<p>I have already posted this in the MSU section. I was just wondering what kind of responses i would get in the U of M section.</p>
<p>I have been admitted to both universities. I really don't know what I want to go into yet. I have visited both universities already, and it's safe to say i DO NOT like U of M's campus. Both of my parents went there so I am getting a lot of pressure to go their also, some family members even telling me that they won't support me if I go to MSU. I know that U of M is more prestigious. I would most likely be more challenged there also. The sad thing is, that I didn't really feel any "click" or sense of home while I visited (like I did when I visited MSU) Should I just stick it out and go to U of M? Or take a more or less easier route and go to MSU? When i visited MSU I liked that campus a lot more compared to U of M. I liked the atmosphere, and how things seemed a little more laid back. I would like to get some outside input, thank you.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation many years ago. I went to orientation at both schools (Don’t think you can do that now). Had much more fun at MSU so I chose based on that. Have never regretted my decision. Had a great four years. Went on to a very successful career with a break for graduate school at Harvard.</p>
<p>My kid is now in the exact same situation and has decided he loves UofM - although he may pick neither. Could make sporting events difficult at home.</p>
<p>radnerdresden1 - What do you want to major in or what are you leaning to study? That can make a big difference. While fit of a college is important, your future beyond four years is more important. So you will want to strongly consider the employment prospects of your major from each university. Its not like you are choosing between a large university and a small LAC. You’ll find your place at either University so I would think your prospects after graduation should be an important determinant.</p>
<p>What’s the point of spending an absurd amount of money for an education if the goal isn’t getting the best education possible? In either case, you’ll be used to the area in a month anyway. Your college education is way more important than how much you “click” with a campus. Don’t waste four years of your life because you didn’t like the campus as much.</p>
<p>I faced that choice many years ago and picked MSU. I liked the park-like campus vs. a more urban campus. I thought the girls were prettier at MSU. I never regretted my decision. I did add an MBA from Michigan later. And this is an important point, as long as you go to a half-way decent college (and all the Big 10 schools are very good … well maybe not Nebraska), you can go anywhere you want for graduate school. Undergraduate education really is pretty much the same at most big state schools. Your last degree is the one that counts. Does anyone care where there doctor or attorney went to college?</p>
<p>Now, my son has been admitted to Michigan to study aerospace engineering. If he picks Michigan over the other schools that have admitted him (Purdue, Georgia Tech, Texas, Texas A&M) I will support his decision, depending on merit aid.</p>
<p>I thought there was a thread on this previously? A few weeks ago? Same situation? Parents threatening not to support kid if choosing MSU? </p>
<p>The academic reputations between the two schools are different. You can get a great education at both schools, but from a sheer numbers perspective, UM is ranked above MSU. And not just a little. </p>
<p>But all the numbers in the world don’t help a student who doesn’t feel comfortable at one of the schools for whatever reason. </p>
<p>I would suggest admitted student days at both schools, talk to students in fields of interest you have, and try to gather as much information as possible. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you as you make your decision. </p>
<p>I have some sympathy for the OP. For me, it was an easy call: the only two schools I seriously considered were Michigan and Michigan State. I applied to Michigan early and was accepted early, and it was a done deal. I’ve never looked back or regretted that decision because I believed then and believe now that Michigan offers superior academics. And my undergraduate education there propelled me immediately into Ivy League graduate programs which I was well prepared for and where I excelled. So what’s to regret?</p>
<p>But I don’t think it’s such an obvious call for everyone. I have a brother who started at State, did well as a freshman but wasn’t sure he liked it, transferred to Michigan and decided he liked it even less so he went back to State, made the best of it, and graduated from there. He’s had overall a successful professional life and he is deeply loyal to his alma mater. I can’t really say he made a bad choice; only he knows the subjective factors that made MSU more attractive to him. I think for some people who have a choice. MSU is just a better “fit.”</p>
<p>I’m sorry that you’re getting pressure from your family one way or another. I understand- I was there 5 years ago. My whole family is and has been “blue” for several generations (despite the fact that no one has actually graduated from there but whatever). I got into both and ended up choosing MSU. It was a better fit and I don’t regret it for a second.
I’m now a grad student at U of M and excelling. If anything, going to grad school here has reaffirmed my belief that I would not have been a good fit here in undergrad. No, I can’t quite articulate why that is… it’s one of those “gut” things.
As someone who has taken undergrad classes at both MSU and U of M, I urge you to not automatically consider MSU “easier” than U of M. There are easier and harder classes wherever you go. I think we tend to forget living in a state with 2 top 100 universities that MSU is ranked higher than many state flagships. MSU is not a bad school by any means and you will receive a world-class education there, too. </p>
<p>I know better than to feed the ■■■■■, but here goes:
I grew up working-class (poor, really- full Pell all through undergrad). My issue was not with a high concentration of wealthier people (though I do understand how that can be intimidating for lower income people). Most of my friends at MSU were from the Bloomfield Hills area and the children of professional parents with advanced degrees. I was by far the poorest of all my friends so I don’t understand this idea of MSU being a hub of working class kids.
My degree from MSU was anything but worthless. However, for my field, I needed a professional degree of which only ~50 schools offer an accredited program. U of M was one of them and they were nice enough to give me a very nice aid package that made Michigan by far the most logical choice (especially given its rating in the field). They must’ve been able to see past my “worthless” MSU degree
Oh, and hilariously enough, two of my professors this semester did their undergrad at MSU. How on earth did they slip by and become professors? </p>
<p>Ignore bluebound8 romani. Notice the amount of posts he/she currently has? Probably the same ■■■■■ that keeps popping up on the Michigan boards to bash public schools in the state. There has been an unhealthy rash by this poster lately. Once he/she is discovered to be the same person using another pseudonym, he/she will eliminated by CC. </p>
<p>MSU was once the easy college in the State. Now, it has gotten quite competitive. Not nearly as Michigan but they are getting swamped with apps and taking the top, so they have moved up considerably. I would go to school where you feel most comfortable. MSU is fantastic for many areas, Accounting, Packaging Engineering, Purchasing, Materials Management. U of M has the lead for engineering but for a B.S. degree there is not much of a difference. I know many very successful MSU grads, and equally not so U of M grads. Your education is what you do with it, and your personality drive, etc. Go where you feel the most comfortable.</p>
<p>" “____ university isn’t nearly as easy to get into as it used to be” is said about EVERY commode. State is still a gutter. The top 10% or 25% might be okay, but the rep is created by the bottom 75%. That bottom 75% have sub-25 ACT scores = not sharp by any metric. It’s a school for Oakland County slackers, a small % of middle class gunners (who go to graduate schools to push MSU down their resume) and mostly unmotivated kids that should be at their regional college figuring life out. "</p>
<p>I’m a U-M student and I find this to be quite insulting. Why do you have the need to bash a university you hardly anything about? Also, your ACT score does NOT matter in life. Once you go to college, no one cares about your high school GPA, ACT, or SAT scores. I have a friend who got a 21 on the ACT. He transferred to U-M last semester and got above a 3.9 GPA. He is doing significantly better than plenty of people who scored much better on the ACT than he did.</p>
<p>bluebound, I have never had anybody ask me for standardized test scores, and I worked for Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Ford, Mercer etc… Some firms ask for standardized tests, but it is not the norm. That WSJ article was more about sensualism than reality.</p>
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