<p>Anyone have any advice in deciding between Oberlin and UMich? I'm a prospective political science major with an interest in Chinese language and international studies. I'm trying to look at things with an eye for how easy it will be to continue on into a top grad/law school.</p>
<p>I actually know something about this, as far as Oberlin goes- second-hand, of course.</p>
<p>Politics appears to be a quite strong department; multiple courses have been very good.</p>
<ul>
<li>Quality of East Asian Language instruction is outstanding.</li>
</ul>
<p>This link may have some relevance:
<a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/eas/%5B/url%5D">http://www.oberlin.edu/eas/</a></p>
<p>Regarding grad school placement, I can only repeat what I've posted previously. To wit- copied & pasted from another post-</p>
<p>"OK this is what I did before my daughter's final selection of Oberlin.</p>
<p>Her other final choice was "ranked" near the top, however she preferred Oberlin. So I wanted to do a double-check that she wasn't harming her future prospects in any way by going where she wanted to go.</p>
<p>It turns out I have an acquaintance from my youth who, I had recently learned, wound up as a Professor at Oberlin, of long standing. So I contacted this person and asked the following question, precisely: "Do Oberlin students get into the grad programs they deserve to get into, based on their actual ability?" </p>
<p>The answer was a resounding yes; Oberlin's grad school placement was in fact excellent. And a sincere yes, from someone who I know "from the old days" who would not do me wrong.</p>
<p>I passed this on, and the rest is history, as they say."</p>
<p>As compared to U Mich, there are the obvious contrasts in huge university vs. LAC.</p>
<p>Both are great schools -- I'm an Oberlin grad myself and I also spent a month at UMichigan as a graduate student. I personally think University of Michigan is a much better setting for graduate students than undergraduates. But if you have a lot of confidence, are outgoing and don't mind big classes and working with TA's, Ann Arbor is a great college town.</p>