This topic was posted (not by me) back in 2019. Here is a link:
The topic actually led to a pretty lively debate with a lot of good points, I think, and some censorship required by moderators.
Anyway, I was wondering if people’s opinions might have changed in the past couple years, and if the gap is narrowing. And if it matters, anyway.
I’d venture to guess - put UF in instead of UGA.
No doubt UGA admission standards are heading upward - but historically no one considered UF to be this amazing school. Today US News does (just them, not others) - but I’d say that they are the Michigan of the South.
I do think UGA is closing the gap but so, appears to be Clemson (just a gut feeling) and they may be the next UGA.
Does any of it matter? I don’t think so.
I think Michigan does have a stellar reputation but I don’t think anyone cares if you go to UF or Nebraska or Colorado…just my opinion. Most won’t care if you went to Michigan either short of some I Banks and consulting firms, etc.
UGA doesn’t have the graduate and professional schools to lift them into the same class as UM.
When I see a claim such as this, I’ll look at statistics from the CDS:
Acceptance Rate: 40%
Middle Range SAT: 1280–1430
Middle Range ACT: 28–32
Top Tenth HS Class: 61%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 74%
not sure how to interpret this data.
As UGA, like other southern schools, makes the SAT mandatory again, average scores will go down. Michigan, on the other hand, has kept it optional, so only tippy top scores get submitted.
as far as transfer acceptance rate, I have no idea what that means.
The percentage of transfer applicants who are admitted.
Just curious, is there an ulterior motive behind the thread?
I was looking at your other posts - I forget who is going for what schools, but do you, perhaps, have a student that wanted Michigan but is likely for Georgia instead? I was reading through your posts - but I’m not sure. Or is it just a topic that fascinates you?
I don’t think the schools are comparable. I’m sure UGA has many students who could get into Michigan but I don’t know if that’s a quarter or half, etc. but Michigan likely has nearly every student that could get into UGA.
I don’t think UGA is the most difficult public in the South to get into (excluding UVA and UNC) but I do think Florida is a bit more difficult. And Florida State likely comparable if you remove the summer session.
I think it’s a great school and I don’t think it needs to be Michigan.
But if you look at rankings - and again, do they matter? No idea - but Michigan is ranked highly in an absolute ton of majors and I think it has few peers nationally in that sense.
I have never understood this thread then or now. Michigan is top 10 in like 45 majors in undergrad and has a 3.9 unweighted avg GPA with 32-35 Act or equivalent.
Saying that, UGA is a great college for the students that go there. It’s great to hear things are improving.
That’s just LSA, which doesn’t include the top ranked schools of Nursing, Kinesiology, Business, Engineering, SMTD, Architecture, etc.,
To give one example of this: Michigan is ranked 23rd in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
UGA is in a batch of schools ranked 601-800.
Preaching to the choir… Lol…
ulterior motive? kinda. my daughter got into UGA and is refusing to apply to Michigan. so the ulterior motive is to make myself feel good about this and get over the prestige FOMO.
I’m pretty much fine with it, despite the answers I got here!
to be honest, Michigan didn’t blow me away when we visited years ago with my other kid. they were too eager to show us the lovely law school quad on the tour as if that was a big selling point. also seems like a ton of Ivy League rejects there, but I guess that isn’t a bad thing, and is prob the case at any school outside the top 20.
My view:
First of all, it doesn’t matter how highly ranked or prestigious a school is, if your kid isn’t interested in that school. If she’s in at UGA and is happy with her choice, that’s all that really matters.
Second, the number one determinant of where a student applies and enrolls is their financial situation. There are lots of top quality students at public flagships and they are not necessarily “Ivy rejects”. Many of these kids didn’t qualify for aid and couldn’t/didn’t want to pay $82k+ at an Ivy. There are also kids who specifically pick UMich or other leading public schools because they may have stronger and higher ranked programs in certain majors, than the Ivies.
of course. but Mich has a reputation for having a lot of full pay affluent kids from the Northeast who are not there for financial reasons and for whom it was likely not their top choice. these are, or course, smart and accomplished kids.
Michigan has a high yield rate (45%), comparable to UNC, UVA, UCLA. That is really high for a school without binding ED so I would challenge the notion that kids are likely there that didn’t get into their “top choice”.
I understand wanting to make yourself feel better about your D’s choice but it’s not necessary to disparage another school. And FWIW, my D liked Purdue much better than Michigan despite the rankings. Celebrate that your D is accepted to a school where she is excited and happy!
all true and good points. I can only speak about the kids I know that go to Michigan and it wasn’t close to the top choice for any of them. but they are all happy there.
my kid hasn’t made a choice yet except to NOT apply to Michigan…
Yes, that was my first thought, too, that U Florida is in the running, too, to be the rising flagship state school of the south. But why quibble? I think it is wonderful that the flagship state U’s are rising in quality, since it gives better opportunity at a lower price to the in-state students of the south, and also to the OOS middle/upper middle class high achievers who now have some excellent choices, other than their own flagships, at a reasonable price, what with the merit money some are being offered.
academically and from a selectivity standpoint, and mostly based on ranking, yeah, I guess UF is the closest to Michigan. But there are other factors to consider. Like does Gainesville compare to Ann Arbor in terms of people falling in love with it? Is Athens more desirable than Gainesville, and more Ann Arbor-ish? I’m just asking- I don’t know.
So by eliminating UVA and UNC (who are both similar in undergrad and grad programs as well as admissions standards and rates of acceptance) we then come to UGA being the Michigan of the South?
But also eliminate UF? I think those concessions seem to answer the question…
Do people consider Texas to be in that “southern category”.
Im biased but Ive always thought that the University of Texas and UMich are simiilar.
Statistically, Texas is weighed down by the 6% in-state auto admit rule. I believe their OOS student acceptance is extremely competitive.