<p>So...I'm a bit stuck on choosing a college. I'm still a senior in Highschool and the May 1st deadline is approaching faster than I'd like. My choices are MSU, Oakland University and Wayne State. I was wondering peoples opinions, recommendations and or advice on the schools. I'd like to be a Dentist when i get older and I understand that my GPA has to be high for me to achieve this. As of right now the only thing I'm concerned about is my ability to do well in these schools. I come from a college prep high school and can solidly maintain all B's but I'm terrified of not being able to do well. T_T </p>
<p>Any information that could help me decide on which college would be best for me is more than welcome.</p>
<p>I’m on the waitlist for the LB program but apparently they don’t tell you if you’re actually in till may 1st or a little after…? Thank you though~</p>
<p>I agree Wayne State, then Oakland, then State. I think Wayne State would be the best if you want to do profession studies (ex: pharmacy, dentistry?).</p>
<p>Michigan State has too many students and therefore the in demand programs are competitive. I wished I would’ve gone to a small school like Wayne or OU. For my major classes are too big on average 200-500 students per lecture and over 1000 in both class sections.</p>
<p>As a Michigan resident myself with Oakland less than an hour away from me, I am familiar with all three schools and know students who go to each. I am also in a college prep program (mine teaches IB). Those who go to Wayne that I know so it is a breeze, not hard academically- they learned most everything in high school. I don’t know how true that is (and these students are only in their 2nd going on 3rd years). Wayne seems to excel in the sciences. This is probably your best bet to keep costs low (as you will be going to grad school) and gpa high. </p>
<p>Oakland is a tad overrated, I think. The classes are not really better than Wayne, either. It is a respected institution and well known within Michigan, but some classes and professors are out right terrible from what I hear. On the bright side, I know some people who enjoy the school and managed to get involved and really make the most of it. </p>
<p>State is big. Very big. Lots of people, lots of space. They have some awesome programs and opportunities because of their size. If you can tap into those, you’d be set; however, it is competitive because of the size, so your gpa might suffer. </p>
<p>All in all, I agree with Wayne being the best undergrad choice because you save money and it isn’t as competitive. However, you should really look at who you want to be and what things you want to know when you leave your undergrad experience. Maybe you should work on taking the hardest classes and looking into internships or unique research programs so that you are a competitive student for graduate school. That’s what I’d do. You can’t just sail in on good gpa. Best luck!</p>
<p>I do have some volunteer work already worked out and still looking for more things to improve on. </p>
<p>** what is your opinion on the LB college? **
<strong>if money wasn’t a factor would wayne still be the best choice?</strong>
<strong>anything else on OU?</strong> </p>
<p>As far as LB goes, I think that State’s new residential college degree programs are a great attribute to the school and offer a convenient community for students to interact in. I was very impressed with the one for Arts and Humanities, personally. I am not familiar with the requirements of LB, but some residential colleges have specific course requirements- I’d read up on those to make sure you are comfortable with fulfilling them (more foreign language, etc). I know someone in LB, and he loves having most/all of his classes in the same vicinity. However, if there is a possibility you might not want to pursue science related fields as a major, then perhaps you should look elsewhere. </p>
<p>If money was not a factor, I don’t know if Wayne would be the best choice. Picking a college is a very personal decision. I know you have probably heard it a million times, but it is about finding a good fit: not about prestige and name or what have you. If you can’t see yourself at Wayne, it probably isn’t the best choice. What kinds of students do you want to surround yourself with? What kinds of professors do you want? Is gpa really the most important thing to you?</p>
<p>As far as anything else on OU- people I know have had varying experiences at OU. Everyone I know who goes to Wayne is happy about it, but some people aren’t so happy with OU. Their campus is very clean and looks nice, though. I have a friend who was able to get very involved in the journalism department and with the robotics team; another person I know hated the history department because the professors he had were terrible and did not know historic content.</p>
<p>I’m a MI resident, and I have family that goes to OU. </p>
<p>Classes there aren’t always as easy as people think. To get a 4.0 in most non-STEM, lower-level classes, you need a 98. So that’s always being as close to perfect as possible. I’ve been told that the 4.0 standard varies by department, class level, and even professor, but my cousins have confirmed that 98s are common and that 95 averages prevail among upper-level classes. (people in STEM classes have reported anywhere from 90-98, depending on the prof) </p>
<p>Also, due to the small-school feel, you can get really close to your professors. My cousin got started with undergraduate research as a freshman because he got really close with his writing professor. Now as a junior, he’s working together with some of the faculty on writing center reforms and research. </p>
<p>Also, OU has a 65 million dollar renovation plan in motion. New buildings are set to be completed by the fall of 2014, so the campus itself is really expanding and sharpening out.</p>
<p>In general, all of these are great schools, and you shouldn’t limit your choices on where you can get the best grades for a program you may or may not go into. You should shop around for the best education for you at this moment in time. </p>
<p>@romanigypsyeyes- yes, LB is a well established program, but the residential colleges at state have been recently renovated and the curriculum and details of the residential have been shifted to cater to the student better over the last several years. At college fairs in my area, State has been advertising these new changes.</p>
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