Hello, I am an international student trying to decide between the two universities mentioned in the title; I have been accepted to Carnegie Mellon University for materials science engineering and the University of Michigan for mechanical engineering. Location, class size, transportation, weather, and tuition are no issues for me. I am only concerned with the reputation of the engineering program and its quality of education. Based on this, the two universities seem to be the most fitting to my standards. The only question is, which university should I choose? Carnegie Mellon or Michigan?
Both are fantastic, but if you’re just looking for which one has the better reputation and quality of education, I’d have to go with Carnegie Mellon. UMich is no push over, but Carnegie comes out on top for me.
They are totally comparable academically. Go for fit.
Just about every person in the country is aware of Michigan. Probably 90% of people in the U.S. haven’t heard of C.M.U., much less know its academics are excellent, if that matters.
What branch of engineering is your first choice? Would you go back to your home country after graduation? By the way, the career opportunities in the US for materials engineers are lot slimmer than for mechanical engineers. I would suspect the same would hold true in your home country. Look into it. If you are from China, Michigan has a joint engineering program with Jiao Tong University in Shanghai that might be attractive.
If you are planning on doing computer science, how easy/or difficult would it be for you to transfer into CSE program at CMU? If it is fairly easy, go with CMU, otherwise Michigan has a good mechanical engineering UG program.
That doesn’t really matter. Most people in the country know about Michigan because it’s a large state school with successful Division 1 sports. More people have probably heard of Gonzaga or Kentucky than Carnegie Mellon, too. Who you really care about are employers, and employers know that CMU’s engineering is fantastic.
That said, I do think that the reputation of the university in your home country is important if you plan to go back. If you don’t, then they both have equally good programs, but I’d personally go with Carnegie Mellon.
CMU and Michigan are American universities. You were not accepted for Materials or Mechanical. You are free to major in whichever field of Engineering you please at both universities.
That being said, they are both excellent. If one of those two universities has a reputational edge in your home country, go for that one. Otherwise go with your gut.