<p>i was gonna post something to shut up the MITgrad, but then i realized ignorant and uneducated people do not have capacity for a debate, they can only argue.</p>
<p>It isn't clear to me why anyone would suggest a person is "an idiot" for weighing many factors in their college decision. The fact is, every year people turn down admissions offers from the most prestigious institutions on their choice list, and go elsewhere. Sometimes the reasons are straightforward because they are financial, but sometimes it's for other, more subjective reasons, or a combination of reasons. Perhaps some of you would always choose the better-rated university over any other, no matter what. Others may not. It has less to do with stupidity than some of these judgmental, flippant, unhelpful posts suggest.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice guys!!!!! :) :) :)</p>
<p>MITgrad just has some crucial school pride. There is nothing wrong with that. I really believe no matter where you go you can get a good education. However, the more competitive the university (i.e. MIT over Mich) the more challenging it may be. Does that make you more of a person though?
If all you care about is the education and the core of kids around you, then go to MIT. I'm sure you will meet some amazing people who will motivate you beyond your wildest dreams. As for UofM, I think what makes it more attractive is the fun factor. That is something you can definitely not compare between the two schools. Best of luck with you decision collegeconfused. I think you'll adjust to you choice either way you go. If you go to Umich...I'll c ya there!</p>
<p>I completely agree with the above post, you can make the best of any educational institution that you enroll in. It is all dependent on the amount of work you put in.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry about getting so infuriated, it's just that all my anger from when people compare UMich to MIT builds up inside of me. "</p>
<p>MITgrad, your anger is justified to some extent. MIT, although not Ivy, is a great Engineering school! In fact, if MIT is good at anything it's Engineering, and for people to mention MIT and UMAA in the same breath may cause someone to have an uncontrollable fit.</p>
<p>However, price-conscious families and instaters also deserve to go to good schools. For the price, UMAA is a good deal. With hard work and perseverance, UMAA grads can also be successfull in life. Sure MIT grads will get their pick of jobs and auto-prestige, but with hard work and focus, UMAA students can get quite far as well. There's no need for you to be so fierce in putting down public schools.</p>
<p>To me, the $10000 shouldn't be an issue. If you really wanted to go to MIT, I think MIT would be worth the extra $80000. If you really wanted to go to Michigan, the extra $40000 off is just icing on the cake. MIT is clearly more prestigious than Michigan, and there will be tangible differences in opportunities available for students in the bottom of Michigan Eng. and those at the botton of MIT. However, a student at the top at Michigan will have (more or less) similar exit opportunities as a top student at MIT. (Again, however, there are those rare opportunities that are only available to the top graduates at MIT, Caltech, etc...)</p>
<p>I sincerely doubt that MITgrad is, in fact, an MIT grad, if only because I've never heard an MIT student talk about another school like that really. I've heard students at almost every single other top school talk about other schools so disgustedly and condescendingly (not that in the case of Caltech, it was pointed directly to and only to MIT). As another poster intimated, I think the histrionic and hyperbolic tone of his posts all but completely discredits him.</p>
<p>But back to the issue. You have to ask yourself, without the scholarship, "Would I prefer Michigan to MIT?" Note that this is a different question from "Is Michigan as prestigious as MIT?" Each school has it's advantages and disadvantages. </p>
<p>Michigan has big-time sports. MIT does not. Michigan has school spirit. MIT does not (unless, that is, you like spirit of the self-deprecating IHTFP kind, which is perfectly valid). At MIchigan, humanities are not just an afterthought, but are as prominent as engineering and the sciences. At MIT, this is not the case. At Michigan, you will have friends with completely different interests. At MIT, you will not (unless you consider class and hacks to be varied interests, which is perfectly acceptable). At Michigan, you get a college town. At MIT, you won't. (I don't care what anyone says, Boston is NOT a college town, and Cambridge, well, you'll see.)</p>
<p>At MIT, everyone is extraordinarily intelligent, even if they don't show it off all the time. This is not the case at Michigan. At MIT, there are no dumb jocks, or the slightest hint of a jock-oriented culture. At Michigan, this is not the case. An MIT degree, in and of itself, will open doors. A Michigan degree, again, in and of itself, will not. MIT is unquestionably considered the premier engineering school in the world, both by laymen and those in the know. Michigan is not. At MIT, you get the comraderie of suffering together at the most challenging education institution in the nation. At Michigan, you might get this, but you'll also have to deal with drunk sociology majors puking in the dorm hall and wondering "Why are you always working so hard, dude?" (This isn't to say that MIT students are fond of alcohol. They are.) Last, but not least, MIT is MIT. Michigan is not.</p>
<p>And regardless of the decision you made, make sure you think it's the right one. If you do choose the less prestigious school, don't think that you're alone. Turning down MIT (well, more accurately, choosing to go to my current school) was one of the best decision I've made.</p>
<p>I agree with much of what you say. There are a couple of points I disagree on however. </p>
<p>1) You say that there are some opportunities that will only be presented to the top students at MIT and CalTech. I don't think that is completely accurate. The top students at Michigan (Engineering or otherwise), will have every opportunity availlable to top students at MIT (or Harvard, Princeton, Stanford or Yale for that matter). The difference is, those opportunities are availlable to the top 15%-20% of the students at the "Big 5" and only to 5% of the top students at Michigan. But then again, there at 300-600 students who graduate at the top 5%-10% of the Michigan class annually. To take it a step further...some opportunities will be open to only the top 5%-10% of the MIT student population...but also to the top 1%-3% of the Michigan student population. Eitherway, Michigan is big enough and excellent enough to stay in the running when it comes to providing opportunties to its top students.</p>
<p>2) You say that an MIT degree on its own will open doors and that a Michigan degree on its own will not. That is not correct. I cannot tell you the number of job offers I got with top global 500 companies simply because my resume had Michigan on it. Obviously, a MIT degree is more impressive, but then again, a MIT degree is more impressive than all but degrees from 3 or 4 universities in the US. But a Michigan degree is still one of the 10 or 15 most respected in the nation...certainly as respected as some Ivy League (and equally good universities) degrees.</p>
<p>3) You make it sound like Michigan is a party school were drinking is a common problem. That is a misconception. Michigan is actually not a party school...more than 30% of the students are aiming for the top and the remaining students are struggling to keep up. The average student is studying pretty hard to keep her/his head over water. Michigan is actually quite intense academcially. Obviously, MIT is tougher...but again, MIT is tougher than all but maybe 3 or 4 (CalTech and Swarthmore come to mind hehe) schools in the nation. Clearly, in a school with 24,000 undergrads, you are bound to have many parties and a lot of drinking, but in that respect, Michigan is no different from MIT or any other top university. </p>
<p>Otherwise, you are 100% correct. I actually rather enjoyed reading your post.</p>
<p>Walk in to a Circuit City type store wearing an MIT t-shirt some time. Everyone will be bowing down to you! They will be intimidated!</p>
<p>Wear a Michigan shirt and you're just another guy.</p>
<p>OK... realizing most of this thread was a hoax.</p>
<p>hahah this is so funny.. MITgrad if you were truly a grad student from MIT you'd definitely have more stuff to do than bash michigan - what MITgrad student uses (lol) - hell - etc etc. anyway it would be foolish for anyone to believe his crap and i dont know why college confused is choosing between UMich and MIT (unless he's acting it out too) -- obviously hardworking people like him would pick MIT purely for the academical challenge.</p>
<p>oh wait.. it is quite possible for MITgrad to say lol, hell, and stuff like that.. i was generalizing like extreme super nerds in MIT who are for the most part arrogant and think because they are "intellectually superior" that they are a better person. i mean not everyone but if MITgrad was from MIT that would be who he is.</p>
<p>MIT is a premier institution but a Michigan man had something to do with it. </p>
<p>Charles Vest, the past president of MIT got his MS and PhD from Michigan. He was also on the Dean of Engineering and Provost/VP for Academic Affairs at Michigan. He was student, faculty member, and administrator at Michigan for 26 years before he became president at MIT in 1990.</p>
<p>Michigan had a lot to do with it. You mention Charles Vest, president of MIT from 1990-2005. What about Jerome Wiesner (BS,MS and PhD at Michigan)? He was president of MIT from 1970-1980. In short, a Michigan man has been MIT's president for 25 of the last 35 years! Go blue baby!!! hehe</p>
<p>MIT may be rated higher in college rankings but Michigan grads are the leaders and best.</p>
<p>and we're sexier.</p>
<p>MITgrad, do you feel that all public colleges are inferior to private ones? holding MIT's engineering in higher esteem than umich is completely understandable, but how about engineering at Umich compared to another private institution's engineering program like northwesterns (which is ranked slightly worse)?</p>
<p>hmm this is a tough choice, good luck making your decision</p>
<p>lol bearcats u on a rampage pulling these old threads out</p>
<p>This thread is 3 years old…</p>
<p>engineering programs are bad deals for private schools, it’s substantially more expensive to educate engineers than liberal arts majors.</p>