<p>I know that these two schools are both considered very high quality public universities, but I haven't heard too much about UVA because I live in the Midwest. Living in the Midwest, I've always been under the impression that UMICH is top university especially for engineering, the sciences, and business. But I seldom hear about UVA. I know that UVA enrolls nearly half as many students as UMICH, which is quite a big difference. Can someone explain how UVA compares to UMICH. Also, if you had the choice, which school would you choose? I ask this because I go to U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I'm thinking about transferring. Thanks.</p>
<p>What do you plan on majoring in? If you are interested in Engineering, it is a no brainer. Michigan is significantly better than UVA in Engineering. But otherwise, both schools are awesome and you would have to visit both campuses to decide which one is better suited for you. Personally, I would pick Michigan over UVA...but I am biased!!! hehe</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply Alexandre. My interests lie mostly in Economics, Psychology, or a business related field such as finance. I'm leaning towards Economics, but I'm not sure about it because I know that it requires a hefty amount of mathematics. Are Virginia and Michigan comparable in terms of Economics? Would one school provide a better chance of getting into a high quality graduate school? </p>
<p>Does anyone think it would be worth it to pay out-of-state tuition to go to UMICH, UVA, or UNC if I'm an in-state student going to U of I at Urbana-Champaign now?</p>
<p>Let me answer a few questions. </p>
<p>1) There is very little difference between Michigan and UVA where Economics and business are concerned. I would say Michigan has an edge in both fields, but it is slight. In Psychology, Michigan is indeed better than UVA, but at the undergraduate level, none of that matters. Both have excellent reputations, both have excellent academics and both have excellent professional and an graduate school placement. So you cannot go wrong either way.</p>
<p>2) I do not think it is worth paying twice more to attend Michigan and UVA when the alternative is UIUC, which is, in its own right, a top university. </p>
<p>But if it is bothering you, what the hell, visit UVA and Michigan and go for the one you like better.</p>
<p>why would u go OOS?
UIUc also is a good school</p>
<p>You know, there's more to a school than just the classroom - extracurriculars, social life, sports, history, alumni/student loyalty, student-teacher interaction/cooperation, financial aid, location, diversity (racial, economic, political, geographic), and emphasis on undergraduate education. You should definitely visit all the colleges you are interested in. I visited plenty of universities when I was thinking of college, and when I visited UVa, I knew it was the only school I wanted to go to. Who knows, you might feel that same way about U.Mich, UVa, Illinois or any other school. </p>
<p>(FYI, UVa gives great financial aid for out-of-state students. If you're poor, no loans instead you're financial need will be covered w/ grants. Otherwise, your loans will be capped at $15K for all 4 years w/ grants covering all need above that.)</p>
<p>The reason why I'd want to go out-of-state is because I haven't really liked UIUC. The only thing that I somewhat like about UIUC are the student organizations I've gotten involved in. But besides the organizations, UIUC hasn't really appealed to me. For example, after only one semester, I've encountered tons of people where I ask myself, "How did he or she get in here?" I know that I'll encounter that pretty much everywhere I go, but it would probably be less prevalent at more selective schools like UMICH and UVA. Another thing is that I get the feeling that UIUC doesn't place too much emphasis on its Economics Department, which is the subject that I might major in.</p>
<p>Then definitely visit the schools and read the posts in both the UVa and U.Mich threads. They'll give you a snapshot of both universities before visiting.</p>
<p>The campus atmosphere and social scene for these two great universities are quite different. Suggest you look up thread 20707.10 on the US News College forum(forums.prospero.com/usnews_college/messages?msg=20707.10) ... which has the best write-up on this I've seen so far. The comparison was between UVa and UWisc... but culturally UMich and UWisc are quite similar.</p>
<p>As suggested in the previous post, the best way is to visit both campuses.</p>
<p>Thanks Globablist. I visited Michigan last year for an orientation and I did like it more than UIUC, but I ended going to UIUC because of the in-state-tuition. I'm going to have to see how I like UVA. I have a friend that goes there now, so I plan on visiting UVA during my Spring Break.</p>
<p>GoBlue81, I just read the post...very interesting. Though I do admit that UVa does have a private school air to it, AND it has the closest to an Ivy League "social experience" than any other public school, AND it does have a unique storied past starting with Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe (who all comprised UVa's original governing board) literally laying down the cornerstone of the University in 1817, I don't think UVa is as conservative as people stereotype it to be. I've heard that the College Democrats has more members than the University Republicans. Plus, as a liberal gay Asian alum who helped create the Queer Student Center with both the financial and institutional support of the University and the Alumni Association, I can say that UVa is very open-minded and accepting of people of all backgrounds. </p>
<p>As for dressing up for football games, perhaps its the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" in me, but I thought it was sweet seeing guys dressing up in jackets and ties taking girls out on dates to the football games as well as to the pre & post-game tailgates. Keep in mind that most people just wear the UVa orange & blue tee-shirts and treat the game as just a sporting event w/ their buddies. Watch the games on TV, and you'll see a sea of orange in the stands.</p>
<p>All the above is why I chose UVa. Why go to just any old public school where you can easily switch the name w/ another and have the experience be very similar? I wanted go somewhere that was unique and gave me a taste of a private and a public school academic and social experience all rolled into one. If this is not your thing, then perhaps Michigan, Wisconsin or Illinois would be a better match.</p>
<p>Both are great schools. Academically, you can't go wrong. Visiting and seeing which just feels more right is the right thing to do.</p>
<p>Globalist,
That's the message of the post. The two schools are culturally and socially quite different, so it is not that difficult to decide which one is more 'right' for you...a visit on campus will help.</p>
<p>Personally I prefer the liberal atmosphere on the Wisconsin/Michigan campuses. Virtually every voice from every side are heard, some more loudly than others 8^). I consider myself conservative (at least fiscally), but I really enjoyed my undergraduate experience in such an environment.</p>
<p>p.s. Michigan and Wisconsin are NOT similar to Illinois 8^).</p>
<p>Yes, every school has something special to offer its students. I know Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois are good schools. </p>
<p>I was just a bit irritated w/ the writer of the post who was a Ph.D. student. BTW, the undergrad and graduate social experiences at Virginia are like night and day, so I felt he was making judgements not as an insider but as someone without real knowledge of UVa's history or traditions. (FYI, we use "Grounds" rather than "campus" because that's how Thomas Jefferson referred to UVa. He felt the word campus was too limiting. Learning cannot be confined to just a place - it happens everywhere. Also, we use "1st year," "2nd year," etc. rather than "freshman" and "sophomore" because Jefferson thought that learning never stops, so no one can ever be a "senior" when it comes to knowledge.)</p>
<p>Anyway, I wasn't in a fraternity. In fact, the Asian student organizations were my "fraternities," but my friends and I went to the fraternity parties and the debaucherous (but ever so stylish) Foxfield horse races along w/ the Latino soirees and the black step-shows. I think the erroneous assumption that people make about UVa's "exclusivity" and "pretensiousness" is that they feel that if they don't fit the stereotype of being white, wealthy, and Southern, then they don't belong. Well, by the very fact that you are a UVa student, you do belong, and you have every right to be a part of any organization or activity. Why limit your experiences? So what if I'm gay and Asian? If I want to drink champagne, wear Gucci, and ignore the horse race happening around me just like that hot blonde or bourgie black prom princess flanked by her drop-dead frat boy next to his Mercedes-Benz, then damn it, I'm going to do it too.</p>
<p>I think the one value that I appreciated the most from school was the emphasis on "self-governance." Along with "honor" and "integrity," it's a term heard constantly on Grounds. I know this is a cheesy thing to say, but you determine your life. Shoot, you're here. Why not make the most of it? Working in TV, I meet people every week who are making their dreams come true and are not letting stupid barriers get in the way. </p>
<p>Hmmm...I'm just grateful that I was blessed enough to have learned that lesson during my 4 years in college.</p>