@songbirdmama I don’t think we should give much weight to Niche rankings. A perfect example being that they place Indiana around 38 or so for music.
Do the professors give the school the prestige? Does the professors’ skill give the professor prestige?
Indiana has been very prestigious for professional orchestra placement.
Llike the young heart surgeon heard from the veteran heart surgeon on how to build a good reputation - Have patients with healthy hearts.
From your original post, it seems kind of clear, if I am reading it right, that you know which is the better choice and “prestige” is the only thing in the way. I see Lawrence as having plenty of prestige, as being more like Oberlin with focus on undergrads, smaller and more personal, and no doubt more flexibility.
The executive function issues are so important, and also the program is all set up for her at Lawrence.
I really hope she chooses Lawrence, honestly. People seem to love it. Let us know!
A side comment on the Brown vs UNT thread. I responded to it but in no way was I considering differences in prestige. Just because it is an Ivy, that doesn’t mean that is what comes to mind for all of us. Brown may be my favorite school of all. I love the vibe, the mix of old and progressive, the freer choice of courses, the location. I also love schools like Oberlin and Lawrence 
(Disclaimer one of my sons unexpectedly went to Brown and loooooved it)
@Moiriamom Hello! Congrats to your D on two great choices. My S graduated with dual degrees in cello performance and math at UM and my D attended Lawrence (not a music major). My feeling is that both schools are going to prepare your D really well for a career in music ed. Both boast 100% placement of their music ed graduates. Primarily I think it comes down to more of a difference in fit and experience. Having had a child at each they are very different experiences. If you attended UM you already know it is a great large elite public school in one of the best college towns, complete with the big sports and lots to explore. For a music major, the cultural events available through both the school of music and the town of Ann Arbor are amazing and as you noted the music school has its own small community within a larger school feel. Lawrence is a wonderful small town lac experience on a beautiful campus. Worth noting that the town of Appleton is a little bigger than some of the really small town lacs and with the downtown being close to campus has a lot to offer in terms of dining and shopping, etc. The music school also has a wide array of excellent performances and guest artists to take advantage of. And there is a great performing arts center in downtown Appleton.
Maybe you could create a list of pros and cons of each school with your D and see if one or the other really stands out?
Having had a D who chose the fit of Lawrence over the academic prestige of UM I can say I don’t and she doesn’t regret having made that choice. My feeling is that Lawrence’s music ed program is high quality and well respected and making that choice would not hinder your daughter. Both great options, win win as I see it.
I don’t place weight on rankings, but was using the niche list to suggest that prestige is in the eye of the beholder!
Where does your daughter (in her heart) feel the fit is best? That is probably the direction you need to go in. Signed someone who went to a lot of prestigious schools (after undergrad ~ lol) I am only asked about my terminal degrees:) Kudos to her for 2 wonderful admits - I am sure that she will do well! Just to add I would have a hard time watching my D turn down a school like Michigan as well… that’s just real and a sign of it being such a great educational institution. Having said that, as a both a parent and a developmental researcher the fit is everything. I also think a small LAC like Lawrence often offers a life changing experience for those who like a personal environment… it is an impressive place but too small for my D. Looking back on it… I would choose the Lawrence type of educational environment for myself at that age in a hot minute!
@goforth re post #21
We moved from a “lesser” school district to a “high ranking” one. The “lesser” district produced “very good” results while facing many obstacles. The “high ranking” school has a student body that consists of very few minorities, special ed, or low income families.
Your teaching job is probably much easier when most of your students have a parent that is a CEO, physician or lawyer and is able to hire unlimited tutors if by chance you didn’t naturally inherit their brilliance. lol So, which school had the better teachers?
I had a really hard time at first living here and listening to everyone rave about the schools (and frankly their “Best of” award winning town ) when I could clearly see many flaws. Anyway, I won’t go any further but will say that the general idea is really something to ponder and there are pluses and minuses in both scenarios.
Also…
Just as audition is king for admissions, FIT is king for selection…
Followed closely by no or minimal debt whenever possible (IMO).
Thanks for all of the insightful comments! I know that the way I wrote the post I kind of stacked the deck in favor of Lawrence- that does reflect my sense of what is best for her. But, in truth, we are quite conflicted. At her audition day at the U of M, the dean gave a really compelling presentation about the benefits of attending the school. The whole family including my D is pretty connected to Ann Arbor- she was even born at the U of M hospital! Songbird mama is not kidding about the enthusiastic alumni base : ). I am glad to hear the debate on this. I don’t know if you saw the thread on Lawrence vs Yale where everyone was like “uh…Yale”. I know that Michigan is not Yale (I’m not THAT blinded by alumni loyalty) but I was a little worried that I was being naive and short sighted leaning toward Lawrence …Of course the way I lean is only partially relevant. In the end she has to decide what’s right for her…I will keep you posted!
Also remember that all the prestige in the world doesn’t matter if she doesn’t make it to graduation. If she needs the extra support that a LAC might provide, then that may be worth taking into account.
cellomom2 Visited both campuses…still vacillating! OY! Can you speak at all to whether there is a competitive or cutthroat atmosphere at UM SMTD? I know that my daughter is music ed voice and your son was Cello, but do you have a gestalt on that? Also, how difficult was it for him to double major? When I was looking at the course requirements for LSA computer science (which is what my daughter was hoping to do) it looked like it would take at least 6 years to do both
My S found UM SMTD to be very collaborative. That was pretty much the overall arching theme of his whole time and experience there. I will qualify that by saying that is also his inherent nature and he tends to draw those people to him and has continued in that vein. It is certainly possible that there are other students there who would find it to be more competitive and cutthroat but I never heard that from my S.
My S got his second degree in Math so no labs. He did not find it overly burdensome to do the double degree. He went 2 extra spring semesters, I think he took 2 classes in one and one in another and then an extra fall semester. So he was able to finish both degrees in 4 1/2 years, it would have been 5 if he had scheduled the spring semester classes in a regular winter or fall semester. But he was able to do the spring semesters and still have time to go to summer music festivals so the timing was good. Again no labs! which makes scheduling less tricky and his LSA advisor was the head of the math department and let him be creative with a couple of his requirements. He says that he got the complete music experience because that was his priority but feels his math experience was not as deep as most of the other math majors.
Is your D leaning one way or the other at this point?
Thanks so much for everyones thoughts and input. I thought I’d update you on the outcome. My daughter pushed it to the last minute, but in the end decided on Lawrence. She decided the flexibility and individualized attention at Lawrence was going to be a better experience for her. I will say though, all of our investigation of U of M’s program only made the decision harder. It does sound like they do great things there…maybe it will be a good choice for grad school! : )