Hello guys,
I am admitted to the University of Michigan and UNC-chapel hill as an international transfer student and wondering which school is better. I haven’t declared my major yet and I plan to go to grad school after graduation. My friend at Umich told me that Umich is a way better school academically and also has a much better name recognition worldwide. UNC, in his opinion, is no match to Umich. For me, the cost of attendance is a big factor as I do want to save some money for my grad school. Since I am an international student, I need to pay roughly 51k at Umich while 36k at UNC for tuition. So would Umich worth paying more 15k as my friend told me?
What do you think you’ll major in? What do you want to study in grad school?
^^and why Grad school? So you can get a job and remain in the States? If so, you should focus on a quant-type major.
Not sure if accurate, but I read recently an article published by US News that indicated that UNC-Chapel Hill uses a lot of graduate teaching assistants as the primary instructor for many courses.
Nevertheless, both are excellent schools with respect to academics.
Depends, in large part, upon what you want to study.
My D was a science major with a double minor in another science and foreign language. Every single class was taught by a professor with the exception of one. That one class was in a foreign language, it had under 30 students, and the TA was almost finished with her degree.
Both schools are excellent. As an OOS student she found the academics to be challenging…but manageable. She worked hard for her gpa.
Congrats!
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I know zippo about UNC, but changing majors and schools at UMich is relatively easy compared to other large publics. Within LSA, it’s a very simple process and also to add a major or minors.
Out here on the west coast, UMich is a much bigger name and has more cache. But it sounds like saving $15K per year is important, so head to Chapel Hill.
My D entered as one major, switched her major, went back to her original major, and then switched again. She didn’t have any problem.
No wrong choice here. Michigan probably has more name recognition outside of the east coast/ Research Triangle area, but nobody will hire or accept you because you attended one school over the other. Your accomplishments will be what matter most. Congrats once again!
I think I will major in Math/Statistics. Also, I plan to study Biostatistics in grad school as most colleges don’t have an undergraduate Biostatistics program. I know UNC has one, but it’s should not be the reason for me to turn down Umich since applying to grad school for biostatistics programs doesn’t require a biostas major.
I’m a Michigan grad, and was waitlisted at UNC as an OOS student. Both schools are excellent, Ann Arbor and Chapel Hill are great college towns, and you can’t go with either.
If money is an issue at all, head to UNC. I question whether any school is worth almost $300,000, including Michigan. UNC would be about $210,000 for four years.
No, an undergrad degree from UMi is not $60,000 better than an undergrad degree from UNC-CH.
It is great that your friend is really happy where they are! but 1) s/he isn’t writing the check for $60,000, and 2) there are plenty of students at UNC who will say the same thing in reverse.
Biostats at UNC is in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, one of the best out there.
If money isn’t an issue, attend the one you like better. If money is an issue I would choose UNC.
If you plan on working internationally after graduation, Mich might be more well-known. In the U.S., recognition is more regional and UNC – while known nationally – will be more recognizable on the east coast. Among people who know of both schools, I’d say academic prestige is generally similar.
If you want to study biostatistics, I’d say UNC has one of, if not THE best program. The Gillings School of Public Health is ranking #2 in the country and the biostats program is certainly top 3-5, with a lot of personalized student engagement.
In short, I’d say go to UNC. Mich is not worth $60,000 more (maybe for some majors but not biostats).
If you do decide to change your mind on your major, UMich has at least 40 programs in the Top 10, which doesn’t include the CoE and majors like math, where it’s about #12.
Also, finances are important, especially now. Endowments (2017):
UMich #9 $11 Billion
UNC #34 $3 Billion
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/tables/dt18_333.90.asp
QS World rankings:
UMich #21
UNC #90
https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2020
Hiring here in Silicon Valley:
UMich #11
UNC is not ranked in the Top 25
Again, if the $60K is not affordable, then UNC is a great choice between the two. Otherwise Go Blue!
US News published a top 10 list of universities where the most TAs (graduate teaching assistants) were listed as primary instructor:
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Purdue
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Univ. of South Florida
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Univ. of Georgia
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Univ. of Iowa
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UNC-Chapel Hill
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Univ. of Hawaii-Manoa
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Univ. of Illinois-UC
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Florida State (FSU)
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Univ. of Arkansas
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Univ. of Kansas
US News did not provide any additional details. My best guess is that TAs would be the primary instructor for introductory courses, but that is just my guess.
Often, TAs are great, enthusiastic instructors.
Since cost is a big factor for you, the obvious choice is UNC. The $60,000 saved will be vital for paying for grad school. UNC is an excellent university.
My niece is a Tarheel, so I get all the love, but no way is UNC’s biostats program top #2. Yes, Carolina is a strong PH program, but Hopkins, Harvard, (and Michigan) among others would rank ahead of them in both PH and in biostatistics.
This is a tough choice. Prestige is big for international’s, and Mich easily wins there. OTOH, if the OP does grad in the US, undergrad is not that relevant.
But since Grad is still an unknown, I lean with Sushrito.
Both schools are fabulous… you can nitpick numbers and rank all day but UMich is not worth the extra money, especially in this economy. UNC-Chap has more mild weather AND there are opportunities to take classes at Duke depending on your major. My D18 loved Carolina - vibrant campus more diverse than you would think considering 80% come from NC. Her Grandfahter was a UMich grad but she didn’t apply because she just couldn’t see doing the winters as we are coastal people. I only mention so you’ll know we have LOVE for both schools … but for the money - go UNC. Hands down, best decision.
Don’t discount perceived prestige if you’re an international. Depending where you are from, it’s a huge advantage to go to the school with the greater cache. There are no “hands down” decisions here since neither school is a cost bargain. I also assume that as a transfer student you will not be at either school for more than two or three years. That also would mean a smaller difference in total costs mentioned by other posters.
U.S. News disagrees with you. They rank UNC in a tie for #2 with Harvard in Grad PH, Michigan is tied for #5 with Emory.
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings
UNC Dept. of Biostatistics is in a tie for 8th, Michigan comes in at #11.
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/statistics-rankings
^^^In any case, comparable departments for sure.