<p>I have been accepted to Wisconsin (should find out about honors this week) and am finding out from Michigan in the next couple of weeks. I had been hoping for a smaller, private college but with the way acceptances worked out, it is looking big and public for me, which I am completely fine with because I know I will fit in wherever I go. I want to send in my deposit to wherever as soon as I hear from Michigan, so I want to make this choice now! Here is some background:</p>
<p>GENERAL
-I am hoping to study psychology and journalism
-I want a great campus, vibrant campus life and a great school newspaper to write for
-I plan to attend grad school immediately after undergrad
-Both seem strong in all of these areas, so I am having a tough time comparing them</p>
<p>$$$$
-Because of reciprocity, I receive in-state tuition in Wisconsin
-My dad lives in Michigan, so the hope is that I would pay in-state there after a year. There is also a chance he may move, so this hope is a bit of a gamble
-My parents plan on paying up to $40,000 for my college education. Anything above that, I pay myself</p>
<p>OTHER FACTORS
-Madison is sort of half-way between both of my parents' houses
-Michigan is half an hour from my dad's house
-Being away from home is not a big deal at all to me
-I would be living in a very nice private dorm if I attend Madison</p>
<p>OTHER SCHOOLS ALREADY RULED OUT
-UC Santa Barbara (Lots of money, don't want to go into a school already planning to transfer out of-aka to UCLA)
-Ithaca College (Would only be studying journalism; not sure if that is what I want to do)
-Iowa State (Extreme safety school, and I want to break the family tradition :D)</p>
<p>So... Michigan seems held to be more prestigious, but not leaps and bounds above Wisconsin. Wisconsin would be a more financially suited choice.</p>
<p>Why would you have to wait a whole year to get in-state status at Michigan if your father is a resident of Michigan? If that's the case, definitely go to Wisconsin. If you can get in-state status at Michigan from day one, then it becomes a tougher decision, but I would say Michigan over Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Because my high school diploma comes from minnesota, I am considered OOS. I can reapply for in-state tuition after i establish myself under their criteria for considering yourself in-state</p>
<p>Have you asked Michigan about your residency issue? They are notoriously strict and very few people can change from OOS status. We asked about our situation - living overseas with a MI based company but have not lived in MI for 10 years - even if we move back to MI when my son starts school he will still remain OOS for his entire undergrad period. No exceptions.</p>
<p>Nope I have not talked to them directly about it, just read their criteria with the aid of two parents who are lawyers. You are right that I should talk to them directly.
Lets say that it does end up being OOS tuition at Michigan for me-what would people recommend?<br>
and if i get in-state at michigan?</p>
<p>How come I still haven't got any response from Michigan?
It's strange cause I know a lot of people being offered admission or rejected. Does Michigan have a type of rolling decision or something?</p>
<p>I love both these places and I think Wisconsin is a vastly underrated institution academically. BUT out here Michigan is on par with Berkeley and UCLA. Plus they are ranked #1 in psychology tied with Stanford and Yale and just above UCLA. If you prove yourself there in that major sky is the limit if you want to get an advanced degree. </p>
<p>The much more current US News grad rankings have UW in the Top 10 for psychology too. Hardly a vast difference for an undergrad.</p>
<p>"The Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, among the oldest in the United States, has fostered a tradition of excellence in research and scholarship since its founding in 1888. Our faculty conducts leading edge research that spans the breadth and diversity of contemporary psychology, including the biological bases of behavior in many organisms (including humans), emotion, language, perception, memory, cognitive development, psychopathology, depression, addiction, motivation, prejudice, and personality. Our leadership role in these areas is reflected in the fact that members of our faculty edit several leading scholarly journals, and we currently lead all U.S. departments of psychology in federal research and development funding by an astounding factor of 2! (This despite the fact that our faculty is smaller (also by roughly a factor of 2) than many of our peer institutions.) This blend of rich tradition and contemporary leadership combine to make the Department of Psychology a uniquely vibrant and productive environment in which to study mind, brain, and behavior"</p>
<p>If you will be unable to qualify for in-state tuition at Michigan after your first year, then you should definitely choose Wisconsin. It's a fantastic school, in-state tuition, two competing campus newspapers, great scenic location. Its reputation is excellent too, just slightly under Michigan's.</p>
<p>I wouldn't go that far. Michigan and Northwestern are clearly great, Wisconsin is a notch below them, and Illinois and Minnesota are a notch below that. Iowa, MSU, Penn State and Indiana are good schools, I wouldn't call them "excellent" though. Indiana and Iowa accept anyone in the top 50% of their high school class for in-staters.</p>
<p>Big Ten USNWR rankings:
Northwestern (14)
Michigan (25)
Wisconsin (38)
Illinois (38)
Penn St. (48)
Ohio St. (57)
Iowa (64)
Purdue (64)
Michigan St. (71)
Minnesota (71)
Indiana (75)</p>
<p>Post from A2Wolves6:
[quote]
RANKINGS BY PEER ASSESSMENT:</p>
<p>BIG TEN: Average - 3.9
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor * 4.5
Northwestern University (IL) 4.3
University of Wisconsin—Madison * 4.1
University of Illinois—Urbana - Champaign * 4
Pennsylvania State University—University Park * 3.8
Purdue University—West Lafayette (IN) * 3.8
Ohio State University—Columbus * 3.7
University of Minnesota—Twin Cities * 3.7
Indiana University—Bloomington * 3.7
University of Iowa * 3.6
Michigan State University * 3.5</p>
<p>PAC 10: Average - 3.8
Stanford University (CA) 4.9
University of California—Berkeley * 4.8
University of California—Los Angeles * 4.2
University of Southern California 4
University of Washington * 3.9
University of Arizona * 3.6
University of Oregon * 3.3
Arizona State University * 3.3
Washington State University * 3
Oregon State University * 2.9</p>
<p>ACC: Average - 3.6
Duke University (NC) 4.4
University of Virginia * 4.3
University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill * 4.2
Georgia Institute of Technology * 4
Boston College 3.6
University of Maryland—College Park * 3.6
Wake Forest University (NC) 3.5
Virginia Tech * 3.4
University of Miami (FL) 3.2
Clemson University (SC) * 3.1
North Carolina State University—Raleigh * 3.1
Florida State University * 3</p>
<p>BIG 12: Average - 3.2
University of Texas—Austin * 4.1
Texas A&M University—College Station * 3.6
University of Colorado—Boulder * 3.5
University of Kansas * 3.4
University of Missouri—Columbia * 3.3
Baylor University (TX) 3.2
Iowa State University * 3.2
University of Nebraska—Lincoln * 3.2
University of Oklahoma * 3
Kansas State University * 2.9
Texas Tech University * 2.7
Oklahoma State University * 2.7</p>
<p>SEC: Average - 3.1
Vanderbilt University (TN) 4
University of Florida * 3.6
University of Georgia * 3.5
Auburn University (AL) * 3.1
University of Tennessee * 3.1
University of Alabama * 3
University of Kentucky * 3
University of South Carolina—Columbia * 2.9
Louisiana State University—Baton Rouge * 2.9
University of Arkansas * 2.8
University of Mississippi * 2.7
Mississippi State University * 2.4</p>
<p>BIG EAST: Average - 3.0
Syracuse University (NY) 3.4
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick (NJ) * 3.4
University of Pittsburgh * 3.4
University of Connecticut * 3.2
University of Louisville * 2.7
West Virginia University * 2.7
University of Cincinnati * 2.7
University of South Florida * 2.6
<p>Illinois is just a tiny notch below UW. The ability to accept many instate students is a philosophical one that has limted impact on the overall quality of the schools. They provide a chance and then flunkout the less able ones and the lazy partiers.</p>
<p>Wisconsin is indeed slightly more well-rounded than UIUC, but I wouldn't say it is a notch above UIUC academically. The two institutions are peers. LAS, which is usually known as UIUC's weakness, is still very well regarded. 20 alumni/faculty members of U of I has won a Pulitzer Prize.</p>