<p>Tough one. As a Michigan alum who had a terrific experience there and found my Michigan undergrad degree opened a lot of doors for me, I’m tempted to say it’s an easy call. But it’s not. I think at the end of the day you need to follow your heart. MSU is a very good school, just not a great one. MSU alums go on to do do good things in life. My brother started at MSU and did well, transferred to Michigan and didn’t like it and went back to MSU to finish his degree, and he couldn’t be happier about it. I think the main thing is to stay focused, take challenging courses, work hard, and do well. If you do well at MSU you’ll do well in life, and IMO it’s much easier to do well if you’re where you really, really want to be. In your case, that sounds like MSU. You certainly won’t the the first person, or the last, to choose MSU over Michigan.</p>
<p>Students make this decision every year. They get into both, and go to MSU. If you think that’s where you’ll fit better, then that is what you should do.</p>
<p>Just curious, what is your prospective major(s)? </p>
<p>As a point of reference, If I applied to UofM (and likely would have gotten in, not to be overconfident), I’d turn down UofM for MSU in a flash. A couple of reasons; MSU’s excellent study abroad program. Their honors college. Their professorial assistantships. Their residential colleges (James madison-public/international policy). Their gorgeous campus. Their friendly, non-uber-competitive nature. Plus the fact that they gave me sizeable scholarships.</p>
<p>There are plenty of reasons to choose MSU over UofM. Depending on the program you are in, there are certain majors that are better than Michigan (and some opportunities that UofM lacks in comparison, like an international relations major). And even though Michigan has a considerably greater reputation, MSU can definitely hold its own nationally as well.</p>
<p>Happiness rules all, but just remember that likely you’ll have a great college experience wherever you go if that is what you want.</p>