Michigan State ADS vs. Georgia Tech Full Pay

College Search & Selection
1

Hello! After a long admissions season I have ended with the following results:
Accepted: Umich CoE (Instate), UF, MSU Lyman Briggs (Instate), and Georgia Tech CoE (Out of State)
Waitlist: Harvard, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, WashU
Rejected: Stanford REA, Yale, Princeton

Had some Ivy Dreams (36, 4.0UW, strong ECs, etc), but after it all panned out I am very grateful for the options I have, and have narrowed it down to Georgia Tech with minimal financial assistance (although the cost is reasonable for out of state), or Michigan State on a full ride as an Alumni Distinguished Scholar (Tuition, room/board, dining, annual stipend, etc) and Paid Research through the Professional Assistantship Program. This honor is offered to 15 students out of all admitted. I know I’m interested in STEM/Psychology, with a Japanese minor, but I’m still deciding what. At Michigan State, I applied for the Lyman Briggs Residential College (STEM) for my major, and at Georgia Tech I got in for Chemical Engineering. I’m thinking that at either school, I will either do Research Psychology/Neuroscience or Chemical Engineering, but again still figuring it out. I am a very strong student, and looking for a balance of social life and school, study abroad, and research. I feel like there isn’t a bad choice between the two, but I’m really struggling to decide.

Michigan State:
I feel like I know more about GT than I do about MSU so this list is still very much in progress.
Pros:
-Lots of Financial Stability- will be able to save for grad school, travel, upgrade technology (phone/computer), etc.
-I am excited about sporting events and intramurals as well as a number of student orgs (they have TONS!).
-I will have access to a variety of communities (Briggs/Honors/ADS) to make the school feel smaller and find like-minded students.
-I will have the opportunity to go on a two-week trip/seminar in Japan this summer, which will be partially covered by the scholarship. (+3 credits also)
-I am instate, so I will be close to my family.
-I will have 45 credits incoming thanks to AP courses, and with the Honors College/ADS I have no restrictions on courses, so I can take advanced and even graduate-level courses.
-Lots of majors/minors and lots of flexibility as I figure out what I want to do.
-I don’t see any grade deflation going on there, which could be beneficial to grad school.
-They have good food, and the dorms are nice, which is important to me.
-All the interaction I’ve had with faculty has been incredible, very welcoming.
-Lots of perks that come with the scholarship, and I feel like it would be an amazing jumpstart to prestigious grad programs, especially with the research focus.

Cons:
-Worried about not having enough new experiences, was looking forward to that going out of state.
-Very large campus (physical space-wise and population-wise).
-Little worried about finding the right community/it being the right fit, as I am a very motivated student and not a big partier at all.
-I HATE winter weather, like I think it will be miserable trying to get to class in the winter, and I worry about it affecting my motivation.
-Not sure how I’ll feel about living in East Lansing.
-I know this isn’t everything, but MSU is ranked lower than GT overall, even though there are lots of opportunities for me there.

Georgia Tech:
Pros:
-Loved campus when I visited, Atlanta is fantastic and felt like home.
-Having the resources of Atlanta right there, as well as restaurants, activities, culture, is really appealing.
-I am excited about sporting events and intramurals as well as a number of student orgs. GT and MSU are somewhat similar in this respect.
-I will have 32 credits (APs) coming in.
-The school, I feel, is more well known and respected.
-I’m very into fitness, and their rec center is great!
-Love the emphasis on supporting Women in STEM- Women’s recruitment center, and other resources.
-Love the focus on paid job/co-op/internship opportunities, as well as research. All of these are very important to me.
-They seem to provide a ton of resources for students to be career ready: job fairs, etc.
-Looking forward to all the new people/experiences that come with going out of state, and being the only one from my school to attend.
-I feel like the school is a nice size for a state school.
-I feel that the community may be a better fit.
-The weather is fantastic!
-Sorority culture feels very different here than it does at MSU, and I think I would enjoy being part of one.
-TechTrek/Wreck Camp would provide nice opportunities to get to know people and travel.

Cons:
-Cost
-I’m worried about stress culture, and mental health issues on campus.
-Being far away from home will be an adjustment.
-Worried about grade deflation for grad school.
-Concerned about having access to the opportunities mentioned above, especially not coming in as a stamps scholar or anything.
-Food is definitely questionable, which is definitely an area of discomfort for me.
-Less Majors and Minors to choose from.

College Confidential has been such a good resource for me throughout high school, so I would love some insight!

2

Why are you not considering Michigan? GT is known for engineering, but it seems that you’re not really sure that is what you want to major in. I’d pick State if I were you. That full scholarship and diversity of programs puts it over the top.

3

I think the full ride to Michigan State is a phenomenal offer! Not only will you benefit in the short-term with an amazing summer in Japan, but think about student life on campus and the incredible resources that align with your goals. Moreover, clearly you will benefit in the long-term and be grateful later in life when you don’t have to repay enormous undergrad loans. IMO Michigan State is, hands down, the best choice! Good Luck!

4

My son is engineering at MSU and I agree with your pros. For the cons I don’t think you’d have any trouble finding a community to fit in with. Lyman Briggs is a residential college and engineering has a dedicated dorm for freshman, so whichever way you decide you’ll find peers who are in class with you quickly. There are lots of kids who don’t party at MSU, and the honors college is another great way to find friends. At MSU you will have opportunities just because you are an ADS scholar. I’d take the money and make the most of opportunities you’ll have at MSU without having to worry about money.

5

My son is a Chemical Eng at MSU and loving it. We had the discussion of a full ride or loans and for me coming out of college debt free is the best!

A few things if your considered a freshman then stay at the engineering core dorms (Wilson hall) but not sure with the 45 credits.
MSU is investing in a new Stem engineering building and a USD750 million lab (nuclear I think). I doubt think there is grade deflation and their gpa system is weird. It goes up by .5 and you can get either a 3.5 or 4.0 which to me helps smart kids

6

If Michigan State is free take it. You won’t have any problems with finding a job. As a woman in STEM and an honors scholar you will stand out at MSU. If you have a lot of AP credit you can get your BS in 3 years. If you want to burnish your credentials you can do a 1yr masters at a more prestigious university.

If you were full pay at MSU and OOS GT, I’d tell you to definitely go to GT. But free is too good.

7

No need to pay more for a comparable OOS education. Stay in-state.

8

MS all the way. I see no reasons unless you have done very strong personal attachments to other schools for which you are willing to pay dearly for, for a long time.

9

Comparable… yes they both have Div1 sports. Academically, no. There is at least one tier of schools between GT and MSU. MSU is academically similar to ASU, Rutgers, Texas AM. GT is academically similar to Carnegie Mellon.

10

@Greymeer and that difference in tiers is going to have what impact on the OP’s life?

11

Getting a full ride at an AAU member university is a big deal. Congrats. https://www.aau.edu/who-we-are/our-members

12

Just so everyone knows, I committed to Michigan State! Go Green! Thank you so much for all the input

13

@moooop Right on. MSU has more Fortune 100 CEOs than Harvard.

if anything engineering related perhaps finance. I could see GTech.

OP why is UF off your list?

14

@privatebanker Thank you! I visited UF and liked it, and I know it’s a fantatastic school, but for me I didn’t feel like it’s benefits outweighed the offer from MSU, especially with the amount of scholarship they gave me. I also wasn’t personally drawn to it as much as I was to GT.