with video: Wait-listed University of Michigan applicant reprises Michael Jackson song in final appeal to school

Yong is one of thousands of applicants placed on the university's waiting list. Last year more than 14,600 applicants were offered a place on the wait-list. Of the 4,500 students that opted for a spot on the list the school offered 42 applicants a spot in the class.

The admissions office suggests that wait-listed students send U-M letters detailing "any additional information or accomplishments you think we should know about you."

Yong, a high schooler in Los Angeles, took that suggestion a step further and sent admissions counselors a YouTube video of him reprising a Michael Jackson song into a ballad to U-M.

"I'm a student on your waiting list and I am dying to get in and I was initially planning to write the traditional letter saying like, 'Oh I really want to be a part of your school,'" Yong said in the video. "But I thought, 'You know what, talk is cheap and this is a great opportunity for me to show some of my strengths.'"

As of Thursday evening the video received more than 6,000 views and 90 comments.

"I thought it was awesome and really creative," said Molly Cravens, who will be a U-M senior in the fall and also works as a campus tour guide. "It shows he really wants to come to Michigan."

It's not clear whether or not Yong's appeal will be enough to garner an acceptance. Most students placed on the waiting list are notified of the university's final decision in May.

"We do take demonstrated interest into account," said Bernadette Lis, assistant U-M admissions director. Lis said she can't recall the university ever receiving a similar appeal from a wait-listed student.

An earlier version of this article misspelled Yong's last name.