So I was accepted to both Tulane and Umich. I want to go to medical school, which is my main goal, but I’d also like to have a backup plan just in case. I think business would be a great backup, and something that would be useful for me as a doctor. At Tulane, I’m in the honors college and I’d major in finance and maybe one of the sciences as well. At Umich, I would enter into LSA, but unsure of my major. I’d probably attempt to minor at Ross (or even try to transfer to Ross after freshman year to get a BBA). Any thoughts?
From what I know as a higschooler that lives just outside of Ann Arbor Umich has stellar medical and business education. I’ve been to the U of M Hospitals many times and they pretty much always have medical students on the scenes. And as for Business I know in the finance sector that UMich is a top recruitment university for large investment firms if that’s what your looking to get into. I’m unsure of what Tulane has to offer but know it’s a good school and ultimately you’re decision might want to be based on price as that is a major factor in any decision.
Good news: there is no bad choice here! you can go anywhere from either of them.
Doubling down on @Goingtocollegeok: if one will leave you with little/no debt and one will leave you with a lot of debt, take the first one. Both are great great options- and debt is a terrible burden,
If the net cost is the same (or your parents will cover all of undergrad and grad with no problem) then go with the school where you think you are most likely to really shine. Seriously. Being an outstanding student is a lot about working hard, but it’s more fun working hard in a place that suits you. Have you been to accepted student weekends yet?
@collegemom3717 I went to a campus day at Umich and will be going to honors weekend at Tulane in two weeks so that should be a deciding factor! And the cost is relatively the same and I would probably end up getting aid from michigan down the road so I’m guessing there won’t be much of a price difference if any.
Super, @dunnowheretogo - come back & let us know what you think!
I think my biggest hangup with UMich is not having a solid backup major. Idk what I would even major in in LSA, besides maybe Spanish (but that’s not a great fallback major for job security). At Tulane, I would be able to major in Finance and not run the risk of having to apply to the business school like I would at Michigan.
You could major in economics in LSA
@Mwfan1921 is economics brutal at UMich?
“is economics brutal at UMich?”
dunnowheretogo, Economics is one of those disciplines that some get and others don’t. If you get it, you should find it relatively easy. If you don’t get it, you will struggle. Assuming that basic Calculus and Chemistry come naturally to you, and that you maintain a pre-med worthy GPA (3.7+), you also stand a decent chance of getting into Ross.
@dunnowheretogo I disagree with the above poster. It is extremely difficult to transfer after freshman year into Ross. Freshman year admission is now the main path for admission. If you have already applied to Ross and not been accepted it will likely be harder to transfer into Ross as they’ve already reviewed your application. It’s always best to go with a sure bet. Tulane has the advantage of your being able to major in business. Would you rather major in Finance or a host of other business majors at Tulane or major in Economics at LS&A? I am a Michigan alum and loved Michigan and Ann Arbor. But I found the grading difficult at Michigan, especially in Economics and the STEM majors. If med school is what you want, it will be more difficult to achieve 3.7 gpa at Michigan.
@trackmbe3 I did not apply to Ross for freshman admission, so they would be reading my application for the first time if I applied after freshman year
I don’t know anything about the difficulty of economics at UMich LSA. I do know that 80% of Ross students are admitted freshman year…here are the transfer requirements and details from last years UM cross transfers to Ross (93 of 493 accepted).
https://michiganross.umich.edu/undergraduate/bba/admissions/UM-applicants
Based on what you have said on this thread, it seems like Tulane might be the better fit.
Mwfan1921, those transfer figures look about right. 20% success rate. But for students will 3.7+ GPAs, I would estimate a better than 50% chance.
UMich has 40 LSA programs ranked in the Top 10 and changing majors is relatively easy:
However, I will agree with the above poster, achieving a 3.7+ in pre-med or another STEM major will be “Mission (Very) Difficult,” but not “Mission Impossible.”
If you are unsure of your path, and it sounds as if you are, Tulane is the way to go. They really touted their flexibility when we went to their admissions presentation. You can take any class in any area without having declared a major. You can even take classes at Loyola nextdoor.