U Mich Ann Arbor vs. Penn State U Park

<p>Which one would be better for a finance major?
Which one has a better business program?</p>

<p>for whom, OP, better for whom? they’re both good schools and business schools, but where will you do better?</p>

<p>What are your stats? Michigan a tough school to get into from out of state. </p>

<p>If one of them were my state school, that’s the one I’d go to. </p>

<p>What state are you in? What industries are you thinking of? Ross is a Street target, but getting a direct admit in to Ross is tough.
For the Big4 and less prestige-centric industries, both would be equally good.</p>

<p>Not really tough to get into U of M, but they want money too. Thousands come just from Cali and New York and even Texas. Very weird when they have Berkeley and Columbia.</p>

<p>@BeCambridge:
Columbia is just a tad harder to get in to than UMich. And UMich in general would not be that difficult to get in to, but a direct admit to Ross would be.</p>

<p>Speaking of which, if someone gets direct admission to a program they want to get in to at UMich (like Ross or CS), I can see them choosing UMich over Cal if they aren’t guaranteed their program at Cal (and many majors are impacted now at the UCs).</p>

<p>You know that UMich is known for medicine, not business. However, its schools still rank amongst the top, so I can agree. Michigan has 49 percent acceptance rate, something very few prestigious universities would do.</p>

<p>@BeCambridge:</p>

<p>I don’t know what your background is, but UMich is known for many things in the States. Law is T14. MBA program is top 15. Engineering is among the best as well. I actually knew nothing about UMich’s medical school. </p>

<p>Again, conflating the general UMich undergrad admission rate with the acceptance rate for preferred admission to Ross (undergrad) shows a fair amount of ignorance. Looking through the history on CC, someone on here said it was 16% a few years ago. Probably lower now.</p>

<p>Wait… Are you already a UMich student? If you are, then yes, the admission rate to business school is severely low. Five percent. It’s fair, though, since so many apply to it and it’s the second best in the country. </p>

<p>@BeCambridge:</p>

<p>LOL, no, I actually have no connections in UMich and graduated from college a while back. Is Ross undergrad 2nd best in the country? Well, it is good, regardless. </p>

<p>That was in 2010. Now it’s number 11.</p>

<p>BTW, I hope you know that rankings don’t actually matter.
For undergrad, there are Wall Street targets, MBB targets, and the rest.
For MBA programs, there’s H&S, then the rest of the M7 (Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Sloan, CBS), though I’d throw Tuck in there as well. Then the rest of the top 15 (about 10 of those schools).</p>

<p>“Michigan has 49 percent acceptance rate, something very few prestigious universities would do.” </p>

<p>Not only was that sentence painful to read, it was also grossly inaccurate. Currently, Michigan has a 32% acceptance rate. </p>

<p>Both would be fine options, however, UofM’s business school is stronger. Getting into Penn State would be much easier though. The middle 50 ACT range for UofM is 30-33, while it is only 25-30 at Penn State.</p>

<p>BeCambrige, your posts have several inaccuracies. </p>

<p>Ross is ranked #2 at the undergraduate level according to the most recent US News & World Report ranking. The #11 ranking is for the MBA program. As others have pointed out, Michigan is a university that is noted for excellence across all academic disciplines and is not known for just one specific field. Its professional programs (Architecture, Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine etc…) are all highly rated, as are most of its traditional disciplines (I.e., Anthropology, Economics, History, Mathematics, Physics, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology to name a few). </p>

<p>The 49% acceptance rate is a few years old, prior to Michigan joining the common application. Since then, Michigan’s acceptance rate has steadily declined. It now stands at 32% and dropping.</p>

<p>To the OP, Ross is generally considered a notch above PSU in Business. As such, if cost of attendance is not a concern, and you are admitted into both schools, Ross is a clear choice, especially for fields like Finance and Consulting. On the other hand, if money is a concern, and PSU is cheaper, it may make better sense.</p>