^a very good perspective!
I would have to say choose EMU on this one. I am biased as a current EMU student myself, but I have seen first hand all the opportunities that the university has to offer. There’s an example that I’d like to share of a former student named Trevis Harrold. Trevis is similar to your son as he was also interested in international relations at EMU. He’s a massive face for the university due to his personal success (He’s on honors college handouts and he’s in the view book that the university gives to all prospective freshmen) He was selected for an international internship in Kosovo and came back and earned a scholarship that pays for his graduate education at UMICH right now. Your son might be able to use him as a resource since Trevis worked for the honors college as a student fellow, and probably is only a call away from Becky Sipe’s phone (I’m sure Dr. Sipe would do that to make your son an Eagle). Since your son was selected as a presidential scholar (and I know a few of them myself) I’m sure that your son could have the same types of opportunities that Trevis did if not even better ones. EMU has a wide array of opportunities for its high achieving students, you just have to want them.
If you have told your son what you will pay (your budget), I would leave the decision up to him. It sounds like you can pay for UM and it would not be a hardship? Maybe step back and let him think about it so it does not come back on you . For instance, he ends up at EMU and feels he gave up his “dream school” to do that because he feels worried about money, pushed to do that. And then feels shortchanged. Let him make the call .
We have one child who attended EMU for early college and finished there since his credits would not transfer to Michigan. (He used about 60% of his MET at EMU). He then took some additional classes at Michigan. The difference in student quality is dramatically different. His biggest regret was that he did not bite the bullet and transfer. As @mom23travelers says, he was a ‘big fish in a little pond’, but good students are recognized everywhere.
Another child is attending Michigan currently in CoE. He also turned down a variety of full ride scholarships.
Your MET pays for a certain number of credit hours. It covers all tuition, all mandatory fees, and even orientation. Because Michigan is the most expensive university that the MET covers, you will receive the greatest value for your investment by attending there. All you will be responsible for is for living expenses, books, and lab fees. Even better, should your child decide to go abroad, your son pays Michigan tuition (covered by MET) while attending a (much wider range of) overseas universities. At EMU you have to pay the full overseas university fees. At Oxford, for example, that is $25K+/semester. (Oxford stopped accepting EMU students a few years ago because so many failed.)
The only reason to go to EMU over Michigan is if your child plans to be a teacher. (For languages EMU has a much smaller offering e.g. no Chinese). For everything else go to Michigan.
Not trying to pull thread from topic- but I have a question. A number of posters have advised choosing EMU if kid is planning to be a teacher- is it b/c EMU has a well regarded school of education, or b/c it doesn’t matter where a teacher goes to school? (which, as a teacher, I would dispute). I know the quality at U of M - know nothing about EMU- just curious.
Purely anecdotal: my H is from Michigan, and there is a huge intellectual gulf between members of his family who have been admitted to/attended U Mich and those who have attended Western or Eastern. And I mean huge.
@toowonderful around here, EMU is kind of the teaching school. Everyone who wants to be a teacher goes there. (Exaggerating of course but general sentiment.)
I am normally in the go wherever is financially better for you but if going to UMich really isn’t a stretch, AND all else is equal, I’d pick UMich. In part I say that because EMU is much more of a commuter college and that makes a difference.
However, I certainly don’t think EMU + a nice chunk of cash afterwards is a bad option especially given that we have NO idea what the country and economy are going to be like in 4-5 years. If he “feels” more at home at EMU, I think that’s worth pursuing.
(Disclaimer: grad student at U of M but chose MSU over U of M for undergrad without regrets. There is a prestige “jump” between EMU and MSU though.)
Let me put it this way, UM In-state tuition is much less of a gamble than EMU full scholarship. With UM you know what you’re paying for and getting - a world class education with the reputation, recruiting, and network to back it up. At EMU, it’s much higher risk that he will receive the aforementioned benefits. College is a lifelong investment. Do you really want to gamble his future to save the tuition?
I already think UM is a steal. Most people would kill to have an in-state school of that caliber and get admitted to it. I think full rides at low tier state schools are less rare than falling into the above set of circumstances.
@romanigypsyeyes - thanks!
For IR, especially foreign service, undergraduate prestige matters.
(For most jobs, it doesn’t. IR is different. Foreign service sort of sees itself as the ‘aristocracy of meritocracy’. In addition, there’s a preparation you can only have at certain schools, as well as acquiring a certain 'habitus '.)
The odds of making it to Foreign Service from EMU are virtually nil.
On the other hand, you can become a teacher from both EMU and UM.
Therefore I’d pick UM to keep the maximum doors open in his future.
Also remember that many of the kids that go to UMich or other top Universities in other states could have gotten substantial scholarships at less well regarded in-state schools and chose either not to apply or turned it down. The reality is that most students at top schools could go down several levels in prestige and get scholarships. It is hard to leave money on the table, but you would not be alone. Many students just don’t apply to schools that would give them substantial merit.
Personally, given that I could afford it, I would pick UM with absolutely no regrets. The money you have saved is for college. He can figure out grad school later, if he even goes.
The other option could be to go to EMU for the first two years and then transfer to UM. He would save on half the tuition and still get the UM degree. However, that would not give him the same experience. OTOH, if he decides he definitely wants to teach, he could transfer from UM to EMU.
Besides money, what is the draw for EMU?
I agree with @pacepea (#27). Last year, we put DS’s chances of ending up at UM at 60%. It was not his first choice, but he would have been happy to go there. The other schools he was applying to had acceptance rates less than 15%. His chances of admission to UM were 99%. Many students from his HS apply to MI every year. Naviance data are clear - there is no randomness. His stats were well above the SAT/GPA thresholds. He was planning to apply to the honors college. I think that it is easier to get into UM from out-of-state, probably because OOS tuition is so high. Many people, including us, are willing to pay it.
Your DS is considering two careers that couldn’t be more different. He may very well change his mind several times during college. UM has strong programs in many fields. Like @pacepea, I consider UM the safer choice.
If you got a full ride take it. Eastern Michigan University is considered a Doctoral Granting Institution by the CARNIGIE
INSTITUTE. As far as size goes, it is in the 95 percentile which means that 95% of all colleges and universities are smaller. My son and daughters went to Eastern and were well prepared. One is a teacher, another is a nurse/administrator at a large hospital and my son has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psych. Eastern has one of the best International Affairs/Business programs in the U.S. Consider the following: “Best By Test,” all high achievers not matter where they went to college always rise to the top. One other thing you may consider is that Eastern is the first higher ed. institution in the country to recognize “under graduate research.” Check out the under graduate symposium. http://www.emich.edu/symposium/ If your son gets involved with the symposium he will be off and running and be able to land a great job or admission to prestigious graduate program.
Not easier for OOS at UM. In state is easier,
Ask him if he wants to spend the rest of his life telling people he went to EMU or U of M.
@HRSMom, do you know what the GPA and SAT cutoffs are for in-state? I’m just curious.
Not hard cutoffs, but the IS kids tend to vary from the overall average. Many are the same, but I see ACT 30s/3.6 ish more often for in state and selfom for OOS.
They want 50% in state, and MI population is falling. I’m sure they like NY’s tuition payments tho! (Just paid second semester…ouch!)
I looked at Naviance, and average acceptance stats for Michigan are 94 GPA and 1400 SAT. A 94 is more like a 3.8, right? The hard cutoff for GPA is about 90.
92/32 seems to be the “sure thing” cutoff at S school. But that is 7 years data, and it is getting tougher…and a michigan 4.0 is 90 or better, so if all grades are 90+, that 94 is 4.0.
@HRSMom, I imagine that the criteria have changed in the last 7 years. It’s hard to compare, but my data was from the past 3 years. Many, many kids from this area go to Michigan. It’s very much on the radar. DS told me that a certain large HS in a wealthy community sends more than 30 kids to Michigan every year.