic talents and leadership are well above national standards.

But who are you, the members of the Class of 2015? Well, after evaluating your transcripts, test scores, recommendations, reading your essays and lists of extracurricular activities, we know this:

That many of you enjoy attending sporting events,
have served in student government offices,
participated in band or orchestra, community service efforts, or worked at a family business, or after-school job.
Others have been involved with such things as:
- tutoring or mentoring,
- fundraising efforts,
- environmental activities,
- leadership camps and various clubs,
- assembling care packages for our troops and victims of disaster,
- internship opportunities,
- and shadowing professionals in a particular field of interest.
Some of you participated in a foreign exchange program;
and others have even started your own business!

In terms of academics, the average HS GPA for this year’s class is 3.8, and 19% of the class achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA! 34% of this class had an ACT composite score between 31 and 36 while only 4% of students nationwide achieved that high level. Furthermore, your teachers and counselors gave you high marks as some of the most outstanding students they have taught and counseled.

Your essays described how you overcame personal obstacles or setbacks, difficult family situations, or your friendships and experiences, such as one student who wrote of her grandmother’s mental illness, and how that has influenced her desire to participate in research and to study neuroscience; or another who wrote of being an avid rock climber—noting, however, that the only proof of her accomplishments is her bruises, blisters and callouses! And a large number of you wrote about experiences with people from many different backgrounds, even within your own families such as a student whose parents came from very different backgrounds—one parent the first to seek an education outside of their home country, the other from a wealthy family of different beliefs—yet together they created what she called an exciting life that has been her childhood—rich in diversity.

This year’s class is once again very diverse with strong representation from every racial, ethnic, social, and religious background. You will join students coming from 1,800 different high schools, 49 states and 60 countries—giving you an opportunity to learn alongside classmates from many diverse backgrounds. And after graduation, you will be part of the largest alumni network in the world!

Finally, I’d like to offer my congratulations to both you and your parents on your outstanding achievements. You are now part of the Michigan family—the Leaders and the Best—where incredible opportunities await you!

And now, to the administration, faculty and staff of the University of Michigan, I present to you some of the best and brightest students in this country, as well as the world—I present to you the Class of 2015!

GO BLUE!

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