<p>Michigan</p>
<p>#7 in nation for computer science
Huge alumni network to get me a job.</p>
<p>Sant Clara</p>
<p>Silicon Valley (Lots of tech companies)
Dual 5 year masters program.</p>
Two totally different schools in terms of environment. Michigan is huge with maybe the most spirit/dedication of any school out there. Santa Clara is quiet private school. Do you see yourself enjoying one over the other? SCU CS is in the math department. I would look at the curriculum of both schools besides the obvious differences in the school’s themselves.
@CADREAMIN At each school, I would be taking computer science through the engineering program. My other interest is bioengineering. Michigan has better rankings in terms of academics but Santa Clara is in California in the heart of Silicon Valley and has a very exceptional Return On Investment. I think I can excel in either environment, big or small. I love both Ann Arbor and Santa Clara but if I had to choose based off of environment I would choose sunny California any day. But academics is a very important factor.
@CuriousDude Oh ok, the CS and Engineering program at SCU. That’s one my S is accepted to but not sure where they are going yet (still lots of pending apps). SCU is a small private school there are a lot of benefits to that - easy to access everything, but quite dull. Michigan just has more to offer plain and simple, but bigger crowds too. SCU being in Silicon Valley is great, but it is super expensive to live in this area, so while you are certainly connected to it, many become a slave to the high cost of living. You seem flexible on big or small which is good, it seems you aren’t worried so much about the four years as the end result of those which is a mature approach. If you want to work in SV then SCU, rankings really truly don’t mean that much, you get out of the education what you put into it. And SCU is certainly respected and connected in the Bay Area. Michigan would be more exciting and spirit filled, but also cold 
I’m sure their alumni network is good too, just not sure where they are plugged in.
@CADREAMIN Thanks for the advice. It’s very helpful. Michigan does have the number one largest living alumni network out there and they put the third most students in jobs at SV, but I’m sure Santa Clara would also if they had that many students. I’m not sure what the ratio is. Anyways, thanks again for the advice. Best of luck to your S.
Talk to current and recent Santa Clara students and find out whether they think it is “dull.” I know several students there who are really happy at SCU. And the internship opportunities are boffo. If your plan is to eventually work in SV, it’s hard to top SCU.
The dull reference is in comparison to Michigan or any big school with a lot of energy. Sure kids can be happy at SCU but it is really quiet there compared to other schools, it is what you would expect out of a smaller private catholic/jesuit campus like LMU. I hear them say Gonzaga is SCU with more fun and spirit. It isn’t a Michigan, UCLA, or a Duke type environment. Not bad, but different from those. There are not a lot of things around campus except a few chain eateries, you have to drive somewhere for more than Subway or Pizza My Heart. Great school that fits a lot of what some students want, just getting @curiousdude to think about different aspects of a school. For example, my other S wanted to go some where with a high level of intellect (genius people all around) and that was his huge criteria in selection. Every student has to choose what is important to them. And the SV dream can be reached many ways, or that dream may alter as S goes through the four years. So would Michigan or SCU prepare for flexibility best? Those are just things to consider.
Will you be able to visit SCU before deciding? It might help to experience the “feel” of the school. My son loved the school after two visits and decided to make it his first choice for engineering studies and will be attending in the fall. The campus is fairly small and it is beautifully maintained.Classes are small and you will get to know your professors, especially in the engineering department from what I hear (we just had dinner with a mechanical engineering student last week) - maybe you could speak with a computer science student (?). I have lived in the bay area my entire life and know many people who have graduated from SCU and there is an incredibly strong, thriving network of “Broncos”. It’s not just the job network, there are alumni events and there is a strong sense of spirit that might not be initially apparent but it is woven through generations in our area. It may not be Duke as the above poster mentioned, but if you look really hard you can actually find some genius types at SCU We live about 45 minutes north of SCU closer to San Francisco and when I have visited the area, there is plenty of fun to be had - outside of campus parties and activities (amazing rec centers on campus), there are local movie theaters, shopping and dining near Santana Row. You can be on University Ave in Palo Alto near Stanford with just a brief train ride from SCU or at Santa Cruz for a beach day and I think SCU runs buses to the beach. San Francisco is not far either. The prior poster makes a very good point, it is a very expensive area. Housing, food, entertainment is all very highly priced and part of being a student is finding creative ways to make things happen on a budget, however, not to the point of being under financial pressure. I would sum it up this way, it’s not going to be a vibrant over the top experience of a big city or a large dynamic city-sized school like UCLA but SCU is going to be sweet - it’s a nice place to go to school, it’s beautiful and it’s sunny and there is no place else I’d rather live than the bay area (which probably makes me very closed minded, but that’s how I feel). If you want to come to sunny California, go for it, whether it’s SCU or another CA school if it’s your dream to come. U Michigan is a fine school as well, and it has the national recognition that you may want but I can assure you, Santa Clara has great SF bay area name recognition, it is respected, and valued as a gem of a school and it will open doors for you here. Good luck in your decision, you can’t go wrong either way.