acceptance letter

<p>Maguo, I will start by saying that I know about Michigan because I am a University of Michigan alumnus. </p>

<p>I think you are focusing purely on the USNWR overall rankings, which clearly favors small private universities over large state universities. It completely ignores comon concepts such as economies of scale and intangibles and comes up with a flawed overall ranking. </p>

<p>It doesn't take a genius to figures this out. For example, Washington University is not nearly as good as the University of Chicago or Cornell, and yet, it is ranked well above them in the USNWR. Cal and Michigan are ranked in the top 10 in every field of study, their students get similar job offers and graduate school placement as students from Northwestern, Penn or Cornell, and yet, they are not ranked in the top 20. </p>

<p>But if you look at the fine print, you will see that Cal and Michigan both rank very highly. Their peer assessment score (4.8 or 4.7 and 4.6 or 4.5 respectively) are up there with Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Northwestern and Penn. Fiske gives all of those schools a ***** academic rating. The National Research Council (rankings according to the top academics in the US) ranks Cal and Michigan among the top 5 universities in the nation, and the USNWR subject rankings (primarily ranking of graduate programs) both rank Cal and Michigan among the top 10 nationally in every field of study, up there with the likes of Chicago, columbia, Cornell, Duke and Penn. All top companies in the nation will, with few exceptions, recruit heavily at Michigan and pay Michigan recruits as highly as students from other top universities. Graduate school placement is also very impressive. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, Michigan was 30th in the nation at placing students in top 5 Law Schools, top 5 Medical Schools and top 5 MBA programs. Penn was 16th, Chicago was 21st, Northwestern was 20th and Cornell was 25th. The slight difference can be attributed to the fact Michigan is much larger, and yes, admittedly, altough the top 50% ofr so of Michigan students are brilliant, the bottom third or so of Michigan's student body is not quite as strong as students you would find at schools like Columbia, Cornell, Duke and Penn. But identical students from Michigan and say Penn or Columbia will get equal consideration because those universities are generally regarded as equals. </p>

<p>Isn't convenient that in all ways, Cal and Michigan are considered equals to the other schools but somehow, mysteriously, they manage to be ranked significantly lower in the USNWR overall undergraduate ranking. </p>

<p>As for the acceptance rate, it has nothing to do with academic quality. The University of Chicago and the University of Michigan always have acceptance rates that hover around 50%. But that does not mean the students aren't very driven and academially inclined. The average Michigan student graduated from high school with a 3.8 unweighed GPA, ranked in the top 5% of his/her class and got a 1330 on the SAT in one sitting (which translates to a 1380 when measured the way private schools measure their Freshman class mean SAT scores). And that's with an undergraduate student body that exceeds 24,000 students. Cornell University, my graduate school alma matter, had 14,000 undergrads, and they are not that far better, on average, than Michigan's 25,000 undergrads. If you take the top 14,000 students at the university, you would get a scary results.</p>

<p>I am not sure I understand what you mean by "lack of funding". Michigan is a state university. 65% of its students are in-staters and they pay a mere $17,000 (including room and board) to attend one of the World's great universities. Do other elite universities like Duke or Penn, which cost over $45,000 when including room and board, charge a mere $17,000 to 65% of their students? Why should Michigan, on top of being so cheap to attend for 65% of its student be cheap for the remaining 35%? Even then, Michigan does give FA packages to out of state students, but do not confuse Michigan's not giving much FA to students with lack of funding. Michigan gives huge FA to over 75% of its students when you consider that 65% of those students are in-staters and pay next to nothing to attend. That's yet another way the USNWR hurts state universities. They compare sttate schools, which are already very cheap comparatively, to private universities and expect them to give as much aid per student. </p>

<p>But that does not mean Michigan is not financially stable. At $4.2 billion (at the end of 2004), Michigan's endowment is the 7th largest among all Universities. Only the Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT and Columbia are wealthier. I actually think Michigan overtook Columbia this last year to become the 6th wealthiest university in the nation. And Michigan's wealth is outpacing all other universities. In 1990, Michigan's endowment stood at a mere $500 million, good for 26th in the nation. In the last 16 years, Michigan's endowment increased by 1,000%, leaping over 20 universities. Currently, Michigan spends close to $800 million on research annually, second or third in the nation. Michigan annual operating budget, not including hospital operations, exceeds $2 billion, third only to Stanford and Harvard. </p>

<p>In short Maguo, I hope you look beyond the misleading USNWR rankings. When I tell you that Michigan is on par with the likes of Cornell and Northwestern, I mean it. But don't take my word for it. Talk to graduate school adcoms, corporate recruiters at major firms like Ford, Procter and Gamble, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and to professors at top universities etc... Do not listen to your friends or rely to much on any one ranking. Most importantly, go with your gut. Chose a school where you feel you can be happy.</p>

<p>Yes, I totally agree that USNWR is certainly biased. I think that MIT is very much underrated. However, I would never base my decision off of USNWR. What turns me off about big schools like UF and UM is the diversity (I may be stuck with kids miles dumber than I and have done nothing in high school). At a school like Harvard, kids will be at or above my caliber. Anyway, which ever school I 'm accepted into, I think I will stay for four years (no transfer). It is kind of funny the whole Blake thing. BTW, what are the chances of me getting into the Honors College? Also, one more thing; I'm not sure that I'll be able to support UM athletics. I'm a big PENN STATE fan!</p>

<p>*** What turns me off about big schools like UF and UM is the diversity (I may be stuck with kids miles dumber than I and have done nothing in high school). ***</p>

<p>I am trying to figure out why you even bothered to apply to Michigan. You will not encounter kids "miles dumber" than yourself. Just because Michigan has a close to 50% acceptance rate doesn't mean they are not selective. I would rate the entire student body at Michigan to be in the top 10% of their class. There may be a few who are ranked lower, but not by much.</p>

<p>You really haven't done your homework very well, have you? I am sorry but I have to give you a D+ for your efforts thus far. You can make that grade go up by doing an extra credit assignment. Go and learn as much as you can about Michigan, then report back.</p>

<p>I would agree that I haven't done my homework on UM, I've done most of it on Harvard and MIT. My impression of UM comes from watching their football games; it seems like a lot of them are pure party animals (not that I have anything against that).<br>
Well, anyway what kind of money do you think I will recieve. That would be the only reason why I would ever attend UM (unless I get rejected from Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Duke, Wash U (st. louis), Johns Hopkins, and MIT).
Oh Alex, and sorry, I didn't see your lengthy post before I last posted (it was on the second page). I am not at all depending on USNWR. Its just that I have few other resources to go on(except CC).</p>

<p>LOL! Calling Michigan "party animals". WOW, you dont get out much do you?</p>

<p>maguo1, i don't even know why you applied. you don't seem to have much regard for U of M and its students, and it doesn't seem like you'd be happy at all with going there....</p>

<p>"(I may be stuck with kids miles dumber than I and have done nothing in high school)." That was very arrogant and a huge, unfounded generalization. And by miles dumber, do you mean students who got maybe a 31 ACT or 1350 SAT? Heaven forbid that you go to the same college as someone with those stats! lol</p>

<p>It's just seems from watching their football games that UM students never study, but that could be very decieving. And by miles dumber, I'm referring to kids sub-1200. This is certainly the case at U of Florida. Why else do you think I'm at this site? It's because I don't know anything about UM.</p>

<p>You're telling us that you judge the academics, student body, and rigor of a university based on what you see in a stadium on TV on 7 or so Saturdays out of the entire academic year?</p>

<p>Well, I don't get it. </p>

<p>I'm glad you're here for more information, but the conclusions you've drawn so far befuddle me.</p>

<p>U-M isn't for everyone, and it may not be for you. But the reasons you're giving don't reflect a thoughtful assessment of the institution.</p>

<p>So, given that I get into the honors college, what kind of students will be in my freshman comp class? Will the class be giant? Will I have a great professor? What will be the SATs of the students in that class?</p>

<p>You can get all that info on collegeboard.com, princeton review or similar. Wow you are really uninformed about UMichigan, it is one of the best in the US.</p>

<p>just because u see students at football games having fun doesn't mean they're party animals. it means after a week of school kids just wanna relax and have some fun on the weekend like during high school.</p>

<p>save us all some trouble and just enroll at penn state next year cuz u are a HUGE penn state fan anyway. You just don't seem to care or understand (or both) about how great this university is about their academics and how it will be the best 4 yrs of ur life</p>

<p>Why enroll at michigan when you kno the football team year in and year out beats penn state? even at the last second ;)</p>

<p>Please, just stay in Florida or go to school elsewhere. I hate to see a spot at Michigan wasted on someone who knows so little about a school they applied to attend.</p>

<p>Party animals? I'll tell you, I have been in the Residential College on a Saturday at around noon or so and the library has kids studying and when you walk by the doors of the rooms in the dorm you also see kids studying. They let loose on Saturady night, but rest assured, I have yet to meet one person at Michigan who is a true party animal. It's work first, play later. That's how the majority of kids get in there in the first place. Michigan doen't just take anyone.</p>

<p>I don't know what your experience will be in the honors comp class, but I can tell you my son took a creative writing last year in the RC, which was his freshman year and there was exactly 1 person in his class... him. How's that for individual attention?</p>

<p>Really going to a school based on how much money they willl give you is a bad idea. Go to a school because you want to attend, because it is a good fit, because you dream about going there. You won't miss what you never had, so don't go to Michigan. You wouldn't like Ann Arbor... it's a terrible college town. Really. Ask anyone. ;) :D</p>

<p>We don't study?! Are you serious?! </p>

<p>On a side note... Of course we're going to look like partiers on Saturdays at FOOTBALL GAMES. We want to support our school. However, that doesn't mean that that attitude stays with us after we leave the stadium.</p>

<p>I didn't really want to say it, but I'll agree with some of the other comments...you're not the kind of student/roomate I'd want to have at U of M.</p>

<p>i bet he really doesn't like u of m now!!!</p>

<p>No, no. BTW, I love the Wolverines third of all football teams, behind only Penn State and Cal-Berkeley. I have to admit that the Big House is my second favorite venue after Beaver. I do love to party, but not 24/7 as they do at UF. Thanks for changing my views on UM a bit. I didn't realize that UM was that competitive.<br>
Another thing that I'm worried about is UM being such a large school. Do any of you go to very large classes? Do you get to know your classmates?
You know, I was about to rescind my application after Manningham caught that TD pass. I was so ****ed. Oh and BTW, how hard are football and b-ball tickets to get at UM?
You guys all know that money is a big concern. We're not talking a small amount, we're talking about $150,000 in four years!<br>
And I hope Chad Henne and Mario Manningham both suffer career ending injuries against Ohio State. They deserve to.
You guys are really going to hate me now.</p>

<p>Student tickets are pretty easy to come by. I can't imagine there being a lot of demand for basketball tickets, but I wouldn't know because I'm not really a fan.</p>

<p>maguo -- wouldn't that be funny if michigan was the only good university that accepted you? $150,000 for a school you don't even want to attend!</p>

<p>Should UM be the only "good" university I get accepted to, I will jump off a bridge. $150,000 for UM isn't bad on second thought. I guess I could stand supporting UM. Anyway, I hope that UM loses to Indiana on Saturday (I think that's who they play). And I hope hope Garret Rivas and Mike Hart and Kevin Grady all get heart attacks because they are so freaking fat.</p>

<p>maguo1: Unless you can show more tact in writing college essays and filling out applications than you've shown in your assessment of Michigan, you probably won't even be accepted. And IMHO, it would probably be for the better. I sure wouldn't want to run into you on this campus.</p>