Hey everyone, I am in the midst of the college decisions process and would love some help. If anyone can offer advice on how to begin to make my decision, or go to one of the three schools and can give me pros & cons I would be forever grateful :)))
My intended major is political science at all three schools.
UMich has been my dream since I was born. My dad went there, and growing up in Michigan, I bleed blue. I have a really high shot of getting in, but ever since getting into Butler and DePaul, I have almost abandoned my dream of UMich. I feel like I want to go to Michigan because of its prestige and being raised on it, to be quite honest I’m not entirely sure I can see myself there anymore. The big size and little support from the staff really turns me away from wanting to go there.
Butler was not on my radar until this year, but the campus seems so alive. The small class sizes I think I would love, and the staff seems completely willing to help. The community seems so tight knit, and although it is a rather small school it seems to always have something to do. I have a pretty nice scholarship there as well, which is another factor that can help.
As for DePaul, I applied on a whim and once I really looked into it I love what I’ve seen. Being in Chicago seems like an amazing experience, but I am worried I’ll miss out on the “college experience.” Also with small class sizes and supportive staff, I think I could thrive here as well as at Butler. They also gave me a nice scholarship, and is currently the cheapest out of the three for me.
I hope my short descriptions can kind of show where my head is at. I would say DePaul and Butler are tied right now, with DePaul slightly ahead. If any of you go to any of the three schools and can give me some insight that would be amazing, or if you have gone through the process/are going through the process, I would love some advice!
“The big size and little support from the staff really turns me away from wanting to go there.”
Michigan has the resources to manage its size nicely. I doubt you will find better support anywhere. You may have to be more proactive at Michigan, but the quality and frequency of the support you seek will be commensurate to your needs.
That being said, you should go with your gut. If your gut is telling you to go to DePaul, go for it.
Current Michigan student here, and I echo @Alexandre 's point. Resources are usually available, but you will need to be very proactive in seeking them out. What are you looking for in a school besides the academic environment? How do you want student life to look like?
At UMich, if you have the grades and test scores for the LSA honors, you will receive a much more supportive college experience. Engineering has a lot of support for everyone. The smaller colleges (Ross, SMTD, Nursing, etc.) are small enough that you will know many people in your subject area. The flip side is that there are many more opportunities available (and far more research) than at the other schools. Finally, consider value as net prices are likely to vary quite a bit.
@Alexandre@yikesyikesyikes@TooOld4School@MYOS1634 Thanks for all of your input! Although I was very high achieving in high school, LSA Honors would not be a reality for me. As much as UMich has been my dream, I think I have a new dream and as amazing as UMich is, it won’t change where I’m meant to be. Thanks again, and good luck in your future!!
My ACT is below their average- a 4.0 can’t get you into honors without at least a 32 on the ACT. Honestly, even if it was a possibility it wouldn’t be enough to make me want to go there
Also, the Living Learning Communities and other Michigan Learning Communities are a great way to make things at Michigan smaller. They usually do not consider GPA/test score and instead base their decision on demonstrated interest, fit, and essays you write when applying to them.
As much as I love Michigan (I attended and so did my eldest daughter), it is not for everyone. It sounds like everything in you is screaming “go to DePaul” but the prestige and legacy factor are making it harder for you.
You already know what to do…have an amazing time in Chicago!
FWIW, @ about 24,000 students, Depaul is not exactly a small school (although Michigan is almost twice as large). Also, the student-faculty ratios at both schools (Depaul and Michigan) are 15:1 if I am not mistaken.
^Only Butler has good student/faculty ratios and close attention paid to undergraduates.
My choice really would be between UMichigan LSA Honors or UMichigan’s Residential College, OR Butler.
I am a Michigan Alumn, stumbled on your post as my middle kid is waiting on her UofM decision as well. BUT, my oldest daughter is transferring to DePaul on January 1, from MSU. A year and half ago, she was torn between DePaul and a great offer from MSU in one of their prestigious programs. She felt more comfortable going to a school that seemed more “known”, … and after 1 year knew it was just a huge machine and really felt lost and quite frankly in the middle of no where… so we took 3 trips to Chicago, met with DePaul professors, administration, housing, students and she is moving in on January 1st. I must say it is refreshing to see ALL of these students working, interning, engaged in the city. They pointed out they are NOT a research U, as in the professors (only professors teach classes) are there for the students, not for funding for their own projects. The classes are small, and all of the buildings, dorms are immaculate… the funding for the upkeep of both campuses must be incredible because every room, building etc is state of the art. I am so excited for my kid to be taking the L, navigating the city, living in cute (and incredibly nice & safe) Lincoln Park, and starting her adult life now… and not sitting around ELansing, I think that DePaul is grossly under-estimated, and you will see their admissions criteria quickly get tougher, as it seems to be with all schools. If that is where your heart is telling you to go, you won’t regret it, and if you end up in AA, go blue! But, do not let anyone tell you DePaul is not good enough
victor, I would not argue with any of your general impressions, but statistically, DePaul has not become increasingly selective in recent years. You can easily refer to its Common Data Sets from 2006-present, and you will see that the overall admission standards have remained fairly consistent, while Michigan has indeed become increasingly selective over the same period of time:
That being said, I think the OP should go for fit, and clearly, he/she prefers DePaul. Ultimately, an education from either one will be ample preparation for life/graduate school.