“you should decide if you want to be an engineer or go to a certain school for engineering.”
That is likely the best advice I’ve read on CC!
@098123Student Thx… Can I quote you?? Ha… I lived it. In my neighborhood in Chicago are people I went to school with and some from Michigan and State. It all equals out… Ha
Another school you should think of and probability not on your radar is Iowa State University… You will get your acceptance within quickly and they give a lot of grant money. If you had the stats for Michigan, as an out of state it could be cheaper then going to Wayne. Their engineering program is fantastic. Forget about rank. I personally know about 20 kids that have graduated from there in recent years. They “all” "had 2-3 job offers and some before senior year. They have one of the largest engineering fairs of any school. They also have tons of school spirit. They are downright crazy. Last year In the ncaa basketball tourney. I think they played Purdue and the stadium was like 90% Iowa State. Even 80 year old dressed head to toe in their school attire. It was very loud! https://www.admissions.iastate.edu/freshman/requirements.php
You sorta have to apply like now.
Good luck.
“How much debt is Umich worth over MSU?”
In most cases, not much at all. MSU is an excellent university in its own right. Those who interested in careers in Investment Banking and are admitted into Ross are one of the exceptions where going into more debt to attend Michigan may make sense. If one wants to work for a leading strategy consulting firm, going to Michigan is also probably worth the additional debt. That’s about it though. In general, MSU will deliver an excellent education so going into more debt to attend Michigan is usually not worth it.
I agree with @Alexandre. I will add that if you want to work at a top tier tech company, UM will definitely help. Walt Street, Consulting and top tier tech are definilty bias towards tippy top schools. You have to dertimine your desired carreer path. For many (probably most) loading up on college debt is not worth it. However, for some carreer paths, it definiltly provides an advantage. I work in the medical device industry and my MIT Engineers have maximum respect for UM engineering.
“I work in the medical device industry and my MIT Engineers have maximum respect for UM engineering.”
What choice to they have? Two of their last 4 presidents (Jerome Wiesner, 1970-1980 and Charles Vest, 1990-2004) were both Michigan alumni and were recruited from the University of Michigan. Go Blue! 
@OP, I’m struck by how fair and transparent your folks are about how much they can help you with your undergraduate education. My father was much the same way, and it ultimately made my college/financial/debt decision much easier and gave me piece of mind. Conversely, I knew kids in college, and adults since then, with parents who made things much less clear. Quick example: Guy who’s parents paid full-freight for his frosh year, then, despite his good academic performance, said, “OK, we’re done. You’re on you own.” No, there weren’t extenuating circumstances, but he was left high and dry and needed to transfer. Would have been better if he went straight to a CC. So no matter what you decide to do, I’d advise expressing your appreciation for their effort (which you may well have already done!).
@knowstuff, really enjoyed your post–wished I could both “like” it and mark “helpful.” Frankly, I talk about community college with my kids more than any other school(s)–yes, USC and Michigan included! CC is a fantastic option, for many of the reasons you list as well as others.
@USCWolverine… Thx. Costs are just insane these days. My son wants to take Calc 3 and physics 2 this summer. Just one 4 credit class at Michigan is $8,000 plus room and board is $11,500 for one class. After he finishes a leadership capstone thing he’s doing at Michigan next week, (they are paying the extra week through airbnb)… Community College for 2 classes will be less than then like $1,000 and it’s been okd to transfer… Lol…
@Alexandre I didn’t know that. Haha.
If you are planning to work as a Mech e after finishing your bachelors, I don’t think there is a big difference between UofM & MSU.
However, if you have aspirations to go to grad school in engineering or to business school, I think the Michigan brand might be helpful.