<p>jec, you don't know what you are talking about. As an alum of both Michigan and an Ivy League school, I can say with confidence that Michigan is at least as good as half the Ivies...if not better. Even the USNWR, which is extremely biased against publics, ranks Michigan within 10-15 spots of half the Ivies. MSU is ranked what? #65? #70? There isn't much of a difference between #10 and #25, but there is a significant difference between #25 and #70. And if you look at their reputation within academe, Michigan's peer assessment score (4.4) matches that of 5 Ivies (Brown, 4.3, Columbia 4.5, Cornell 4.5, Dartmouth 4.3, Penn 4.5). So you may not think Michigan is an elite university, but clearly, many people in the know disagree with you.</p>
<p>And my point was not to belittle PSU. Clearly, it is an excellent, top 20 Engineering school. But it is not on par with Cal and Stanford...just as MSU is not on par with Michigan in Political Science. There is nothing wrong with that mind you. Even Michigan is not on par with Cal and Stanford in Engineering...and Michigan is ranked closer to Cal and Stanford in Engineering than PSU.</p>
<p>And just to make sure that we don't confuse the issue, according to the latest USNWR undergraduate rankings:</p>
<p>ENGINEERING OVERALL</p>
<h1>2 Stanford</h1>
<h1>2 Cal</h1>
<h1>7 Michigan</h1>
<h1>17 PSU</h1>
<p>AEROSPACE ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>3 Michigan</h1>
<h1>7 Stanford</h1>
<h1>14 PSU</h1>
<p>N/A Cal</p>
<p>BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>7 Michigan</h1>
<h1>14 Stanford</h1>
<p>Cal and PSU unranked</p>
<p>CHEMICAL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>2 Cal</h1>
<h1>5 Stanford</h1>
<h1>10 Michigan</h1>
<h1>16 PSU</h1>
<p>CIVIL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>2 Cal</h1>
<h1>6 Stanford</h1>
<h1>7 Michigan</h1>
<h1>14 PSU</h1>
<p>COMPUTER ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>2 Stanford</h1>
<h1>4 Cal</h1>
<h1>7 Michigan</h1>
<p>PSU unranked</p>
<p>ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>2 Stanford</h1>
<h1>4 Michigan</h1>
<h1>6 Michigan</h1>
<p>PSU unranked</p>
<p>ENGINEERING PHYSICS</p>
<h1>2 Michigan</h1>
<h1>2 Stanford</h1>
<h1>6 PSU</h1>
<p>N/A Cal</p>
<p>ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>1 Stanford</h1>
<h1>3 Cal</h1>
<h1>8 Michigan</h1>
<h1>20 PSU</h1>
<p>INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>2 Michigan</h1>
<h1>4 PSU</h1>
<h1>5 Cal</h1>
<h1>6 Stanford</h1>
<p>MATERIALS</p>
<h1>2 Michigan</h1>
<h1>3 Cal</h1>
<h1>6 Stanford</h1>
<h1>10 PSU</h1>
<p>MECHANICAL ENGINEERING</p>
<h1>2 Michigan</h1>
<h1>3 Cal</h1>
<h1>5 Stanford</h1>
<h1>11 PSU</h1>
<p>And in terms of Political Science, Michigan is ranked #3 in Political Science according to the USNWR. MSU is ranked #22. There is a difference there. </p>
<p>Finally, it is irresponsible of you to say that the OP should attend MSU. More than 50% of pre-meds entering college never follow through. I agree that if the OP ends up applying to Medical School, attending MSU would not seriously jeoperdize his chances. However, if the OP wishes to go to Law School or hit the work place, I would have to say Michigan holds a significant edge over MSU.</p>