<p>I've always lived in Michigan, so I don't really know how well known it is. What schools are similar to UMich in fame?</p>
<p>Schools with similar reputations:</p>
<p>Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
Northwestern University
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Chicago
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas-Austin
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Washington University-St Louis</p>
<p>Berkeley, Duke, and Cornell, wow! I'm excited for next year.</p>
<p>A pretty good gauge of what the academic community thinks of Michigan is the USNWR peer assessment score. Of the schools I listed above, Michigan's peer assessment score is in the top third. Here's how they are rated:</p>
<p>University of California-Berkeley 4.8/5.0
Columbia University 4.6/5.0
Cornell University 4.6/5.0
University of Chicago 4.6/5.0
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 4.5/5.0
University of Pennsylvania 4.5/5.0
Duke University 4.4/5.0
University of California-Los Angeles 4.3/5.0
University of Virginia 4.3/5.0
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill 4.2/5.0
University of Wisconsin-Madison 4.2/5.0
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign 4.1/5.0
University of Texas-Austin 4.1/5.0
Washington University-St Louis 4.1/5.0
University of Notre Dame 3.9/5.0</p>
<p>If you were you were to look at industry surveys, you would again probably find similar overall ratings.</p>
<p>Most closely I consider UMich and Berkeley to be very similar in prestige. The top two public schools in the United States both have renowned academic and athletic reputations.</p>
<p>I also agree with Duke and Cornell, but it's hard to compare private and public schools. Public schools get the short end of the stick in a certain US News rankings because they are exactly that: public.</p>
<p>^ you forgot UVa...according to US news rankings: 1. Berkely 2. UVa then Michigan and UCLA...</p>
<p>brkr, I think Gebrselassie was referring to the OP's question regarding Michigan's name recognition. Yes, UVa and Michigan are always ranked within two or three spots of each other in the USNWR, but that does not speak to how recognized they are. According to academe, Cal is #1 and Michigan is #2. According to the masses, it really depends on location. In most of the East Coast (except NYC) and in the South, UVa is more recognized than Michigan. In the Midwest, Great Plains and West Coast, Michigan is more recognized.</p>
<p>Exactly. It's all about location. In the South, schools like UVA, Emory, and Vanderbilt are going to be more recognized than Michigan. In the Midwest and Northeast, it is probably going to be the opposite. </p>
<p>But in all honesty, its not like anyone is going to look down upon any of these schools, everyone knows how good they are. The prestige of your school is not going to be the number one factor in getting where you want to go after college. It's mostly about the grades and accomplishments that come with your diploma, not the name on it.</p>