<p>Michigan definitely has a larger and more influential alumni network nationally and internationally than Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Yet year in and out raise less $ from those alumni than Wisconsin. What in the hello kitty is going on in AA?</p>
<p>Really? Didn’t Michigan just finish raising some 3.2 billion in the Michigan Difference campaign? If you state something like that, back it up…</p>
<p>[AFP</a> > Resource Center | Fundraising news > Contributions to Colleges and Universities Grow by Nearly 5 Percent](<a href=“http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?folder_id=2545&content_item_id=23503]AFP”>http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?folder_id=2545&content_item_id=23503)</p>
<p>[Top</a> Fundraising Colleges and Universities,in Total Amount Raised, 2007 — Infoplease.com](<a href=“http://www.infoplease.com/edu/colleges/top-fundraising-colleges-2007.html]Top”>Top Fundraising Colleges and Universities,in Total Amount Raised, 2007)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cae.org/content/pdf/Top_Twenty_and_Results_by_State.pdf[/url]”>http://www.cae.org/content/pdf/Top_Twenty_and_Results_by_State.pdf</a></p>
<p>Quite surprising…the Michigan Difference campaign raised $3.2 billion in the five-year span of '04-'08, which should work out to an average of $640 million/year…</p>
<p>Michigan is great but not 30 grand per year greater than Madison.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your answers. I contacted the offices of financial aid to appeal my merit-based aid (I thought I missed the deadline), and they kindly assured me that they had given all aid already and that the fact that I was late probably didn’t matter much. For anyone who cares, the merit-based aid in Engineering is usually to students of 34-36 ACT, mine being a 31, and 1 of 15 freshmen gets merit-based aid.</p>
<p>Therefore, I am declining admission to UMich, and am instead attending UW-Madison, a school which will forever benefit from my indispensable presence. 
I have many connections there and am beginning to see how the school really is a good fit.</p>
<p>Enjoy Michigan, freshman. Hopefully the schooling will compensate for the ass-kicking we deliver you in sports.</p>
<p>Slosha. The worst team in the history of Michigan football beat the badgers last year. I wouldn’t be bragging right now.</p>
<p>Hehe…that’s the spirit Slosha! Wisconsin is an awesome school. You will have an excellent undergraduate experience. But we will still kick your behinds on the football field!</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin sounds like a great school, and Madison sounds like a fantastic city. I hope you have a great experience there.</p>
<p>Yeah, yeah… I’m still awesome. </p>
<p>Perhaps I’ll be the QB this coming year and take us to the 'ship…</p>
<p>See ya later, everyone, perhaps in grad school.</p>
<p>OK, failed might have been harsh, but failing is appropriate. Even UM’s own economists are not very optimistic</p>
<p>[Michigan’s</a> high-paid manufacturing workforce will hasten job losses, economists report - Ann Arbor Business MLive.com](<a href=“http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/04/michigans_highpaid_manufacturi.html]Michigan’s”>Michigan's high-paid manufacturing workforce will hasten job losses, economists report - mlive.com)</p>
<p>Barrons, I believe several other states have “failing” economies, including California, Florida, NY and Texas. Each benefited from industries (be it IT, Tourism, Investments or Oil) that were hot at one time or another but now are evidently way over-priced and irrationally touted. But I am fairly certain that all “failing” states will adapt and get themselves out of their hole. Michigan is already taking steps in the right direction, investing heavily in new Biotech and high tech startups. And let us not kid ourselves, humans will always need personal tranportation devices and Michigan has the intellectual capital and indutrial base to stay on top. It just needs to transform itself.</p>
<p>At any rate, the University of Michigan does not depend on the state, either for money or for profesional placement of its students. That’s the benefit of being one of the country’s leading universities.</p>