Best combination of academics and social life

College Search & Selection
61

<p>I will give you my reasons for listing the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor among the universities that are well rounded. </p>

<p>1) ACADEMICS:
Michigan is very strong accross the academic spectrum. In fact, I'd say that in terms of overall academics, very few universities can match, let alone top, Michigan. Ed Fiske gives Michigan a ***** academic rating, along with just 20 or so other research universities. The USNWR academic rating of Michigan is 4.5/5.0, tied with the likes of Brown, Chicago, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Northwestern and Penn. Unlike most universities, Michigan is strong accross the spectrum of academic disciplines. Listed below are some of Michigan's better departments:</p>

<p>DEPARTMENTS RANKED IN OR AROUND THE TOP 5 NATIONALLY (at the undergraduate level):
Anthropology
Business, overall
Business, Accounting
Business, Entrepeneurship
Business, International
Business, Finance
Business, General Management
Business, Marketing
Business, Operations & Production
Classics
East Asian Studies
Engineering, overall
Engineering, Aerospace
Engineering, Computer
Engineering, Electrical
Engineering, Environmental
Engineering, Industrial
Engineering, Materials
Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, Nuclear
Geology
History
Language, Arabic
Language, Chinese
Language, French
Language, Japanese
Language, Russian
Mathematics
Music
Near and Middle Eastern Studies
Nursing
Political Science
Psychology
Russian and Eastern European Studies
Sociology</p>

<p>DEPARTMENTS RANKED IN OR AROUND THE TOP 10 NATIONALLY (at the undergraduate level):
Archiecture
Biology
Economics
Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, Civil
English
German
Hebrew
Italian
Physics
Spanish</p>

<p>DEPARTMENTS RANKED IN OR AROUND THE TOP 20 NATIONALLY (undergraduate level):
Art
Art History
Chemistry
Computer Science</p>

<p>You will be hard pressed to find a university that is ranked so high in every single field of study. Furthermore, Michigan has a top 10 Law School and a top 10 Medical school, both of which offer undergrads plenty of opportunities.</p>

<p>In terms of graduate school placement, according to a reliable Wall Street Journal study, Michigan placed 156 students into top 5 graduate professional programs in 2004. Only 4 universities place more students. In terms of rati as a function of the total student body, Michigan was #1 in the nation among state universities and #18 among research universities, right behind Penn, Chicago, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Caltech but ahead of UVA, Cal, Notre Dame, Emory, Vanderbilt and Washington University.</p>

<p>2) ATHLETICS:
Michigan athletics are almost as strong and as well rounded as Michigan academics. Where to start? Michigan's football stadium is the largest in the country, seating a maximum of over 110,000 and sold out for every game since 1976. Michigan's fight song, Hail to the Victors, is one of the most famous and widely recognized as one of the proudest and most rousing college fight songs.</p>

<p>In the last 20 years alone, Michigan has been a consistant powerhouse in:
- Basketball (1 national championship and 2 Final fours)
- Football (1 national championship, a national record 20 straight bowl appearances, 10 Big 10 titles and a 0.800 record vs top 10 teams)
- Hockey (2 national championships, 7 Frozen 4 appearances, 9 CCHA conference championships)
- Swimming (1 national championship, annual top 10 finishes)
- Men's Gymnastics (1 national championship, annual top 10 finishes)
- Women's Gymnastics (annual top 10 finishes)
- Women's Field Hockey (1 national championship, annual top 10 finishes)
- Women's Softball (1 national championship, annual top 10 finishes)
- Top 10 Sears Trophy finishes annually</p>

<p>Other athletic feats:
- More conference football titles (41) than any other program in the nation
- More football wins than any other program
- Highest winning percentage of any footnall program in the nation
- Winning record over Alabama, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State
- More Hockey national championships (9) than any program in the nation
- More Frozen 4 appearances (22) than any program in the nation
- Only University in the nation to have won national championships in all 4 major revenue sports (Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey)
- More swimming national championships (18) than any program in the nation</p>

<p>3) SOCIAL SCENE:
It is difficult to describe the social scene at a university with 25,000 undergrads hailing from all 50 states and over 120 countries. The university has over 1,000 clubs and students come from all walks of life, all socio-economic backgrounds etc... However, by and large, Michigan students are serious about their studies but also like to let loose and have a good time. Overall, the students are very accepting and tolerent and are at the university primarily to grow intellectually. The campus and surrounding town provide students an infinite number of opportunities to socialize and participate in any activity imaginable.</p>

<p>4) RESOURCES:
- Library: Michigan's library contains over 8 million titles, making it the 6th largest university library in the world.
- Endowment: Michigan endowment has suprassed the $5 billion mark, making it the 7th largest university endowment fund in the World.
- Michigan Hospital: The largest university owned and operated hospital in the World is consistantly ranked among the top 10 hospitals in the country.
- Research: Michigan spends $800 million/year on research, second or third largest university research budged in the US. There are over 2,000 Freshmen and Sophomores (and even more juniors and seniors) involved in 1 on 1 research with leading faculty. </p>

<p>5) CAMPUS:
Michigan's campus is impresive. It isn't the prettiest or most ornate, but it is well maintained, clean, pleasant and very impressive. Although it is very spread-out, one is often surprised at how well Michigan hides its size. An efficient, safe and free university bus system connects the various partsof the campus.</p>

<p>6) ALUMNI:
Michigan's alumni network is one of the best to be found anywhere. It is huge (over 400,000 strong), very spread out (strong presences in Chicago, NYC, LA, San Francisco, Texas, DC, Western Europe, the Middle East and East Asia), wealthy (one of the wealthiest per capita) and influencial (countless CEOs and top executives of major companies, politicians, entertainers etc...). Michigan alums are rabid, fiercely loyal and outrageously proud. </p>

<p>7) ANN ARBOR:
The qunitessential college town. It is neither so large as to dwarf the campus culture nor is it too small that it is boring and lacking in activity. Ann Arbor has 120,000 residents, not inlcuding the 40,000 or so university students. It is safe, clean, highly intellectual, wealthy and has a strong international flavor. Its quaint little streets are laced with international restaurants, unique little stores, pleasant cafes and a multitude of bookstores. Within the city limit are sevewral major company headquarters, such as Borders, Domino's Pizza, Pfizer Global research and several other small tech companies. Within a 40 mile radius are located the headquarters of the Big 3 and of Kellogg cereals. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport (5th largest in the nation), which has direct flights to England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and every major city in the US is a mere 25 miles away from Central Campus. According to most city ratings, Ann Arbor is one of the top places to live, for the young and the old. </p>

<p>8) LOCATION:
Although Ann Arbor is self-reliant, if one wishes to esscape to a larger (or smaller) destination, its position along the Chicago-Detroit-Toronto corridor makes it very easy to escape. A 4 hour drive (or train ride) lands one right in the middle of Chicago, one of North America's nicest large cities. A 45 minute drive would connect Ann Arbor residents to most of Detroit's entertainment venues (Redwings, Pistons, Auto shows, major concerts, world-class restaurants, international art exhibits etc...).</p>

<p>Well, that's about it I guess! LOL In other words, overall, you will be hard pressed to find a university that is better all around.</p>

62

<p>I echo the NYU statments. I can honestly say I have never met more unhappy students or alumni from another school. It is the LEAST balanced, fun, happy-go-lucky well-known school in America.</p>

63

<p>The problem with NYU is that many students go there thinking they are going to have a great college experience AND NYC. That's not the case. NYU offers a very mediocre college experience and NYC is not at all student friendly.</p>

64

<p>Yup, I agree with that 100%.</p>

65

<p>In other threads, I've read where people assume Michigan is easy to get into and not elite because it has a relatively high acceptance rate. But living in Michigan I can tell you that generally only the very best students even apply to it. This is because there is another excellent in-state option(Michigan State U) for students who are bright but don't think they will compete effectively against a student body that draws top-notch people from across the country and around the world. In other words, U of Michigan's in-state application pool is very self-selected, and is diffenent from a lot of other top state universities, which seem to get applications from virtually every high school grad in their state with a 3.0 or above.</p>

66

<p>Let me echo Alexandre's statements. No school in my mind does athletics and academics better than Michigan - not even close - and certainly not Cal (which is a great school, but two deviations down from Michigan in athletic accomplishments). They are not just year in and year out good in football, but in a host of other sports, too, hockey, track and field, softball, you name it, they are good at a national level. </p>

<p>I say this having gone to school on an athletic scholarship over twenty years ago (at a top 10 USNWR school), and while it today is looked at often as the model for combination of sports and academics - really, it can't approach Michigan across the board in terms of athletic prowess. Heck, when I competed against UM, they had an Olympic medalist on their team, and he wasn't in my view even the best they had! The same level of performance exists today on that team! </p>

<p>There is too much emphasis on sports at most all colleges. But the reality is that sports accomplish two things: 1) they energize the alumni base like no other activity; and 2) in an era where women significantly outnumber men in terms of going to college, big-time college sports are the last great testosterone attractor. They also provide great entertainment and fun for the school's non-athletes. So while I think sports are the subject of too much emphasis, if a school is going to spend millions (and the Div. 1 schools do), then they ought to do it well - and no one does it better than UMich. There isn't a school in the country (well, maybe Texas, Notre Dame and a few others) that wouldn't just die for their athletic program's economics and success. </p>

<p>I also find it hilarious all this talk about Michigan not being elite school. Work hard and get good grades in almost any field at UM and you will have the challenging, but welcome problem of having a number of good, or frankly great, choices in life. What else matters, especially at a place like Ann Arbor where even a social misfit can have fun?</p>

67

<p>Wisconsin gives UM a good run in both. Football is close with UM edge, basketball UW is better, hockey close for men, UW for women(UW won NC this year for men and women), track UW men better (Big 10 champs again), softball I guess UM, Volleyball UW women are better. Crew is close for both M and W. CC UW Men won NC this year. UM W CC is better right now but UW has had some great teams. Soccer a push. Swimming UM, Tennis UM.</p>

68

<p>The first school i think when i think social and academically good is wisconsin. Socially it is among the best and academically it has programs that are ranked in everything and is just another underrated public school. Its peer assessment ranking is among the top 20 and it should be. The school has great sports and is ranked as the best college sports town by CNN and sports illustrated. The biggest knock on Michigan sports is that no one there cares for sports like they care for sports at other colleges. If the environment isn't fun then what difference does it make if the team is good.</p>

<p>Neither wisconsin nor Michigan ranked in Princeton reviews top 20 schools in which "students pack the stadiums". Schools that did, in order, were UMCP(1), Notre Dame(2), UF(3), PSU, UNC, Georgia, Gonzaga, Arizona, Tennessee, UT,Auburn, US air force, BC, Alabama, Duke, USC, miami, uconn, clemson, and OSU. How good the teams are doesn't mean as much to a lot of people as how much people at the college care. THe schools on the top sporting schools all have lively atmospheres for sports.</p>

<p>If you go by party school rankings then Uwisc takes the pot as it is number 1. Only schools to be ranked top 20 in both parties and students at sporting events (which is bascially sporting atmosphere) are PSU, UMD, Georgia, UT, and UF. But because the town of Madison loves its sports and it truly is a college sport town i think Uwisc is by far the best of both worlds.</p>

69

<p>Mam59, let me challenge your perception of Cal Athletics. </p>

<p>I don't think there is any debate about Michigan being the top football program in the NCAA along with Notre Dame in terms of tradition and accomplishments, but Cal football has made incredible strides of late under coach Tedford, so much so that is now the equal of Michigan on the football field. Cal Football is actually ranked higher than Michigan in most preseason publications this year. Sports illustrated, ESPN and Athlon have us at #7 or #8. Cal now has the best football program in the west, second only to USC's. We're also in the midst of a $160 million stadium remodel. Cal argualbly is the fastest-rising athletic program in the NCAA.</p>

<p>Cal also has one of the most beautiful and scenic college football experience, the stadium is nestled at the top of a green canyon and offers spectacular views of the SF bay from its rim. Unlike most other universities, the students have the best seats, between the 40 yard line. As well, the level of enthusiasm in the program is really unique, as Cal is finally experiencing the kind of success a school like Michigan has had for decades. It's a bit like when Wisconsin or Northwestern made it to the Rose Bowl not too long ago, after decades of futility. There is a huge groundswell of support and excitement around the program these days.</p>

<p>One of the greatest campus stadiums:
<a href="http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/archives_exhibits/campus_planning/atkinson_archive/ucb/photos/UCB_74_rf.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/archives_exhibits/campus_planning/atkinson_archive/ucb/photos/UCB_74_rf.jpg&lt;/a>
<a href="http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/archives_exhibits/campus_planning/atkinson_archive/ucb/photos/UCBaerial_013.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/archives_exhibits/campus_planning/atkinson_archive/ucb/photos/UCBaerial_013.jpg&lt;/a>
<a href="http://berkeleyheritage.com/images/stadium/stadium2003.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://berkeleyheritage.com/images/stadium/stadium2003.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>stadium at night
<a href="http://static.flickr.com/1/128774141_fed4cb58b2_b.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://static.flickr.com/1/128774141_fed4cb58b2_b.jpg&lt;/a>
and in the daytime
<a href="http://static.flickr.com/47/132284893_fc8b1deb0e_b.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://static.flickr.com/47/132284893_fc8b1deb0e_b.jpg&lt;/a>
Roll’em up! After every score, a bunch of students get rolled up all the way to the upper rim.
<a href="http://static.flickr.com/34/71294604_b887c01815.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://static.flickr.com/34/71294604_b887c01815.jpg&lt;/a>
Rushing the field after the Big Game… GO BEARS!
<a href="http://www.posicorp.com/pictures/2004-11-20%20UC%20Berkeley%20-%20The%20Big%20Game/IMG_0009.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.posicorp.com/pictures/2004-11-20%20UC%20Berkeley%20-%20The%20Big%20Game/IMG_0009.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>View from the rim of the football stadium
<a href="http://www.posicorp.com/pictures/2004-11-20%20UC%20Berkeley%20-%20The%20Big%20Game/IMG_0001.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.posicorp.com/pictures/2004-11-20%20UC%20Berkeley%20-%20The%20Big%20Game/IMG_0001.jpg&lt;/a>
Campanile from stadium
<a href="http://www.posicorp.com/pictures/2004-11-20%20UC%20Berkeley%20-%20The%20Big%20Game/IMG_0002.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.posicorp.com/pictures/2004-11-20%20UC%20Berkeley%20-%20The%20Big%20Game/IMG_0002.jpg&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.emjr.org/cal/football/2002/wsuGame/335.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.emjr.org/cal/football/2002/wsuGame/335.jpg&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.emjr.org/cal/football/2002/afGame/memStadPanoSmall.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.emjr.org/cal/football/2002/afGame/memStadPanoSmall.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Cal is the top program in rugby and crew, which are great events to attend in person, but the majority of our 32 programs are ranked. Our athletes have had over a dozen medals in Athens'04, which could be the most of any university.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030824/images/030824cover.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030824/images/030824cover.jpg&lt;/a>
<a href="http://calparents.berkeley.edu/letterhome/2004/fall/images/NatalieCoughlin.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://calparents.berkeley.edu/letterhome/2004/fall/images/NatalieCoughlin.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

70

<p>As to UW not packing the stadiums, PR does not know jack. Football, basketball and hockey are all sellouts every game. That's over 82,000 for football, 17,000 for bball and 11,000 for hockey. UW is in the top 3 in total sports revenue.</p>

71

<p>Barrons is right. PR is a joke. Michigan's football stadium has been filled to capacity and beyond since 1976...and let me tell you, Michigan stadium isn't small!</p>

72

<p>I think what they mean is STUDENTS packing the stadium, in other words, a high % of the students go to the games. If all the students at Michigan and Wisconsin went to the games, they'd fill 30 or 40 % of the stadiums, instead of the appx 10% that they actually fill. But I still think Wisconsin and Michigan are two incredibly well-rounded places.</p>

73

<p>"Colgate/Wake/Boston College – these schools are a lot of fun, are on the preppy side. Colgate is very small though and in the middle of nowhere but it attracts very cool students. BC and Wake are both in the ACC.
Villanova/Bucknell/Loyola-Maryland -- are smaller, preppy schools that will have alot of drinking"</p>

<p>I have a question about Boston College and Loyola MD. How preppy are we talking about? Are the students snobbish stuck up and preppy? or do they just like to pop their collars? do you think there are lots of different types of people at these schools (not like diverse ethnicities, but just diverse interests)? And also how much drinking is a lot? If i don't drink every single weekend will that hamper my social life?</p>

74

<p>cheapseats, I think that the ""students pack the stadiums" Princeton Review ranking is quite bogus. No way is Arizona tops in the pac-10 there. USC, Cal, UCLA to name three, are better in terms of attendance.</p>

75

<p>To all posters (and particularly those writing about UC Berkeley, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Michigan and Wisconsin)</p>

<p>Your comments have been terrific and much appreciated. As the OP states, the intent of this thread is to spur discussion that would identify schools with a great overall package of academics, social, athletic, and physical characteristics. It is extremely helpful to read the reasons why you favor a certain institution, both as a result of your personal experience and your own due diligence. Re the five schools mentioned above, your passion and love for these schools is obvious to all. It is pretty clear that each of these schools offer a very attractive blend. </p>

<p>There are several schools that were mentioned briefly or as part of a list, but which might deserve additional comment. Would anyone care to make the case (or at least a broader statement) for why you feel that these schools have a compelling and distinct mix of
1) excellent academics;
2) vibrant social life;
3) varied and deep athletic life; and
4) appealing physical characteristics (campus beauty, location, size, weather, architecture, etc.).
In addition, please draw distinctions with other institutions if appropriate (although please refrain from flaming on other schools as that is probably unproductive for all of us). </p>

<p>Here are some of the schools that were mentioned earlier:</p>

<p>Elite Privates in Major Athletic Conferences
Duke
Wake Forest
Northwestern
Stanford
Univ of Southern California
Boston College
Notre Dame (Big East for all sports except football, right?)</p>

<p>Major State Universities
UCLA
Texas
North Carolina
Florida
Colorado
Indiana
Penn State</p>

<p>Small to mid-sized Privates
Colgate
Emory
Rice
Lehigh
Bucknelll
Washington & Lee
Tulane
Georgetown</p>

<p>Ivies
Brown
Dartmouth
Princeton
Cornell</p>

76

<p>If indiana colorodo texas florida and IU are in there as state schools I definatley think UMD shoudl be in there. It has top 25 programs in engineering and business and has a great journalism programs, most of all sports journalism. Its location inbetween DC(15 mintues by car) and Baltimore(30 minutes) serve for good night life and internships and its top 20 party ranking and number 1students pack the stadiums-regardless how bogus that ranking is- show that it is fun. Sports here is not a thing, it seriously is a lifestyle. Everyone is into all the sport teams. Sadly mens basketball (who won the it all 4 years ago) has fallen but women's bball won this year as well as field hockey, soccer, and competitive cheer. That is 4 national tourneys and they are top ranked in both men's and women's lax which in the DC area is HUGE and may win in both of those(Virginia by far is the best at LAx though). I don't see how it doesn't offer both fun and academics if those other schools do. Check out the video from theu.com <a href="http://theu.com/watch/index.php?region=Northeast&schoolid=19129%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://theu.com/watch/index.php?region=Northeast&schoolid=19129&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

77

<p>Lehigh: One of the nation's best party schools and quickly moving up the US NEWS ranking(went up 7 spots from 2005 to 2006)..</p>

78

<p>Northwestern University! Think about it!</p>

79

<p>Duke, Stanford, Dartmouth, Yale, ND, Williams, Amherst, Colgate, Holy Cross, and Davidson all have good combination of strong academics, great school spirit, and alumni giving rates of around 50% which is more than twice the national average.</p>

80

<p>Stanford hands down is the best</p>