Help Making Decision: Michigan and Northwestern

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I have to decide by next week whether I want to go to Michigan or Northwestern and am looking for help from any students or anyone who has experinced either place really. I am pretty much torn 50-50 right now. At Northwestern I would be studying communications which I am not set on but certianly am interested in and at Michigan I would be in LSA. Here's what i think about each one.</p>

<p>Michigan - I love Ann Arbor and love the school spirit. The idea of having football games on Saturdays that everyone is really insanely into is somethign I can get really excited about. I feel like there is always a lot going on and never a dull night on campus if your looking for something to do. My question regarding Michigan really is in the academics. I feel like with so many kids it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle and have heard the advising is not very good. It feels like there really is no one kind of helping you and guiding you in what you wish to study which will someday become to a career. While I love the school and everything, compared to Northwestern where they almost garuntee you internships and help finding jobs and such it just seems liek Michigan is a lot more your on your own academically.</p>

<p>Northwestern - I really liked Evanston. It was really pretty and really a nice campus. I really liked the academics and being in the school of ccommunication it does seem like there will always be someone helping me out and guiding me. Also, I like that it is really easy to transfer schools and change majors should I feel the need to so I am not locked down into communications. What I am unsure about at northwestern is the social life and school spirit and such. Compared to Ann Arbor, it does not really seem like there is much going on. It seems like the school is very strict on parties and the student body is much more into wokring hard than having fun where Michigan seemed much mroe like a balance. Of course, I am really unsure how the social life actually is and what the peopel are like even after visiting.</p>

<p>Personally, I am a pretty balanced person. I have never been on of the smartest kids in my class or the biggest partier. I am a mixture. I can work really hard, but I also like to have a lot of fun and college to me is just where I want to grow as a person and not just as a student. So my quesiton really lies in does Michigan offer enough academic guidance and does Northwestern offer enough socailly. I know I could go and work hard at either place and have the social side of Michigan, but I also feel like you can have fun anywhere and I could take advantage of Northwestern's academics. So this is the quarrel I'm stuck in. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>I’d go with Northwestern. It’s just a better school, hands down, especially if you’re doing communications. Communications is not considered one of Michigan’s strongest programs.</p>

3

<p>I am not attached to communications whatsoever. If I was Northwestern would be the obvious choice.</p>

4

<p>I would still go to Northwestern. It’s where I wanted to go. I went to a program there last summer and fell in love with Medill, but they ultimately rejected me. I don’t know what I could say to help make your decision easier. It’s just that, in my opinion, Northwestern is the obvious choice.</p>

5

<p>I guess what I’d really hopin to hear in addition to thoughts is from someone whose gone to michigan and knows what the school and the lsa program is actually like</p>

6

<p>OK, I’ll shut up now.</p>

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<p>Although I consider myself extremely familiar with both schools, most of my information is admittedly second hand, so take it with a grain of salt. (I went to school in Chicago and worked there afterward, attended Michigan for law school, but also I took some undergraduate classes in the Southeast Asian Studies department and know a LOT of folks both who went to Northwestern and Michigan for undergrad.)</p>

<p>I think I understand your question, and I think the bottom line is this: a properly motivated Michigan student will have essentially the same opportunities as a properly motivated Northwestern student. I think the key difference is, on average, your chances of becoming a not-as-motivated undergraduate are higher at Michigan than at Northwestern. </p>

<p>I say this because:</p>

<p>1) The cultures are different–Northwestern has a more competitive, pre-professional atmosphere while Michigan has a more laid back, “I love being in college” atmosphere;</p>

<p>2) Classes are generally a lot larger at Michigan and, thus, students are more likely to “fall through the cracks” (although some of the required classes, esp. in the humanities, are required to be smaller and they’re are lots of the larger classes that have smaller, grad student-led discussion groups); and</p>

<p>3) The advising staff appear to be more pro-active at Northwestern.</p>

<p>Therefore, while you can go to either school and become just about anything, I would say the average student coming out of Michigan will have squandered more of those opportunities than the average Wildcat. </p>

<p>It is impossible to tell going in whether or not you will be a self-motivated college student. We’d all like to think that we will be. But the reality is that most kids entering Michigan tend to be bright, self-motivated high school students. I have gotten the impression, however, that a higher percentage (relative to NU) leave having taken fuller advantage of the social opportunities offered than the academic ones. </p>

<p>Just my two cents.</p>

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<p>Northwestern is not a “better school, hands down.”</p>

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<p>Northwestern is widely considered a better academic school, but not by much. In my opinion, go with the better fit. It’s hard to beat the college town feel of Ann Arbor, but the intellectually stimulating environment of Northwestern should also be considered. Whatever works for you!</p>

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<p>Ahmedkhokar. The PA score of Michigan is higher than NU and UVA at USNWR. So much for your “widely” held beliefs.</p>

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<p>I told the poster to go with the best fit, because the academic quality is close. Why must you always try to initiate an argument?</p>

<p>The information you used is coming from the same magazine that has Northwestern ranked over 10 spots ahead of Michigan for national universities. It is coming from the same magazine that ranks UVA higher than Michigan.</p>

<p>You’re getting information from a source that considers PA scores and still strongly disagrees with you. Let’s just agree to disagree and just try to help the poster with this tough decision.</p>

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<p>That’s because PA scores are THE main indication at USNWR of academic quality. I am not the one who is constantly saying things like, “Northwestern is widely considered a better academic school.” According to the PA scores of people in the know, it’s simply not true.</p>

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<p>what is PA?</p>

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<p>No school, not even Harvard guarantees jobs and internships. I like the way you are thinking about the college experience, as a way to grow as a person. I think you can do that at both schools. Despite what some think, this is actually a very common situation for students at both schools. There’s quite a bit of cross-admit between the two schools, and every year students have to make this decision. </p>

<p>Michigan is larger, but on a departmental basis, this is not true for some majors. Econ, Psych, history, several other more general i-can’t-figure-out-what-i-want-to-do-yet majors will have pretty high enrollments at all top schools. Some of Michigan’s humanities and sciences departments are very small. Counseling also varies across majors. </p>

<p>Something a lot of high school seniors really care about-I’d be flat out lying if I say Michigan LSA is more selective than Northwestern A&S. That being said, the more serious majors are just as good as Northwestern, if not better. If you were to do communications at both schools, I’d probably say you should goto Northwestern, if you were to do math, or chemistry, I’d vote for Michigan. </p>

<p>As far as counseling goes, I’d also like to add that as you progress through your college career, you’ll find counseling is a very small part of your college life. At Michigan, I never had trouble finding counseling for career, or academics, or personal whenever I needed it, but it’s not shoved in your face. I didn’t think it was important at all looking back at it.</p>

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<p>shayman91, PA is Peer Assessment.</p>

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<p>I don’t know much about NU but I know about LSA, took classes there, my brother goes, etc.
If you want a mix with academics/social life Mich would for sure provide that. You said you’re into football and school spirit, do you also like frat parties? or more chill parties?
As for academic advising, it’s there if you want it. You can talk to profs and there are advisers for whatever field you want to go into, you just have to go and make an appt.
Personally I like A2 more than evanston. Even though evanston is gorgeous I prefer more of a small town feel with a commercial area right next to campus that has plenty to do.
Good luck!! They’re both really good schools- congrats</p>

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<p>Peer assessment is listed as the most significant… but it’s FAR from the only thing that makes a university great. That is why there are many other things taken into consideration… and also why Michigan is ranked below Northwestern. A .1 or .2 difference in the PA isn’t larger than the difference in the financial aid, retention rate, and the admissions selectivity. </p>

<p>I refuse to argue with you any more. This guy was looking for advice… I gave it based on my knowledge (which was backed up by various sources). You gave yours based on your knowledge (PA is the only thing that matters?). We disagree. Let it go.</p>

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<p>My statement was based solely on “academics” Ahmedkhokar. You made an incorrect statement in my view and now you are adding other factors to back up your argument. I’ll state it again, NU is NOT stronger overall ACADEMICALLY than Michigan. Case closed.</p>

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<p>Peer assessment isn’t the only, and is far from the most effective way to gauge academic strength. </p>

<p>If it’s not stronger academically it must be a hell of a lot stronger in every other area to be much higher ranked in almost every single list (Not that rankings are the only thing that are important… but it just seems weird to have 10 spots and 12 points of difference when one isn’t clearly better academically than the other)</p>

<p>However, it is stronger academically. Saying case closed makes your argument stronger right?! Case closed.</p>

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<p>Yes it is weird isn’t it? There are quite a few schools that are rated above Michigan at USNWR that also are NOT stronger academically. NU is just one of them.</p>