<p>I have no idea what I want to study at the moment, I'm just aiming to go to a good university that has a good name.</p>
<p>Also important, would be the feel and the fit of the university for me.</p>
<p>I realize Northwestern is a little more prestigious than Umich, and is nationally regarded as a better university.</p>
<p>But, I also know that Umich is considered a great university too.</p>
<p>Could anyone give me some advice?</p>
<p>visit both if u can. see what u like better.</p>
<p>Michigan and Northwestern have approximately equal prestige and name recognition. In fact, Michigan may have a more widespread reputation because it is stronger across more disciplines, has a larger and more spread-out alumni network and has dominant athletic programs. But where it matters, Michigan and Northwestern are peers. </p>
<p>As such, I would go for the cheaper option…assuming cost is a concern. Otherwise, I would go for fit.</p>
<p>As Alexandre hinted at, I think it depends on whether or not you know what field you want to go into. If you’re unsure of what you want to study, UMich could be the better option due to its consistent excellence across all fields of study, whilst Northwestern is stronger in some areas than others. UMich will almost always be cheaper, as well, unless you are out of state and Northwestern gives you a solid amount of financial aid.</p>
<p>Of course, you could just be like me and choose between the two based on how much enjoyment and fun you would get out of going to each. I saw the two schools equal in just about every facet besides the overall fun factor, where UMich took the cake. :)</p>
<p>While both UMich and Northwestern are undeniably outstanding universities, I do think if prestige is important to you Northwestern has an edge. I’m from the West Coast and here people know of Northwestern, whereas fewer know of Umich. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, however, that prestige doesn’t necessarily equate to academic quality.</p>
<p>In terms of the academic quality I think they are probably comparable. </p>
<p>Overall they are both great universities. I think you should base your decision off cost and fit.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Mikejohnson, prestige varies from area to area. I do not think you should speak on behalf of the entire West Coast. California alone has 40 million people, while your own circle is made up of only hundreds of people. Michigan has a very strong reputation in the Bay area and in Seattle, thanks to its very strong Electrical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering programs. </p>
<p>From what I have seen, prestige is a non-entity when comparing Michigan to Northwestern. The two universities are equally prestigious. That is not to say that they will be equally prestigious to all people. Some will consider Michigan more prestigious than Northwestern and others will consider Northwestern more prestigious than Michigan. But by and large, both are equally prestigious.</p>
<p>Jakey, have you visited either school? If not, you should, if you’re able.
And, if you tell us what state you’re from and whether or not financial need will be germane, we might be able to give you better pointers. If you’re from a family of low earners and are eligible for a lot of financial aid, you may find Northwestern more generous (though as a private school, it is also a little more expensive than UMich OOS). You also need to get a sense of “fit” at either. My son enjoys the diversity of UMich – it has a larger student population with students in every discipline and from every background. Northwestern has a smaller student population by comparison and might be a little more homogenous – at least socioeconomically. Go see how you feel. You’d do well graduating from either ;)</p>
<p>Alexandre, I would have to disagree.</p>
<p>I’m sure UMich has a great rep on the west coast, and probably all over the US for that matter, but I do think at the national level Northwestern is generally regarded as more prestigious. </p>
<p>My opinion is that they are academically comparable; they are both wonderful, outstanding schools. I just think in America at large the prestigious edge goes to Northwestern. Perhaps not by much, though.</p>
<p>Jakey, I would encourage you to post this same question on the Northwestern forum. It may give you a more balanced view into both Umich and Northwestern. </p>
<p>But in the end I really don’t think you can go wrong. You are choosing between two of the best universities in the US. Many would love to be in your shoes.</p>
<p>Mikejohnson, there is no right or wrong. Prestige is a highly subject concept. Debating this point here makes little sense as we cannot speak for an entire population. Among graduate school admissions committees and in the work place both schools are highly regarded.</p>
<p>“It may give you a more balanced view into both Umich and Northwestern.”</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m sure you’re going to hear that Michigan is just as good in that forum. LOL</p>
<p>Lol no,</p>
<p>I just meant that posting it on both forums would give a more balanced look on the issue as a whole, not that posting it on the NW forum in itself would be more balanced.</p>
<p>And I noticed jakey took my advice :P</p>
<p>I would have to agree with all of the above posts other than Mikejohnson’s whose posts appear to be based on a quick review of USNWR. I am quite confident that if you conducted a survey you would find that more people on the West Coast know of Michigan than Northwestern.</p>
<p>I agree with the posters who suggest you visit both schools and base your decision on fit. While both strong academically, the campuses do have a different feel which can be best discerned by going there. I suspect that after your visits you will know which you prefer. Both are excellent choices.</p>
<p>I actually have one older sibling at Umich and one older sibling at Northwestern. This has given me a bit of insight into both the schools.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, I think Umichigan is an outstanding school. It is simply my opinion that Northwestern has a bit of an edge on Umich as far as prestige is concerned. </p>
<p>Jakey posted the same thread in the Northwestern forum and, not surprisingly, all the posters there believed Northwestern was stronger/more prestigious. </p>
<p>That’s the name of the game though, the forum is always going to have a bit of a bias towards its particular school. </p>
<p>Bottom line, they’re both great schools, any way you slice it.</p>
<p>In my opinion, both universities are equal in quality and strength. Go to the one that costs less or the one that you prefer. If you end up narrowing down your potential fields of study, then you might want to consider the strength of each program at both universities. Otherwise, both schools are excellent and there is no wrong choice. </p>
<p>@Mikejohnson1342 You might find it somewhat interesting that Times Higher Education actually releases an annual ranking of world reputation. In their 2012 ranking, Michigan actually scores significantly higher than Northwestern, 12th vs 35th according to their sources.</p>
<p>"Jakey posted the same thread in the Northwestern forum and, not surprisingly, all the posters there believed Northwestern was stronger/more prestigious. </p>
<p>That’s the name of the game though, the forum is always going to have a bit of a bias towards its particular school."</p>
<p>Mikejohnson, I did not go to the NU board yet, but I disagree with you on this point. Michigan students and alums do not usually think less of peer institutions. They may think the college experience at Michigan is richer and better, but not the quality of the institution or its reputation. Most of them will admit that peer institutions are just that; peers. If you read the posts above, most posters will say that Northwestern is a peer of Michigan. That is not the case with students and alums of other elite universities, most of whom usually claim their institution is better. I doubt Northwestern faithful on the NU forum will extend Michigan the same courtesy as we have afforded it on this forum. Most will claim that NU is a superior university.</p>
<p>At any rate, assuming the OP has acceptances from both schools and cost of attendance is not a concern, I would recommend visiting the two schools and choosing the university they prefer. Both have nice campuses, but they have very different campus cultures and environments. </p>
<p>Something else to consider is the trimester vs the quarter system. Michigan has two trimesters, each one lasting 14 weeks. While winter break is short, summer break is one of the longest, extending from late April until early September. Some feel such a summer break is too long, while others like the fact that they can do a lot with their 18 week summer break, and still have time to unwind. Northwestern’s quarter system allows much flexibility and is well suited for students who do not like taking 5 or 6 courses in one term, but focus on 3-4 classes each quarter. However, the downside of the quarter system is three sets of finals annually.</p>
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<p>Completely agree with this. Both Michigan and Northwestern are great schools, and academically there’s not much difference between them. But the campus cultures are just night and day different. NU social life is much more Greek-dominated, for one thing; roughly one in three men and nearly 40% of women go Greek, and students who aren’t members say the Greek presence is so strong that it dominates. Michigan certainly has an active Greek presence as well, but it’s more like 15% of men and 20% of women, which means those who are into the Greek scene can certainly find it, but it’s not the dominating presence it is at Northwestern. The result, IMO, is a broader and more diverse range of social opportunities at Michigan, especially for those who are not into the Greek scene.</p>
<p>Another big difference: Northwestern students tend to have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward intercollegiate sports, while at Michigan sports, especially football, is a more dominating presence. You don’t need to be sports-crazy to attend Michigan and get a lot out of the experience, but you’d better be prepared to be around a lot of people who are sports-crazy, and brace yourself for football Saturdays when the entire campus and the entire town are engulfed in football mania. Sure, there’s a certain amount of rah-rah at Northwestern as well, especially when the Wildcats are playing well (a hit-or-miss proposition), but more often than not they don’t fill up their much smaller stadium.</p>
<p>Another difference: most Michigan upperclassmen live off campus, in houses, apartments, or co-ops. Some Northwestern students do as well, but at Northwestern about 2/3 of all undergrads live on-campus, while at Michigan only about 1/3 of undergrads live on-campus, and they’re mostly freshmen and sophomores. It makes for a different kind of social life, and a different relationship between the university and the town. That, coupled with a much larger student population at Michigan, means there are more bars, restaurants, and businesses geared toward the student market in Ann Arbor, which is a big part of why Ann Arbor makes almost everyone’s list of greatest college towns. You’ll rarely hear that said of Evanston, which nonetheless has its own merits: it’s a pleasant, well-scrubbed suburban town with good amenities and a nice downtown, and easy public transit access to Chicago, which many Northwestern students take advantage of.</p>
<p>I’m not saying one is better than the other. My personal preferences run strongly toward Michigan and Ann Arbor, but others have equally valid preferences for Northwestern. Bottom line, though, these schools are just very different and offer very different college experiences, and a student choosing between them should be well apprised of those differences which, in my opinion, are far more significant than any differences in the academics.</p>
<p>My decision actually came down to UMich and Northwestern, and I visited both campuses. I loved them both (actually, I maybe even will admit Northwestern’s was nicer) but the overall feel that UMich gave me and the heightened level of comfort I felt there could not be matched by Northwestern. The atmospheres are very different. So fit and feel are for sure important when making this decision, because assuredly some people feel the exact opposite that I did.</p>
<p>Another thing that drew me away from there is the seeming imbalance of school life there. It seems like academia and schoolwork is the absolute #1 priority, no exceptions. I didn’t like that. I like how at UMich, socializing, getting involved, participating in groups and organizations, doing fun activities, playing and watching sports, etc. are in a really good balance with the actual schoolwork in terms of importance and priority. From my tour of Northwestern and from hearing from current students, the feel was that, yes, activities and sports and fun do exist, but your schoolwork is about twenty times more important than those things. Some who agree with this philosophy may prefer Northwestern, while others like myself may prefer to take the other route.</p>
<p>bclintook, as usual a very nice summation of the “differences.” Personally as I’ve traveled the country with a past job I found far more active alumni organizations for Michigan than Northwestern and I do think that plays into the “prestige” argument on a level other than who is ranked higher than who by a given major by a news organization. I do believe internationally UofM has a higher awareness. I do think journalism has a “leg up” since the J-school is at Michigan State. The fact that Northwestern is called Northwestern requires the add-on “in Chicago” to differentiate it from every other state that has a directional school, but Penn has that same problem and I’m somewhat biased toward Michigan since I never attended Northwestern (accepted to Kellogg but went elsewhere.)</p>
<p>OP, both are great midwestern unis…pick the one that fits your personality and desires. Academically unless you want journalism, it’s splitting hairs to try and compare one to the other.</p>
<p>I’m about 90% sure I’m attending Michigan next year, and I spent 5 weeks at Northwestern this summer at a journalism camp. I thought I was going to fall in love with NW but I didn’t even end up applying.</p>
<p>For me, it was mostly the feel of the schools and their towns. I loved Evanston but it didn’t feel like a college town to me, it’s just a nice suburb. Ann Arbor is near Detroit but isn’t a suburb, and it has a distinct college town feel. I think these differences are because Michigan is really intermixed with Ann Arbor- the campus blends into the town, while NW’s campus is completely separate. More students at NW live on-campus while most Michigan students move off campus after freshman year and the neighborhoods surrounding downtown Ann Arbor are filled with student rented houses. Downtown Ann Arbor is really geared towards students while Evanston seemed more upscale. Also, I thought Northwestern’s campus was kind of ugly and I much prefer Michigan’s. </p>
<p>Academically, I think they’re similar, except if you want to study journalism. NW is probably considered to be a bit more prestigious across the country but Michigan is still a great school and probably better known around the world. NW is smaller and Greek life is huge. Sports are bigger at Michigan. Evanston’s location on Lake Michigan near Chicago is pretty amazing. </p>
<p>I think it comes down to your feel for each school. I didn’t like NW but pretty much all of my friends from the program loved it, and some applied ED and will be attending.</p>
<p>We’ve found that there is no one perfect school for our daughter. She has many wonderful choices and for us it could come down to the cost. College is what you make of it. You could be very happy at either school. Not sure if this is true or not, but we were lead to believe that Northwestern’s engineering is more “theoretical” and less hands on. DD did not apply to Northwestern. She is hoping to attend UM!</p>