<p>I need help choosing between Wes and U-M.
I've lived in Ann Arbor my whole life, so I kind of want to go somewhere else.
Still, I've taken classes at U-M and my brother goes there, parents went there, etc. so I would know exactly what to expect.
It sort of comes down to big vs. small school, and new place vs. familiar place, as I like both schools a lot.
I would appreciate any help you can offer.</p>
<p>Pretty different schools!
For you it seems like it’s a personal decision (whether you want to stay near home or experience something new), but I think it would be good to go to a new place. I think I’d feel overshadowed if lots of my family had gone to “my” school, and trying new restaurants and scoping out new buildings/scenery can be exciting and give a nice fresh start to your four years.
There are benefits to both big and small schools, which I’m sure you’re aware of, but I personally think the community aspect of a smaller school is really nice. You’ll get personal attention and relationships from professors that you wouldn’t get at a school like UMich, and generally bump into people you know more often. I think you’d feel less “anonymous” walking around, and it would in general be a friendlier atmosphere.
I also saw from your other posts (sorry to be a stalker) that you like theater, which I think Wesleyan is probably better for. There’s a student-run theater (the oldest in the country or something) that allows anyone to put on a production! Pretty cool. And Wesleyan is undoubtedly much more similar to Brown than UMich, which I also saw you were interested in. There’s a huge number of cross-applicants between Wes and Brown.
No bad decisions though!! 
Congrats on being accepted to such great schools!</p>
<p>Two questions: Is there a way you could visit Wesleyan this month? Or have you visited when it is in session?
The cost of the two schools may differ (state public vs private); is that a factor for you?</p>
<p>In general, I think it is good to challenge yourself as a young adult and step out of your comfort zone, especially if you think you may return to Michigan for grad school/career. My son is a freshman from Northern CA. He turned down many good UCs for Wesleyan with my encouragement, as I wanted him to experience life in a different part of the country.
He is happier at Wes than I could have imagined, has friends from all over the country and world (roommate is from Asia), and has found Wesleyan to be a very comfortable home away from home.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies! those are some really good points.
wes and michigan are pretty different, but i would be at the residential college if i go to U-M so it’s kind of a smaller feel.
as for theater though, wes wins for sure, and it might be healthier to go away to a different part of the country…
I’ve been to wes but only over the summer, so I’m not sure I got a good feel for the student body. I’m pretty sure they picked the least radical kids they could find to do the tour. Cost isn’t that big of a deal, but U-M is like half the price so that’s a plus for Mich.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s entirely true about the tourguides – it looks to me like they tried to get a variety. Maybe the one who led your tour was more preppy/mainstream, but looking online at all of them, it looks like there are all kinds.
I visited during the year too and found people pretty normal… Haha. Perhaps more flowy scarves on girls and more intellectual conversation than at your average school, but nothing extreme. Have you been to U N I G O .com? There are some video interviews of students on there (randomly picked, presumably) who are also not “radical” :)</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter to me how radical/mainstream the student body is, it’s just I only got to meet like two people so that makes it hard to make a decision, but I bet you’re right that they’re a lot like the people at Brown and that it’s a pretty diverse group, so that’s good. Thanks for the help though! I’m leaning toward Wes.</p>
<p>Haha yeah no problem
Good luck making a decision and maybe I’ll see you next year! :)</p>
<p>Uh, the UMich musical theatre program is one of the absolute best in the country, but I’m assuming that you’re not looking to focus entirely on theatre (as you’d have to audition for UMich beforehand).</p>
<p>oh i forgot to say that, but yeah, i don’t want to only study theater.
and i design and make costumes for plays (not act) so auditioning won’t be an issue
plus at michigan, i think there’s a lot more professionals backstage than students, at least, that’s what i’ve heard</p>
<p>I don’t know how relevant this is to your comment about wanting to make costumes for plays, but I went to the fashion show during WesFest and I was fairly impressed. All of the outfits were made by the students and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how they made them. The atmosphere about the whole event was pretty fun too.</p>
<p>(Anyone else on here go?)</p>
<p>halcyon, I was impressed with the outfits at the fashion show, too! much better than I expected.</p>
<p>Yers2, where did you ultimately decide to go?</p>
<p>wesleyan : )</p>
<p>What if you get off the Brown wait list?</p>
<p>yers2, congratulations on a great decision! I, too, was wondering what you had decided.</p>
<p>ljean,
Brown is not an issue b/c I was rejected monday…but i got into Dartmouth off their WL yesterday and I need help deciding. </p>
<p>Dartmouth or Wes? I have until June 19 to tell Dartmouth. Any ideas?? Would really appreciate any help.</p>
<p>I respect Dartmouth a lot, but, it’s not Wesleyan. The D Plan, the constant “teaching for the test”, is not for everyone. OTOH, having a winter quarter off to look for jobs makes a lot of sense in today’s economy. Depends on how hyper you want your life to be right now.</p>
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<p>I suggest you watch Animal House, which is based on Dartmouth. Then watch PCU, which is based on Wes. Then decide which speaks to you more.</p>
<p>No, don’t watch PCU and then decide! It’s a caricature of the student body and isn’t that accurate. Now, the merciless beat down of Dartmouth and a shameless plug for Wes: Dartmouth’s trimester system can be very annoying in terms of moving in/moving out, and when you get to see friends from home. It also means less time dedicated to each class. Greek life is HUGE there, and while Wes does have it’s fraternities (and yes, they do party), less than 10% of the student body winds up pledging, as opposed to roughly 40% at Dartmouth. Wesleyan is a bit less preppy, and way more artsy than Dartmouth. If you drink/do whatever, at Wes you’re more likely to do it after seeing your friend’s a capella concert or something, whereas at Dartmouth you’ll be busy pregaming for the pregame. And I totally agree with JohnWesley about the “teaching to the test” mentality at Dartmouth. Here, I would say it’s more learning out of a genuine intellectual curiosity than just reading what you have to for your next exam. Also, with respect to curiosity - there is no core curriculum at Wes, so you’re free to take whatever you want from day 1; your adviser can guide you if you want help forming a schedule. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>yers, that’s a toughie. Dartmouth is a phenomenal school, as is Wesleyan, but it really comes down to what you’d like to go into, as well as what kind of culture you’d like. If you’re planning on going into theatre, I would suggest Wesleyan over Dartmouth. If you’re planning on going into science, on the other hand, as fantastic as Wesleyan is for science, Dartmouth would probably be the ideal option. Wesleyan has a very liberal, live-your-life kind of culture with a lot of interesting and diverse parties, whereas Dartmouth (from what I’ve heard, but am not completely sure) is more of a fraternity-based and classic party school. Of course, Dartmouth isn’t hard-up or conservative, but it doesn’t seem to be as liberal or free as Wes is.</p>
<p>Still, it’s ultimately your decision. Either way, you’ll be in a fantastic position. Congratulations! :)</p>