I have been accepted to UM Engineering for a while already...

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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<p>So I was accepted to University of Michigan Engineering a while back in December and with each passing day I am becoming more and more attracted to this University although I still have yet to hear from my other colleges. I know academically, I will be in a top notch school but I have not yet visited the campus and I don't know if I will be able to since I live so far away. My friends who have visited have really convinced me that Ann Arbor is perhaps one of the very best college towns in the United States.</p>

<p>So I guess my question to you guys is, is University of Michigan as great as people really say it is. Are there lost of stuff to do in Ann Arbor, are the people there friendly and easy-going, is there a social scene, are the students there very competitive (as in they don't help each other out), etc etc? I know if I were to visit the college I would instantly get all the answers I'm looking for and erase all doubts but since I probably will not be able to, can you guys really try to sell this College to me?</p>

<p>I haven't heard anything from my other colleges yet and every now and then I get mails, emails, postcards from the University of Michigan , from their deans, etc and I have come to really like UM. So any insights would be very nice. Thanks a lot you guys.</p>

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<p>Michigan is pretty unique. The University itself is obviously top notch. The Engineering programs at Michigan are second only to MIT. Hell, 2 of MIT's last 4 presidents (Jerome Wiesner from 1971-1980 and Charles Vest from 1990-2004) were Michigan alums and faculty. </p>

<p>But what really makes Michigan special isn't academic. Many universities can (and have) duplicated Michigan's academic quality. Actually, I take that back, even from an academic quality point of view, Michigan is pretty unique. I don't think you can find more than 5 or 6 other universities that are as strong as Michigan in as many disciplines. Virtually all of Michigan's departments are ranked among the top 10 nationally and those that aren't ranked in the top 10 are ranked among the top 15. Only Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Columbia, Cornell and Cal can match that. </p>

<p>However, that's not what makes Michigan special. It is the University's overall versitality, from its incredible academic offerings in almost every single field of study to its rich athletic, social, political, musical and artistic traditions has been much harder to mimic. </p>

<p>To top it all off, the town of Ann Arbor is magical. It is safe, intellectual, spirited, fun, cosmopolitan, liberal, quirky and industrial all at once.</p>

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<p>Alexandre-I know you are a strong UM supporter but the facts are that UM engineering is not second to MIT. It is also behind schools like Illinois,Stanford, Georgia Tech and UC-Berkley. Your point that the overall Michigan has a great reputation is more than true but let's give a broader perspective that MIchigan is a top 7 Engineering program but is not top 2 behind MIT.</p>

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<p>Roxy, Michigan Engineering is not weaker than GT or UIUC. Those three, along wioth CMU and Cornell are right behind Cal, MIT and Stanford. So Michigan may not be #2 behind MIT, but it is arguably among the top 5 in Engineering.</p>

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<p>check out the us news rankings...
Best</a> Undergraduate Engineering Programs - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report</p>

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<p>it's not all about rankings. These rankings flip flop around every-year.</p>

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<p>Roxy, there isn't a difference between 4.50, 4.45 and 4.40, or between #4 and #7 in what is essentially an opinion-based rating. Those schools are all peers and essentially equal in quality. Using your logic, Michigan is better than CMU and Cornell. That isn't the case either. All of those programs are roughly equal. What probably gives UIUC and GT the edge over Michigan in the USNWR ranking is the size of faculty and research spending. Besides, in Engineering, area of speciality really matters. Again, GT, Michigan and UIUC are all ranked within 2-3 spots of each other in almost every single Engineering discipline. For example:</p>

<p>AEROSPACE:</p>

<h1>2 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>3 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>6 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<p>BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>3 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>7 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>22 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<p>CHEMICAL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>8 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<h1>10 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>12 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<p>CIVIL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>1 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<h1>5 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>7 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<p>COMPUTER ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>5 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<h1>6 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>7 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<p>ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>3 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<h1>5 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>6 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<p>ENGINEERING PHYSICS:</p>

<h1>2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>4 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<p>N/R Georgia Institute of Technology</p>

<p>ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>2 Univerisity of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<h1>6 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>8 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<p>INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>1 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>11 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<p>MATRIALS SCIENCE:</p>

<h1>1 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<h1>2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>9 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<p>MECHANICAL ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>4 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<h1>6 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</h1>

<p>NUCLEAR ENGINEERING:</p>

<h1>1 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor</h1>

<h1>9 Georgia Institute of Technology</h1>

<p>N/R University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</p>

<p>As you can see, MIT, Cal, Stanford and perhaps Caltech are a tiny notch better than Michigan in Engineering. However, GT and UIUC, along with Cornell and CMU are all roughly in the same league with Michigan.</p>

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<p>Fair enough alexandre, it just goes back to my original point...be proud of your school but don't overstate the facts. Michigan is not second to MIT in engineering. There are several schools above it and several schools even with it. It is ok to say that to potential students. Just don't skew it like it is MIT at # 1 and then Michigan right after....that is all I am saying. Your enthusiasm is great...sometimes you need to temper it with some realism...that is all...no doubt Michigan is a great school and a great engineering school but there are other great engineering schools out there as well...albeit they offer differ things...</p>

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<p>I feel much the same as the OP. The more I look at Michigan, the better it seems.
My son and I are visiting this weekend and early next week. He will know within a month whether he gets into other comparable schools (MIT, Caltech, Stanford). So he is gathering data to weigh the options. He has been on the other campuses a lot. Our plan at Michigan is to wander around the engineering school, and for him to go to some classes he's interested in... I have three questions:</p>

<p>1) What else do you recommend he does/sees while we are there?
and
2) The main drawback/ concern about MIT and Stanford is that the faculty don't seem particularly helpful or available to undergraduates (this from direct experience at MIT and hearsay about Stanford). So, how do the Michigan Engineering faculty feel about/act toward undergrads?
and
3) Anyone know about the Michigan Research Community program?</p>

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<p>what sets Michigan apart from other schools like MIT, Caltech, etc. is the student atmosphere. This is represented through the athletics program. IMO, Michigan's combination of athletic and academic atmosphere is unmatched. I would suggest attending a hockey/basketball/football game, however there aren't any this weekend.</p>

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<p>Roxy, no one is 'overstating' the facts. You just have been drinking too much of the USNEWS kool-aid to realize that it isn't really all that reliable.</p>

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<p>I never said that anyone was "overstating" the facts I was just pointing out that while Michigan is a great engineering school it should not be placed second to MIT as stated by Alexandre...if US News is not all that reliable why go to the trouble of outlining every field of engineering and their ranking....and I finished with this post. The point was not to argue rankings but merely to make the point that one should not be so blindly biased toward Michigan as to misrepresent the "facts". That is all...</p>

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<p>I'm in a similar position as TC: really attracted to Michigan Engineering, but waiting on other schools. Unless I hit one of my reaches, it will likely come down to Michigan vs. University of Washington (in state). If money were no object, I'd prefer Michigan, but as it stands, I'll easily top $100k in debt even before grad school. </p>

<p>How is the financial aid at Michigan (for out of state students), and assuming worst case scenario of minimal financial aid, would it be worth it to go to Michigan for Engineering if I could graduate from U of Washington with very little debt? </p>

<p>Michigan is clearly stronger in engineering, but is it worth the $100k+ difference in cost?</p>

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<p>I thank all of you for contributing to this thread, but can we try to keep it on topic by answering some of my questions or other questions posted by the other College Confidential members on this thread. I'm not so worried about the academics, as I know Michigan is top notch and there's no real need to go the the very best engineering school (since Michigan is grouped with the best). My concerns are more about the other aspects of Michigan. Once again thanks for any contributions and insights.</p>

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<p>wow, this is a great post. Since I just found out today that I got accepted to its engineering school, I was super excited, however, i Have the same worries as class2009college because I live in a big city and another state, far away from Michigan. And I am worried about the location, Ann Arbor, is this a desolate place? with few people and nothing to do? Is the weather super cold in the winter?!!</p>

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<p>Roxy, it was not my intention to overstate things. When I said that Michigan is second only to MIT in Engineering, I meant that only MIT is clearly better. I always admit that Michigan is slightly weaker than Cal, Caltech and Stanford and that it is in the same league as CMU, Cornell, GT and UIUC in Engineering. I have stated that Michigan Engineering is between #5 and #10 in Engineering for several years. But of all those schools, only Cal, Cornell and Stanford come close to Michigan when it comes to being well rounded.</p>

<p>At any rate, to the OP (and to geomom and MIA), I really recommend you visit any school before deciding to attend. Ann Arbor is a great college town and it is conveniently located 20 miles away from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, so getting there is easy. The city itself is in the small side (110,000), so do not expect NYC! However, the town does have a lot to offer.</p>

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<p>Compactrunner, Michigan Engineering is great, but if UDub costs you must less to attend and money is tight, definitely save your money and go to the latter.</p>

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<p>Do any engineering students have thoughts on the following questions
(these are things that it might be hard to figure out in a three day visit):</p>

<p>How is the morale among engineering students? Do they work hard but
think it is fun and worthwhile? Do they support each other? I see UROP
opportuntities - are these easy to get, and is the faculty welcoming?</p>

<p>Are undergraduates welcomed at departmental seminars? Does the general
student body have an attitude about engineering students (those nerds!)
or do the engineering students integrate well into Michigan?</p>

<p>Sports: Is there a level in between sports professional (varsity football players)
and the spectator? Are there lots of opportunities for a healthy, active student
to play club sports and intramurals, or are the facilities for the pros?</p>

<p>Are there good clubs to go hear live music in Ann Arbor?</p>

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<p>I'd like to hear some answers to those Q's as well. ^^^^</p>

<p>People often tell me I'm never going to fit it in an engineering school because I'm not "nerdy" enough. I've never really thought of it until now, but is there any truth to statements like that?</p>

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<p>Thanks, Alexandre, and actually I live in NYC, so that's why I am worried. Is the weather there cold?</p>