UGA’s student profile does appear to have risen significantly in recent years. As a basis for comparison, this article from 2015, for example, placed UGA 157th nationally based on standardized scoring. Michigan at this time placed 42nd. Note that the scores posted in the article reflect an earlier calibration of the SAT exam, however.
aside from academic ranking and selectivity, any comments on life as a college student at UGA vs at UM? Or Athens vs Ann Arbor?
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I guess I’d ask why it matters ? UGA does but she’s not applying to Michigan or any other school that meets your prestige desire.
I’ve only heard good things about UGA but my kid did not go. It’s a large campus. I love how the football stadium is smack in the middle. And while I personally don’t like Athens, it’s considered a great college town and it has an urban outfitters near campus….which means nothing to me but a lot to teen age girls apparently.
The student profile at UGA has risen dramatically over the last 7 years. I went to dinner recently with someone who had moved from Houston. Apparently UGA is huge in both Houston and Dallas, and is extremely popular with smart kids. When she went back recently, her friends were asking if she had any connections at UGA in the admissions office 
We personally have a friend whose kid is a freshman now at UGA. From Houston, auto admitted to UT in their major, and is paying out of state to go to UGA.
There is also a huge draw from Virginia and North Carolina. More than a few of these kids are the ones that have typically had a hard time getting in to their state flag ships (from Charlotte, or northern Virginia, etc.) despite being in the top of their class. And word gets back to the high school – well X goes there and they’re smart and they love it and there’s a trickle down effect. And it doesn’t hurt that the type of kid that’s attracted to the UVAs and the UNCs is also attracted to the UGA culture.
With respect to in-state kids, tuition is free for many who choose to attend UGA in state. Like Florida, it makes it very difficult to pay out-of-state tuition particularly at a state school. UGA is a top 15 public school with a strong honors college, and research opportunities for interested undergraduates. Many, many smart kids opt for Georgia Tech or UGA with free tuition over full pay other places.
While I don’t think UGA is on the same level from a reputation standpoint nationwide as UNC/UVA/Michigan/Berkeley, I don’t think it’s that far off and it’s head and shoulders above most other state schools. Even in-state, there are a lot of kids who get into Georgia Tech and UGA who choose UGA. In fact, despite Georgia Tech STEM focus UGA is it’s number one competition for admitted students - it overtook Berkeley this year. For a smart kid who wants big sports, Greek life, college town, etc. UGA fits the bill.
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@billythegoldfish I want to say “Bless your heart”… but sincerely and kindly (not passive aggressively). I can tell you really are both trying to come to terms with your kid’s decision while also making sure she has all relevant information to backup her decision with no regrets. Hugs. As parents, we never want our kids to come back to us one day saying “why didn’t you tell me? why did you let me do that?” Many of us have schools that “got away”… that either we or our kids did not apply to or did not choose to attend… there’s a whole CC thread on it.
I hope someone will answer you who has spent time in both AA and Athens as a student because I have not. I was a UGA student and have regularly returned to campus for football and other events. I’ve spent time in AA with family living there (and attended some football games), but I cannot speak personally to the student experience.
I think it is indisputable that both AA and Athens have been recognized as top college towns in multiple rankings. So it really comes down to personal preference. I love visiting AA. It seems to lean a bit more urban, compared to Athens, with its vibe and cultural offerings (this is not a negative)… but keep in mind I’ve visited as an adult, not a student. Needless to say, there is plenty to do. The winter weather would be difficult for me, but give me a Michigan summer and I’m in heaven… not much help to students who go home for the summer, though. Football games are electric… it’s the only place I’ve attended games that compares to the SEC experience.
Athens has a cool, college town vibe with an amazing music scene and a cute downtown across the street from campus. I attended shows at Georgia Theatre as a student in the dark ages and as recently as a few months ago. Easy access to plenty of outdoor activities. Relatively mild winters compared to MI of course, but it does have winter temps for a couple of months and get more snow and ice than Atlanta. If your student stays over summer, be prepared for heat and humidity. Game Days are magical and beyond fun!! A lot of students and adult fans dress up for games… this seems to be a Southern thing I did not notice at MI because it was too cold! Early season games in Athens can be quite hot as fall comes later.
Feel free to ask specific questions about UGA and Mich and I know you’ll get answers! , but I do think trying to compare the two is a bit pointless.
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As of 2021 it looks like OOS/International students outnumber in-state students. 16,905 vs 16,807. At this point is it really a state school?
According to Figure 2.6.1 on page 21 of the Michigan Almanac, the Fall 2021 %'s for the entire undergrad student population are:
In-state = 52%
OOS = 40%
International = 8%
And yes, Michigan still does receive funding from the State of Michigan. But not much.
This is one reason UGA will not have the same international or national recognition as UMich any time soon, if ever. As I mentioned above, UGA’s goal is to enroll 80% residents (from across the entire state). It’s a completely different model.
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I couldn’t help but chuckle. My Manhattan girl just moved to Georgia last fall - and that phrase was the one thing she quickly adopted.
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Haha… well, I can imagine which way she is using it if she is anything like my kiddo!
I hope she enjoys Georgia. Let us GA CC folks know if she ever needs anything.
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Honestly, my student was considering whether to apply to GA from oos over Xmas break and this was the main factor weighing against it, she’s at a private that only allows for 3 APs prior to senior year but has over a dozen honors classes. She did apply earlier to both GA Tech and Florida.
Michigan, on the other hand, typically takes a few kids every year from her school and I would not say these kids view it as an Ivy back up. It seems to attract kids also looking at schools like Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Duke, UVA, etc . . , schools with good academics and sports.
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That’s the unfortunate consequence of the current UGA GPA calculation. It scares many kids off from even applying since it gives such a boost to APs.
But I will take David Graves at his word since he is so transparent and responsive on the UGA Admissions Blog… UGA uses a true holistic review so kids are evaluated in the context of their high school’s offerings. This may mean that some super accomplished kids with few AP options are deferred in the EA round to allow more time for a deeper evaluation, especially kids attending OOS schools that the AOs are not as familiar with. And it also means that it will prevent some amazing kids from even applying to the RD round when they see the stats of the EA admitted students.
If UGA continues to receive more OOS applications, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is addressed more openly in the application information. Best of luck to your student!
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David Graves really is a gem!
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Since information posted ealier from UGA’s then-current Common Data Set became a topic of comment, it might be worth posting some statistics from UGA’s recently released CDS. These figures are for the class entering in the fall of 2022:
Acceptance Rate: 43%
Middle Range SAT: 1220–1400
Middle Range ACT: 26–32
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That has very little correlation to the information published by the office of admissions for the entering class. https://www.admissions.uga.edu/blog/2022-freshman-admits/
The differences are because the stats posted by merc81 are for enrolled students, while those in your link are for admitted students (whether or not they chose to enroll.)
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I believe the CDS represents the stats of the first year class six weeks into the term whereas the info you linked reports the stats of the admitted students. To the extent that UGA does not enjoy 100% yield, the enrolled student stats (CDS) will be lower than the admitted student stats.
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I don’t have the stats to back it up, but I am willing to bet that there is a high cross application and admit rate between UGA and GT in the high stats instate student population. I would also think that GT has a higher win rate for these students. That would cause the 75th percentile to drop significantly between accepted and enrolled. Likely to happen in any state that has a strong #2 state school.
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The Parchment data supports your theory: Compare Colleges: Side-by-side college comparisons | Parchment - College admissions predictions.
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Thats a fairly large statistical drop tho. 31 to 26 on act.
Someone should pose that ? to their Dean.
The published stats, short of acceptance rate, are Bowdoin - ish.
The new stats are solid. But not approaching elite.
Seems awfully hard for a drop to be that large between admitted and enrolled.
Ps to OP - did you mix up your schools. Did you mean the new Michigan State ?
Sorry @VirginiaBelle just a little humor.