<p>What are your opinions on how the big ten compare with each other? Don't just stick to rankings, but talk about location, students, sports, or anything else by which you can support your favorites.</p>
<p>I despise the UofIowa and therefore cheer for any other Big 10* school, and I really like UMich. </p>
<p>PS--I'm a Big 12 student.</p>
<p>Location -- NU, UMich and UW
Students (quality of) -- NU, Umich
Sports -- UMich, Ohio State, PSU
Social atmosphere - UW, PSU, UofI?
Weather -- they all suck.</p>
<p>On Wisconsin... Best of them all, as far as I'm concerned. And I've been to all of the big 10 schools. Just can't top Madison.</p>
<p>Prettiest campus: Mich St. (or so I've heard)
Ugliest/nonexistent campus: Minnesota (commuter school integrated into city)
Best looking student body: Indiana
Least sucky weather: Indiana
Most sucky weather: Michigan (at least Minn. is sunny)
Most liberal student body: UW, UMich
Most conservative: Purdue, PSU
Best outdoor recreational options: UW, Indiana</p>
<p>Alright, I'm running out of ideas here, but that should cover quite a bit of ground</p>
<p>Michigan and NU are at the top for academics. But the rest are fairly close behind. </p>
<p>Pretty much all of them have good college town locations (except for maybe Illinois). </p>
<p>Indiana probably has the best weather.</p>
<p>Also - another factoer to consider is alcohol/partying.</p>
<p>PSU/UW/Illinois/Michigan State are huge alcohol party schools. </p>
<p>Michigan/Northwestern/Purdue/etc. are big on partying too, but it's not quite as overwhelming.</p>
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Michigan and NU are at the top for academics. But the rest are fairly close behind.
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<p>All B10 schools are good academically, but "fairly close" may be pushing it.</p>
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Pretty much all of them have good college town locations (except for maybe Illinois).
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<p>I don't see how Illinois is any worse than the other college town locations (Iowa, Purdue, Indy, Penn St.) and C-U is actually a pretty fun college town.</p>
<p>Let's try general academic "tiers" instead of an absolute pecking order:</p>
<h2>Michigan Northwestern</h2>
<h2>Illinois* Wisconsin</h2>
<h2>Minnesota Penn St. Purdue* Ohio St.</h2>
<p>Indiana* Iowa* Mich St.</p>
<p>Exceptions (noted by asterisk):
Illinois moves to top tier for engineering
Purdue moves up for engineering, down for liberal arts
Indiana moves way up for music, business
Iowa moves way up for English/writing</p>
<p>These aren't exactly hard "ceilings" but more of a gradation between the levels, and certainly some argument can be made to move certain schools up or down. The overall strongest, most balanced schools are pretty clearly Michigan, NWU, and Wisconsin. Liberal arts gets a bit of a short shrift at Illinois, which holds it back a bit, but the pre-professional fields are stellar. The reality is that you can get a great education at any one of the Big Ten (Eleven?) schools, and the degrees are very respected and recognized throughout the nation, no matter where you may end up.</p>
<p>michigan state is at least on the 3rd tier</p>
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Ugliest/nonexistent campus: Minnesota (commuter school integrated into city)
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<p>There is a definite campus at Minnesota. We call it Dinkytown. I most definitely wouldn't call it ugly either. This is hard for me to admit because I'm always arguing how my school (Wellesley) is so much prettier than the UofM, but I have to admit that it does have its perks. Minnesota is definitely in the city, but its campus is solidified.</p>
<p>how can you even put NU and Mich in the same tier. </p>
<p>NU has a much more talented pool of students. We aren't talking about 10 or 20 or 40 or 60 points on the SATs, we are talking about a good 100 points. That is a pretty big distinction in my opinion.</p>
<h2>Northwestern</h2>
<h2>Michigan Wisconsin</h2>
<h2>Illinois Purdue</h2>
<h2>Penn St. Ohio St. Mich St. Indiana</h2>
<p>Iowa Minnesota</p>
<p>Comparing Mich to Northwestern is comparing Binghamton to Cornell.</p>
<p>NU SAT Median 1410
Mich Median 1310</p>
<p>Cornell median 1385
Binghamton median 1270</p>
<p>state schools have to admit a high % of non-1400 SAT kids to keep supporting the state. NU and Mich may be a bit separate on a 'student body strength' scale, but in an academic sense NU = Mich.</p>
<p>I disagree, Columbiahopeful. I think Michigan is academically equal to NU.</p>
<p>I think Indiana has the prettiest campus and offers an all-around great college experience. I think Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan also offer a great college experience.
Northwestern has the edge in academic prestige. Michigan would be second.
Indiana has some really notable programs- especially business and music.</p>
<h2>Northwestern</h2>
<h2>Michigan Illinois Wisconsin</h2>
<h2>Penn State Ohio State Michigan State</h2>
<h2>Purdue Indiana</h2>
<p>Minnesota Iowa</p>
<p>I second Columbiahopeful.</p>
<p>Academically:</p>
<p>Northwestern</p>
<p>Michigan, Wisconsin</p>
<p>Illinois</p>
<p>Purdue, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana</p>
<p>Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa</p>
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<p>I don't disagree with that assessment, but you are wrongly assuming that entering SAT scores are the primary measuring stick of academic quality. There is also the matter of teaching and research, gaining and imparting knowledge, and this is where Michigan makes up ground. UMich also enjoys a significant advantage in most graduate programs, aside from journalism and business. </p>
<p>Would I rather go to Northwestern for an undergraduate degree? Probably, since I thrive in a smaller environment and would be lost at Michigan. Also, the exclusivity and name brand doesn't hurt. Does this automatically make Northwestern superior as an academic institution? Not in the least.</p>