I’m about to enroll at the University of Michigan over Ohio State. Accepted to LSA at UM, while OSU awarded me the National Buckeye Scholarship and Trustees Scholarship for $14,000 a year, directly admitted me to the Fisher School of Business, and accepted me to the Dunn Sport and Wellness Scholars Program. Although I’m currently undecided on a career path, business is something that interests me, and I might decide to transfer into the Ross School of Business after my freshman year, which is an extremely competitive process. Still, I will start with an area of interest in Communications and am unsure of what I want to major in. Also, I would like to work on the east coast after college most likely and will have to take out $75,000 in student loans at Michigan, but roughly only $25,000 at Ohio State. A Michigan education will cost twice as much for my family. Do you believe it’s a smart move to attend U of M, with the extra loans and as someone who is undecided on a career path? I have always wanted to attend a top tier school with prestige. Would really appreciate an honest answer. Thanks.
They’re both great schools, but I think you answered your own question at the end of the post. If your aim is to go for the most prestige, then yes, UM surely holds the edge there. OSU has become much more competitive in drawing top talent in recent years, and is gaining in prestige especially among public-university peers. Also, keep in mind that “top-tier” is somewhat relative. UMich isn’t necessarily top-tier when you consider all the elite private schools out there. If you can somehow work out an index of “prestige-for-the-buck”, in terms of what you’ll be paying for college, then just maybe the gap would be closer than USNWR rankings (which heavily factor in prestige), etc. indicate.
I can see your struggle, OSU gave you a good deal, and the planets are not lining up well at UM for you.
You didn’t get direct admit to Ross, you are undecided in your major, and the cost is a burden to you and your family.
But UM is a sentimental favorite for you, and has the prestige factor that is important to you.
My daughter had a similar dilemma last year, her top choice was UM. But OSU made a very nice offer to her which she took, and has been very happy there.
That said, this is a personal decision, only you can make it. Perhaps the folks on the UM forum can give you feedback, perhaps they can give you information that will justify the cost difference.
Good luck on whatever you decide.
You are not alone in your struggle, gametime. When we were at one of the OSU orientations, a young lady voiced her similar dilemma. Her dream was to go to OSU’s school of nursing. But UC (U of Cincinnati) had offered her money, direct admit to the school of nursing, and admittance to an Honor’s program. OSU on the other hand did not give
her any money, no direct admit to the nursing school, and no honor’s program. She was really struggling with her choice, I always wondered what she decided in the end.
Michigan is clearly the better school with a lot more prestige, but I don’t know if it’s THAT much better to justify the cost of attending. These are still both state schools. They aren’t private colleges with small class sizes and access to all kinds of perks. I’ve seen enough higher ed shenanigans to be convinced that one should NEVER EVER pay private school prices to attend a public university–even a really good public university like Michigan or Berkeley.
I think your mistake was bringing this decision down to OSU and Michigan in the first place. Neither OSU nor Michigan are on the East Coast. Michigan will definitely have better connections there, but from what I understand they tend to funnel a lot of grads to the Chicago area. It would have been better to try to go to a school on the East Coast. If I were you, I’d do my first year at OSU and then look into transferring to a school that’s closer to where you want to eventually be.
@adjunctified I was accepted to many great schools on the east coast with generous scholarship opportunities. It’s between the two because I loved Ohio State when I visited and Michigan is a top tier school. It has been ranked the #1 public on some lists this year.
What east coast schools are you talking about? If you were accepted to great schools on the East Coast with generous scholarships–and you want to end up on the East Coast for work–then you should put aside warm fuzzy feelings of how you felt on the campus visits and try to make a more level-headed decision. Believe me, it’s much easier to work in the same general region where you got your degree.
Michigan might be #1 public, but that still doesn’t mean its educational value is worth more than a good education from a private SLAC or something (especially if the private school is offering scholarships and Michigan is expecting you to pay full out-of-state costs).
@adjunctified It’s clear you aren’t a fan of U of M. I was accepted to UMD-CP, PSU, UConn, Binghamton, Fordham…
Pigs must be flying over the Oval, I actually agree with adjunctified’s post above.
Gametime, we are trying to determine if UM is worth $50K more than OSU, based upon your stated career goals.
It is a rational cost/benefit viewpoint.
But I think you are coming from more of an emotional place, which is fine, there is no right way to make decisions. And you are basing your decisions on what appeals to you on a gut or feeling level. I think you see UM as worth the upcharge.
I actually love U of Michigan, but I wouldn’t have gone there if it meant borrowing $75k to do so.
Your other choices are meh. I can understand why you’re leaning toward Michigan. But if you’re getting money from UMD and Fordham to the point where those schools are more affordable than the rest, then you might look more closely at them, as those schools have some value for opening up east coast career paths.
UConn is in the middle of nowhere, and their business school isn’t any good. It also has the reputation of being the “back up” school for everyone on the East Coast. Binghamton is nowhere near any east coast financial centers.
Michigan has so many opportunities. From internships to campus life, University of Michigan has it all! I would tell you to grasp this awesome opportunity!
FYI OSU has campus life and internships as well.
Even has a better football team. 
Adjunctified, Is UConn the “back up” school for everyone on the East Coast? I thought that was Binghamton. Binghamton is only a few hour’s drive from financial centers if you drive. I think it is 3-4 hours… If you want to fly, it is probably 8 hours and $400+ but that is because it is hard to get a direct route. This may have changed but that was certainly true in the past. If there was direct transportation it would be a lot quicker to get from Binghamton to financial centers. It’s just that there is no reliable transportation except driving yourself or bus. That is hardly the school’s fault. Every so often they used to promise direct and reliable flights but that would only last a few months. It could be better now There is also train service. The train takes about 6 hours but then you have to get to Syracuse first and that adds about 2 hours to the trip. It isn’t true that Binghamton is nowhere near any financial centers on the east coast but there is such poor transportation that it takes a while to get there.
I’m not sure what you’re asking? UConn is certainly closer to cities like Boston, New York, Providence, etc. Binghamton is nowhere near east coast cities. If the OP wants to be on the east coast, I would not recommend Binghamton.
adjunctified, I agree. But sometimes people who think they want a city have really never experienced other kinds of places. Vestal has every large box store you can imagine located very conveniently on a large strip but there is also plenty of hunting and fishing just minutes from Binghamton. People sometimes say the area is reminiscent of the Appalachian region. Students from in and around NYCity can have experiences that they would never have if they stayed near NY City. Being open to new experiences should be part of college.
(see also for financial issues at http://www.ppinys.org/reports/appalachia.pdf)
and Ice fishing: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/39995.html
http://www.dos.ny.gov/lg/arc/2011ARCStrategyStatement.pdf
I know this post is old, but I felt like responding anyway…
I think it’s pretty funny how people are bashing Binghamton University, especially considering that the OP is looking into business schools (or at least has some interest in business). Bing’s School of Management is extremely selective, and it’s in no way a BS school. Depending on how much effort a student puts into their college career will determine their job prospects. Going to Bing won’t hinder you, ESPECIALLY if you are trying to work in NY (again, wanna go for business? NYC is the best city to be in for careers in business). People in NY value Bing a lot.
I have come to find that ranking means absolutely nothing. I am an accounting major, and each program I’ve researched – whether at a top school or lower ranked school – are extremely similar. OSU will give you a great education as would U of M. Sure, you can brag about going to the best public uni, but your student loans won’t show you any mercy because you went to a better school.
I can’t help but feel like many of these posts are from people in their 20s. Any older, wiser adult would tell you to absolutely go for OSU and forget Michigan, unless your parents can afford it and it’s absolutely what you want.
BTW – PSU, UM - CD, Fordham being “ehh” schools? Lol, k. Prestige junkie much?
Anyone know how the story ends? Did gametime7 choose OSU or UM? Regarding prestigious schools, seems the major makes a difference. For engineering majors my impression is that Big 10 schools generally stack up very well compared to the ‘elites’. Just a layman’s observation.
Take the money. Daughter passed on Michigan and UCLA (in state) for UGA (nice partial academic scholarship) and is getting into all the medical schools she wanted. Oldest went to UC Santa Cruz (full ride - academic) and then Michigan Law only 40% academic scholarship. Either you have it or you don’t.
Grad school ranking matters a lot more than undergraduate. And it only matters early on either way. Some fields like law matter more than say a PHD in Celtic Studies.
Michigan is a great University but the state is broke and offers little in financial support. We had a few kids go there and half are back home at USC, UCLA or CAL. The common thread other than the ice rain was being nickel and dime to death on billings.
If you like OSU, I’d save the money (especially if it is tight). So many other schools out there. We had no idea about UGA but on a lark she applied and 80 minutes into the tour, she turned and said it was where she wanted to be. She has blossomed there. You really have to feel it.
Good luck!
@Mentorite he chose Michigan