<p>So basically I have been accepted to these two schools for engineering. Virginia Tech was my safety and UMICH was probably a match for me. Truthfully, I really really want to go to Michigan and do not want to go to VT. The problem is the cost of UMICH. I haven't recieved Fin aid back yet or the results of outside scholarships, but I've estimated the difference of Fin aid + Parent's $ to be about 10,000 without sholarships. </p>
<p>Now, I the question I have is, Is UMICH engineering significantly better than VTs' for MATERIAL engineering (UMich is 2nd in the country)? I definitely believe so but my partents are basically saying that they are both good schools and in the end I'll have the same education. I'm trying to convince them that the possible debt (which may be reduced with future scholarships, planning to bust my asss freshman year and well every year) is worth the superior knowledge and skills I'll gain through education and undergrad research at UMICH.</p>
<p>I don’t think Michigan Engineering is significantly better than VTech Engineering. Yes, it is slightly better, but VTech is also excellent. Where attending Michigan adds value is in non-Engineering matters. The university is more well regarded and should you decide to start your career in a field other than Engineering, will probably open more doors. If Michigan ends up costing $10,000/year more than Vtech, I think it may be worth considering…assuming you do not drive yourself into too much debt (anything over $30,000 debt is too much if you ask me). However, if Michigan ends up costing you significantly more than $10,000/year more than VTech, I don’t think it is worth it. MIT and Stanford would be worth it, but beside those two universities, I cannot think of a single university that would be worth attending over Vtech with that kind of cost differential.</p>
<p>I think I would agree that engineering in general for the two schools are comparable, but for specificaly material engineering (I’m really interested in nanotechnology) I’m not so sure. From what I’ve gathered UMICH is significantly superior in that area (and in many other nonengineering areas) and I feel like I would be justified in becoming indebt, but I agree there is a limit that I’ve yet to determine. Anyone familiar with material engineering at UMICH?</p>
<p>I don’t know what yall are smoking. They are not comparable. Michigan is a lot better at engineering than VT, and a lot better overall school. Where I work, there’s a lot of VT grads, they are not comparable. 10K a year is nothing, goto Michigan.</p>
<p>Suggest you check to see how long it usually takes a student to graduate in Mat’l Engineering at each school. I do not know the answer to that question, but learned that it was an important question to answer when comparing costs. If, for one school it is 4 years and for another 5 years, that changes the computation quite a bit.</p>
<p>I would agree on the fact that Michigan is better in engineering than VTech. While Vtech is a good school, I believe it still isn’t on the same level as Michigan. We’re talkinga bout top 10 engineering school. Even if you got same education from VT, I doubt it can compete with Michigan’s alumni network. Also I believe there is more opportunity to do stuff in Michigan such as interns and research and etc. However, it is a big and competitive school, so in order to get the best bang for your buck, you will need to study your ass off like you’ve never done it before. If you can get in the top percentile, you’re 10,000 will be well worth the investment.</p>