Accepted: U Mich & Vanderbilt. which is better?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>Hi Everyone!</p>

<p>I got into both University of Michigan (College of Literature, Science and the Arts)and Vanderbilt University (College of Arts and Science). But I dont know which one I should choose. </p>

<p>My Criteria:
1.I'm not looking at the rankings (I know Vandy is 17th, Mich is 27th)
2.Reputation (I'm an international, so I dont know which is more reputable in the US)
3.Location ( which city is better in terms of social life, safety, accessibility to other large cities?)
4. Ease of transfer to an Ivy ( I'm gona give it a shot for transfer)
5. Academics (Im planning to study political sc/sociology,which schl is better at this major? )</p>

<p>Additional Information: </p>

<p>For U of Mich, I was invited to the Honours College. But it's not a final decision as I need to submit an essay and go through a selection. But since Im invited, there's a high possibility I could be selected.</p>

<p>For Vanderbilt, I wasn't invited for the honours. So I have to work my butt off next year to get into honors and there's only 30 spaces. slim chance.</p>

<p>THANK YOU FOR REPLYING!
PLEASE HELP ME !!
THANK YOU</p>

2

<p>Michigan is better in Poli Sci and Sociology. You are not a slave to rankings and yet you want to eventually transfer to any ivy league school?</p>

3

<p>I have one son at Vandy and my other son will be a Freshman at U of M in the Fall. If you were invited to Honor’s the essay is really just a formality and you will be accepted right away. My son is a Philosophy Major with a minor in corporate strategy at Vanderbilt you can’t go wrong at either School</p>

4

<p>you made 3 threads about michigan vs vandy y?</p>

5

<p>U Michigan is very proud of their diversity factor…so you might be more comfortable at U MI. Also Ann Arbor is voted one of the best college towns in the country!!! I don’t know how Vanderbilt ranks in either of those categories.</p>

6

<p>“1.I’m not looking at the rankings (I know Vandy is 17th, Mich is 27th)”</p>

<p>Good, because those rankings are meaningless and not that accurate. In other rankings, it is Michigan that ranks higher than Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>“2.Reputation (I’m an international, so I dont know which is more reputable in the US)”</p>

<p>Michigan and Vanderbilt both have excellent reputations in the US, although once you leave the South, Michigan will have a more widespread reputation among professionals and academics. Internationally however, Michigan’s reputation is stronger than Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>“3.Location ( which city is better in terms of social life, safety, accessibility to other large cities?)”</p>

<p>Ann Arbor is an awesome college town…and Nashville is also a great little city. You cannot go wrong with either. Ann Arbor does have easier access to Chicago, one of the country’s nicest cities, and is located 20 miles (30 KM) from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which has direct flights to most international destinations. In that regard, Michigan may be more “practical” than Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>“4. Ease of transfer to an Ivy ( I’m gona give it a shot for transfer)”
After a year in college, you will not want to transfer. Those two universities have reputations and academics that match those of many Ivies…and the Ivies that are slightly better (Harvard, Princeton and Yale) accept 0%-3% of transfer applicants. They are also both known for having happy students, which means transfering is not common. Besides, you will have made friends and will not want to start that process all over again. At any rate, if after your first year you really want to transfer, I would assume both of those schools will be equally respect by the Ivy League, so you win either way.</p>

<p>“5. Academics (Im planning to study political sc/sociology,which schl is better at this major? )”</p>

<p>In purely academic terms, Michigan is better than Vanderbilt. Its Political Science and Sociology departments are both ranked between among the top 5 in the nation, whereas Vanderbilt’s are not ranked among the top 30. But as an undergrad, I would not worry too much about that.</p>