<p>Hey guys, i was just wondering if i could get some input regarding these two schools. im kinda undecided and unsure but am leaning towards michigan. my friend has the same dilemma and she really doesnt know what to do (she will eb visiting shortly and i only visited michigan). thanks for the help.</p>
<p>Well, Michigan is ranked higher in the U.S. News rankings for 2005. I belive U of M is 22, and University of Wisconsin-Madison is in the 30's. But i believe it all depends on your field of study and which school's atmosphere you prefer. University of Wisconsin does have a larger student body, but both schools are huge. good luck with whichever u choose. By the way what do u plan to study?</p>
<p>^ not sure yet</p>
<p>can someone really compare these schools...add in UIUC and compare the 3 schools.</p>
<p>TO me, Michigan is clearly the better school overall....but wisconsin has a few perks of its own as well...both are great publics</p>
<p>Here is a brief comparison between the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.</p>
<p>First, let us start with the similarities. All three are HUGE state universities. All three are flagship state universities. All three are members of the Big 10. All three are great academic institutions.</p>
<p>Ok, now to the comparison:</p>
<p>ACADEMICS:
Academically, Michigan is the strongest of the three...but only marginally so. In the Sciences, Michigan is excellent (top 10 or 15 nationally)...but Wisconsin and Illinois are slightly better. Michigan is also top 6 or 7 in Engineering...but in Engineering, Illinois is arguably the best of the three. But Michigan has a top ranked Business school and is excellent in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. Second overall would be Wisconsin...and third would be Illinois.</p>
<p>In Business: Michigan, but Wisconsin and Illinois are also good.
In Engineering: Illinois and Michigan but Wisconsin is also excellent
In the Humanities: Michigan and Wisconsin but Illinois is also good.
In the Sciences: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan in that order.
In the Social Sciences: Michigan is amazing, but Wisconsin and Illinois are also good.</p>
<p>ACADEMIC REPUTATION:
Here, Michigan has a clear advantage over both Wisconsin and Illinois. That is not to say that the latter two aren't very respected, because they are. But Michigan, along with Cal, is generally considered to be in a league of its among state universities. Wisconsin and Illinois are almost equal in terms of reputation, but with the exception of Engineering, I would have to give the edge to Wisconsin.</p>
<p>RESOURCES:
All three schools have amazing resources. Illinois has the third or fourth largest university Library in the country (behind only Harvard, Yale and maybe Cal). Michigan is not far behind Illinois and Wisconsin is not far behind Michigan. All three have HUGE operating budgets (over $2 Billions apiece, not inlcuding Medical School operations). that's $50,000-$60,000 per student. Just so that we can put this into context, even elite private universities like Brown and Dartmouth spend roughly only $70,000-$80,000 per student. However, in terms of endowment, Michigan is significantly better off. Illinois and Wisconsin's endowment are barely scratching the $1 Billion mark whereas Michigan's endowment is well over $4 Billion.</p>
<p>SURROUNDING TOWN:
Ann Arbor (Michigan) and Madison (Wisconsin) are amazing little cities. Both have been rated among the top 10 cities in America by several independent but reliable sources. And they were ranked among the top 10 for all sorts of demographics. Women, retirees, young professionals, teenagers, college students etc... Madison is a little bigger, prettier and more happening than Ann Arbor. But Ann Arbor is a little quainter, more unique and more cosmopolitan. Urbana Champaign is not quite as nice as Ann Arbor or Madison, but it is not bad either.</p>
<p>QUALITY OF LIFE:
All three are great places to go to college...but again, I would have to give the edge to Michigan and Wisconsin. </p>
<p>SPORTS:
For Football and Hockey, Michigan rules, but Wisconsin is almost as good. In Basketball, Illinois is currently #1 in the nation...BY FAR!!! All three have fine athletic traditions.</p>
<p>In short, I would recomend Michigan slightly over Wisconsin and Wisconsin slightly over Illinois...but all three are great schools.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the comparison, Alexander. I am keeping it for future reference as this has come up several times. The main difference I have discerned among the three schools is that Illinois is nearly all instate in population. That makes it a little bit more difficult for out of staters to feel comfortable at times, whereas Michigan and Wisconsin are about one third out of state. The other difference is that Wisconsin is far less diverse with the largest percentage of caucasian students and the fewest black, asian, Hispanic and international. Michigan's drawback is its cost as it is a full $7K higher for out of staters in tuition alone, and the expense of room and board is a little bit more on average as well. It also does not participate in reciprocal tuition plans among other midwest schools which could make it a very good deal indeed. That was the reason my friend's daughter ended up at Wisconsin. They simply could not justify that tuition differential though she was a Michigan legacy and did have a preference for Michigan. In the end, I would recommend as you did, except for the cost issue, particularly if someone could get some tuition remission from any of the other two schools.</p>
<p>Also UIUC offers a guaranteed tuition progarm which saves students from the annual tuition inflation. </p>
<p>from UIUC's Website:
[quote]
Beginning in Fall 2004, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign implemented a new tuition policy for all first-time undergraduate students. This policy, known as the Guaranteed Tuition Program, keeps tuition at the same level for four years, assuming continuous enrollment in the same major.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>thanks for the comparisons alexandre! well they day i made the post, i sent in my deposit for michigan, haha..but i was still curious and my friend is really unsure about to what to do and i will relay all this info to her. thanks and again and hopefully ill see alot off you guys next year. maize and blue, holla</p>
<p>Alexandre out of the three universities which one would you recommend for Biology(pre-med). By the way I'm in-state for UIUC. So, i would be paying around 18,000 more at Michigan and 11,000 more at Wisconsin. What's your advice considering my situation? I really, I mean really want to go to Michigan, but I probably won't be getting much financial aid from them or Wisconsin. And after the undergrad costs I will still have to pay med school tuition. What's your recommendation?</p>
<p>Docintraining, I cannot answer that question. It really depends what you want. But if you are a great student...and if you know you can do well at UIUC and ace your MCATs down the line...well, I would recommend you take a serious look at UIUC and save as much money as possible for medical school! I mean, saving $50,000-$80,000 will get you through 2 years of Medical school and let me tell you...med school is expensive! So, unless your parents are well off and can help, I recommend you at least consider UIUC seriously.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice, but I have a follow-up question. Are you implying that if I get a slightly lower MCAT and a slightly lower GPA at UMICH than at UIUC that I'll have an equal chance at getting into med if I were to get a higher GPA and higer MCAT at UIUC. Also, isn't Michigan a much better institute for research? That's also part of the application process of med school. Overall, do you think that Michgan's reputation and research programs are so much better that they are worth the extra money?</p>
<p>Those are tough questions. I really encourage you to think about your short AND long term goals and needs. You already know the little differences. You just need to make up your mind based on what you want...and what you need.</p>
<p>Thanks Alexandre.</p>
<p>Docintraining, I forgot to add one thing. A UIUC student with a 3.7+ GPA and a solid MCAT scores (over 11) will get into a good medical school. Anything over that is gravy!Good luck and keep us posted.</p>
<p>Definately will. I'm going for the final campus visits. I'll be going to Michigan for Campus Day this Friday adn UIUC in the next couple of weeks. Then I'll make my decision by the end of March.</p>
<p>Alexandre, another question. How do these two schools differ in terms of law-school placement (for the top 15 law-schools) does umich supercede uwisc by a lot?</p>
<p>It is hard to tell without knowing the exact numbers from Wisconsin. Michigan posts its Law school applications data in great detail:</p>
<p>So, to the top 7 Law Schools, Michigan sent the following # of students in 2004:</p>
<p>Columbia University Law: 14
Harvard University Law: 8
New York University Law: 10
Stanford University Law: 3
University of Chicago Law: 3
University of Michigan Law: 63
Yale University Law: 4
TOTAL: 105</p>
<p>Top #8-#15 Law Schools:</p>
<p>Cornell University Law: 2
Duke University Law: 3
Georgetown University Law: 9
Northwestern University Law: 8
University of California-Berkeley Law: 3
University of California-Los Angeles Law: 2
University of Pennsylvania Law: 4
University of Texas-Austin Law: 1
University of Virgnia Law: 3
TOTAL: 35</p>
<p>To other top 25 Law schools:
Boston College: 5
Boston University Law: 7
Emory University: 7
Fordham University: 13
George Washington University: 12
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign: 12
University of Maryland: 3
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: 11
University of Notre Dame: 2
University of Wisconsin-Madison: 9
Vanderbilt University Law: 1
Washington University: 6
TOTAL: 88</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I do not think Wisconsin provides such in depth data. But if you look at individual Law schools, you may get a microcosmic comparative look. I would say Michigan has a slight edge.</p>
<p>Furthermore, there are currently:</p>
<p>7 Michigan students compared to 1 Wisconsin student at Yale Law.
14 Michigan students compared to 11 Wisconsin students at Chicago Law.
20 Michigan students compared to 14 Wisconsin students at Northwestern Law.</p>
<p>And of course, one of the primary differences is that Michigan itself has a top 7 Law School to which roughly 100 Michigan undergrads gain admittance to on an annual basis. </p>
<p>So in all, I would say Michigan has a slight edge over Wisconsin. However, Wisconsin is a great school. A top Wisconsin student with strong LSATs should have a great shot at top 15 Law Schools.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input Alexandre, I appreciate it</p>
<p>What about UIUC?</p>
<p>UIUC is similar to Wisconsin in this regard.</p>