U Mich v. U Wisc for Out of State Student

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My daughter has been accepted to several different "University of (name a state)" but has narrowed down her choice to U Michigan and U Wisconsin. She has been to both schools and loves both. She is undecided regarding major so the breadth of choices of study at each school is important. Socially, each school seems to offer a similar environment (large student body, strong school spirit, similar proportion of out of state students, etc.) Its difficult to say which campus is more attractive (though the lake and nature preserve at Wisconsin is a definite plus.) </p>

<p>Basically, the decision seems to come down to cost versus institutional recognition and prestige. Here in the northeast, the Michigan name is certainly better known than Wisconsin and hence, more respected. I don't know whether this holds true in other parts of the country.</p>

<p>I am aware of the recently proposed tuition surcharge at Wisconsin, but even with that factored in, Wisconsin is about $10,000 cheaper per year.<br>
Am I mistaken about the extent of the disparity between the reputations of Michigan and Wisconsin? The cost of both schools is burdensome for us though one is obviously $40,000 more burdensome than the other. </p>

<p>Opinions of both badgers and wolverines are welcome.</p>

2

<p>Michigan has a slight edge over Wisconsin in terms of prestige. I would save that 10k and go to Wisconsin</p>

3

<p>She likes them both? Save the $40K! (Wisconsin is terrific.)</p>

4

<p>UW + $40k > UMich</p>

5

<p>That makes 4 of us.</p>

6

<p>I’m a big fan of Wisconsin and a proud Michigan alum. Wisconsin’s a good school but I think on the east coast especially, the Michigan name tag carries a lot more weight. If the costs were equal, I’d say it’s a no-brainer in Michigan’s favor. Given the cost differential, it’s a more complicated calculation that in the end only you can make. If it were my D I’d bite the bullet on finances and go for Michigan, without a doubt; but that’s based on my finances under which either school is a bit of a bargain compared to the pricey private schools my D is actually most interested in, as a full-pay. </p>

<p>I guess it might also depend on what your D intends to study. In many areas Michigan is significantly stronger, in other areas they’re very close, and in some areas Wisconsin has the edge; overall advantage Michigan. Given my D’s interests Michigan’s academic advantages are pretty clear and compelling, but that won’t be true for everyone.</p>

7

<p>I tend to agree with the the others. If $40,000 were insignificant to the OP, I would say go for Michigan. However, for the majority of us, $40,000 is indeed a significant burden. In such a case, I would recommend Wisconsin. People don’t realize how awesome Wisconsin is. It is, IMHO, THE most underrated university in the nation. If it had top rated professional programs (Law, MBA and Medical), Wisconsin’s reputation would be equal to Michigan’s and other elites. There are very few ways in which Michigan truly outpaces Wisconsin. In all other respects, Wisconsin matches Michigan nicely.</p>

8

<p>^Sorry to disagree with you Alexandre, but in most areas of the humanities Michigan crushes Wisconsin. Not to say Wisconsin’s bad but it’s the difference between programs in the top 5-10 v. programs in the top 15-30. Same with law, business, and engineering. In the sciences it’s much closer, in social sciences mixed but I’d say overall edge to Michigan. Advantage: Michigan, rather decisively IMO when looking across all disciplines. But finances are another matter. And I do agree that Wisconsin is vastly underrated. But then I also think Michigan is hugely underrated on CC.</p>

9

<p>If Humanities include foreign languages UW equals UM as it has a distinct advantage in that area. UW also wins in some important areas like Computer Science, Chemistry, Meteorology, Art, and most areas of Education, and Communications. There are lots more people in those majors than humanities such as classics and anthropology.</p>

10

<p>Wisconsin is a fantastic school which seems to be under appreciated on this site. $40,000 is a substantial amount of money to be saved while still attending an excellent university. I side with the others toward Wisconsin. </p>

<p>Go Badgers!</p>

11

<p>Go to Madison. The schools are extremelly similar for undergrads with Michigan just edging out UW, but not by $40,000.</p>

<p>BTW, I’m planning on going to Wisconsin.</p>

12

<p>Anyone have a sense of UW vs. UMich for international relations?</p>

13

<p>Oh wow, two really great schools. Since it seems like your daughter has been stumble on the two schools base off academics, from my knowledge they both are nearly rank around each other. Though it’s also important to be in a location where you will enjoy yourself. University of Wisconsin- Madison has been known for work hard-play hard, which I find a plus. A student body that can be well educated yet still balance a enjoyable life etc… I’m not that familier with any logos for University of Michigan- Ann Arbor though there is certainly less partying, from what I understand. Major difference between the two may be Michigan a little more prestige, Wisconsin a little more fun time?</p>

14

<p>Look, if both of these schools were exactly the same cost, most people here would say UMich over Wisconsin. But they are not. Michigan will always charge more for OOS students than Wisconsin because they can. Sometimes there is a cost for prestige, albeit marginal. 10K more/year seems reasonable to me for an overall more prestigious degree. It’s not like the OP is instate for Wisconsin and OOS for Michigan. She is OOS state for both and will have a nice chunk of change to pay off in either case after graduation. The cost is going to be burdensome either way for the poster’s daughter. She might as well attend the school she really wants. Go for fit. Also that perceived higher prestige might be the difference when she enters the workforce back east.</p>

15

<p>I was confronted with the same choice when i decided on colleges- UW vs UMich. I chose UW because the tuition for an OOS was 14K per year whereas UMich was nearly twice that (This was in the late 90s). After having arrived at UW, I realized that it provided me a spectacular experience because they just so happened to have the third best microbiology dept and a legitimate Hebrew department. Both things that were important to me. If I had it to do over again, I would have more closely evaluated the schools based on their departments that I would be majoring in. FWIW, I had a great experience at UW and would highly recommend it to anyone.</p>

16

<p>IMO, Michigan would be worth the extra premium if a student is going into the Residential College, LSA honors with honors housing, certain UG engineering majors, or a top speciality program such as kinesiology. </p>

<p>If D is admitted to LSA at MI, but not the honors program, and she feels just as happy about the “fit” at Wisconsin, I would lean toward the less expensive route to the UG degree and choose WI.</p>

17

<p>I just read an interesting statistic, according to US News, the 4 year graduation rate for Michigan is significantly higher than Wisconsin: 70% vs. 47%. Is that accurate and if so, does anyone have any explanation for that? The cost differential between schools evaporates quickly if it takes an extra year to graduate.</p>

18

<p>“If Humanities include foreign languages UW equals UM as it has a distinct advantage in that area.”</p>

<p>Barrons, you often make that claim, but you are probably not aware of just how strong Michigan is in languages. Michigan’s Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Slavic and Spanish languages are ranked as high as Wisconsin’s…in some case slightly higher, in other cases slightly lower. In some more obscure languages (Tribal languages and African languages), Wisconsin may indeed have the edge, but not in the languages I listed above. By the way, I got the rankings from the Gourman report, which are old and not necessarily that accurate. The NRC also ranked French (Michigan #9, Wisconsin #11), German (Wisconsin #10, Michigan #21) and Spanish (Wisconsin #7, Michigan #13), but that is all the NRC provides.</p>

<p>“UW also wins in some important areas like Computer Science, Chemistry, Meteorology, Art, and most areas of Education, and Communications.”</p>

<p>I agree that Wisconsin wins in CS and Chemistry, I am not so sure it does in Art and Education. The only recent Education ranking I have seen is the graduate programs ranking by the USNWR, which ranks Michigan #9 and Wisconsin #12. It is true that Wisconsin is ranked slightly higher than Michigan in many of the sub-disciplines, But not by much.</p>

<p>“There are lots more people in those majors than humanities such as classics and anthropology.”</p>

<p>I don’t consider Anthropology to be a Humanity. I am inclined to think of it as a Social Science. To me, the Humanities are the Classics, English, History, Philosophy. I am fairly sure that those majors out-number Communications and Education majors at most schools.</p>

19

<p>I don’t know the system at Michigan all that well but UW doesn’t have minors and I believe that is why people take a lot longer on average to graduate. If you want to study in two departments (and want your degree to reflect that) you have to double major. A double major is substantially more work than a major and a minor.</p>

20

<p>UW has certificates, which are just like minors. Although the list is short, they do have some. See very bottom: [University</a> of Wisconsin-Madison: Undergraduate Majors](<a href=“http://www.wisc.edu/academics/majors.php]University”>http://www.wisc.edu/academics/majors.php)</p>