<p>I recently was accepted to the MSU honors college with a $5000 renewable merit scholarship and an offer for an additional $2500 per year if I help a professor. I was wondering which would be the better option for someone majoring in computer science and anthropology out of U of M general admission for the school of Literature, Science, and Art or the MSU Honors College. Additionally, MSU would cost around $9500 less per year with my merit scholarship, but I think my parents could afford either option. I am a Michigan resident. </p>
<p>What are your desires, ambitions, and career goals?</p>
<p>I want to be either a professor, a museum director, or pursue a graduate business degree and work at a company like Google or Pixar. </p>
<p>Go to Michigan. Better recognition for grad school or from employers nationally. Also more competitive academically, so you will work harder, but you will meet an amazing number of smart people.</p>
<p>Even considering the $9500 per year saved? </p>
<p>Do you want to be surrounded by a whole college of students like the honors college, or just go to college where the honors college pool is that type of student?</p>
<p>If your goal is to work for a company like Google, go to University of Michigan. I know people who work there and just got jobs there. They only hire from top schools and only hire kids with a very strong GPA.</p>
<p>Okay I definitely will consider that… have not heard back from Michigan yet so we will see 
</p>
<p>My take is slightly different. If you are aiming for grad school, MSU honors is just as good. If you are pre-med, definitely go with MSU honors. For the working world (especially finance, consulting, startups, or elite software companies) and getting an elite MBA later, UMich would offer a better network and better recruiting opportunities.</p>
<p>What if I want to go into something like higher education? </p>
<p>
Your UG school will be overshadowed by where you take your doctorate.</p>
<p>Yep, and MSU honors would serve you just as well if a PhD is your goal. However, UMich would offer you more options if you decide that you want to work in industry after all, and personally, I feel that $9K/year more isn’t a high price to pay for the benefits that UMich offers.</p>
<p>If you were OOS and full-pay at UMich or JHU or Rice (schools that I consider comparable to UMich) but had a full-tuition scholarship to MSU, I would say that MSU Honors would be the smart financial decision (unless your family just has money to burn). Since the cost differential isn’t that big (since you get a discount to UMich just by being in-state), though, personally, I’d choose UMich.</p>