<p>ring<em>of</em>fire, can you please tell me how Virginia has a stronger student body than Michigan?</p>
<p>“that is how the majority of people decide if a school is “better”.”</p>
<p>Wow you seem to know a lot =).</p>
<p>“but Michigan is beautiful in the winter.”
What?</p>
<p>
MICHIGAN
Selectivity rank = 18
mid-50% SAT range = 1220-1420
Top 10% of class = 92%</p>
<p>VIRGINIA
Selectivity rank = 28
mid-50% SAT range = 1200-1420
Top 10% of class = 87%</p>
<p>How did you conclude that UVa has a stronger student body?</p>
<p>
Based on USNWR grad departmental rank:</p>
<p>Department … U-M … UVa
Business(UG) … 3 … 9
Engineering(UG)…7 … 33
Math … 9 … 40
Computer Sci … 13 … 29
Biological Sci … 15 … 42
Chemistry … 16 … NR
Physics … 13 … 36
Economics … 11 … 27
History … 7 … 19
Poli Sci … 3 … 37
Psychology … 2 … 28
Sociology … 3 … 38
Education … 9 … 31
Medical School … 11 … 23</p>
<p>Only “slightly” stronger?</p>
<p>Thanks for sending the comparison information GoBlue81. Like I stated earlier, I just don’t understand why UVA, among some other schools, is rated higher than Michigan in USNWR. They really need to change some of their criteria to make larger publics like Berkeley and Michigan more fairly evaluated and rated.</p>
<p>^ I second that.</p>
<p>OKAY. I thought I would give you the opinion of someone who debated very heavily between Michigan, UVA and UCLA last year (ended up at UCLA…so I’m impartial)!</p>
<p>PROS:</p>
<p>Michigan:
~Great school academically; though UVA is an academic peer, so I definitely wouldn’t put too much weight into “prestige,” something that really does nothing for you except boost your ego.
~TONS of stuff to do; hundreds of student clubs, gamedays are probably THE best in the country, activities year-round, etc…the school has 40,000+ people, they know how to keep them enterntained
~Beautiful law quad…don’t know how much this will actually matter, but campus beauty was a big factor for me
~Ross is an amazing undergrad biz-school with tons of opportunities…if you can get in
~The students, in my dealings with them, were just really cool people in general
~Ann Arbor: best college town in America</p>
<p>CONS:
~Taking a bus from the dorms to class everyday just wouldn’t have been my cup of tea. The campus is enormous, which is nice because it’s not overcrowded, but inconvenient when you’re trudging through snow 4-7 months of the year. At least that was my experience from visiting in the midst of January.
~Liberalness: Maybe this will be a PRO for you. I guess I’m just not one of those RAH RAH LEGALIZE IT!! people lol. But also know that you can hold whatever political opinion you like there; it is one of the most liberal schools in the nation, but people won’t disown you because you’re republican or anything.
~If you’re out-of-state, it’s probably more expensive than Michigan. Maybe only by about 5k/year, but over 4 years that’s 20k more in loans you have to pay back
~Having to share a rivalry with <em>that other school</em></p>
<p>PROS:</p>
<p>Virginia
~Campus is one of the top-3 most beautiful in America. Beauty alone made it so hard to turn down! The lawn is gorgeous, and the school is so steeped in tradition. Attending a university founded by someone like Jefferson is truly a unique opportunity that you should consider seriously before passing up.
~Size of campus: No buses like Michigan; very walkable, and nice weather most of the year (and the autumn months are absolutely gorgeous): <a href=“Royalty-Free Stock Photos, Creative Images & Vectors | News, Fashion, and Entertainment imagery - Getty Images”>Royalty-Free Stock Photos, Creative Images & Vectors | News, Fashion, and Entertainment imagery - Getty Images;
~Strong school spirit/sense of community. It’s in the ACC, so basketball season is a big deal. They’ve also boasted strong fball teams in the past, though not to the same level as Michigan
~McIntire School of Business was ranked #1 in the country this year for undergrad. A degree from there will set you up with good prospects anywhere in the country.
~UVA’s proximity to DC is a huge plus for internships and whatnot. I think that’s an advantage over Michigan, which has Detroit. But if you’ll be doing internships in your home state, idk if it will matter much anyway.
~Activities: like Michigan, TONS of organizations to join. So consider that equal between the schools.
~Charlottesville: Excellent college town. I preferred Ann Arbor a little more, but you won’t be missing out on the college town experience AT ALL if you go to UVA. Both C-Ville and AA have been ranked among the top college towns in America. </p>
<p>CONS:
~UVA has a pretty strong Greek presence, which I personally wasn’t too keen on. But maybe that’s your thing, and it’ll be a plus. I definitely don’t think you’ll feel “left out” if you aren’t Greek, but expect about 1/3 of the student body to be Greek.
~UVA is a public school with a private school feel. It’s way more conservative than Michigan, and people appear to be wealthier and more “southern.” But I found all the people there to be very, very friendly, and I’m sure once you find your niche, you’ll love it.</p>
<p>So I guess in conclusion, I’d visit both and then decide. Both schools have great undergrad biz-schools, though if you’ve already been admitted to UVA’s I’d have to strongly encourage you to go there. The atmospheres are really pretty different, so by visiting you should have a clearer idea of where you want to go. And remember that one school is in a few feet of snow for several months a year (I’m sure you’ll adjust, but it’s not the same as being able to wear shorts 80% of the time). Disregard “prestige,” because the only one that will matter to is you. I actually think UVA has a stronger rep on the West Coast, as someone who’s lived here for 20 years. But Michigan is close enough and there’s a big alumni base out here, so you’d be in good hands either way.</p>
<p>I chose UCLA in the end because it was half the cost. I’ve never once regretted it, but I do appreciate the opportunities UVA and Michigan offered. I believe those institutions are on-par with any school in the country, and whichever you choose, know you made the right decision! Good luck!</p>
<p>There is no way UVA has a stronger rep on the west coast than Michigan.</p>
<p>Dude, I live on the west coast, attend college on the west coast, and have close family members who recruit grads from some of the best colleges in the country for administrative positions in business, healthcare and engineering.</p>
<p>When people hear Michigan, they have the “Oh, that’s so cool!” response. When they hear UVA, it’s “Wow, that’s an awesome school.” It’s similar to UCLA and Berkeley, really. UCLA is a top-10 dream school and is one of the biggest jock schools in the country, but Berkeley is like an intellectual epi-center. </p>
<p>But I repeat, both schools are academic peers and will set you up with good career prospects wherever you decide to attend.</p>
<p>GoWorld, I guess it depends on which part of the West Coast you live. I worked in San Francisco for 3 months back in 2000, and Michigan has a very strong reputation. I did not do a comprative study between Michigan and UVa mind you, but I was a graduate student at Cornell and Michigan held its own vs Cornell. That’s not surprising given Michigan’s top ranked Engineering and Computer Science programs. Wolverines have co-founded major Tech companies in the Bay area, including companies such as Sun Microsystems and Google. </p>
<p>I would be surprised if Michigan did not have a greater reputation than Virginia in LA either. When was the last time UVa went to the Rose Bowl? Michigan has gone 8 times times in the last twenty years. </p>
<p>Like I said, I am no familiar with UVa’s reputation in the West Coast, but Michigan’s reputation in the Bay area is very strong.</p>
<p>UCLA was never considered to be better than Michigan, albeit marginally, until the last USNWR rating. It is like UVA in my opinion, which is fairly hard to get into. UCLA is hard because Calif. has over 35 million residents and they use a common application for admittance to UC schools. UVA is difficult because it’s a smaller flagship school in a large populations state. In terms of academics, Michigan is better than UVA in program after program and has a plethora of graduates in the LA area.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I thought we were comparing academic reputations, not football legacy. In Rose Bowl births, you’re right, Michigan rules all…except currently, USC (unfortunately).</p>
<p>Perhaps I should clarify. Michigan has a VERY good reputation nationally and internationally. Having lived on the West Coast for 20+ years though, I can tell you that in my opinion (which is all anyone really has, since it’s all subjective), UVA has more of a “wow” factor. Perhaps that has more to do with the fact that it’s not as common to hear about as Michigan on the WC. I was also speaking generally. For engineering specifically, Michigan has the upper-hand; for social sciences and humanities, UVA does.</p>
<p>rjkof: not sure where UCLA comes into this argument. It isn’t hard to get into because of the application, it’s hard because there are 55,000+ freshman applicants alone vying for spots in a class of 4,700. There’s a reason why the school is the most sought-after in the country (and for anyone who doubts the merits of the incoming class, I urge you to compare statistics of the entering classes at the three schools you mentioned).</p>
<p>GoWorld, I was talking about overall reputation, not just academic. At any rate, I will take your word for it. I have not spent much time in LA, so I am not sure. I do know for a fact that in the Bay area, Michigan is very highly regarded, as highly as the Ivy League and most likely significantly more than UVa. In SoCa, you may be right and UVa may indeed be more well regarded than Michigan.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Ross! Though not by a mile.
Ross is very well respected by top employers. For example, McKinsey, the most notorious consulting firm when it comes to recruitment or selection processes… scouts talents at Ross and not at McIntire. Heck, Ross is a core school for McKinsey along with only 6 others in the whole US, namely: HYPSM and Wharton. So, Ross should be on these schools’ level. That should say a lot in terms of Ross’ prestige. <a href=“http://www.vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3&ch_id=252&article_id=14364421&cat_id=1223[/url]”>http://www.vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3&ch_id=252&article_id=14364421&cat_id=1223</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No. UMich and UVa have about the same academic standards. The USNWR ranking is a misnomer. It does not measure academic standards but college desirability or otherwise known as college convenience. UMich, as a whole, is as strong as any school outside of HYPSM. </p>
<p>
I’m not sure. I do know, however, that UMich is a strong brand name internationally and has a strong alumni network in may parts of the world. For example, several senators of the Philippines are alumni of UMich.</p>
<p>
This is the first I’ve read that UVa has a better academic reputation in the West coast. While there is no question about math/science/engineering, Michigan also outranks UVa in social science and humanities:</p>
<p>SOCIAL SCIENCES
Source: USNWR Graduate Ranking
Subject…Mich…UVa
Economics…11 … 27
Poli Sci… 3 … 37
Psychology… 2 … 28
Sociology… 3 … 38
Antrhropology. 1 … 23 (NRC)</p>
<p>HUMANITIES
Soruce: NRC 1995 PhD Rankings
Subject…Mich…UVa
Art History… 11 … 16
History… 11 … 19
Philosophy… 7 … 42
Classics… 3 … 18
English… 16 … 4
French… 9 … 13
German… 21 … 8
Spanish… 13 … 5
Music… 9 … NR
East Asian Languages and Studies: Michigan wins as UVa doesn’t even have PhD programs for those.</p>
<p>I bet West coast employers looking for graduates with advanced degrees in social sciences and humanities would look first at Michigan.</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^Once again, this is why I don’t put a lot of credibility in USNWR’s overall rankings. Except for student selectivity, I just don’t see why anyone would rate UVA over Michigan academically. Academics should be far and away the number one criterion for quality of school. And yes I agree GoBlue81, it’s also the first time I’ve heard UVA has a better rep in the west than Michigan.</p>
<p>This is how UCLA got inserted into the discussion GoWorld. Your direct quote.</p>
<p>“When people hear Michigan, they have the “Oh, that’s so cool!” response. When they hear UVA, it’s “Wow, that’s an awesome school.” It’s similar to UCLA and Berkeley, really. UCLA is a top-10 dream school and is one of the biggest jock schools in the country, but Berkeley is like an intellectual epi-center.”</p>
<p>My point about UCLA is, from my understanding, that they use a common application for California residents who can just check off as many UC schools as they please to be considered for admission. No wonder why they have 55,000 applicants, besides being in a state of 35,000,000.</p>
<p>“Except for student selectivity, I just don’t see why anyone would rate UVA over Michigan academically.”</p>
<p>Even then, UVa is not more selective than Michigan. their admissions stats are generally well alligned</p>
<p>APPLIED:
Michigan: 29,814
Virginia: 18.363</p>
<p>ADMITTED:
Michigan: 12,567
Virginia: 6,735</p>
<p>ACCEPTANCE RATE:
Michigan: 42%
Virginia: 37%</p>
<p>MID 50% SAT RANGE:
Michigan: 1220-1430
Virginia: 1220-1440</p>
<p>MID 50% ACT RANGE:
Michigan: 27-31
Virginia: 27-32</p>
<p>% GRADUATING AMONG TOP 10% OF HIGH SCHOOL CLASS:
Michigan: 92%
Virginia: 88%</p>
<p>AVERAGE GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL GPA:
Michigan: 3.75 (unweighed)
Virginia: 4.07 (weighed)</p>
<p><a href=“Office of Budget and Planning”>Office of Budget and Planning;
<p>[UVa</a> CDS - C. First-time, First-year Admission](<a href=“http://www.web.virginia.edu/IAAS/data_catalog/institutional/cds/current/admissions.htm]UVa”>http://www.web.virginia.edu/IAAS/data_catalog/institutional/cds/current/admissions.htm)</p>
<p>So can anyone tell me why UVA is rated above Michigan in USNWR?</p>
<p>Probably more undergrad focused which is true to some extent. At this time UVa is trying to become what UM and other leading research schools already are. But they are finding it costs more $$$$$ than they expected and are reconsidering. UVa likely will always be a niche school stronger in undergrad and professional schools. Even with a $4 Billion or so endowment it just does not have the history or infrastructure to compete.</p>