<p>I've lived in Ann Arbor Michigan for a good portion of my life so I know quite a bit about the University of Michigan. I applied for Carleton ED1 and got in but now I'm not so sure about things. I did not do a lot of research before deciding to apply (haven't visited yet) and quite frankly, I was expecting to be rejected. Can someone who is familiar with both schools tell me about:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Research opportunities at Carleton (I am thinking about going to medical school some day)</p></li>
<li><p>Culture of Northfield compared to Ann Arbor</p></li>
<li><p>Other differences that may not be so obvious</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I have no firsthand expertise with UM or Ann Arbor, though I know people who graduated there. Carleton’s science departments do offer a variety of research opportunities on campus. And off-campus research is a possibility too, in the summer or the long winter break. This summer my son, a junior at Carleton, participated in a CS/medical research internship that was independent of Carleton. </p>
<p>Northfield is a pleasant, bucolic, very small city (town). It is influenced by the two small liberal arts colleges there (St. Olaf and Carleton) but is not the left-leaning, humming, happening place that Ann Arbor is. Concerts and other cultural opportunities are limited in Northfield.</p>
<p>University of Michigan is a good deal for in state students. If all else were equal, I’d go to Carleton, but if you are expecting to pay a large difference in tuition. I’d choose the cheaper school.</p>
<p>I’ve gone to both schools. I’m always amazed when in state students from Michigan want to go elsewhere. I’d understand if it were MIT, Stanford, or Princeton, but Carleton and Umich are pretty similar in terms of academic quality.</p>
<p>The financial aid package was pretty good. All in all, it’s about the same cost as UM. Carleton in particular stands out to me because of the emphasis on teaching (as opposed to research) professors</p>
<p>Regarding your concerns about how liberal Northfield is, I’d say it leans left. However, this is admittedly the result of having Carleton and St. Olaf in town, and much of the rural area surrounding Northfield is conservative. As a (liberal) student, I don’t believe Northfield’s political leanings have impacted me in any way. I can’t comment on Ann Arbor, but Northfield has (somewhat good) access to the Twin Cities, which provide as many cultural events/concerts/etc as you could ever want. But, many students don’t take advantage of the Twin Cities. Carleton is a fantastic school! I know very very few (if any) who have regretted their decision to attend.</p>
<p>I apologize for my original statements. I see that I’ve made it sound like I was planning on withdrawing from Carleton. I am still planning on attending Carleton College. The uncertainty stems from the realization that I am actually going there and I will be leaving my home of ten years.</p>
<p>lowcow, if you are really accepted into Carleton, I would not worry much about Northfield vs. Ann Arbor. Honestly, you say you want go to medical school. You won’t have much time at Carleton as a pre-med student to worry about what there is to do in Northfield or how liberal it is.</p>
<p>Carleton accepts all types, so who knows you may have actually been accepted. If you want solid advice, I’d recommend starting a new thread and putting some thought into the questions you ask.</p>
<p>@lowcow – If you want, you could always join the Class of 2018 Facebook group and bond with the people you find there. A lot of other people are in the same boat as you and are leaving home for the first time (and some are coming from a further distance than Michigan). Finding people to relate to might ease your concerns.</p>
<p>Lowcow, it is natural to get cold feet and to second guess decisions. The fact is you might second guess going to the univ of michigan if that was the binding decision right now. You wont really know if you will be happy at a school until you are there. And remember that you can transfer if things really dont work out. But I know several kids who went off to college certain it was the wrong decision only to find they loved it.</p>
<p>Lowcow, congrats and welcome to Carleton! I’m a pre-med senior at Carleton and I’d be happy to tell you more about it. Do you have any specific questions? If so, those would probably be better answered with a PM, but I have only positive things to say about the pre-med advising at Carleton. Pam Middleton, the pre-med advisor, is <em>fantastic</em> and Carleton has quite a few resources to help students applying to med school (including mock interviews and personal statement workshops), and our med school placement is pretty high.</p>