<p>^ alright, do you think going to Rice or UOM would be a better option for me?
I'm intending to go into engineering but would like to explore the humanities, social sciences etc as well. (kinda undecided) I suppose UOM has an outstanding engineering school which is highly regarded internationally. (maybe more "known" than Rice). However, the "small school atmosphere" at Rice appeals to me more. I can't visit either school cause that will be too expensive. So wad do you guys think? Any advice would be welcome!
... Btw, I'm int'l so cost-wise, there isn't much of a difference.</p>
<p>those schools are both in my top three (a three that i can't decide between at all). you really can't go wrong with either one. they are both very good schools with very good reputations. i'll be visiting both in a few weeks back to back, in order to compare. so i will definitely check them out for ya. :-)</p>
<p>You're in the Rice forum, so obviously most people are going to say Rice.</p>
<p>One thing to note: I don't know specifically of Michigan, but at most public schools, if you start in one major, like engineering, and later change your mind, it isn't always a sure thing that you can switch. That's not a problem at Rice.</p>
<p>Rice all the way.
(Clendenenator is right)</p>
<p>These are 2 very different schools. </p>
<p>Have you been to Michigan? The engineering campus is a bus ride away from the main campus and where all the Ann Arbor activity is. It is too far to walk. The engineering campus is impressive, large, and new (all built since 1990 or so), but it's more like a suburban commercial park than an academic instituion. There are a few dorms over there also, but the area seems dead, and anti-pedestrian. The engineering college at UM alone has 5,000 undergradutes.</p>
<p>The engineering education at UM is very effective in most fields. No doubt US News has it rated higher than Rice in engineering. There is a large selection of classes and minors, etc. But to me it seems next to impossible to not just be among the anonymous large numbers that pass through. I think students have fun there, get good jobs, and carry on a life long pride in the school.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the costs? If you are not from Michigan, Rice is actually cheaper.</p>
<p>While Rice is set up with residence colleges and no Greek life, most students at UM are only in a dorm for freshman year (there are not enough dorms for all undergraduates).</p>
<p>Switching majors is not at your choice as at most private colleges. It's not easy to switch into engineering from LS&A, and the odds are not good of ever getting into business at UM.</p>
<p>What area of engineering are you planning?</p>
<ol>
<li>Students in engineerring at UM do not get lost. The department is like a school within a school.</li>
<li>A student good enough to get into Rice is going to be good enough to get scholarship money from UM. The engineering school gives out $5 million and the university gives out a bunch too.(may not matter for international though)</li>
<li>I know students who have had no problems staying in dorms after freshman year. There is adequate nearby housing in Ann Arbor so many want to move off camus. Similiar to a lot of other state schools</li>
<li>The shuttles run all the time back and forth to north cnmpous (the music school is also there).</li>
<li>There are some dorms and apartments on North and they have a seond student union and recreation center there.</li>
<li>UM has a good UROP program.</li>
<li>UM has severel residential learning communities. They do a good job setting up the "small within big" atmosphere.</li>
<li>The enginering facilities are amazing-big toys to play with.</li>
<li>Both Rice and UM are full of bright and it seems like happy students in engineering. </li>
<li>Big can have it advantages.
11 But, like with trying to compare Rice with Mudd and MIT, it depends on the person's interests and personality.</li>
</ol>
<p>michigan definitely.</p>
<p>I'll try to be as unbiased as possible.</p>
<p>Ask yourself this question: at which school do you think you'll be happier? Maybe a Michigan degree holds a little more weight than a Rice degree, but an education from either school will get you a job after college. What is more important is whether you will enjoy your four-year experience, because nothing else matters if you are unhappy at a school. College is a lot more than a launching pad for a career; if everything works out it is the best four years of your life.</p>
<p>I can't definitively say which school you'd be happier at, and I don't know enough about Michigan to weigh the pros and cons for you, but here are a few questions to decide if you'll enjoy Rice:</p>
<ol>
<li>Am I an intelligent person who still enjoys a bit of irreverence?</li>
<li>Does the idea of having less than 4,000 other undergrads on a campus excite me, or do I feel that it would limit the type of people I would get to know?</li>
<li>Does the idea of living in a residential college for four years appeal to me, or do I feel that I would get sick of living with the same 90 people?</li>
<li>Do I love getting involved in things, or am I rather reclusive? (getting involved in your college is important at Rice)</li>
<li>Can I deal with studying a lot?</li>
</ol>
<p>One more factor: you said that you aren't really sure if you want to do Science/Engineering or Social Sciences/Humanities. Switching majors at Rice is a pretty painless process (assuming you can still complete all of your hours before graduating).</p>