<p>So I just perused through the thread on colleges' reputation within a state. I noticed all the Michigan posts have precluded NMU on their list. Is this because of the fact that the school is isolated or are their academics not up to par to worth mentioning with the other so-called "directional" universities?</p>
<p>Curious mind wants to know...</p>
<p>I think a large part is that the school is isolated (aka, in the Upper Peninsula), and doesn't have the research output of Michigan Tech to be noticed more widely. I'd also imagine that it would have a slightly weaker student body that the other directional schools, just because it primarily draws students from the Upper Peninsula (further adding to why people from the lower half of the state aren't as aware of it). I know they have a decent teaching program (Northern and Eastern were both originally Normal schools), but don't know much about the academics beyond that.</p>
<p>Most people in the lower part of the state don't even know it exists.</p>
<p>It's not in a major media market and most people in Michigan's lower peninsula (where most of the people live) forget that there is an Upper Peninsula. In fact, statistically North Michigan is by a small margin arguably the best of the "directional" Michigans, tying Western for highest ACT scores (20-25 middle 50% v. 20-24 for Central and 18-24 for Eastern) and edging out Eastern for highest PA score (2.9 v. 2.8 for Eastern, 2.3 for Western, and 2.1 for Central).</p>
<p>Also with a little over 9,000 students, it's by far the smallest of the "directionals." Eastern has 22,000 students, Western 24,000, and Central 26,000. </p>
<p>I have numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. who are Northern Michigan alums, mostly going there for teaching or nursing. Without exception, they loved it.</p>
<p>Are they mainly well known for teacher education and/or nursing? Is that what most students there study? They seem to have a few programs that look interesting at least.</p>
<p>I would have to agree though that since it's in the Upper Peninsula, most people probably forget or don't care much about it. I just like the fact that they get a nice amount of snow...</p>
<p>The art program is the fastest and now largest major at NMU. The new art center rivals RISD with more computer intregration and newer film and digital machinery. It's got a hot hockey team. Other majors are nursing and teaching. I was very impressed by the downtown Marquette. It was also the cleanest school out of the 7 or 8 colleges and universities we visited last year.
Down side; deep deep snow (but not if you major in Ski resort management, which is offered)</p>
<p>Pretty much, it sucks.</p>
<p>CollegeConfidential is very elitist, and discounts hundreds of colleges where a decent education can be had. One of these is NMU.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have to agree with the elitist part...but even the other directional Michigans get at least a mention occasionally.</p>
<p>My friend's sister went there because they have a good photography/arts program. I've also heard they have a good nursing program.</p>
<p>The administrators I know from there seem interested in how to improve undergraduate education. I always like to see that.</p>
<p>Northern Michigan University is a great public school. However, as others have stated, most Michigan residents live and attend universities in the Lower Peninsula (Univ of Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Wayne State, etc.). Still, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan are definitely good options worth considering.</p>
<p>At least amongst people I know, Michigan Tech still attracts a decent amount of "trolls" (people who live "under the bridge" in the lower peninsula, I think the nickname is stupid but I figure some people will get a kick out of it) because it's probably the best tech school in the state (excluding Michigan engineering, and probably excluding MSU engineering).</p>
<p>There's also a nice way to illustrate how remote parts of the UP actually are. In the winter time (aka, either coming home after first semester/returning for second semester), it's faster to get from Ann Arbor to Georgia Tech than it is to get from Ann Arbor to Michigan Tech. Even in regular weather, it's about even if you consider the fact that you can go 90 down I-75 and that there are lots of speed traps along the main roads in northern michigan/the UP.</p>
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<p>Ummm. . . first, I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. Winter, maybe, if you get stuck in a big storm. Clear roads, highly doubtful, unless you do some serious speeding between Ann Arbor and Atlanta (and please note that there are plenty of speed traps on I-75 between Ann Arbor and Atlanta, too). Randmcnally.com, which I find is usually pretty accurate on these things, says it takes 9 hours 25 minutes to get from Houghton (Michigan Tech) to Ann Arbor, and 11 hours 15 minutes to get from Ann Arbor to Atlanta. Mapquest says the difference is even a little greater: 9 hours 7 minutes Houghton-Ann Arbor, 11 hours 24 minutes Ann Arbor-Atlanta. That's a good two hours longer to get to Atlanta.</p>
<p>Second, measuring a place's "remoteness" by its distance from Ann Arbor is curiously Ann Arbor-centric, don't you think? In fact, both Houghton (Michigan Tech) and Marquette (Northern Michigan) are considerably closer to Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis-St. Paul than they are to Ann Arbor. Marquette-Milwaukee is 5 hours 20 minutes, for example; not right next door by any means, but not wildly "remote" from major urban centers, either, roughly the same as the distance from New York City to Middlebury, Vermont.</p>
<p>Third, OP was asking about Northern Michigan, not Michigan Tech, so even if you're measuring "remoteness" by distance from Ann Arbor, it's not nearly as "remote" as dilksy would have you believe. Randmcnally.com says Marquette is 7 hours 30 minutes from Ann Arbor; mapquest says it's 7 hours 11 minutes. But why you'd want to go to Ann Arbor when you can get to Milwaukee (5 h 20 min) or Chicago (6 h 55 min) in less time, I'll never know.</p>
<p>Yours is a typical "troll" perspective, dilksy---"Gee, this place is really far from where I live; it must be really remote." Mine is a Yooper perspective, born and raised; we've always looked toward Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago, and the Twin Cities as our natural urban centers, not those cities "below the bridge." That's why we're mostly Packers fans.</p>
<p>Well, I'll tell you - I graduated from one of the top ranked schools in the world and found my way to Marquette. </p>
<p>While there, I took classes (both undergrad and graduate) at Northern Michigan University. I have to say that some of the best and most passionate professors I have ever had I had there in education and theatre. I learned more from them than many professors at my alma mater. Also, some of the most brilliant students I have ever known I met at NMU - ones who either went on to big name schools or into nice industry gigs. A lot of people there simply can't afford to make a big leap financially, reflecting the value of a public school system to provide opportunities for citizens to contribute productively who otherwise might not be able to.</p>
<p>Obviously, there are plenty of non brilliant students as well. NMU also doesn't have the financial resources to compete in the big leagues (its library is adequate, but surprisingly small and its endowment is miniscule). But, it does the job of providing a public education surprisingly well and holds a relatively high standard of rigor for entry into programs and graduation.</p>
<p>Programs of particular note are Art and Design, Education, Chemistry, and Theatre. </p>
<p>As for the isolation - I have to concur with the previous Yooper. Only naive people who think the world revolves around themselves would make such a claim. You'll hear this a lot out of New York about the entire state of Michigan being "the middle of nowhere" and the U.P. is just an extension of that mindset from the metro Detroit / Grand Rapids folk.</p>
<p>People who'd never been up north laughed at me for moving to Marquette. People who visited asked about real estate prices. Marquette's a beautiful city - nice harbor and waterfront park with a pretty lively downtown, beaches full of bikini clad women in the summer and early fall, decent nightlife and dining, ranked one of the best small arts towns in the country... The U.P. in general was recently ranked one of the top 10 summer vacation destinations in the world. Plus, the economy's not tanking like it is down state. </p>
<p>So, yeah. What's the middle of nowhere to some is quite a pleasant home to a lot of doctors, professors, and other professionals that could live anywhere they want but turn down lucrative offers to stay in Marquette.</p>
<p>If you have to make the drive to the upper penn...think of it as multi tasking...one task driving,.....second task deer hunting. I have actually been quite successful as a deerhunter with my car. (really just ask my State Fram Agent!)
I agree with Applejack, the town has an abundance of talented people.</p>
<p>I liked it when we visited with S1...it is a looooong way away but a beautiful part of the country. I think that profs who choose to live in really beautiful and awe inspiring places are there because they want to live there...not because that is the only place they can teach which makes for plenty of opportunities for ambitious students. Marquette is a really neat hilly, historic feeling town with galleries, restaurants and student life and a walk and a hop to Lake Superior. The college is a "not to big" "not to small" school. Tuition is pretty low and "smart kids" get generous merit money. The skiing and outdoor life is better than anywhere in the midwest and the kids seemed enthused. (Cliff jumping into Lake Superior is a freshman right of passage). We ran into a fair amount from the greater Chicago area -me thinks the planes still go through Wisconsin and bclintock is correct regarding "mental" proximity. Unfortunately S1 choose another remote area school not in the midwest, but maybe son2 or son3? If kids think it's doesn't have the "cool" factor watch the movie "Unsalted" about surfing in Lake Superior.</p>
<p>Maybe it's Ann Arbor centric because I live in the area, and was relaying a personal anecdote about friends I have from the area that go to Michigan Tech and Georgia Tech. I think the one who goes to GaTech said he made it in about 10 hours, and it took one of my friends that goes to Tech 13 hours to get back once because of the weather.</p>
<p>Secondly the context of the thread is why doesn't NMU get mentioned with other Michigan state schools, which has nothing to do with it's proximity to Minnesota/Wisconsin, and everything to do with it's proximity to the rest of the state. The point still remains that even though NMU is in Michigan, it's still 7+ hours away from most major population centers in the state. I hope you're able to recognize that, statistically speaking, a majority of opinions are going to come from where a majority of people live.</p>
<p>In any case, it's not like NMU has lots of visibility in Milwaukee/Twin Cities/Chicago. It's in a different state, and simply isn't good enough to really be worth considering over in-state schools of similar caliber. I know at least some about most of the Michigan schools, many of which pretty far away from me, but I'm only vaguely aware that the University of Toledo exists, which is only about 45 minutes away. For comparison, the closest major urban center to NMU you mentioned was about five and a half hours away. That's how long it takes to get from Ann Arbor to Louisville.</p>
<p>Louisville is not as pretty as Marquette. You are still looking at numbers (quantities) and not qualities. Good keep thinking that way-Marquette is not for you-better stay away.</p>
<p>My S got one of their promotional brochures recently touting the availability of full-ride scholarships for what seems to be smart but not necessarily brilliant students. That sounds appealing at times like this. Anyone familiar with how competitive it is to get these, particularly as an out-of-stater?</p>