3 Tips That Got Me Admitted to the University of Michigan

Ekoniak Tutoring
Mar 30
6 min read

Updated: Apr 6

Introduction

Below, I would like to share 3 executive functioning habits I used as a high school student that helped me to get accepted into the University of Michigan’s prestigious Engineering school. These tips aren't just for aspiring engineers; they can benefit students pursuing any academic path. Turning these tips into everyday habits reduced the amount of time I spent completing my school work and studying for upcoming tests, and noticeably improved my grades in the process!

As a tutor and executive function coach for middle and high school students, I often notice that young students focus primarily on mastering the content in their classes and fail to understand the importance of developing fundamental learning habits, which are often referred to as “Executive Functioning Skills.” Executive functioning skills refer to the soft skills that students need to succeed academically and balance their curricular and extracurricular lives, such as time management, planning ahead, and studying effectively. It is important for students to begin to build these skills in middle and high school so that they have a strong learning foundation once they begin college.

To learn more about the importance of executive functioning skills in adolescents, take a look at this Harvard Article: Executive Function Activities for Adolescents. I hope the tips below help you or your student excel in your learning journey and prepare you to be an independent learner!

Habit 1: Use a Planner Religiously

One of the fundamental habits I developed in middle school was using a planner religiously. This allowed me to easily keep track of my homework assignments in one convenient location and ensured that I never missed an assignment. Although it sounds incredibly simple, this habit contributed the most to helping me stand out as a student. By never missing an assignment, I took advantage of securing easy points to boost my grade, which proved valuable in the event of a low test grade.

I often notice that middle school and high school students don’t understand the benefits of using a planner to keep track of their homework assignments. They often try to remember all of their assignments instead of writing them down. Unsurprisingly, these students regularly fail to remember all of their assignments, resulting in missing work and losing easy points that ultimately lower their final grades.

However, changing this habit is one of the easiest fixes that often provides immediate results. If your student struggles with submitting all of their assignments on time or frequently forget which assignments they have to complete, consider using these three steps to help them never forget an assignment again:

Identify a location for your student to write down ALL of their homework assignments. This can be in their planner or on an iPhone application, but the key here is to make sure that they only have to check one place to see all of their upcoming assignments.
Once your student has identified where they will write down their assignments, the next step is to have them write down each assignment immediately after it is assigned. Teachers will typically assign homework at the end of class, which is a great time for your student to take 10 seconds and record the assignment in their planner.
Now that your student has a list of their assignments, it is important that they cross off each assignment once it is completed. This will make an easy distinction between assignments that are completed and assignments that haven’t been started or are in progress.
Repeat these steps until your student has created a regular habit of writing down and crossing off their assignments.

Once your student has created a habit of tracking their school assignments, celebrate! This is an accomplishment worth recognizing as it will help them stay organized with their school work and reduce the number of missed assignment notifications in your inbox. Encourage your student to keep up the good work and move on to Habit 2.

Habit 2: Break Up Long Assignments into Manageable Chunks

Another strategy I used to stand out as a student is called “chunking.” This means breaking up larger assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks.

Before I learned about chunking, I often struggled to complete long assignments in a timely manner. I approached large assignments such as midterm papers or final presentations without a plan on how I was going to complete them. This resulted in me wasting time by trying to complete my assignments in a disorganized fashion without an understanding of how much time I should allot for each part of the assignment. I often completed assignments at the last minute and didn’t have time to review them before submission, resulting in unsatisfactory grades.

However, once I began chunking my assignments, I found that many of the issues I had when completing long-term assignments disappeared. Chunking helped me to attack my assignments in a more organized fashion and reduce the amount of time I wasted performing non-essential tasks. Additionally, I often completed assignments a day or two in advance of the due date, allowing me plenty of time to revise my work and make any necessary changes. To provide a clearer understanding of the benefits of chunking, I have listed additional benefits that students may realize from using this strategy below:

Planning Ahead: Breaking large assignments into smaller tasks allows students to plan ahead when they will set aside time to complete each task. Instead of having to set aside 4 hours to complete the entire assignment, they now have the freedom to set aside 30-45 minutes each day as they work to complete each individual task.
Reduced Procrastination: Often, the anxiety caused by large assignments causes students to procrastinate. Breaking assignments into smaller tasks and focusing on completing those tasks one at a time often reduces the amount of stress a student will feel.
Encouraging Multiple Revisions: Breaking an assignment into multiple tasks encourages students to revisit their work multiple times before submitting their final product. Multiple revisions allow students to drastically improve their initial draft, from catching small errors to finding and eliminating loopholes in their arguments. For more information on why revising is important, check out this article by Trent University: The Importance of Revising Your Paper.

It may take time to learn how to chunk assignments effectively, but mastering this skill will ensure that your student more thoroughly understands the material and is better equipped to communicate their understanding to their teachers. To get your student started with chunking their assignments, check out this article by Santa Monica College: Chunking Large Tasks.

Habit 3: Go to Office Hours

This is a tip many students tend to avoid, but it's a game-changer. Attending office hours provides an opportunity to address various concerns, including clarifying test material, getting help with homework problems, and ensuring long-term assignments are on track to receive high grades. Additionally, building a rapport with teachers through office hours can open doors to recommendations for job interviews, volunteer opportunities, or scholarship applications.

There isn’t much more to this tip than showing up! Be sure to attend your teacher’s office hours at least once a week. While this may seem like a time-intensive activity, it is completely acceptable to show up to office hours for just 5 minutes to get a few questions answered. The key here is to make it a habit. Attending office hours once might help you get a question answered about your upcoming test, but attending office hours regularly will ensure that you develop a long-lasting relationship with your teacher. As a bonus, if you do this well, then when college comes around you won’t have to stress about who is going to write your letter of recommendation!

Conclusion

Achieving admission to the University of Michigan's Engineering School or any prestigious institution requires a combination of dedication, strategy, and effective study habits. By religiously using a planner, breaking assignments into manageable chunks, and attending office hours, you can significantly improve your chances of success. These tips not only helped me gain admission to UofM but also proved invaluable throughout my academic journey and helped me to graduate magna cum laude from Michigan’s Engineering School. Remember that success is not solely about innate talent; it's also about the effort and strategies you employ. Best of luck on your path to academic excellence!