<p>I really love Umich. My brother goes to UMich and is a sophomore this year, and I am going to apply EA but the only thing is the distance. My parents want me to stay close to home and UMich is about a 12 hour car ride. So I'm pretty hesitant on that too. But the thing I love about UMich is definitely the atmosphere... people are so fun and upbeat but also into their studies. Does anyone know of a school more on the east coast that has a similar atmosphere to Umich? I really do love Ann Arbor but the distance would be killer, and I also definitely want a smaller school. I've looked at Georgetown, NYU, and JHU so far and none of them have really impressed me the way UMich has, although I do like JHU. Any other schools in the general area that are like UMich? I plan on visiting Swat, UVA, and maybe Princeton or Upenn. Any more to add to the list?</p>
<p>Cornell has a lot of similarities (although it is not a “smaller school”).</p>
<p>Boston University/College
UNC
GaTech(maybe more South than east coast, but sounds like it’d be a few car hours shorter)</p>
<p>So where do you live that’s a 12 hour drive from Ann Arbor? New York and Philadelphia are about 9 hours, Washington and Baltimore about 8. Boston could be 11 or 12 hours drive from Ann Arbor, but from Boston, UNC is 11 hours and Georgia Tech about 16.</p>
<p>With 43,000+ students (undergrad + grad), NYU is definitely not a “smaller school”; it’s actually slightly larger than Michigan. I wouldn’t describe Swat as a “fun and upbeat” place; it has a bit of a reputation as a meat-grinder, students work awfully hard there and love to complain about it. Great school academically, though. Have you considered Brown and Tufts? Both excellent academically, but the students don’t seem as stressed out as at some schools so you might want to take a look if you’re looking for a “fun and upbeat” yet academically serious atmosphere.</p>
<p>Boston College, Penn, Penn State, Syracuse, UMD </p>
<p>Notre Dame and Vanderbilt (although not east coast)</p>
<p>Question: Why is your brother able to go to Umich, but your parents want YOU close to home? </p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be better for both of you to be at the same school? If your parents wanted to visit, they could visit both of you in one visit instead of having to make to separate trips.</p>
<p>Cornell is a near replica of Michigan. It was founded in its image. In fact, Cornell’s co-founder, Andrew Dickson White was a professor at Michigan before he joined Ezra Cornell in founding Cornell University. He was also its first president. Cornell’s second president was a Michigan alum and faculty member. All in all, 6 of Cornell’s 12 presidents have been connected to Michigan somehow. </p>
<p>On the east coast, Duke, Penn, UNC and UVa are also similar. BC, Georgetown, JHU, Penn State, Syracuse and UMD are not similar to Michigan. </p>
<p>But honestly, there are very few schools that are as well-rounded as Michigan. The mix of across-the-board academic excellence, prestige, campus culture, college town atmosphere, school spirit, alum pride and loyalty and of course, Michigan’s athletic tradition, is very hard to duplicate.</p>
<p>“My parents want me to stay close to home and UMich is about a 12 hour car ride.”</p>
<p>Fly.</p>
<p>If your family can afford the OOS tuition for two students, flying does seem like a reasonable option.</p>
<p>I’d say although there are close replicas to Michigan, there aren’t really any schools on the East Coast that have the strong balance of academics and athletics that Michigan has. I am emphasizing the word BALANCE. Yes, there are great academics, athletics and college towns on the East Coast, but few are as well-rounded as Michigan. </p>
<p>If you have to stay close to home, I’d say that you should look at what aspects of Michigan that you really enjoy and try to find schools in the East that match them. If you want a Big 10 sports atmosphere, the only real choice is Penn State. If you want Michigan-Caliber Academics, there are a lot more matches.</p>
<p>Cornell is similar in terms of class size, academics, atmosphere and weather but a main thing that is different is the strong athletic tradition of Michigan. Michigan is truly one of very few schools that are good in almost every aspect. It’s got great athletics, academics, atmosphere, social scene, etc.</p>
<p>Most other schools have some defect or another. Duke is strong in academics and athletics but Durham is not the ideal college town. Penn State’s athletics are great but the academics are only decent, etc.</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin-Madison is not on the east-coast but I hear it’s pretty similar to Michigan. It is also extremely well-rounded. Its academics and sports are ranked a bit lower than Michigan’s but the party scene is bigger and the campus is more modern and beautiful.</p>
<p>I like the Michigan campus better than Madison. Go figure…</p>
<p>I’ll echo what previous posters have said. In my opinion, Duke and Cornell are the most similar schools to UMich in terms of academics, student body, athletics and overall well-roundness. Since you are from the east coast and a 12hr drive away I’m going to assume that you’re from the Mid-Atlantic or southern New England, in which case a school like Duke, while geographically closer, can take just as long to get to if you’re driving. Detroit is a mere 60-70 minute flight from the east coast though, so travel time may very well be shorter than a geographically closer, but perhaps more isolated, school. With that in mind, you may want to reconsider. Other schools similar to Michigan, and in other parts of the country, include Northwestern, Vanderbilt and UC-Berkeley (though the last one is admittedly quite a trek). Just something to keep in mind as you continue your college search…</p>
<p>Yeah… while the Madison campus may be more “modern”, I personally don’t think it comes close to Michigan’s campus in beauty.</p>
<p>
More “modern”? You weren’t talking about the Bascom Hill or the Lakeshore areas, right?</p>
<p>Personally, I think the Madison campus has more natural beauty.</p>
<p>I’ve heard the building on campus are more modern</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Some are, some aren’t. Bascom Hill on the UW campus is mostly old buildings, some very old. My guess is the overall mix is about the same, but Wisconsin is just one, big, sprawling campus, while Michigan is several distinct campus clusters, with a lot of the newer construction on North Campus or on the periphery of Central Campus (e.g., north Quad), as a consequence of which the Diag has an older feel to it. It may also be, however, that Michigan has invested more in rehabbing older structures (the Union and the League, some residence halls). I personally like the rehabbed older, in some cases historic structures. But the lakes in Madison are nice.</p>
<p>As far as East Coast schools are concerned, you could try Penn State, Boston College, Virginia Tech, or Georgetown. </p>
<p>Not sure how much closer it would be to you compared to Michigan, but you should check out Notre Dame. It’s better than Michigan in every way</p>
<p>“Not sure how much closer it would be to you compared to Michigan, but you should check out Notre Dame. It’s better than Michigan in every way.”</p>
<p>…with the exception of location, academics, and worldwide reputation.</p>
<p>Let us not turn this thread into Michigan vs Notre Dame. The OP did not ask us to compare those two institutions, but merely asked for institutions that resemble Michigan. Suffice it to say the two schools have very little in common other than rich football traditions and very proud and loyal alums.</p>