<p>I've been stressing out like crazy lately trying to decide between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. It may seem like an obvious decision, especially because I'm planning on majoring in engineering, but MSU offered me a full ride as an Alumni Distinguished Scholar and a Professorial Assistantship (basically a research position with a professor) in addition to admission to the Honors College. I will likely stand out from the crowd at MSU academically. However, I may also stand out in other ways because I'm not a partier, unlike a good portion of the student population. The administrators have demonstrated that they are very invested/interested in my success and would definitely help me along the way in terms of graduate school admissions or finding a job.</p>
<p>Michigan, on the other hand has the great reputation and, on a whole, a more intellectual student body (although MSU does have more top students than I used to believe). Also, I will likely be challenged more at Michigan. However, finding top research might be more difficult, and I will most likely have a lower GPA at Michigan. I live in-state, so my tuition isn't egregious, and I got about $8,500 in scholarships and grants. The money will not pose any real difficulty to my family's finances.</p>
<p>Basically, where will I be better off? Any thoughts or opinions would be extremely helpful.</p>
<p>I would opt for State. That is a TREMENDOUS opportunity and it looks like you will have everything at your disposal.</p>
<p>Dude, who wants to buy a ShamWow?</p>
<p>If your family can afford Michigan, go there. Michigan at $15,000/year is a bargain. Not only is Michigan Engineering significantly better than MSU Engineering, but it sounds like it is also a better fit for your personality.</p>
<p>Thank you, both of you, for the suggestions.</p>
<p>Alexandre, I don’t know much about how to compare the curriculums of the colleges, so I’m a little curious as to what constitutes the difference in quality. Why is it considered significantly better?</p>
<p>Whatever you do, please don’t choose a school b/c you think it will be less challenging or it will be easier to get a high GPA. That’s a horrible reason to decide where to spend, what may be, the most formative 4 years of your life.</p>
<p>To quote that movie classic, Bring It On: “I define being the best as competing against the best there is out there and beating them.”</p>
<p>I am not an Engineer, so I am not the most qualified to answer your question. However, from what I have seen, Engineering programs are very capital and labor intensive. Universities must have and contribute a great deal of effort and resources to developping and maintaining their Engineering programs. Michigan has done so for several decades and in the process, has established itself as a powerhouse in most Engineering fields. Its faculty is larger and stronger than MSU’s, its facilities are more plentiful and modern,its research is more cutting edge and path breaking and its curriculum has more depth and breadth. Deans of colleges of Engineering and leading Engineering faculty rate Michigan Engineering #7 in the nation in the latest US News rankings and MSU Engineering #46 in the nation. That’s not a huge difference, but it is significant.</p>
<p>And don’t worry about finding opportunities at Michigan, You have several Engineering programs for Freshmen, including the UROP and the Michigan Research community. You should have no trouble finding research projects from day one. And when you are done from college, assuming you do well and maintain a respectable GPA, you should have no trouble finding a job. Michigan’s CoE career office is excellent.</p>
<p>Michigan is the better program, but a full ride is a full ride and State is not a marginal program by any means. What area of engineering are you admitted for?</p>
<p>Compare the recruiting offices at MSU and Michigan. Look to see if companies you want to work for actively recruit on campus. If the companies you like recruit at MSU, choose MSU and save the money…sounds like a great deal.</p>
<p>UCB, would you recommend Cal at $15,000/year or UC Irvine with a full ride…if the student told you that money was not an issue?</p>
<p>^ depends on what the kid wanted to do…if he/she wanted to work as an engineer in Socal or go to grad school later on, I’d say take the full ride.</p>
<p>It’s a tougher choice because UCI has a very different environment than Cal (UCI is more commuter-oriented, no Div 1-A sports, etc)…this is not the case between UMich and MSU.</p>
<p>I think that’s a fair comparison. I would be curious to know the answer.</p>
<p>Vociferous, I’m undecided on which particular field of engineering I want to enter.</p>
<p>I guess I’m just unsure how much more the challenge at Michigan will benefit me in the long run in terms of my work ethic and ability to think critically. The money really isn’t a big deal, as my parents make a reasonable amount and have been saving for years, so the main draw of MSU is the personal attention from professors and advisors.</p>
<p>You can get personal attention if you seek it out from any campus. It is about going to office hours, getting to know professors, establishing relationships. If you are proactive about seeking these out then Michigan will offer the same. If you are a bit on the shy side, maybe MSU’s support would be the right choice. That said, if you are not the shy type and money really isn’t an issue then maybe Michigan is the better choice for you intellectually.</p>