<p>Hey, guys. I just got my acceptance letter to Umich engineering today and I'm absolutely estatic to have the chance to attend such a wonderful program. Since I've already been accepted to Penn State University Park and considering I get accepted to Johns Hopkins Univ (maybe), which would be the best place to go for the best engineering education (Mechanical/Computer engineering) while getting the best college experience (social life, activities, etc...). Thanks. Any input would be valuable. =)</p>
<p>Michigan is stronger than Johns Hopkins (with the exception of Biomedical) and PSU in Engineering, especially Mechanical and Electrical. In terms of quality of life, Michigan and PSU are both great...Johns Hopkins not so great. But Ann Arbor is nicer than University Park or Baltimore.</p>
<p>All in all, I would recommend Michigan.</p>
<p>Thanks, Alexandre. A few more questions... :) How large are the engineering classes there on average, and did you have any complaints about Michigan when you attended? Are the people very friendly and is it easy to make new friends? Thanks again in advance.</p>
<p>asdftt, I had many complaints my first year in Ann Arbor/Michigan. I had a couyple my second year. But my third and fourth years were amazing. No university is perfect and Michigan certainly has its fair share of problems. As a rule, a university as large as Michigan is going to have far more problems than a tiny university...but also far more benefits. </p>
<p>My top two problems were homesickness and the weather...none of which had anything to do with Michigan per se, since I would have faced the same problem had I gone to Brown, Chicago, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern or Penn. My biggest problem with Michigan itself was the sheer size and the problems that come with that. Michigan is hard to get your arms around. The first semester, I was trying to figure the campus out. And classes my Freshman year were large. Of course, Freshman classes at any research university, including Harvard and Stanford, are going to be large, so again, it is nothing unique to Michigan. </p>
<p>I am not sure how large Engineering lcasses are at Michigan since I did not majro in Engineering. I do know that at the undergraduate level, Michigan is generally considered one of the top 5 or 6 overall programs in the nation. Only Cal, CalTech, MIT and Stanford are considered better and CMU, Cornell and Illinois are considered as good. </p>
<p>I was actually pleased with the quality of the people at Michigan. The students, faculty and administration were helpful and welcoming. However, it is large, so you cannot be the shy type. You have to take initative and you have to "own" the process. Its like my budy Q from the Continuum said, "If you cannot take a little bloody nose maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wonderous, would treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross...but it is not for the timid."</p>
<p>And no, I am not a Star Trek fan, but I always liked that sentence! hehe</p>
<p>Were you offered admission at Brown, Chicago, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern and Penn? If so, what drew you towards Michigan? Thanks again for your advice. You've been really helpful. :O</p>
<p>Yes, I was offered admission at those schools, as well as Duke, UC-Berkeley and Georgetown. What drew me to Michigan was the town of Ann Arbor, the uniqueness of the university's atmosphere (in terms of intellectual and social offerings as well as school spirit), the quality of the university and the reputation it has in academic and professional circles. Contrary to popular opinion in CC, Michigan is one of the most highly regarded universities in the country. Michigan was given the title of "the best university all around" by Barrons. I have to agree with that assessment.</p>
<p>I often say this, if you wish to go to a LAC or LAC-style school, forget Michigan. But if you wish to go research-type universities, I would only recommend 4 or 5 schools over Michigan. They are H,M,P,S and maybe Yale.No other university has a real or appreciable reputational or academic advantage over Michigan and the university/town is simply more pleasant and fun and versatile than any other.</p>