<p>I'm undecided in the liberal arts, leaning toward the humanities. I'm in-state and a member of the Shipman society at Michigan, receiving a large (but not full-ride) scholarship. Cost isn't a huge factor, but I want to make sure any other school I go to would be worth the cost differential. I've visited all four campuses and loved each of them. I want a lively social life and a fun college experience in addition to top-notch academics; what do you recommend?</p>
<p>I think Yale would be hard to pass up but Dartmouth could be a good fit. </p>
<p>Sent from my PC36100 using CC App</p>
<p>Thanks, that’s what my guidance counselor suggested as well haha</p>
<p>What is the cost difference? I would consider Columbia over Yale (NYC), but not Dartmouth. But Michigan is a top notch public so I wouldn’t spend unnecessarily.</p>
<p>Michigan IS + Shipman is a much better deal than Columbia and Dartmouth (both of which are peer institutions to Michigan) and a slightly better deal than Yale. Why spend an additional $120,000 on those schools when you can save that money for graduate school. Obviously, should your parents be in a position to comfortably spend that money, I would say go for Yale. Contrary to what people on CC will tell you, Columbia and Dartmouth offer nothing that Michigan does not.</p>
<p>The one thing that Dartmouth offers which is unique, is a LAC-like experience in a research Uni. More people show up in The Big House on a Saturday than would fit into the town of Hanover. Dartmouth also offers crappy DI-AA football, which Michigan does not? :D</p>
<p>But if money is no object, Yale is hard to ignore.</p>
<p>Whoa! 120K? Yeah go to Michigan.</p>
<p>bluebayou, I agree, Dartmouth offers a LACish experience, but it is not worth $120k over Michigan.</p>
<p>well, I disagree with Alexandre to some extent. Michigan is clearly not a peer school to Dartmouth and Columbia for undergrad. Peer quality effects are significantly greater at the latter two because of the rigorous screening process (SATs, APs, etc.) Obviously, the top students at Michigan are among the very best in the US, comparable to the top students at Dartmouth, Columbia and Yale. </p>
<p>At the graduate/professional level, sure- Michigan has world-class PhD programs that are almost always better than Dartmouth’s and on par with or better than Columbia’s and Yale’s.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what a John Jay scholar is, but it sounds like quite a distinction at a school with a <7% admit rate.</p>
<p>Money no object, choose one of the three ivies based on fit and career interests</p>
<p>120K thrown in-> no-brainer, choose Michigan.</p>
<p>cmburns, although the average student at Columbia and Dartmouth is stronger than the average student at Michigan, a huge chunk of Michigan’s student body (roughly 40%) are of that calibre (closer to 60% if you look only at Engineering, LSA and Ross). One does not have to make an effort to surround himself with excellent minds at Michigan. Virtually all the courses I took at Michigan were filled with extremely gifted students, and I was not in the honors program. Let us face it, students of equal calibre will travel in the same circles, taking the more challenging courses/majors. If the OP was admitted into the honors program, he will actually be surrounded almost exclusively by students of Columbia and Dartmouth quality, both in his dorm (most honors students are housed in the same dorm) and in the classroom. The average student in the honors program graduates in the top 1% of his/her high school class with a 4.0 GPA (unweighed) having taken a challenging curriculum (IB, several APs etc…) and a mean SAT/ACT of 1470/33.</p>
<p>And when I said Michigan is a peer of Columbia and Dartmouth, I meant in the eyes of the academic community (including the all-important graduate admissions committees) and in that of the corporate/industrial elite. Certainly there are many on CC who believe that Michigan is not a peer of Dartmouth and Columbia and that sense of ignorance is theirs to cherish; it will certainly not serve then well in the real world.</p>
<p>I stand by what I said; for undergrad, Michigan = Columbia = Dartmouth < Yale and for graduate school, Michigan = Columbia = Yale > Dartmouth. Ther notion that a university with Michigan’s infinite resources and incredible gifted students can be better at the graduate level than at the undergraduate level is nonesense. Michigan excels at both and does not shortchange either.</p>
<p>Thank all of you very much 
I will probably be choosing between Umich and Yale</p>
<p>^^^^If that is the case and you can afford it easily enough, go to Yale. If not, Michigan will serve you very well.</p>