UMich worth it?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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<p>I was accepted to UMich and MSU a while ago. I also got deferred from Stanford, and am waiting for 3 other schools, but I don't see myself going there.</p>

<p>I am stuck with a decision between MSU and UMich. I know that I will be doing Engineering.</p>

<p>I love UMich. The atmosphere. Ann Arbor. Academics. Reputation. Sports. Opportunities. I really want to go there, and I see myself as a student there. However, I was hoping for, and almost expecting, some scholarships from there, after hearing from past students that they give out a lot of money. NOT TRUE. I got NOTHING (aside from the one-time 1500 Regents scholarship). Annually, it will cost me 25,000 to go to UMich, and 100K over 4 years. I also got preferred admit to Ross, although I don't think I would do business, I'm pretty set on engineering.</p>

<p>I never saw myself at MSU growing up, it was so close by, but recently, I've given it a closer look and it's pretty good. It doesn't exactly have the reputation of Umich, but much of the companies that recruit there also recruit at MSU. I have to say though, the main reason I'm considering MSU is cost. My parents work there, so I get half off tuition. Plus I got some really nice scholarships that bring tuition down to about 3K. Over 4 years, MSU would cost 44K (if I room all years. but I live right next to the university, so after I meet new people in dorms the first year, I will probs live at home. So it will be even cheaper, about $25,000) Also, MSU treats their top students really well. I already have a Professorial Assistant-ship and am in the Honors College.</p>

<p>So, my question is, is a UMich education worth the cost? Can you really justify the ~$75,000 difference in attending UMich?</p>

<p>People say a Michigan education is worth it in the long run. But for hard working students, does the difference in reputation between these two schools really matter? My parents say that when they hire, they hardly care where the person went to college. It's all about their experience. So how can you tell me that a UMich engineering degree is "all that"? I'm skeptical. Also, I want to go to Grad school, either a PHD in engineering, or an MBA, so I've got other costs to worry about. But I also REALLY like Michigan!</p>

<p>I realize I've asked you guys a lot of questions, but don't feel like you need to answer any of them specifically. I just want know your feelings on this in general. Maybe some of you are in the same boat as me, and I want to know how you guys are deciding and how you are rationalizing those decisions.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>Scroll through all the threads on this board-don’t just look at the 2016 section. There have been a few threads on this subject where Alexandre and others have listed engineering rankings. I don’t remember seeing MSU in the mix, but I may be remembering wrong. </p>

<p>It is my impression from reading those threads that the U of M degree is definitely worth it for engineering.</p>

<p>And I have consistently heard the opposite about scholarships-U of M does NOT give a lot of merit money. Think about it-there are a ton of kids with really really good numbers. You really have to have the top top numbers and the pool of admitted students is more competitive than MSU. I know how you feel, my son has merit offers from all his back up schools and is getting “recruited” by those schools. Oh, and take a look at the U of M website-the financial aid section lists a lot of opportunities for scholarships given by other institutions with U of M ties, although the deadlines may have passed. </p>

<p>I would go look more closely for the treads with the specific engineering rankings if I were you. If you end up top of your class at MSU it might be ok, but I am guessing U of M is the better opportunity.</p>

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<p>If I were in your position I would seriously lean toward MSU.</p>

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<p>shs: I’ve read those posts, but to be honest, they hold little value in my opinion, since no one seems to be willing to talk about any downsides. On this thread, I’m hoping to disregard rankings, and try and talk about other reasons. Rankings mean nothing, they are just numbers, and do little to describe the actual experiences a student will have at that school. Alexandre has valuable posts, but it also seems like he’s incredibly biased and if all he can do is rattle off rankings, I don’t care much for his opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I love Michigan too, and hold a very high opinion of it, but I hear from people with some real down-to-earth, pragmatic thinking. Thanks for your reply :)</p>

<p>OhioMom: Could you explain more? Maybe through personal experiences with a similar situation? How did you think about it?</p>

<p>I hope I can have responses by people who both are and aren’t going to go to UMich</p>

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<p>I went to the U of M and it’s a great school and is known for it’s engineering school. I have a cousin who went to MSU and was very happy there. The title of your post says it all. Is U of M worth $75,000 more? You are obviously considering both choices carefully. I can’t really answer your question. Only you and your family can. I just wanted to stress that MSU is an attractive option, especially with the differential cost. Someone who usually has good advice comparing programs is ucbalumnus. You may want to PM.</p>

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<p>well we might pay $100,000 more because my son may NOT choose Michigan, so I know how you feel. I agree that in many instances rankings may not mean much-but if there is a huge disparity in rankings it usually means that you have to be at the top of a graduating class to be considered as a candidate for a job if you are at the (much) lower ranked school. (and I do not know off the top of my head where MSU is ranked, I just have never heard of them being strong in engineering generally although I believe they have a strong physics dept). I just know that we are concerned for our son in the same way as we watch him make choices. My husband is a hiring partner in a large law firm, and he says they get dozens of resumes per week from kids similar to my son (based on what we predict he will do in college) and it really makes my husband nervous re: the future for our son. It may not transfer to engineering, but for example my husband’s firm does not even look at Wayne State grads unless they are on law review, and only look at even a top top student (like #1-5 in class) from a place like Cooley or U of D (the new MSU law school) if there are family or other connections. You might be thinking those schools don’t compare with MSU engineering, maybe they don’t. But I also know that when his firm has a candidate from an Ivy League school or Michigan/Northwestern they will always get a look, and if it is from a Big Ten law school other than Michigan/NW it will depend on class ranking. So what I would do is check on not only WHO interviews at MSU, that is not enough-you need to know how many/the percentage of kids they are hiring and how soon after graduation, what types of grades you need to be hired and what types of positions are available. And do the same research for U of M too. I know this sounds really obvious, but you can’t rely on just the fact that the same companies interview at both schools. If the hiring numbers are good for MSU, then go ahead and save that money!!! Good luck!</p>

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<p>It has been discussed ad nauseam. And there is plenty of data on the internet. You are correct; ratings and rankings mean nothing to the ambitious, talented, motivated student.</p>

<p>I too have been struggling with the very same question you have (times about 2 since we’re OOS). To use your words “real down-to-earth and pragmatic…” I haven’t been able to find one person, anywhere (other than current UMich students or parents), that will support ANY price premium vs. another State Flagship University or well regarded private. I get the furrowed brow and “are kidding me?!” look when I suggest we’re considering upwards of 100k premium for a UMich degree.</p>

<p>ucbalumus wrote me and said (paraphrasing); that success of any student is far more dependent on what the student does with what they learn, than where they learn it from.</p>

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<p>Read post #9 here; <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1302418-tuition-free-school-pay.html#post14010069[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1302418-tuition-free-school-pay.html#post14010069&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>good stuff.</p>

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<p>shs: Thanks for the great advice. I agree, the rankings are hard to ignore, especially in this case (I think MSU was in the 40s for engineering). Facilities are another thing. There’s just no comparison. Also thanks for the insider info on hiring out of college. With all this info, and the fact that I fell in love with Michigan, I want to lean in that direction. But like you said, looks like I should do a bit more research on hiring percentages.</p>

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<p>This has really been the worst week ever. I got my aid package from Umich and my expected payment is twice the EFC from Fafsa. like MangoSentinal i really love umich but its so much money… My EFC was 11000 and the expected cost will be about $23000. My parents are putting my brother through college for about 20000 a year after his aid. They split the cost in loans and I would do the same but I dont think my parents can handle the cost for another 4 years. Ive also heard that if you call the financial aid office directly they will help you out, but i doubt it will be anything substantial. I dont know what I want people to say but is there any relevant advice out there?</p>

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<p>Move on - hopefully you have options. Michigan threw us the same bone. OOS with FAFSA EFC of 22k and they didn’t come close. D has some great undergrad options that she’s now getting excited about. Especially after doing research and seeing what an undergrad degree means. She’s going to grad school, so “que sera, sera”</p>

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<p>I would recommend going to MSU. Although UMICH is higher ranked in engineering, being in the honors college with the professorial assistant-ship should make it almost if not equal to UMICH engineering. Having a harder workload at MSU through the honors college with the research experience you get from the professorial assistant-ship should prepare you to go to a great grad-school, and that is when you should start considering UMICH.</p>

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<p>I’d probably go with MSU also, as I was in the same exact scenario as you last year and chose UMich. As I don’t plan on continuing education past my undergrad, this is alright (although I still struggle with justifying the price difference sometimes even with my parents paying), but in your case you’ll want to save as much as possible. That said, as far as graduate school research experience is a major plus, and a professorial assistantship is a great way to start doing research and making connections from the get-go (having parents as faculty doesn’t hurt either, I know that for a fact). A major problem you may run into is that you do not find your peers to be up to par with you, I know that East Lansing’s environment always felt a bit unintellectual to me, but strangely enough the same can be the case in Ann Arbor. On average engineering students are significantly stronger too, so if you major in that you’ll see some of the stronger Michigan State students. If you really love Michigan, just think about if spending four years in Ann Arbor is worth the $75 k, because as a strong student you will have very similar grad school options coming out of MSU.</p>