I am a Chinese transfer student and have just got Umich and Vandy admissions. Majoring in economics, I am personally more interested in getting a decent job after graduation. I heard that Umich is good at its working opportunities and alumni pool, but Vandy is better at its private education. What’s more, I am worrying if I can fit in the south, Vandy. They say that transfers have a difficult time to make friends in Vandy but I do feel now that the university provides much personal help now. According to this, maybe living in Umich can be easier since there are more Chinese friends. Vandy is the happiest school? I want to know if it applies to me. For me, the tuition fees in both school are nearly the same and climate does not matter to me. I want to get advice about which one should I choose? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
You heard wrong on both accounts. 1. Michigan Economics will not open more (or fewer) doors when you look for work. Ross at Michigan will, but you must get in, and your major will be Business, not Economics. 2. Vanderbilt is not better than Michigan educationally or academically. Private or public means nothing when it comes to quality. It is all about the faculty teaching, resources and the curriculum. When it comes to undergraduate econ, I doubt either institution has the advantage.
As for your fears of Vanderbilt’s Southern location, I would not worry about. The university itself is very diverse, and Nashville, while clearly Southern, is a very nice city.
You should choose whichever one appeals to you more.
Thank you for your advice! true, economics is not popular when getting into workforce. Therefore I thought that maybe I should try to transfer to Ross after going into Michigan. It is hard but it is worth trying. As for Vanderbilt, it builds a closer link between faculty and students. It also bears a higher US News ranking. Is the rank important when it comes to getting jobs or applying for master degree? What factor do you think is most important when making my decision?
“As for Vanderbilt, it builds a closer link between faculty and students.”
I am not sure this is necessarily true. Smaller classes does not usually mean closer ties with faculty or better education. Not in my experience anyway. But even if it were true, it would be by an insignificant margin.
"It also bears a higher US News ranking. Is the rank important when it comes to getting jobs or applying for master degree?“What factor do you think is most important when making my decision?”
The USNWR ranking is based on a methodology that is designed to compare private universities. As such, private universities will perform better in its ranking. However, a higher ranking does not mean better quality or stronger reputation. Employers and graduate school admissions committees do not pay attention to rankings. Econ majors coming out of both universities will have similar job prospects. Ross is on a whole other level, but that’s because Business schools typically have more active career offices. As for graduate school placement, Michigan will usually place more students into top programs, but then again, Michigan is larger than Vanderbilt, so I would assume that applicants from both universities are well regarded.
I would go for fit.
Thank you! what you said really make sense! Now I love U of Michigan.