<p>May 1st is approaching quickly and I've narrowed my college choices down to University of Michigan and University of Iowa.</p>
<p>There are pros and cons for each; I plan on pursuing English in college and Iowa has a great English program (or so I hear). Also, I'm an Iowa resident so the cost would be much cheaper.
But Michigan is also the stronger institution in general, and I feel as though Michigan would provide a better challenge for me and would have students more like myself. (The fact that Michigan is also outside of the state of Iowa is a huge plus...)</p>
<p>However, a major factor that's tripping me up is the cost. Is it worth shelling out the out-of-state tuition to go to Michigan or should I just save money by attending Iowa and look towards grad school instead? Also, how strong is the English department at Michigan?</p>
<p>Sorry for rambling...if anyone has any thoughts, they would be much appreciated.
Good luck to everyone making their decisions!</p>
<p>Mikkim – first of all, my son loves U Mich for many excellent reasons. But if I were in your shoes, loved English and ever considered writing fiction, I would absolutely choose Iowa for its ultimate masters program and writer’s workshop.
The fact that it will be substantially cheaper for you is just a bonus!!!</p>
<p>I do not feel it’s a great idea to spend the OOS price for UMich when you have such a strong, field-specific option, and when you’re considering a course of study such as English. That said, the department is very strong and there are great options there.</p>
<p>kmccrindle, skywalker23, thanks for your guys’ help.</p>
<p>I just have a few more questions…
I’m looking to go to grad school in the future, and I feel as though it would be easier to maintain a higher GPA at Iowa than it would be at Michigan…but is it worth making the tradeoff while I could go to a more nationally recognized school?
Also, does anyone know what the cost of living is like in Ann Arbor? I was also considering USC at one point, but the cost of living in Los Angeles, along with tuition was just too steep…</p>
<p>sounds to me like Iowa is the best bet by far. You want to go to grad. school so money should be a big factor. Iowa trumps michigan. Does michigan have an excellent english program?yes, but it is not 40K+ of debt better than Umich. I understand the urge to leave the state and start fresh, but your best bet seems to be Iowa. Also, it is not like Iowa is a bad state school. It is a very good state school. If you were talking about something like going to Montana State or something like that vs UMich it would be more clear cut of a difference. Also, english is not a money making field. My sister graduated from MSU with an english degree and hasn’t been able to find a job in that field that pays anything decent. Save money, focus on getting good grades, and expand your options for grad school. Good luck :)</p>
<p>Definitely go to Iowa. I had the same issue with UIllinois (instate) v. UMich v. UNC-Chapel Hill for Psychology and I ended up choosing Illinois. Michigan & UNC didn’t give me as much financial aid as I’d hoped so I didn’t think it was worth it to spend an extra 20k there. </p>
<p>Also–Grad schools put much more emphasis on your grades, application, leadership, involvement, etc. than on what school you went to. </p>
<p>The only reasons you should not go to Iowa is if: a) you absolutely hate Iowa, b) if Michigan suddenly gives you a lot of scholarships/financial aid, or c) if you are willing to pay off the extra $60,000 of debt.</p>
<p>Pink makes a great point that is often missed…remember it is WHAT you do in your undergraduate years that counts as much if not more than WHERE you attend…the big name is not a golden ticket into admittance to grad school…you need the whole package…so if Iowa, a very good school, allows you to excel in many areas than save the $$$ and go forth and be great without the debt hanging over your head!!!.</p>
<p>And, where would you be applying to grad school? Eg. if I wanted an MFA in creative writing, I’D BE APPLYING TO IOWA.</p>
<p>Ergo, undergrad at Iowa ought not hurt you. Don’t get me wrong, UMich is truly awesome, but if you don’t have the money in hand you’d really be hobbling your future to attend via debt. I mean, are you willing to wait an extra 10 years to buy a starter home, a car, etc.? Just drive by any house you like, look at it, and say to yourself “I could give up that house to go to Michigan” because that’s what you’re trading off to go that far into debt.</p>