I am trying to articulate the pros and cons of transferring to Michigan COE for Materials Science Engineering. She just got her acceptance but is tied up cramming for exams for the next two days. While I am waiting for her to free up, I thought I would try to develop a list of pros and cons.
It seems to me that Michigan engineering salaries are probably basically similar to other schools. However, Michigan has excellent research, excellent facilities, amazing students, an excellent alumni network, good placement, Ann Arbor is a fun town, and the sports teams are excellent.
What about graduate school opportunities? Does Michigan give their own graduates any preference like private schools do?
What else should be on the list? Thoughts please!
@billscho
She is currently at Lehigh where she is also majoring in Materials Science Engineering. I mean, I know that Michigan Engineering so it is probably more highly ranked for anyone who isn’t after MIT and Stanford. However, engineering salaries tend to be tightly clustered except for CS, so I doubt that would matter much.
It could be helpful though for grad school. I mean Michigan really shines with the quality and breadth of its graduate programs. Does Michigan accept its own undergrads into grad school at a higher rate? I know the privates do, and I would think Michigan would, but I just don’t know.
What else should be on the list?
Check transfer credit at https://www.ugadmiss.umich.edu/TCE/Public/CT_TCESearch.aspx . If there is no assurance of transfer credit, be careful, since some have said that Michigan engineering is not very generous with transfer credit that is not listed, so she may have to repeat already completed course work, possibly delaying graduation.
Cost difference and does it matter?
@Much2learn What does she not like at Lehigh? I have a sophomore CE at Michigan if she would like to talk with a student.
@ucbalumnus
Thankfully, the courses are pretty similar. Probably because they are both ABET programs. From the pre-reqs, they only made an issue about one course and she knows she will have to take that in the fall, but it isn’t a big deal.
I appreciate the caution though and will make sure she has a clear understanding of the status of the transfer credits before she makes any final decision to transfer. A couple of classes isn’t a big deal, but a large number would be.
The cost is similar.
@Much2learn Did you said that she got accepted already? when she received her acceptance letter?
Why would she even want to transfer? That to me is the biggest question /issue. Again, michigan is very picky on their transfer credits. My son is just trying to take Calc 3 and physics 2 at a community College and Michigan has not approved any of the schools he is looking at .Engineering might ok one of the classes but then the math department does not… Etc. He is in engineering at Michigan. I also would not look at any of the starting salaries. These are just averages. It is going to be fairly close no matter what school you look at. I would look more at the curriculum and what your daughter wants out of the program and what kind of culture she is looking at for school. Getting into a graduate school should not be a problem for anywhere she is looking. Call the engineering department about the stats of whether they take more of their own etc so you don’t go by hearse
“It seems to me that Michigan engineering salaries are probably basically similar to other schools. However, Michigan has excellent research, excellent facilities, amazing students, an excellent alumni network, good placement, Ann Arbor is a fun town, and the sports teams are excellent.”
You broke it down nicely Much2learn. Transferring to Michigan would be more about personal gratification than anything else. It would be about going to a better program that has more resources, more options, more opportunities and a greater reputation.
If your daughter is well settled and happy at Lehigh, I would not transfer. Why go through it all over again when she is already established and happy at Lehigh. On the other hand, if she looks forward to transferring to Michigan, then I can see no downside to doing so.
@Alexandre
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
She applied to COE on her initiative and had exams all week, so I haven’t had an opportunity to discuss it with her at any length since she received the decision. My goal is to support her in making an informed, thoughtful choice, without pushing her in either direction.
Your suggestion to she focus her on deciding where she believes she’ll be more settled, happy, and supported is a good one. I will also make sure she has a clear understanding of the transfer credits situation.
Thanks again.
I @Much2learn, my parents too have been very helpful to me with this whole going to college experience. It sometimes seems that my dad has been more involved with it than I have.
However, my dad has made it very clear to me, on more than one occasion, that I can go to college for undergrad wherever I choose and he’ll pay for it 100%. If I want to go to grad school and become a “professional student” as he puts it, then that’s on me. Also, when I graduate, he says, “you’d better have a job lined up because you’re on your own after that”.
I know he means it because he cut my sister loose the day after she graduated…life can be so cruel. :(( 
@kes2022
"when I graduate, he says, “you’d better have a job lined up because you’re on your own after that and I’m out…he cut my sister loose the day after she graduated”.”
Each parent has their own approach. I encourage my kids to make good decisions, to work hard on their academics, and to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunity they’ve been given. They know I will always support them if they do those things.
I sincerely hope that is just your dad’s way of encouraging you to make good decisions and take full advantage of the opportunity that you’ve been given.